Good day poolies! Finally some hockey news and action with the Traverse City rookie tournament starting place this week and some signings to speak of.  "Jumbo" Joe Thornton returns for another season in San Jose which should help the Sharks transition from the departure of the other Joe, Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi heading to Colorado.   Carolina bolsters their defensive unit with the signing of free-agent Jake Gardiner.  The former Maple Leaf held some promise while in Toronto but could never fulfill the expectations and also didn't show consistency. Taking a backseat to Morgan Reilly and Tyson Barrie wouldn't have helped his cause but also allowed the Leafs to move on. Both players have been updated in the Guide for their respective teams and also included in the TierAdvantage system. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and hope you enjoy some of the rookie tournaments.  Camps open soon! Ray  

1. The Canes finished strong last season but more offense will need to be generated in order for this momentum to continue in 2016. The loss of Eric Staal will be more than compensated by the additions of Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak. Youth will be served as Elias Lindholm and Viktor Rask will be expected to take another step forward offensively. Key memo to Justin Faulk- Stay healthy and elite status will come. Goalie Cam Ward has another resurgence coming. PLAYOFFS: MAYBE 2. NHL MVP Patrick Kane will lead the scoring parade for the Blackhawks who are hoping last year's rookie phenom Artemi Panarin will continue to click with him on the top line. Jonathan Toews will anchor the 2nd unit but could be lacking a legitimate scoring threat to combine with. Marian Hossa has seen better days, but don't write him off yet. A sleeper addition that should bolster their defensive depth is Brian Campbell. He could be stealing some power-play time from Brent Seabrook. Is there anyone that still thinks that Chicago's weak link resides in goal?  Yeah, I thought so. The boys will be back.  PLAYOFFS: OF COURSE 3. No more Patrick Roy could be exactly what the doctor ordered for an offensive revival in Colorado. Look for Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene to bounce back strongly next season. Gabriel Landeskog will continue his consistency, but maybe he should be scoring cloer to 70-points than 60. Mikko Rantanen can push for Calder Trophy honors if he garners top-six minutes. Repeat after me-Tyson Barrie rocks! Why would one of the most offensively gifted defensemen in their NHL prime always be mentioned in trade rumors? Semyon Varlamov has regressed over the last two seasons and I for one expect Calvin Pickard to challenge for the starting job. However, I must admit that not having Patrick Roy constantly scrutinizing his play, should help Varlamov reclaim his fame.  PLAYOFFS: MAYBE 4. A myriad of injuries derailed the Blue Jackets before the season was a few months old in 2015, but they have a shot to vie for the post-season in the upcoming year, if they can stay healthy. Huge seasons from goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and d-man Seth Jones will be needed if they are to finish in the top eight. Tortorella's team will not excel in the scoring department, so defense and goaltending will be their forte. Or not if things don't work out. PLAYOFFS: MAYBE 5. Its very simple for the Dallas Stars who arguably boast the most dangerous top-six forwards in the NHL; get top-15 ...

John Klingberg, Dallas- Wow, the 23-year old is following up his superb 40-point rookie seasons with huge numbers- 20 pts in 18 games. When you are out-scoring the likes of Karlsson and Subban, you know that the potential "elite" tag will come up. I would say given that 10 of his 20 points came on the power play and how explosive the Dallas offense is, there is little reason to believe he can't keep up a top-five pace. Klingberg looks like a special talent so maybe fantasy owners should treat him as such. ROAD TO ELITE   Brent Burns, San Jose- The Sharks sharp shooter is also making a case for top fantasy d status, collecting 14 pts in 18 games. His points have improved over last two years from 48 to 60 so is there another possible increase on the horizon? The fact remains that Burns is far and above the premier scoring presence on their blue line, so he will continue to log heavy minutes on the pp and top defensive pairing. Hold onto him as he has legit 70-point upside and you would be hard pressed to attain equal value in a trade. BLUE-CHIP STUD   Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota- The underrated blue liner is currently sporting a 6-game scoring streak, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists over that span. I would stash and possibly sell high if this point spree continues much longer. He doesn't get the pp minutes to sustain such a pace so his inflated fantasy worth will soon equate with his career norms. Closer to 30 than 50 for sure. DON'T OVERRATE   Michael Del Zotto, Philadelphia- Shane Gostisbehere has been getting the top power play minutes for Philly in Mark Streit's absence, but it should be MDZ that toy are targeting. He has the better track record plus was quite prolific over second half of last season.  I would pay special attention to how he is utilized over the next week or so, as a promotion to the primary power-play unit will do wonders for his fantasy value. SLEEPER ALERT   Tyson Barrie, Colorado - Despite the high end offensive talent, Barrie's name continues to spring up in trade rumor talks. He does have ten helpers in 15 games but the consensus has been that he hasn't been as effective as he was last season. His 53 points in 2015-16 landed him in the upper echelon of fantasy d-men, but many are starting to sour on him. I would absolutely try to pry him away from any disgrunteld fantasy owner as he will always be a force to be reckoned with, regardless if he stays on the Avalanche or not.  BUY LOW?

Andrei Markov- It's time to remind ourselves that the best fantasy tandem in defense resides in Montreal as the 36-year old continues to put up numbers comparable with the more heralded PK Subban. Markov had seemingly put his knee issues aside and has formed a dynamic duo with Subban in the Hab's top power play unit. He has collected 13 points in the first 14 games and while he could be a great sell high candidate by mid season, another 50-point season is well within reach.  No End In Sight   Dion Phaneuf- Once upon a time Phaneuf was the talk of all fantasy leagues but with the deterioration of the Leafs came a huge downgrade in his fantasy value. With Phil Kessel shipped out to Pittsburgh, there was little reason to believe that Phaneuf can repeat past glory and get even close to 40 points. Well, 7 points in his first 9 games amidst an overall poor showing from the Leafs indicates that the veteran is flourishing under new coach Mike Babcock. I am not sold on him yet but the new regime is treating him like their star player and that might bring out the best in the underachieving veteran.  Don't Sleep On Him   Ryan Murray- Another two point effort leaves the 22-year old Columbus rearguard with four points in five games. Obviously, coach Tortorella loves him and is known to ride his favorites. Things could change but like I have already said, Murray's situation looks like the perfect recipe for a breakout.  Busting Out?   Tyson Barrie- It's amazing that after a slow start aided by a three game suspension, the youngster has managed 7 points over the first nine games. So it's a bit misleading given that five came over the last two games, but this guy is as prolific as any Scoring dman in NHL. You need to keep him active at all times as Barrie is capable of giving a weeks worth of production in one game. Fantasy Elite   Kevin Shattenkirk- the All-Star defender is on the verge of returning to the Blue's lineup which may come as early as tonight against Chicago. His return would be a huge boon to all fantasy owners who hadn't been able to replace his elite production on their active rosters Colton Payrako fantasy value about to drop!

Nikolaj Ehlers F, Winnipeg- The "Great Dane" is off to a quick start in his NHL career playing on Winnipeg's second line, collecting 3 points in 5 games. The youngster is a solid sleeper pick who could continue paying fantasy dividends given his top six status. Just beware of the rookie wall, but the elite ones often avoid hitting it. Could Nikolaj be one of them ?    Max Domi/Anthony Duclair F, Arizona- The young guns have taken hold of the offense early in Arizona as Max and Anthony are making the Coyote offense look much less putrid as expected. The duo have combined for 10 points over the first 5 games, making them very intriguing sleeper picks to consider. They hold more value in dynasty league formats but they could have 40-50 point upside this season.    Ales Hemsky F,  Dallas-Before you get too excited with the winger's point streak to start the season- 6 points in 5 games-, he is currently getting third line minutes and not getting big power-play time. However, Hemsky has the talent to be productive in the short term. It's a matter of time before injuries and inconsistencies start to creep up in his game.    Francois Beauchemin D, Colorado-Being partnered with Erik Johnson has done wonders early on for this vet's fantasy value as he has collected five assists in four games. With Tyson Barrie set to miss 3 games, expect Beauchemin to keep contributing for a little while longer. But make no mistake about it- his scoring will come to a screeching halt at some point soon.    Mike Smith G, Arizona- For those who were ready to proclaim Smith a fantasy stud as a scorching start, reality has already begun to set in. He has allowed 8 goals over the last two as he even he can't overcome a porous Arizona defense. With the offense coming mostly from up and coming youth, wins could be hard to come by. Having said that, Smith looks focused and could serve well as a goalie depth option in most fantasy formats. 

Captain Toews to the rescue, Shoot’em out in Wild West, Ducks & Habs losing helps Rangers The Buffalo Sabres almost made it 2 in a row by scaring the Chicago Blackhawks until Captain Jonathan Toews rescued the Hawks from a humiliating defeat against the NHL’s worst team by scoring two late goals with less than 2 minutes remaining to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win.  Toews just shows what a tremendous talent he is by upping his game in the wake of losing Patrick Kane for the last month and a half and carrying the team to within reach of the Central division crown…Brandon Saad added 2 assists and has 6 points in the last six games.  Perhaps the time has come for the young LWer.  With next year being his fourth, you could see a good jump in production from the 50’s level to perhaps a 70-point campaign….For those looking ahead to next season, Buffalo’s defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen may be the main cog on the Sabres’ power play along with Zach Bogosian.  Regardless, Buffalo has a tremendous amount of defensive young talent to build the team up on.  And don’t forget Sam Reinhart…. The New Jersey Devils actually helped their cross-river rivals, the New York Rangers, by beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a shootout, keeping the Mighty Habs from gaining that extra point that is so crucial at this point of the season.  It was a battle of the backups as both teams have or had back-to-back nights… It was a regular ‘shoot-em out in the Old West’ as the St. Louis Blues outlasted the Dallas Stars 7-5 last night in a game atypical at this time of year.  With Vladimir Tarasenko sidelined, Patrik Berglund has stepped up his production of late with 6 points in last 4 games.  Berglund has never lived up to his scoring potential but has come on of late...Jaden Schwartz had a hattie and showed that he can score without the talented Tarasenko giving the Blues a potent duo for years to come…Dallas has their own potent duo in Jamie Benn (2G, A) and Tyler Seguin (G, 2A) as both contributed with 3 points each in the loss.  You can probably expect more matches like this in the upcoming years… The New York Rangers got some more help as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, keeping the Ducks from expanding their 2-point lead over the Rangers for the President’s Cup.  With 2 assists Avs’ defenseman Tyson Barrie cracked the 50-point plateau, bettering his previous high of 38 set last year.  Barrie has arrived big time and should be high on your draft lists next ...

Okposo is back; Faulk and Barrie amongst the fantasy elite d-men; and more: It was an epic battle in New York as the Islanders took on the Rangers and it was the Rangers who came away with the regulation 2-1 victory that leaves them one point behind the Isles with 4 games in hand. Kyle Okposo returned to the Islanders lineup and saw some action on John Tavares’ line near the end of the third period so look for that combination to stick the rest of the way….Cam Talbot with yet another win as he continues to play superbly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist.  Talbot’s time is coming to an end soon as Lundqvist is close to returning to the lineup and will need a few weeks to get into top form for the playoffs…. Philadelphia didn’t do themselves any favors by losing another close one, this time 2-1 to the Dallas Stars.  What has happened to Claude Giroux and the rest of the Flyers offense?.... Scott Hartnell (2 PPG) was the reason the Carolina Hurricanes lost 4-3 in a shootout last night after leading 3-1 after the first period.  Although it doesn’t really matter for these two teams as they are just riding out the season….Canes D-man Justin Faulk had a goal and 2 power play assists to lead the Carolina offense.  Continue to play the young talent as he is having a career year on his way to 50 points…. Carey Price and Ben Bishop put on a heck'uva goalie duel in Montreal but the Lightning's Tyler Johnson stole the show with the overtime game-winner. The undrafted sophomore continues to plug away with a monster season, having collected nine points during his current seven-game streak. How many of us predicted any other besides Steven Stamkos to lead the Bolts in scoring? Hey, it could happen... Cory Schneider was chased out of the Jersey net by the swarming Minnesota Wild, who scored plenty in the 6-2 rout of the Devils. Devan Dubnyk has shown few signs of slowing down as he made 30 saves in his 25th straight start. Thomas Vanek scored twice while Zach Parise picked up two helpers. D-man Jared Spurgeon played a solid game, collecting a goal and an assist and showing little rust from his time gone due to injury. If you are in need of defense, he bears watching.. For Colorado, no Semyon Varlamov in goal usually means no win and last night's game against LA was no different. Rota Berra replaced an ineffective Calvin Pickard in the first period and the Kings behind Brayden McNabb's three points waliopped the Av's 5-2. Fantasy stud Tyson Barrie scored a goal, ...

Starting with the late-night thriller between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Marc-Andre Fleury withstood a 31-shot barrage to hold on for his ninth shutout of the season. Patrick Hornqvist provided the game-winner in overtime, improving his goal to seven over the last seven games. After a mid-season dip in offensive production, the former Nashville winger has resumed his early-season scoring ways where he was one of the hottest fantasy assets with 25 points in his first 23 games. With all their key forwards healthy for the stretch run, look for Hornqvist to close the season on a point-per-game pace and back to fantasy must-start status.. Speaking of streaking, Vancouver's Radim Vrbata scored two goals to extend his point-streak to four games. Even though fantasy owners rather him play on the top line with the Sedin twins, the winger has delivered a team-leading 25 goals and still gets primary power-play time. If you have him on your bench, it might be time to start him while the Canucks push hard for a playoff spot. With Eddie Lack manning the crease instead of the injured Ryan Miller, there will be a stronger focus on the offense carrying the team.. Let's just re-name John Tavares Art Ross as the Islanders star continues to lead the NHL in scoring with another dominant effort, a goal and two assists in South Florida. With Kyle Okposo nearing a return, there has been plenty of debate on how the top line will look when he gets back. For my money, Anders Lee has more than earned his spot alongside JT so he should stay put. A Tavares-Okposo-Lee unit would reap huge fantasy dividends for all three... Big news in Dallas as Tyler Seguin returned to action last night, not missing a beat with two goals in the 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Jason Spezza's fantasy value once again takes a slight hit as he returns back to second-line center duties but he remains a fixture on the no. 1 power-play unit. Breakout defenseman John Kingberg left the contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. With Trevor Daley also out, this could be the best and only time to start Alex Goligoski who has been a bitter fantasy disappointment. He could string together a decent stretch of games with those two out. Consider playing him.. The Leafs were beaten down by the St. Louis Blues, as Vladimir Tarasenko plus Jaden Schwartz and TJ Oshie each collected a goal and an assist.One fact remains true- Phil Kessel is definitely unstarteable in all fantasy formats, while Tarasenko has ...

Dubynk keeps shining; MVP hopes for Nash; two rookie goaltending debuts with opposite endings; and more... What more can you say about Devan Dubnyk? The Minnesota goaltender picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the 4-0 rout of Edmonton, his fifth with the Wild. For those who were lucky enough to grab him via waivers after his trade, enjoy his ride to elite fantasy stardom. For at the least the remainder of this season... In the quest for his first 50-point season as an NHL defenseman, Tyson Barrie collected two goals and one assist to improve his numbers to 35 points in 57 games. His three points equaled his output over the last nine games, so it could be time for Barrie to heat up again. We say he hits 50 plus.... For those who "sold high" on Vladimir Tarasenko based on concerns on whether he was the real deal, we regret to inform you that he is still a fantasy dynamo with greater upside in dynasty formats. His two goals last night gives him 31 on the season including 58 points in 57 games. While not on that earth shattering pace of earlier in the season, Vladdy has collected nine points over the last ten games. .. It was the tale of two rookie goaltending debuts, as Mackenzie Skapski shined for the Rangers while Malcolm Subban floundered for the Bruins. Playing behind Rask and Lundqvist limits even their long-term fantasy value but they have plenty of potential playing at the NHL level.. Are MVP bells ringing for Rick Nash? The winger collected a goal and an assist in the win over Buffalo, giving him 58 points in 57 games. For my money, it's an even split now between Nash and John Tavares... Two struggling veterans posted good numbers last night, as Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri each had two-point efforts for their respective squads. This marks the second straight season that Staal has struggled offensively, so there are clear signs of statistical regression. Lack of a strong supporting cast hurts, but maybe Staal needs a change of scenery...

Dubynk keeps shining; MVP hopes for Nash; two rookie goaltending debuts with opposite endings; and more... What more can you say about Devan Dubnyk? The Minnesota goaltender picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the 4-0 rout of Edmonton, his fifth with the Wild. For those who were lucky enough to grab him via waivers after his trade, enjoy his ride to elite fantasy stardom. For at the least the remainder of this season... In the quest for his first 50-point season as an NHL defenseman, Tyson Barrie collected two goals and one assist to improve his numbers to 35 points in 57 games. His three points equaled his output over the last nine games, so it could be time for Barrie to heat up again. We say he hits 50 plus.... For those who "sold high" on Vladimir Tarasenko based on concerns on whether he was the real deal, we regret to inform you that he is still a fantasy dynamo with greater upside in dynasty formats. His two goals last night gives him 31 on the season including 58 points in 57 games. While not on that earth shattering pace of earlier in the season, Vladdy has collected nine points over the last ten games. .. It was the tale of two rookie goaltending debuts, as Mackenzie Skapski shined for the Rangers while Malcolm Subban floundered for the Bruins. Playing behind Rask and Lundqvist limits even their long-term fantasy value but they have plenty of potential playing at the NHL level.. Are MVP bells ringing for Rick Nash? The winger collected a goal and an assist in the win over Buffalo, giving him 58 points in 57 games. For my money, it's an even split now between Nash and John Tavares... Two struggling veterans posted good numbers last night, as Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri each had two-point efforts for their respective squads. This marks the second straight season that Staal has struggled offensively, so there are clear signs of statistical regression. Lack of a string supporting cast hurts, but maybe Staal needs a change of scenery...