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| Posted by: barilko6
- [07381514] Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 08:30
Post your rationale here, starting with pick 1.1 and moving onward.
This could be the most interesting rationale thread in a long time, noting some of the points that were already listed, a year away from the game, no decent cheatsheets, no publications out...
Should be good! |
| | | 1 | Perm Dude
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 08:42
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1.01 Dany Heatley, RW, Ott
I hate drafting first. Especially with the long layoff and not knowing how guys would play. In hockey, the trend is to draft a top netminder first, even if the keeper might play in only 7 or 8 out of 10 games. I decided to take a top skater instead, hoping that a top second-tier goalie will make it back to me (as it turned out, I was right).
As for the pick itself, I think I probably should have taken another skater first, frankly. In a keeper league (which this is not) Heatley might be one of the first two or three skaters to go, but for one season only I think I could have done better. As it is, however, I'm pleased as heck to get the guy, and predict he'll get his form back with the break and new team, and be a top 5 guy this next season.
Not a rousing start to the draft! |
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| | | 2 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 08:43
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1.02 Markus Naslund, LW, Van
One of the best all-around players (in terms of fantasy hockey) out there, IMHO. He has consistently put up PTS, +/-, PIM, PPP, and SOG over the last 3 years and with his linemates returning, he should be the same, if not better (if the new rules are enforced). With Cloutier again in net, that should only serve to keep Naslund's +/- on the + side of things, which was his only real downside before 2001.
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| | | 3 | isles72
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 08:44
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1.03 Roberto Luongo, G, Fla
I drafted Luongo because I think the Panthers will be an improved enough team to allow Roberto to get into the 35-40 wins territory while at the same time post solid GAA and sve pctg numbers...
and, as you all know - supply and demand
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| | | 4 | wolfer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 08:44
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1.04 Martin Brodeur, G, NJ
Rather than taking my chances with a second
tier goalie in the second round, I went with a goalie here. Brodeur has consistently been near the top in every statistical catergory for goalies.
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| | | 5 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 03, 2005, 09:02
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1.05 Marty Turco, G, Dal
I knew going into this draft that I was looking at an uphill battle. I hadn't played fantasy hockey in a few years and hadn't watched many non-playoff games in the past two years. Add in the lack of useful info anywhere on the upcoming season for fantasy purposes and I was in a bind. To compensate, I decided to hit the last three seasons' stats really hard and use that to set my draft order.
One thing I did know going in is that I didn't want to play goalie roulette any more than I had to, so my top priority was to grab 2 goaltenders to start unless there was a complete run on them early. When this pick came up, I saw the #2 guy on my sheets was available so I took him.
Turco should be a solid contributor in all 4 goalie categories. In 03-04, he was second in wins and third in GAA and shutouts. He's just now turning 30 which seems to me like a prime age for goalies and the team didn't see much change in the lineup other than losing Hatcher, so the situation and intangibles seem good as well. I didn't seriously consider anyone else here.
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| | | 7 | KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 3785049
Sun, Sep 04, 2005, 11:04
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1.02 Markus Naslund, LW, Van
One of the best all-around players (in terms of fantasy hockey) out there, IMHO. He has consistently put up PTS, +/-, PIM, PPP, and SOG over the last 3 years and with his linemates returning, he should be the same, if not better (if the new rules are enforced). With Cloutier again in net, that should only serve to keep Naslund's +/- on the + side of things, which was his only real downside before 2001.
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| | | 8 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Sun, Sep 04, 2005, 14:54
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1.12 Robert Esche, G, Phi
I had a similar thought process to the Beezer, in which I wanted to assure myself of two solid goalies to start, particularly with there being 22 players being darfted between my second and third picks.
I decided on taking Esche because Philadelphia is supposed to have a good team, so hopefully Esche will provide me some wins, without hurting the GA% or Sv% too much.
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| | | 9 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Sun, Sep 04, 2005, 20:11
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1.13 Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, Atl
I knew by the time I came up in the 1st round the top goalies would be gone, so I focused on getting two of the top offenive fowards I could find. No one in the league shoots more then Ilya, which could be an overlooked catagory in our setup. He's top notch in everything else except +/- and PIM's, where he'll probably be about average. Playing with Hossa (who I got later) and Holik/Savard on the PP should ensure another 35 PPP's like 03/04.
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| | | 10 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Sun, Sep 04, 2005, 20:35
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1.07 Dominik Hasek, G, OTT
I was in a precarious situation when it came time to draft. With 3 goalies already selected among the first 6, and drafting 7th overall in middle position, i had a choice to make. Go for a goalie now, or wait 14 more picks and hope that a decent option was still available... I wasn't planning on running lean in this roster position, not in this particular season where the only real gurantee is that goalies will continue to stop more pucks then they let in.
I made my choice to go with Hasek. A solid goaltender on a power house team should mean above average numbers across the board, and a top 5 rank in wins, barring injury, of course. I don't i need him to put up numbers from when he was in Detroit or Buffalo, but just to be consistent and reliable.
Drafting this entire team is going to be agonizing, being so far between picks all of the time, i will have to make tough choices between drafting players i WANT, and players i NEED.
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| | | 14 | tommyd7878
ID: 16728922
Mon, Sep 05, 2005, 08:26
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1.11 Jarome Iginla, RW, CAL
I was very happy to get Iginla here. One of the best players in the game with an improved supporting cast his numbers should be better. I expect him to lead the league in goals again and he does not hurt you in any categories.
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| | | 15 | barilko6
ID: 07381514
Mon, Sep 05, 2005, 11:12
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1.08 Sergei Gonchar
I was also looking to go goalie on this pick, but none were jumping out at me, so I thought I would take what I thought was going to bet the best defenseman out there. Hopefully the Penguin attack lives up to the hype and Gonchar racks up a lot of points, PPP, and a good +/-.
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| | | 19 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 342232423
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 00:18
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1.14 Martin St.Louis, RW, Tam
A lot of swearing, reworking draft plans, and scratching players off lists is what you do when you draft last.
It's been said before and i'll say it again. This is a pure crapshoot. We are going on stats from 2 years ago and we haven't seen these guys skate this season. I wanted to pick two solid goalies with the b2b picks-the goalies I wanted had already been snatched up.
Rework draft plan. I adjusted and snapped up St.Louis. Great point production, lead the league in assists, great +/-, played 82 games, and takes a lot of shots on goal. But that was 2003-04.
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| | | 20 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 342232423
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 00:20
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2.01 Mikka Kiprusoff,G,CAL
This year I can truly root for "Kipper". I'm expecting he will play more than 38 games. I opted for a hometown pick over the netminder from SJ. He should get the brunt of the work in Calgary and with a much improved 'd' in front of him he should be able to put up some good numbers. Stay healthy please.
If he turns out to be a dud you'll be seeing me at the 'dome with a sign that reads
"I picked Kipper in my Roto draft".
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| | | 21 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 00:40
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2.12 Joe Sakic, C, Col
It was either a forward or Nabokov here, but I just wasn't sold on Nabby or SJ yet. That kind of uncertainty isn't really worth the 16th pick in the draft, so I went for the always consistant Sakic. He's always good for at least 1 pt/g and 30 powerplay pts.
I took the safer pick here over Super Mario. It can be fun to take the high risk/high reward player on draft day, but I always seem to get screwed when I do that...
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| | | 22 | philflyboy
ID: 127332712
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 06:27
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1.10 Peter Forsberg
If Jeremy Roenick can call him the "best player in hockey" who am I to argue? I took Forsberg for 2 reasons. One I think he has the opportunity to score alot of points on his line in Philly. Second it is a homer pick for me. My only concern is that he is injury prone.
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| | | 23 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 13:45
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2.03 Evgeni Nabokov, G, SJ
The same reason as my first pick. I wanted a goalie that I could rely on for 50-60 games. I was hoping that Kiprusoff would make it me, but he went a couple of picks earlier.
I thought about picking a forward, but it was easier to select from 10 possible goalies, than from 50 possible forward selections. Also, with having to wait for 22 players to be selected before my next pick, I wanted to ensure that I had two goalies and didn't want to risk there being a run on goalies and not having anything decent left over.
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| | | 24 | Hubble
ID: 56213211
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 15:04
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1.09 Jose Theodore, G, MON
Well there was no doubt in my mind that i would pick a goalie with my first 2 picks. The question was to figure who to pick. Before the draft started, i had targeted 4 potential 1st round goalies: Theodore, Luongo, Brodeur and Turco. Of the four, i thought Théodore had the most upsides. So i was really happy to see the other 3 taken and it made things real easy for me to decide. Oh.. and i'm from Montreal...
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| | | 25 | Hubble
ID: 56213211
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 15:04
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2.06 Andrew Raycroft, G, BOS
I said i would choose 2 goalies no matter what… Here is my second one… I would have prefered Kiprusoff, but i guess gambling on Raycroft is a nice risk. Boston have a great team and Raycroft should gets his share of wins, he should also start 60 - 70 games. Raycroft, like Theodore is a fast goalie and should adjust easily to the new equipement and rules. It also helps to know that your team has 3 strong lines and should spend most of the time in offensive zone.
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| | | 26 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 19:58
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1.06 Joe Thornton
Soooo many players that I wanted to take with this pick... With Brodeur and Luongo already gone (wasn't interested in Turco, but might as well list him since he's a G as well), it helped me dictate the direction of my draft. As many have probably noticed after the first ?? rounds, I'm obviously going for skaters over goalies. I went with a C over a winger because I felt the winger positions were a little bit deeper, and that plenty of W's and C's will get new winger eligibility as the season progresses. Thus, I narrowed my choice down to Thornton > Forsberg, as I wasn't interested in Lemieux or Sakic that early in the draft. Lemieux is always an injury risk, but whoever snagged him in round 2 could have the top producer in hockey if all the big defensemen ignore him. How many points did he have last time he had a real supporting cast? 162? Sakic without Forsberg means he'll see the top defensive pairing more often. I'd say a similar deal with Forsberg. Anyways, I went with what I saw as the smallest risk.
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| | | 27 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 20:02
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2.09 Rick Nash
This guy just keeps getting better... Lights up the league for 42 goals, and then tears up any international tournaments he gets his skates on. I'm hoping with the new additions on Columbus, that he can improve those measily assists and dreadful +/-. Aaaah, I forgot part of my rationale for my 1st round pick. It also includes my 2nd round pick, so I'll list it here for both: PIM from a point producer. 80+ PIM for both Thornton and Nash will help me not need goons.
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| | | 28 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 21:24
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2.08 Zigmund Palffy, RW, PIT
Potential. 41 Pts in 35 games last season, on a reletively weak team without many playmakers. He's been over a point per game for the last 9 seasons and if speculation that he's going to be on the same line as Mario proves to be true, i see Jagr/Mario all over again. He's also a nice source for SOG.
I passed up a lot of quality players to get Ziggy here, so im hoping this gamble pays off.
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| | | 29 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Tue, Sep 06, 2005, 21:35
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2.10 Ed Belfour, G, Tor
If we had a category for insanity, Ed Belfour would have gone 1.01 in a landslide. Even though it isn't, I had Ed as the #3 player on my overall board, so I took him without a serious thought.
In 03-04, Ed was 2nd in shutouts, T-3rd in wins, 12th in GAA, and 13th in SV%. HIs last two seasons in Toronto have been outstanding and even though he's now 40 and he can't stand the new goalie rules, I see no reason he shouldn't contribut strongly in all categories.
My goal coming into the draft was to get at least 50 points from the goalie stats, and I feel with Turco and Belfour I'm in excellent shape to at least meet that if not exceed it. Plus since both are workhorses in the net they should meet the minimums by themselves, so I can focus on a high SV% and low GAA backup as my third goalie.
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| | | 30 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Wed, Sep 07, 2005, 08:48
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2.10 David Aebischer, G, COL
Starting goalies were beginning to drop out of sight, so I used my almost back-to-back picks to secure this spot in my lineup. Aebischer was a simple pick because of his Sv% and the team in front of him. I considered the loss of Forsberg for a few seconds, but ultimately decided that it would have little effect on COL, given that they've won without him in the past. "Last year" was his first year as a starter and he shined. I'm expecting similar numbers this year as he grows into one of the top tier goalies in the league.
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| | | 31 | barilko6
ID: 27758229
Wed, Sep 07, 2005, 12:33
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2.07 Mario Lemieux
There were so many good players still left on the board, but I had seriously been considering Super Mario with my first round pick after I decided to stretch a little bit with Gonchar.
With the promise of a more wide open NHL, if Mario can stay healthy for 65 games I believe he will be in the top 5 in scoring, if he can manage to play a full season, even better! And there is talk about Lemieux even agreeing to play the wing from time to time, not sure if Yahoo updates that, but here is to hoping!
Ummm...Go Penguins!
Gonchar, Lemieux, Crosby, and Thibault!
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| | | 32 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Wed, Sep 07, 2005, 21:27
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3.05 Brendan Shanahan, LW, Det
With the goalie position taken care of, it's time to focus on skaters. I took the highest player on my board here as I was looking at pretty even value at D, LW, RW, and C.
Shanny is a solid contributor in all categories. In particular, in '04 he was fourth in shots on goal and gets a lot of PIMs, along with the points, +/- and PP time. He's durable and is in a good system so he's about as low-risk as they come.
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| | | 33 | tommyd
ID: 46928248
Thu, Sep 08, 2005, 07:33
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2.04 Todd Bertuzi,LW,Vancouver
With all the top goalies gone,I was hoping Kiprosoff or Nabokov would make it back to me,I decided to go for another overall strong skater. Bertuzzi is a top ten talent and plays on the best line in hokcey. He will help in every category and could possibly be in the top 5 for points with a strong +/- , penalties and shots.
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| | | 34 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Thu, Sep 08, 2005, 13:42
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3.02 Dan Cloutier, G, VAN
Pretty much the same exact rationale as for Aebischer. I wanted 2 goalies who would be on teams that were not too different from what they've had in the past and I got it. Cloutier should join Aebischer with 35+ wins and a good GAA and Sv%. It's pretty much "Set it and forget it" at my G position at this point.
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| | | 35 | KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 517553018
Thu, Sep 08, 2005, 17:35
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4.13 Marian Gaborik, RW, MIN
The kid's got skills. He had a bit of a down year last year because of missing 17 games, but since his rookie season, he's yet to be minus again. He's clearly going to be a focus of the MIN offense and he'll be on the PP, and there was no way he was making it back to me in round 5. Gaborik could easily be a 2nd round pick (or higher) if he lives up to his potential this year.
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| | | 36 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 08, 2005, 20:57
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3.07 Nikolai Khabibulin, G, CHI
My commitment to a goalie with my first round pick inspired this one. Khabby's a top tier goalie playing on what was a bottom tier team (much like Luongo and Florida), I'm hoping here that Chicago is improved enough to allow him to reach 25-30 wins, and Khabby himself be determined enough to prove his new contracts' worth. He was clearly the best goalie option left at this point and i knew he wouldn't make it back, so that made my pick a lot easier.
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| | | 37 | The Beezer
ID: 191202817
Fri, Sep 09, 2005, 00:18
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04.10 Sergei Fedorov, C, Ana
Fedorov's not quite as a good a pick as he would be still in Detroit, but he was a solid player in '04 with the Ducks, as he was T15th in goals and 8th in SOG. He should give me strong value in G, A, PPP, and SOG with average PIM and +/-. I had him ranked 3rd among centers so I was happy to take him here and didn't really consider anyone else.
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| | | 38 | R9
ID: 02624472
Fri, Sep 09, 2005, 00:38
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3.13 Marian Hossa, RW, Atl
It was either Hossa or a goalie here, but there really wasn't any goalie available that made me say "I'd trade Hossa straight up for 'goalie x'." Hossa was a pt/g player in Ottawa's tight defensive system, so moving to the open ways of Atlanta and pairing with superstar Kovalchuk should at the very least help him maintain his pt totals, although I expect a slight drop in PPP performance and probably an even +/-.
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| | | 39 | R9
ID: 02624472
Fri, Sep 09, 2005, 00:49
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4.02 Martin Havlat, RW, Ott
A former 1st round pick who's steadily been increasing his point total year after year, Havlat posted 1 pt/g in 03/04. He also had a great +/- and solid PPP totals, even though he was often on the 2nd PP unit. Probably a bit underrated, I still didn't think he'd slip to me next round.
Again, none of the goalies were of the caliber that would make me want to part with Havlat, so I took the better value.
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| | | 40 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Fri, Sep 09, 2005, 16:01
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3.12 Glen Murray, RW, BOS
I had my two goalies, so it was time to start to catch up on skaters. I chose Murray because he would help at all six offensive positions. I hope that he was also a safe choice with minimal changes in Boston and I didn't want to gamble too early.
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| | | 41 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 09:58
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3.06 Keith Tkachuck, LW, STL
It would have been real nice to see Lecavalier or Alfredsson fall to me, but i'd take Tkachuck on my team anytime. I guess he is a bit risky health wise, and i'm not eager to pick injury prone players, but if he plays 65 games+ i'm pretty confident he'll post a 30 G. and a +/- 1.0 PPG. I also like the fact that he should get minimum 100 PIM and won't hurt me in +/-. Murray, Havlat and **** were my other choices here. I'm pretty sure i can wait 2 more round for **** so i'll do that and hope for the best.
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| | | 42 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 09:59
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4.09 Alex Tanguay, RW, COL
I had Gagne, Gaborik and Tanguay remaining on my short list for my 4th pick. I figure Tanguay will play with Sakic, on the PP at least. The guy is in constant improvement and even with the lost of Forsberg, i foresee real damage for a line: Hejduk, Sakic, Tanguay ... i wanted a part of that. Even if they are only reunited on the PP.
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| | | 43 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 10:00
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5.06 Alexei Kovalev, RW, MON
I've waited as long as i thought safe to wait for him. That is a player i had targeted since round 1. And almost took him starting round 2. Yes that is a homer pick, but i really think this pick makes sense nonetheless. Whoever his center is, Kovalev will easily give me more than 1.0 PPG. He is one of the game's best skater and should clearly appreciate the new rules (if they ever are appllied that is). I could see this pick being the steal of the draft. The worst is that i could probably have waited later to get him, but sometime when you want someone in your lineup, its not important where you pick him. Right?
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| | | 44 | barilko6
ID: 07381514
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 10:14
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4.07 Patrick Lalime
Had to get another goalie, and of the guys that were still on the board, I had two in mind . (I ended up getting John Grahame later, so it worked out.)
I see Lalime working out well in St. Louis. Even with some big names leaving, they still have a good core of players, and I think with Mike Kitchen as a coach, they should do well. Lalime is a big man, so he can cover most of the net without that massive sized equipment that has been outlawed.
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| | | 45 | The Beezer
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 10:15
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5.05 Bryan McCabe, D, Tor
D jumped out at me as the value pick here as I was expecting the run to kick off once Blake was off the board. I had McCabe at #5 on my board so he was the top choice here.
McCabe is a very durable defenseman who's played at least 75 games each of the past five years. In '04 he was T19th in +/- overall, and was in the top 20 among D in G, A, and SOG. His PIMs and PPP are also historically above average. All this adds up to a guy I was very happy to add in the fifth round as my team continues to build a solid foundation in the skater categories.
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| | | 46 | barilko6
ID: 07381514
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 10:16
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5.08 Sidney Crosby
I had to. I figured since I had already loaded up on 3 other Penguin players, I didn't want to kick myself later in the season if Crosby lived up to his hype.
Its a big risk, but I am hoping that Mario takes him under his wing, plays with him a lot, and makes Crosby a worthy 5th round pick.
Go Penguins! (My new second favorite team...)
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| | | 47 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 12:33
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3.06 Daniel Alfredsson
At this point, I was deciding between Alfredsson and Hossa... I was having a terrible time trying to decide whether I could eat -two- horrible +/-'s in a row (Nash and Hossa, whoever said Hossa could get an even +/- in Atlanta should be in for a horrible surprise I think)... Before I could logically choose Alfredsson for myself, barilko jumped in with my queue and did it for me. Basically, I am hoping that Alfredsson will help make up for where Nash injures me (assists and +/-). In hindsight, it looks like Kovalchuk might stay in Europe, which would take a bit more away from Hossa's sexiness as well.
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| | | 48 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 12:38
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4.09 Simon Gagne
I was hoping to get my first goalie this round, in DiPietro... Somehow, I figured tommyd would ruin that plan, and my hunch was correct. Thus, I continued on taking skaters. Gagne has been consistantly playing on Canada's top line in international tournaments, and he does amazingly well when he has such good linemates... (I just noticed I drafted his 2 linemates as well, hmmm, odd coincidence - Thornton/Nash). I am hoping that Forsberg can provide this same benefit to him. Gagne averages over a point per game in international play. I don't think I can count on 80+ points this season, but I wouldn't count out 70+ yet.
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| | | 49 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 12:42
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5.06 Chris Pronger
Continuing on with my string of skaters, it was time to take one of the higher ranked defensemen. Pronger is similar to Thornton/Nash on my team, in that he can provide PIM along with his points. I am hoping that he can keep his points consistant in Edmonton, while adding onto his +/-. I compared the top players from EDM to STL in +/- and the possibility for improvement definitely appeared to be there.
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| | | 50 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 12:45
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6.09 Alexei Yashin
I was trying to get Satan a bit earlier in the draft, and obviously hadn't succeeded. Yashin has been crying and begging for a scoring winger to play with, and NYI has bent over backwards to make room for one for him. I am not sure if Yashin or Satan will get the bigger bonus from the other, but I can't imagine it'll hurt either of them. Like the Gagne pick, this pick was largely influenced by new linemate possibilities.
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| | | 51 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 13:29
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4.03 Mark Recchi, LW, Pit
Needed some scoring, so I went with Recchi. Pittsgurg should have a great power play unit and if Recchi can play with Palfy and Lemieux, he should pile up the points. My only concerns were plus/minus and his age. Hopefully, a return to Mario will rejuvenate him.
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| | | 52 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Sat, Sep 10, 2005, 22:48
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4.08 Jaromir Jagr, RW, NYR
If this is the best i could do at 4.08, then that's alright with me. Jagr's a perrenial Art Ross candidate, and even through a couple of lean seasons in Washington, still managed to hover around 1 PPG. He'll fill it up with shots, PPP, and if im lucky, contribute some in the +/- catagory. Very pleased to snag him here.
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| | | 53 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Tue, Sep 13, 2005, 08:41
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5.07 Marc Savard, C, ATL
'02-'03 47pts/77pims/57gms, '03-'04 52pts/85pims/45gms... If Marc Savard could put together a full season he might be in the top 10 in league scoring, and that's what im banking on, especially given the opportunity to play with the likes of Bondra, Hossa and Kovalchuk on his wings... The PIM's are a nice throw in too. I don't consider this a steal or anything here, but im pleased that i got a big part of what is sure to be a potent Atlanta offence.
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| | | 54 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Tue, Sep 13, 2005, 10:51
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3.14 Nicklas Lidstrom, D, Det
Probably a bit early to take a D man, but I figured I should snag a solid pp dman while the pickings are good. Although Detroit is not as solid as in the past, I still think Lidstrom is a top notch D-man capable of putting up some points and having a good +/-.
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| | | 55 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Tue, Sep 13, 2005, 10:59
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4.01 Zdeno Chara, D, Ott
This guy is a monster and I have landed another stud D man on my roster. Pretty easy to do when you have b2b picks. Solid numbers all around and he's surrounded by talent. I passed on some very talented forwards to get this guy but I figured what the hell, I'll load up on the d-men and if there is a need for me to trade for a forward so be it.
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| | | 56 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Tue, Sep 13, 2005, 11:07
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5.14 Scott Niedermayer, D, ANH
28 days er picks later, and it's back to me. I had Sidney Crosby slated in for either this pick or the next pick, then it was Samsonov, but they didn't last. Once again I focused toward the D listings and scooped up Niedermayer. I should have a nice solid 1-2-3 punch in this position. If Anaheim flatlines this could prove to be a very bad pick.
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| | | 57 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Tue, Sep 13, 2005, 18:24
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6.10 Vaclav Prospal, LW, TB
I went back and forth between Prospal and Zidlicky and thought I had a better shot at the rookie sliding than Prospal. So much for that as M.Z. was taken by wolfer with the very next pick.
Prospal continues the well-rounded theme of my previous picks, with strength in assists and PPP noteworthy. I also think being reunited with his Tampa teammates will get his +/- to a respectable level. I like this pick even more as we go through the draft.
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| | | 58 | barilko6
ID: 10839137
Wed, Sep 14, 2005, 14:45
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6.07 Tony Amonte Perhaps another reach by me here, but I really see Amonte doing well on the west coast this year, a fast winger fitting in with a fast offense. I hope he will somehow make it on the top power play line with Iginla, and like his chances on Calgary's second line, away from the top checkers. It was between Amonte and Nagy, but I accidently opened Dienesty's queue email before I picked, and when I saw Nagy was his top queue, I went with Amonte.
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| | | 59 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Wed, Sep 14, 2005, 17:44
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5.12 Wade Redden, D, OTT
I hadn't taken a defenseman yet and quite a few had already been drafted. Iw as happy with Redden, since he should contribute in all six categories.
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| | | 60 | Little M
ID: 467211816
Wed, Sep 14, 2005, 17:49
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6.03 Ryan Smyth
I was happy to get Smyth in the sixth round. He should be on Edmonton's top line and get lots of power play time. My only concern was that he was still a resticted free agent, but from what I read, they had agreed on a one year contract and were negotiating on a long term deal.
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| | | 61 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Thu, Sep 15, 2005, 23:36
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7.05 Mathieu Schneider, D, Det
Schneider was sticking out like a sore thumb on my sheet so I had to take him. He had the same +/- in '04 as my other D guy McCabe, also placing him in the top 20 in the league.
Among defensemen, Schneider was 8th in goals, 12th in assists, and 20th in shots. PPP should be better than average and PIMs will be about average. Another guy who won't hurt me anywhere and brings some strengths to the table.
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| | | 62 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Thu, Sep 15, 2005, 23:44
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8.10 Michael Ryder, RW, Mon
I hadn't taken any RWs up to this point so it was time to get cracking before all the good ones were gone. I broke my own rule about taking players with less than 3 years' experience in taking Ryder. He led ROY voting among skaters and was in the top 35 overall in goals, assists, and shots in '04. He was also fourth among rookies in +/- that year.
Last year he played in the Swedish first division and was second in the league in goals and points. He should contribute in all areas and Le Habs showed their faith in him by rewarding him with a new contract the same day I drafted him. He's got a chance to be top 10 at his position this year IMO.
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| | | 63 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 00:14
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6.08 Ladislav Nagy, LW, PHO
An injury cost Nagy a great year in '03-'04. I think the new rules will benefit him greatly and a top 10 finish in scoring isn't that far off... He shouldn't have too much of a problem finding a playmaking Center to line up with in Phoenix, either.
His value was also bumped a bit higher being one of the few top tier LW's left at this point on my sheet.
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| | | 64 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 00:28
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7.07 Ed Jovanovski, D, VAN
Finally able to address my PIM issue, i selected Jovocop. He'll make a nice anchor for my D corps supplying PIM's and upper echelon scoring from his position. Also a homer pick.
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| | | 65 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 00:31
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5.13 Sergei Samsonov, LW, Bos
I still wasn't ready to take my goalies yet, as I felt the 3 or 4 I was targeting would last another couple rounds. (They did.) I decided to take a forward and a D-man here, and because superfreak had taken 2 d-men last round I figured he wouldn't take one this go-around. (He did.)
My team to this point was full of talented G, A, PPP and Shots players, and thus my main need was PIM's and +/-. Naturally, I took a guy who had 4 PIM's in 58 games in 03/04. :) I did look for a strong forward with good PIM's, but by round 5 those guys were mostly gone. Samsonov will be playing along-side Joe and Glen again, with Leetch on the point during the PP, so I'm expecting good things from this able 1 pt/g player.
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| | | 66 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 00:43
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6.02 Brian Leetch, D, Bos
Again, I was really looking for PIM's here on the point. I was looking at Souray, Jovo, Pronger and McCabe. When Chris and Brian went I thought I was down to two, but spotting Leetch I remembered what he did with Toronto. (15 pts in 15 GP, 11 of them PPP) His stats had been in decline, but one can attribute some part of that to the decline in quality of the Ranger's forwards. When he got traded to a team with some talent he posted some great numbers. The talent on Boston is unquestioned, and I'm hoping to see another 50 pt season, with a strong +/-.
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| | | 67 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 00:57
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8.08 Alexander Frolov, LW, LOS
With Palffy out of town, Frolov should be able to step in and pick up where he left off, on the score sheet that is. I've heard good things about him and with no shortage of quality Centers in LA, he should find his way onto a scoring line without much trouble. I think he's going to help in no less than 4 catagories.
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| | | 68 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 01:09
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7.13 Mathieu Garon, G, LA
8.02 Ty Conklin, G, Edm
After passing on goalies again last time around, I knew I'd need to take two this time. My list in no particular order was Grahame, Garon, Conklin and Osgood/Legace if one of them was announced as the #1. I wasn't too sure on Grahame either as he could end up splitting time evenly with Burke. I figured the Det/TB guys would likely get more wins, but the Edm/LA dudes were likely their full-time #1's. After checking out all the teams and their likely lineups of F/D, I realized Edmonton and LA really aren't all that bad, and both have solid defenses and strong checking forwards. I've always been high on Garon as a talented goalie who just hadn't been given a shot yet and Conklin did very well for the American national team.
In the end my mind was made for me, as Grahame went before me and so did Osgood. My only scare was that superfreak, in need of a goalie, would take whichever one of the two I now wanted with one of his two picks. He ended up taking Legace so I was safe.
I'm pretty pleased with my goalies considering how late I waited. Given my draft position I think my decision to wait worked out the way I wanted. Taking a guy like Sakic and Garon instead of a 2nd tier goalie in round 2 and a round 8 quality center seems like the better deal to me.
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| | | 69 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Fri, Sep 16, 2005, 17:35
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9.05 Richard Zednick, RW, Mon
I liked having a RW from Montreal so much that I did it again on this pick. In '04, Zednick was 28th in goals and 33rd in shots, and I also figure his solid assist, +/-, and PIM numbers will be helpful. He's a bit low historically on PPP but I'm pretty strong there by my calculations so I'm not worried about that.
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| | | 70 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 00:48
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9.07 Mike Modano, C, DAL
This was one of the hardest selections to make so far. Were in the meat of the draft and yet a player of Modano's calibre just doesn't seem like a homerun pick, at least not anymore. Maybe it was the long layoff, the poor season in 2003-2004, the influx of younger, more intriguing talent in the league, or a combination of all three, but i wasn't confident in picking Modano. That said, it's hard to argue his talent, and how it may be exploited in this "new" NHL. A return to his 90-100 PT days would be nice, but id be happy 70+ as well. I'm hoping he gets paired with Morrow and Guerin for most of the year, but in the case that he isn't, im going to make sure that i find some insurance...
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| | | 71 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 10:21
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6.06 Scott Gomez, C, NJ
That was definitly my thoughest pick yet. I had mainly 4 forward to pick from. Demitra, Nagy, Prospal and Gomez. While i beleive Gomez will be outscored by both Nagy and Demitra, he should get the better all around statistics. As for Prospal i thought i could get him later. Nagy got taken 2 picks later, and it could become one of the steal of the draft. Demitra might slip even further and i sure will pick him in round 7th if i can. But Demitra won't really help any1 in +/- and PIM. So i figured Gomez was the safest pick. The guy is 25, and is the anchorman for NJ's offense. He should get ample playing time and shoot a lot, he also could get 100+ PIM, so good all around pick here IMHO. Oh yeah, i hate NJ! And specially NJ's offense!
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| | | 72 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 10:22
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7.09 Sheldon Souray, D, MON
I thought i would be the first guy to have 3 goalie and i really wanted to be, but i thought i could safely wait until this round. And grab Graham here… at least that was my target. I was shocked to see KKB steal my strategy by taking Giguere, and i was truely desappointed to see Barilko, the pick before mine, get away with Grahame, who might easily end up with the starting job in TB (30W to 40W?) Anyway, i had to go back to the drawing board since no other goalie were worthy of a gamble in the 7th round. I picked Souray for his PIM and SOG mainly, but could turn to be a solid PP and +/- produder while getting me his share of G and P if he stays healthy. In 65 games in 2003 he had 35 pts, 104 PIM! and 186 SOG!!! All star worthy performance, but sadly got injured... He was clearly top 5 defense when that happend, so now with improved line-up in Montreal, he will be on the PP1 and he will use that nasty 105 MPH slapshot.
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| | | 73 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 10:43
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8.06 Martin Biron, G, BUF
As i mentionned plenty of time, 3 starting goalie in this scoring format should be of help to get some points in the goaling categories. It could also turn out to be of some help later as a trading bait to help cover the weeknesses of my team. Biron should start around 50-60 games next year and while BUF isn't exactly a Stanley cup contender, they could turn out to be quite surprising. They are young and fast, and should be a .500 team. This was a risky pick and i might should have gone with a Datsyuk gamble ot taking another solid DEF here. But i beleive in my goaling strategy and i'll live and die with it. I want to use my 164 game played with my goalies and hopefully get some points from Wins and SO and for that u need 3 starters. Biron should get me 25W, 2 or -3 SO, and not hurt too much my ERA and SV%.
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| | | 75 | Hubble
ID: 59562922
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 11:37
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9.09 Saku Koivu, C, MON
I didn't mean to draft 3 MON in the first 10 rounds, but heck i've been looking at Koivu for few rounds now. Again if i follow me feeling, him and Kovalev should be a heck of a duo this year and provide me with some productive evenings. Koivu is injury prone, and that i hate. But if healthy, he should be close to 1 PPG. It was either Koivu or Ribeiro here, Ribeiro got taken 2 picks after... and that could turn out to be a mistake from me and a steal for Tommyd.
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| | | 76 | Little M
ID: 508161711
Sat, Sep 17, 2005, 12:36
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7.12 Chris Osgood, G, Det
I really didn't know who to pick here. There were a number of forwards that were about the same and no defenseman stood out. Since I had another selection 5 picks later, I knew that some of the forwards would still be available. I decided on Osgood, since Detroit should still have a decent team. Since he was my third goalie, it will allow me to be selective in the teams that they start against. It also gives me the flexability to trade a goalie in the future.
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| | | 77 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 21:01
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10.10 Petr Sykora, RW, ANA
I wanted to finish off my starting RWs here since I saw a dropoff past Sykora. He's my third guy from the top 10 in '04 in SOG and also was in the top 50 in goals. He's weaker in PIM, +/-, and PPP than I would like but if he'd been better, he wouldn't have been on the board in round 10, so I'll take it.
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| | | 78 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 21:05
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11.05 Doug Weight, C, STL
This pick's lost a bit of its shine since Tkachuk was suspended, but hopefully he'll be in shape soon and back on the ice. I'm still really happy to get Weight here as he'll give me a good push in the assist category after finishing 7th in '04. He's also strong in SOG and PPP and won't hurt me badly in other categories so I have no complaints.
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| | | 79 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 22:16
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6.01 Olli Jokkinen, C, FLA
I needed to switch gears from D-men to forwards. I have the d that should get me some assists and shots on net so now is the time to look for goal scoring help. He's the top center on a team that should improve over last year. With this years new rules format I'm hoping a faster younger player will get an advantage in the NHL. If anything he'll have more time on the pp. Was unsigned when i drafted him but has now been locked in by Fla.
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| | | 80 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 22:20
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7.14 Patrick Marleau, C, SJ
My strategy for this pick was to finish off my goaltending. I had planned on an Osgood/Legace combo pick slated for my next 2 picks. I was so close to landing the duo but LittleM123 snagged Osgood thus voiding my strategy. I wonder if LitteM was planning on doing the same?
However looking down the list I saw Marleau's name. He's got game. I'm a little worried about his +/-. Solid on shots and hopefully he can break the 30 goal barrier.
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| | | 82 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 22:36
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8.01, Manny Legace, G, Det
Mind games! As previously noted, I was wondering if LittleM was going to pick up Legace for the 1,2 Detroit punch. Rather than give him the opportunity to get them both I figured I'd better act. He's a fairly decent backup. The only concern I have with this pick is the extra work I'll have to do. Everytime Detroit plays I'll have to check the web.
At this stage in the draft I was not sold on either Kolzig or Gerber.
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| | | 83 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Mon, Sep 19, 2005, 23:13
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10.08 Martin Gerber, G, CAR
The best starting goalie remaining at this point, according to my sheet. Carolina's a decidedly better team this season compared to last (well at least on paper they are), and Gerber's individual stats have been good as well. This gives me a bit of insurance should one of my other 2 goalies fall to injury, assuring that i meet the minium games played requirement from this position and giving me potential trade bait later on in the event that all 3 are heathly and playing well.
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| | | 84 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 22, 2005, 06:24
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11.07 Jason Arnott, C, DAL
I think he's going to be in for a very nice year. Early reports now say that he's slated to play on a line with Bill Guerin and Brendan Morrow (selected in rounds 3 and 9, respectively), so i think getting Arnott this late was a pleasent surprise. He's the insurance i mentioned in my Mike Modano (9.07) rationale. If any offence is going to be generated in Dallas, it will most likely flow through one or hopefully both of these players.
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| | | 85 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Thu, Sep 22, 2005, 07:30
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12.10 Sean Hill, D, FLA
Hill was a real find in this round IMO. In '04 he was 25th overall in SOG and among defensemen he was second only to Blake in the category. He was also in the top 50 at his position in G, A, PPP, and PIM. I also anticipate that his move to the Panthers from the Hurricanes will help his +/- which was already far from harmful.
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| | | 86 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Fri, Sep 23, 2005, 18:27
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12.08 Derek Morris, D, PHO
With power plays sure to be plentiful, a player like Morris stands to benefit from a statisical standpoint. Phoenix has some good talent up front that he can hit on breakaways and being the point man on the top PP doesn't hurt either. He also can contribute in PIM's.
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| | | 87 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Fri, Sep 23, 2005, 18:31
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13.07 Paul Mara, D, PHO
His 42 point season in '03-'04 was nice, im hoping a few new teammates coupled with more PP time allowed him to better that number this season. He'll make a nice addition to my D corps, ensuring me that i collect all of the offence from Phoenix's blueline. Mara's +/- wasn't all that impressive last go around, but the team around him is, so i don't expect him to hurt me there.
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| | | 88 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 00:04
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13.05 Luc Robitaille, LW, LOS
Hopefully the old man has got one more good year in him. He was in the top 30 in '04 in shots on goal and in goals on the PP, so he should be a solid performer as long as the time away hasn't hurt him too badly.
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| | | 89 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 00:07
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14.10 Janne Niinimaa, D, NYI
I wanted to go D the next two picks as all the value I saw on the board was there. Janne's a solid pick at D as I think the Isles will be improved this year with Zhitnik joining the team. Janne was in the top 50 among D in both assists and +/-, and is also above average in PIMs, so I think he'll fit in well with the team.
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| | | 90 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 00:10
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15.05 Philippe Boucher, D, DAL
I felt at this point my two weakest points were in +/- and PIM so I wanted my last D starter pick to be good in both areas. Boucher should fit the bill and he's historically been a good performer in both of these areas. He won't score much but you can't expect the world from your fifth D spot either.
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| | | 91 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:09
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7.06 Kevin Weekes, G, NYR
This is what happens when you wait too long to take your first goalie. I'm obviously not very impressed with my goalie situation, and I had hoped for my team to turn out just slightly different. I like Kevin Weekes, but am not very optimistic in regards to the New York Rangers. I was hoping to get Gerber as well, but my eyes (and consequently my typing) kept darting in other directions...
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| | | 93 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:13
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8.09 Scott Walker, RW, NAS
He fit into my early setting of players that can help me in points and penalty minutes. He also, somehow, kept in the positives on a Nashville squad that has a lot more potential this year. I'm not a fan, at all, but I will hope he continues to progress.
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| | | 94 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:17
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9.06 Pavel Datsyuk
Had he already been signed to Detroit, it is very unlikely I could have gotten Datsuk in round 9. All I kept reading on sites was that his "contract" in Russia wasn't even registered with the league, and that the "contract" had an easy opt-out clause, and that Datsyuk would talk to Detroit again in a week... It made the risk not seem very scary to me. I wouldn't be surprised to see Datsyuk taken in the top 4 rounds in later drafts, so I feel fortunate to have gotten him in round 9.
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| | | 95 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:20
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10.09 Dick Tarnstrom, D, PIT
Yeah, so Gonchar's in town, and my boy Tarnstrom's value falls through the ground... But that second line in Pittsburgh doesn't look so shabby, and neither does the second Power Play squad. I don't have any bold predictions for him, but I don't see that much of a falloff.
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| | | 96 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:23
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11.06 Jeff Carter, C, PHI
As soon as I heard news that he's been placed on Forsberg/Gagne's line, it was time to jump. Great young talent, lead the AHL's playoffs in points, even greater new linemates. I don't even know how this kid plays, if he gets PIM or not, if he's injury prone or not, if much of anything... Forsberg/Gagne about made the decision for me.
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| | | 97 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:26
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12.09 Mike Dunham, G, ATL
I was (and still am) in dire straights, regarding goalies. Lehtonen came to camp out of shape, and quickly (but not very severely) injured himself. I am hoping (even tho it sounds mean) that Lehtonen's injury won't give him time to get into game shape anytime soon - and that Dunham can start for a few months.
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| | | 98 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:29
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13.06 Patrice Brisebois, D, COL
I am hoping that the move from Montreal to Colorado will be enough to improve Brisebois's stats... This pick -still- feels like a reach.
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| | | 99 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:33
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14.09 Dion Phaneuf, D, CAL
I can't wait to see this guy "phaneuf" some of the top players in the game... I just hope they aren't on my fantasy team! He is one of the most dominating players in CHL history. Whether that can transfer into NHL/fantasy points is yet to be seen. I'm not convinced he's ready to crack a fantasy lineup yet... But if any season is the time to try for some great sleepers/rookies right out of the draft, it'd have to be this one. I missed out on the bigger name ones, but Carter/Phaneuf/Bochenski/???? will do for now.
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| | | 100 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:38
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15.06 Eric Brewer, D, STL
He's to fill the shoes of Pronger and/or McInnis? Doubtful. Can he finally break the 40 point barrier? Very possible. As much as this player keeps dissapointing, fantasy-wise, he still gets invites to the international tournaments. The new atmosphere, in STL, might be just what he needs - as he's been wanting out of EDM for a while now.
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| | | 101 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:41
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16.09 Marc-andre Fleury, G, PIT
Didn't have the best of years in the lockout season, which is why Thibault is in town. This is about as close to a homer pick as I have gotten to, as Pittsburgh has been my favourite team since childhood, and Marc-andre has been my favourite goalie ever since he was drafted. I'll likely hold him on my bench all season, hoping he can turn Thibault into a backup. More realistic, though, is the possibility of a platoon.
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| | | 102 | mMoses
ID: 51115143
Sat, Sep 24, 2005, 08:44
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17.06 Brandon Bochenski, LW, OTT
Currently (pre-season) playing on Spezza and Hossa's line. This is just a gamble, in case he sticks. Spezza won all the awards in the AHL last season, but Bochenski only finished one goal behind him. Here's to hoping.
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| | | 103 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 09:38
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9.13 Brenden Morrow, LW, Dal
I was surprised he was still around, as I figured he was the last of the 20-25 G/A types who rack up alot of PIM's. When I took two goalies last time around I didn't think any power forwards would be left. I had a huge PIM hole up to this point. I'm mainly aiming for a mid-pack finish in PIM's, so this is a decent start.
Another plus with Morrow is that he's been of the most consistant guys in the league. Rarely injured and always producing what you expect.
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| | | 104 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 09:40
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10.02 Dan Boyle, D, TB
I definitely wanted a defenseman here. My forwards were looking strong (2 centers and a RW left to fill) but I still only had 1 D-man, an aging guy at that. Not much has changed in TB except for the goaltending, so I expect similar numbers to his last two years in all but +/-. Going Khabibulin -> Grahame might hurt his usually strong +/- ratio a bit...
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| | | 105 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 09:45
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13.13 Alexander Mogilny, RW, NJ
My first 'risky' pick, other then Ilya I suppose. I don't really count Kovy though because I wasn't aware of his contract nonsense when I picked him...
Mogilny has regularly posted close to 1 pt/g stats, and now he's back with NJ where he had a monster year in 2000-01. Its looking like he'll line up with Gomez and Elias (once he's back) which should mean good things.
Injuries are always a part of his season though, which is why I bulked up on forward depth at RW later. I still think 60 games of 55-60 pt production and a fill-in for 20 games is better then 80 games of 60 pts, which is what was left imho.
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| | | 106 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 10:49
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11.13 Alexei Zhamnov, C, Bos
I probably reached here a bit, and in hindsight I should've just taken the center I wanted more, Patrice Bergeron. Still, Zhamnov has been skating with Samsonov lately and has always been a decent producer of everything. I'm expecting solid +/- numbers as well with the move to Boston. Basically just an average pick of an average player.
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| | | 107 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 10:53
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12.02 Nick Boynton, D, Bos
I liked this pick alot when I made it. Mediocre goals and assists, but a stellar +/- ratio (3 years in a row that proves its no fluke) and a garanteed 100 PIM's is exactly what my team needed. Unfortunately, the idiot GM of Boston and the idiot agent of Boynton refuse to agree on a deal. Which would be fine, if they were really far apart... but apparently, they're arguing over 250k! Really not what my team needs given that Ilya is still being a big stupid Ilya... ;)
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| | | 108 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 11:06
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14.02 Valeri Bure, RW, LA
I was expecting to get Bergeron here. Superfreak already had a bunch of centers, so I really didn't expect him to grab another one. I actually assumed if I didn't take Mogilny first that I would lose him. Didn't even consider that Patrice might go!
Bure was a decent backup plan though, as LA's team is much revamped. Playing alongside either Demitra or Roenick, I expect Bure to get around 25 goals, and maybe 60 pts. If Ilya signs Bure is actually my 1st backup forward, which gives me decent depth.
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| | | 109 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 11:33
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15.13 Nathan Horton, C, Fla
Horton has been highly regarded for a while now, but shoulder injuries slowed him down after a torrid start in 03/04, and held him out entirely last year. The Panthers say he is completely healthy, and will be playing on one of their top 2 lines.
He's capable of producing 25 goals/20 assists, but more importantly will do it while posting 100 PIM's. He's also probably capable of getting hurt his 5th game in and giving me nothing, but for the 15th round its not much of a risk. :)
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| | | 110 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 14:54
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9.14 Jeff O'Neill, RW, Tor
Since I'm a Leaf fan I am obligated to take one or two. I've always liked this guy and I have had him in a few drafts in previous years. I believe his numbers will improve this year. A change of scenery should do that and his +/- should turn around and be in the positives.
My super secret stats source reveals that he will be the Left Winger on the top line.
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| | | 111 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 15:18
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10.01 John LeClair, LW, Pit
I just hope the offensive juggernaut know as the Penguins lives up to it's hype. I took LeClair for goals, assists and shots. I don't expect much from the +/- category. There's no way he'll match the +20 he had in his last year at Philly. I needed a LW and LeClair was one of the highest ranked players still available.
This position will be my weakest link.
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| | | 112 | C.SuperFreak
ID: 53771616
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 15:33
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11.14 David Legwand, C, Nas
I expect big things outta this guy now that Legwand has a legitimate wingman. Nashville's pp should be improved with Kariya and an ever improving d-man named Zidlicky. Legwand if he avoids injury should have a good year and I'm expecting him to have at least a 20 goal 35 assist season. Anything less would be disappointing.
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| | | 113 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Tue, Sep 27, 2005, 03:48
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14.08 Ruslan Fedotenko, RW, TAM
I had about 4 other players in line to pick ahead of Fedotenko here, but when it came time to pick, i just couldn't pass him up. He was the best opportunity left at this point to get a part of the Tampa Bay offence, and i think he may be in a for a breakout year, coming off his awesome 2004 Playoff performance. I don't think 50pts is asking too much from him given his potential linemates (any combination of Richards, Lecavelier, St. Louis, Modin, Prospal), and getting it out of the 14th round makes it even better.
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| | | 114 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Tue, Sep 27, 2005, 03:57
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15.07 Thomas Vanek, LW, BUF
I would have acutally preferred to have gotten Vanek in a later round, but after seeing another draft go down, with him getting selected much earlier, i think i probably made the right decision. He had a great season in the AHL, and is having a fine preaseason in the NHL. Vanek should find himself on a scoring line along side either Daniel Briere or Chris Drury, and should log some decent PP time. 30g/25a might be within his reach. I like him as a dark horse for the Calder Trophy.
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| | | 115 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Tue, Sep 27, 2005, 06:54
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16.10 Bryan Smolinski, C, OTT
Needed a center to complete my starting lineup. After sifting through what was left, I found the second line center for Ottawa still here. Smolinski should be strong in +/- and SOG and won't hurt me in other categories. Really happy to find this quality a guy here to round out the starters.
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| | | 116 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Tue, Sep 27, 2005, 07:01
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17.05 Vesa Toskala, G, SJ
When I went to make my very first pick, I took a stab at my ideal goalie lineup that I thought I could get and came up with Turco, Belfour, and Toskala. I could not pass up the chance to make that a reality.
Toskala has been a very capable backup to Nabakov in 03-04, posting the 8th best overall GAA in the league at 2.06 and .930 save % in 22 games. I figure Toskala is good for about 20 games this year and will give me the little bit of push I need in the goalie categories.
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| | | 117 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 29, 2005, 18:23
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16.08 Mike Van Ryn, D, FLA
Van Ryn should be a mainstay on Florida's top PP unit, and that should almost ensure that he should at least match his previous point totals from '03-'04. That i can live with.
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| | | 118 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 29, 2005, 18:29
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17.07 Andrei Markov, D, MON
I must admit that i bought into the hype a bit here, as many online and offline publications had him pegged for as high as 40 pts this season. While i don't know if that's attainable, i do know that he'll get plently of oppotunities playing as a number two behind Souray. Should see decent PP time and stay above water in +/-. I'm hoping he regains the form he showed in '02-'03.
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| | | 119 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 29, 2005, 18:35
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18.08 Michael Nylander, C, NYR
I think i may have landed a real gem here. Although i can absolutely see why he would have fallen this far as well. Nylanders +/- won't be good, nor will his chances of playing all 82 games, but despite that, he going to be playing alongside Jaromir Jagr in all situations, and that only leads to points. Many. I figure a basement projection of 50 pts, to top out around 70... Nylanders good enough to step in and help carry the C position in the event that one of my starters go down. Again, real pleased to have drafted him here.
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| | | 120 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Thu, Sep 29, 2005, 18:41
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19.07 Ray Whitney, LW, CAR
Ray was on my list for a long time, but just kept sliding in favor of players who were showing promise in the preseason. While he likely won't be able get in any preaseaon action, i think he will do well once the puck is dropped for real... Should contribute in SOG, an area i wanted to address late in the draft. Not being able to see him play in the preaseason also adds that interesting element of mystery... He could turn out to be a huge surprise and resurrect his socring ways of old from Columbus, or be a complete bust playing for a new team that's come together without him. Should be interesting.
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| | | 121 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:03
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20.08 Matt Cooke, C/LW, VAN
I must admit first off that this was a homer pick. There were other players that i was looking at here, specifially ones that could help fill my PIM quota, but when it came down to it in Cooke i could get 40-45pts and 100 PIM's, whist being able to watch all of his games on TV. There's also a bit of an extra upside on the scoring front as well, because if anything should happen to one of the top six forwards in Vancouver, Cooke would likely be one of the top candidates to step in. He's shown in the past that he could play with the big boys (skating with Morrison and Naslund at the end of '03-'04), so he should be in line to benefit from any sudden line shake ups in Vancouver.
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| | | 122 | The Dienasty
ID: 132591
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:07
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21.07 Anson Carter, RW, VAN
This picks success is going to hinge on one factor - whether Carter stays on the same line with the Sedins all season. If for whatever reason he gets taken off the line, be it lack of chemistry or othwerise, then i can pretty much write off this pick as a bust. On the other hand, if that lines clicks like i think/hope it should, then i might walk away with a 45-50 pt player that can contribute in PPP's and +/-. A homer pick to boot, i should have plenty of opportunity to view his progress as the season wears on.
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| | | 123 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:44
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18.10 Darryl Sydor, D, TB
I had Sydor highest on my board here and now that he's with the Lightning the bad +/- he's had the past two years should be history. He should be a PP contributor and he puts up a fair amount of shots for a D guy. I won't hesitate to have him fill in for a game or two here or there as needed.
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| | | 124 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:48
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19.05 Shawn McEachern, RW, BOS
If McEachern plays 82 games like he did when we last saw him, he'll be a steal. In '04 he tallied 55 points, over 70 PIM, 18 PPP, and and decent +/- and SOG numbers. Defininely a more than capable bench player.
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| | | 125 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:53
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20.10 Kirk Maltby, LW, DET
I wanted a backup here that could put up +/- and PIMs and not hurt in other areas when needed. Maltby fills the bill as he's consistently been a +/- star (T11th among all skaters in '04) and puts up above average PIM numbers. Not much left at this point in the draft so I got more than I expected here.
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| | | 126 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Sat, Oct 01, 2005, 09:56
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21.05 Keith Primeau, C, PHI
This pick is the closest thing I took to a gamble in the whole draft. A combination of potential, good production when in the lineup, and a bit of homerism made this pick happen. Injuries are always a concern here and he's already started down that road, but I don't mind swapping him in once he gets healthy to help make up games Weight will miss at the start of the season. If he plays 60 games this year with decent production I'll be pleased.
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