Post by Jeff on Apr 25, 2012 13:46:35 GMT -5
On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 12:32 PM, Jesse Grass wrote:
Boston Bruins - By default get an F. Without the default F, could be a B or B+.
Calgary Flames - The Flames currently sit as the 10th seed in the SFHL at the All-Star Break (ASB) - which is not really deserving with the roster it puts out each night. Acquiring C Jeff Carter was a bright spot for the Flames, despite dealing winger Dany Heatley to bring him in. Carter being four years younger and lowering the team's cap hit makes GM Botting a winner in this deal. Not to mention adding D Ryan Suter as well. With Carter and C Eric Staal leading the way, along with two solid targets in Bryzgalov and Anderson and two young defencemen in Enstrom and McBain, the Flames have something to build a top-3 calibre team with.
Grade: B+
Chicago Blackhawks - Another team which could be higher up the ranks is the Hawks, who sit in 6th, just .5 points out of 5th as of the ASB. Fueled by one of the league's hottest goaltenders in Jonas Hiller, Chicago has slowly moved up from 10th-11th and into said sixth seed. The team recently brought in C Mike Richards for Ryan Kesler in what many saw as a pure win for GM Melcher as he also acquired a 1st round entry in 2011 and a 2011 first round from Brian Burke... I mean the Penguins. Rookie winger Jeff Skinner has jumped right into star mode for the Hawks which has also paved the Hawks way up the ranks.
Grade: A-
Colorado Avalanche - The Avs have the game's best target in Tim Thomas who has vaulted the team back in to a battle for the top 3 as Colorado was just .5 points out of third at the ASB. He's not 13 points back and that's not the worst news as a devastating blow came over the past few days when star Evgeni Malkin is down and out with a knee injury. This means the Avs will be scampering to get some extra help for his stars in Ilya Kovalchuk and now Mike Ribiero, Ray Whitney and Patrick Marleau lead the way for the Avs, along with Kris Letang who has become one of the best in the back end - yes, you read that correctly. After signing a potential top-notch goalie in Nabokov went to waste, the Avs have to hope Corey Crawford can keep him battling in the second half.
Grade: A
Detroit Red Wings - The Wings have been up at the top of the SFHL charts from the get-go and continue to battle for the number one spot as the squad is five points back from first place. With Pavel Datsyuk set to return the Wings will look to re-gain the double-digit point lead they once had. Zetterberg, Gaborik and Byfuglien are keeping GM Rackley afloat during Datsyuk's down-time, not to mention strong goaltending from Rinne and Vokoun. Once Datsyuk is back, as well as Holmstrom, Roy and Malone, Detroit could easily end up back on top.
Grade: A+
Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers are feeling the affects of the injury bug and just how goalie-strong the SFHL can be one year after claiming the top prize. A rough start for Kiprusoff has put the Oil below the middle of the pack. With names such as Crosby, Thornton, Duchene and both Sedins leading the way the Oil must hope for a rebound between the pipes in the second half to get back into the race. Especially since the team's first round entry pick has been lost. GM Grass is also hoping his other target in Howard can pick up his numbers to help out the cause.
Grade: B
Hartford Whalers - The Whale is another team which had high expectations for a run at the championship, only to see a number of players not play up to full potential and put Hartford in a tie for sixth. A down season so far for Ovechkin has plagued the Whale, but Stamkos (the league-leading point producer) has picked up the slack. Added to a great 1-2 punch between the pipes in Ward and Miller and GM Gras...I mean Goater...should have plenty to smile about for yerars to come. Well that is until Stamkos signs his new contract.
Grade: B+
Los Angeles Kings - Things in LA-LA Land are looking up. Despite moving two solid producers to Colorado the Kings landed one big piece to the puzzle in Chris Stewart. Going forward with Stewart, Kopitar, Plekanec, Doughty, Keith and goaltender Quick has a promising future for GM Tiffin. A few more pieces could easily have the Kings competing for the top 3. While they are currently in 5th, there may just be too many points between the Kings and the third/fourth place teams to make a run this season. Even with the new addition of Foppa.
Grade: B+
Minnesota North Stars - Another year in the basement was basically a given as the expansion North Stars are still in their building phase. Statsny, Lucic, Weiss, Vanek and Hall lead the Stars offensively and a rejuvenated Dwayne Roloson almost have the Stars out of the bottom 3. The stars have young talent in the farm in Boedker, Grachev and Neuvirth. GM Bales must be hoping Roloson gets injured or the team's shot at the first overall pick may diminish - or be taken away for a lack of participation - but only time will tell on that front.
Grade: D
Montreal Canadiens - Year four of GM Virgo's plan hasn't turned out as well as he had hoped, but he's got pieces in set to turn his 3-year plan into a winning plan in year 5... or maybe 6. Okay 7. All kidding aside, the Habs are strong in goal with Halak and Pavelec leading the way and young Lehner in the farm. The team's defensive list is longer than Big Foot's dick, but it's not just full of useless bodies with Shattenkirk, Subban, Markov (back in 2012), Burns and McQuaid all having pivotal roles. The Habs' offense is just as solid, lead by Toews, Zajac, Iginla, Sharp, Benn and plenty more kids ready to make the jump. Virgo must hope it all comes together before they all get pay raises.
Grade: A
Philadelphia Flyers - Injuries and bad luck have put the Flyers at the bottom of the SFHL standings. Lecavalier and Prospal went down early, and a poor decision to move Tim Thomas from between the pipes paved the way to another dismal year for GM Schmitt and the Flyers.
Anisimov, Seguin and van Riemsdyk are the future while veterans Smyth, Knuble, Penner, Arnott and Recchi are leaned on to provide the offense now. With Niittymaki and Khabibulan between the pipes, the Flyers have struggled as well. Schmitt will have to look to make a major deal in the near future to help improve his team as his first pick has been dealt away.
Grade: D
Phoenix Coyotes - The Yotes are once again at the bottom of the table due to a lack of participation throughout the season. If the work was put in by GM Little, the Coyotes may have the chance at getting back to respectability... but since it isn't bottom of the table for them. St. Louis, Nash, Tavares and Eriksson are core pieces to build upon, and with Fowler in the farm there's added youth, but again, until he is ready to commit, 5 guys won't win a championship. Backstrom and Mason are also not going to do the trick.
Grade: D
Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pens are back in the top 3 hunt after a season off last year. After trading for Kesler and Morrow, the Pens added two more top fantasy players this season to go along with the likes of Perry, Richards and Clowe. Strong goaltending from Luongo keeps the Pens afloat in those categories while Varlamov pulls his weight when he gets the nod. In the back-end, Boyle, Giordano, Kaberle, Martin, Timonen and Larsson are also strong performers for GM Beaton. Eberle back from the IR also helps almost as a mid-season pick-up.
Grade: A
Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs have been hard at it this season making moves to get back into the top 3 in the near future after a slow start put them near the bottom of the standings. Goaltending was the biggest issue but one piece had turned it around in Brodeur - though an injury may force him out for some time. There is a bit of a youth movement as GM Kooch acquired young guys in Stepan, Oshie, to go along with the newly acquired Kessel, but there are still holes to fill before the Leafs get back to glory. Sutter, Grabner and Green are also pieces to this puzzle which should help the Leafs move up the standings next year. But again, it's the goaltending which needs work.
Grade: C
Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks have done plenty of work to start building a strong franchise in the team's first year of the SFHL, work which should prove to be crucial to the future of this team. The likes of Markstrom, Couture, Connelly, Burmistrov, Hodgson, Schwartz and Filatov should have the Canucks in contention sooner than later. Fleury between the pipes is a start and if Khudobin can make a run for the starting spot, he'll have two steady targets to work with. The one missing link would be a superstar calibre player which could come with one simple move - or a collection of moves which GM Cam (sorry - don't know Cam's sur name haha) has shown he can easily do.
Grade: C+
Winnipeg Jets - The Jets are currently the SFHL's front-runners and have no thought of losing their lead. Led by Price and Lundqvist in goal, the Jets have started to run away with the goaltending categories, mixed with superb offensive talent in Giroux, Heatley, Franzen, Ryan, Neal and Filppula and GM Roach has plenty to smile about. With a bit of youth in Zuccarello and Ennis, along with the offensive points from defenceman Yandle the Jets are looking to secure their first top three finish and then some, as pay increases and no more cap help on a number of players will see the Jets with some difficult decisions in the off-season.
Grade: A+
Boston Bruins - By default get an F. Without the default F, could be a B or B+.
Calgary Flames - The Flames currently sit as the 10th seed in the SFHL at the All-Star Break (ASB) - which is not really deserving with the roster it puts out each night. Acquiring C Jeff Carter was a bright spot for the Flames, despite dealing winger Dany Heatley to bring him in. Carter being four years younger and lowering the team's cap hit makes GM Botting a winner in this deal. Not to mention adding D Ryan Suter as well. With Carter and C Eric Staal leading the way, along with two solid targets in Bryzgalov and Anderson and two young defencemen in Enstrom and McBain, the Flames have something to build a top-3 calibre team with.
Grade: B+
Chicago Blackhawks - Another team which could be higher up the ranks is the Hawks, who sit in 6th, just .5 points out of 5th as of the ASB. Fueled by one of the league's hottest goaltenders in Jonas Hiller, Chicago has slowly moved up from 10th-11th and into said sixth seed. The team recently brought in C Mike Richards for Ryan Kesler in what many saw as a pure win for GM Melcher as he also acquired a 1st round entry in 2011 and a 2011 first round from Brian Burke... I mean the Penguins. Rookie winger Jeff Skinner has jumped right into star mode for the Hawks which has also paved the Hawks way up the ranks.
Grade: A-
Colorado Avalanche - The Avs have the game's best target in Tim Thomas who has vaulted the team back in to a battle for the top 3 as Colorado was just .5 points out of third at the ASB. He's not 13 points back and that's not the worst news as a devastating blow came over the past few days when star Evgeni Malkin is down and out with a knee injury. This means the Avs will be scampering to get some extra help for his stars in Ilya Kovalchuk and now Mike Ribiero, Ray Whitney and Patrick Marleau lead the way for the Avs, along with Kris Letang who has become one of the best in the back end - yes, you read that correctly. After signing a potential top-notch goalie in Nabokov went to waste, the Avs have to hope Corey Crawford can keep him battling in the second half.
Grade: A
Detroit Red Wings - The Wings have been up at the top of the SFHL charts from the get-go and continue to battle for the number one spot as the squad is five points back from first place. With Pavel Datsyuk set to return the Wings will look to re-gain the double-digit point lead they once had. Zetterberg, Gaborik and Byfuglien are keeping GM Rackley afloat during Datsyuk's down-time, not to mention strong goaltending from Rinne and Vokoun. Once Datsyuk is back, as well as Holmstrom, Roy and Malone, Detroit could easily end up back on top.
Grade: A+
Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers are feeling the affects of the injury bug and just how goalie-strong the SFHL can be one year after claiming the top prize. A rough start for Kiprusoff has put the Oil below the middle of the pack. With names such as Crosby, Thornton, Duchene and both Sedins leading the way the Oil must hope for a rebound between the pipes in the second half to get back into the race. Especially since the team's first round entry pick has been lost. GM Grass is also hoping his other target in Howard can pick up his numbers to help out the cause.
Grade: B
Hartford Whalers - The Whale is another team which had high expectations for a run at the championship, only to see a number of players not play up to full potential and put Hartford in a tie for sixth. A down season so far for Ovechkin has plagued the Whale, but Stamkos (the league-leading point producer) has picked up the slack. Added to a great 1-2 punch between the pipes in Ward and Miller and GM Gras...I mean Goater...should have plenty to smile about for yerars to come. Well that is until Stamkos signs his new contract.
Grade: B+
Los Angeles Kings - Things in LA-LA Land are looking up. Despite moving two solid producers to Colorado the Kings landed one big piece to the puzzle in Chris Stewart. Going forward with Stewart, Kopitar, Plekanec, Doughty, Keith and goaltender Quick has a promising future for GM Tiffin. A few more pieces could easily have the Kings competing for the top 3. While they are currently in 5th, there may just be too many points between the Kings and the third/fourth place teams to make a run this season. Even with the new addition of Foppa.
Grade: B+
Minnesota North Stars - Another year in the basement was basically a given as the expansion North Stars are still in their building phase. Statsny, Lucic, Weiss, Vanek and Hall lead the Stars offensively and a rejuvenated Dwayne Roloson almost have the Stars out of the bottom 3. The stars have young talent in the farm in Boedker, Grachev and Neuvirth. GM Bales must be hoping Roloson gets injured or the team's shot at the first overall pick may diminish - or be taken away for a lack of participation - but only time will tell on that front.
Grade: D
Montreal Canadiens - Year four of GM Virgo's plan hasn't turned out as well as he had hoped, but he's got pieces in set to turn his 3-year plan into a winning plan in year 5... or maybe 6. Okay 7. All kidding aside, the Habs are strong in goal with Halak and Pavelec leading the way and young Lehner in the farm. The team's defensive list is longer than Big Foot's dick, but it's not just full of useless bodies with Shattenkirk, Subban, Markov (back in 2012), Burns and McQuaid all having pivotal roles. The Habs' offense is just as solid, lead by Toews, Zajac, Iginla, Sharp, Benn and plenty more kids ready to make the jump. Virgo must hope it all comes together before they all get pay raises.
Grade: A
Philadelphia Flyers - Injuries and bad luck have put the Flyers at the bottom of the SFHL standings. Lecavalier and Prospal went down early, and a poor decision to move Tim Thomas from between the pipes paved the way to another dismal year for GM Schmitt and the Flyers.
Anisimov, Seguin and van Riemsdyk are the future while veterans Smyth, Knuble, Penner, Arnott and Recchi are leaned on to provide the offense now. With Niittymaki and Khabibulan between the pipes, the Flyers have struggled as well. Schmitt will have to look to make a major deal in the near future to help improve his team as his first pick has been dealt away.
Grade: D
Phoenix Coyotes - The Yotes are once again at the bottom of the table due to a lack of participation throughout the season. If the work was put in by GM Little, the Coyotes may have the chance at getting back to respectability... but since it isn't bottom of the table for them. St. Louis, Nash, Tavares and Eriksson are core pieces to build upon, and with Fowler in the farm there's added youth, but again, until he is ready to commit, 5 guys won't win a championship. Backstrom and Mason are also not going to do the trick.
Grade: D
Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pens are back in the top 3 hunt after a season off last year. After trading for Kesler and Morrow, the Pens added two more top fantasy players this season to go along with the likes of Perry, Richards and Clowe. Strong goaltending from Luongo keeps the Pens afloat in those categories while Varlamov pulls his weight when he gets the nod. In the back-end, Boyle, Giordano, Kaberle, Martin, Timonen and Larsson are also strong performers for GM Beaton. Eberle back from the IR also helps almost as a mid-season pick-up.
Grade: A
Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs have been hard at it this season making moves to get back into the top 3 in the near future after a slow start put them near the bottom of the standings. Goaltending was the biggest issue but one piece had turned it around in Brodeur - though an injury may force him out for some time. There is a bit of a youth movement as GM Kooch acquired young guys in Stepan, Oshie, to go along with the newly acquired Kessel, but there are still holes to fill before the Leafs get back to glory. Sutter, Grabner and Green are also pieces to this puzzle which should help the Leafs move up the standings next year. But again, it's the goaltending which needs work.
Grade: C
Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks have done plenty of work to start building a strong franchise in the team's first year of the SFHL, work which should prove to be crucial to the future of this team. The likes of Markstrom, Couture, Connelly, Burmistrov, Hodgson, Schwartz and Filatov should have the Canucks in contention sooner than later. Fleury between the pipes is a start and if Khudobin can make a run for the starting spot, he'll have two steady targets to work with. The one missing link would be a superstar calibre player which could come with one simple move - or a collection of moves which GM Cam (sorry - don't know Cam's sur name haha) has shown he can easily do.
Grade: C+
Winnipeg Jets - The Jets are currently the SFHL's front-runners and have no thought of losing their lead. Led by Price and Lundqvist in goal, the Jets have started to run away with the goaltending categories, mixed with superb offensive talent in Giroux, Heatley, Franzen, Ryan, Neal and Filppula and GM Roach has plenty to smile about. With a bit of youth in Zuccarello and Ennis, along with the offensive points from defenceman Yandle the Jets are looking to secure their first top three finish and then some, as pay increases and no more cap help on a number of players will see the Jets with some difficult decisions in the off-season.
Grade: A+