Players on the Move (Up)

Ouellet - Michel Ouellet put up decent numbers last season with Pittsburgh, but nothing noteworthy for fantasy managers. Things will be different, however, in Tampa Bay as he will get far more ice time and more opportunity. The Lightning were looking to find a winger who could help Brad Richards put up numbers like he did in 05-06. Ouellet is a perfect fit, a winger with a nose for the net who also played juniors with Richards in Rimouski. The reunited Oceanic forwards should put up big numbers in Tampa as Richards, one of the games best passing and set-up centers, will be feeding Ouellet for goals all year long on the seconds line. Ouellet would not have even been drafted last year, but this year picking him up late in the draft could end up becoming one of your best decisions of the draft. What's to lose? If he does end up only marginally improving from last season, that will still put him over 20 goals and 30 assists, not bad for a late pick. In my league I chose Ouellet in the 12th round and could become one of the true steals of the draft. Look for him to post close to or over 30 goals and at least a decent amount of assists.

Rafalski - I know, Rafalski already has a reputation as a great defenseman who puts up solid numbers in the assist category year after year, but this season he should improve even more on those numbers in Detroit feeding star wingers Datsyuk and Zetterberg. This season he could push close to 60 assists and 75 points, excellent numbers for even a forward. In most leagues he should go around the 4th or 5th round. In my league I lucked out and picked him up in the 7th round. Not bad for a defenseman who consistently puts up more than 50 points.

Sydor - Darryl Sydor should put up close to 50 points this season, back to his old form from the late 90's. The past few years Sydor put up low numbers on a fantasy standpoint, but this year he will be feeding young superstars Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. In my league Sydor went undrafted, but for deeper leagues or for those looking for a solid defenseman you could get away with picking him up in your last round, which will likely pay out. If not, you can always drop him during the season and you didn't waste a value pick.

Players on the Move (Down)

Briere - Probably the most significant move in the off-season, as far as fantasy points is concerned, was Daniel Briere. Briere enjoyed tremendous success with Buffalo, but he was also surrounded by other players who did the same. Now in Philly, Briere will have a much tougher time. Timonen and Hartnell will not be nearly as productive and helpful to Breire as Drury, Zubrus, Afenagenov, and Vanek. While he will still be valuable, I wouldn't take this center in the first few rounds. In my fantasy draft Briere was taken last in the 3rd round, which I believe is reasonable, maybe even a little high. Taking Briere in the the 3rd round means that you already have your top goaltender, top forward, and using this pick on a hopeful. No third round player should be a hope draft. You should be focused on landing another consistant high production forward or a top defenseman. Even focusing on another goaltender would be a great pick.

Vokoun - Tomas Vokoun has been a very consistant goaltender with a high save percentage and relatively low GAA for the past several seasons. This year, however, will be a very different situation and will be in net for a team that, year after year, allows more shots than most other teams: Florida. Against southeastern opponents such as Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Washington Vokoun and the Panthers will be facing some of the best offensive players in the league night after night while having to stop more shots than he is used to. A goaltender is always a hot commodity in fantasy drafts, but Vokoun's value should drop this year. Last year he might have been chosen early to mid 2nd round. This year he should go in the 3rd round to managers who wait until then to pick up their 1st goaltender. In my league he was chosen last in the 5th round, showing how much his value as a possible #1 goaltender has dropped.

My Fantasy Team #1

I ended up with the 7th pick in my draft out of 10 teams in my 1st league. Here are my draft picks:
Round 1 (7): Jaromir Jagr
Round 2 (14): Vincent Lecavalier
Round 3 (27): Henrik Lundqvist
Round 4 (34): Sheldon Souray
Round 5 (47): Alexander Semin
Round 6 (54): Martin Havlat
Round 7 (67): Brian Rafalski
Round 8 (74): Olaf Kolzig
Round 9 (87): Michael Nylander
Round 10 (94): Tomas Holmstrom
Round 11 (107): Anze Kopiter
Round 12 (114): Michel Ouellet
Round 13 (127): Tom Preissing
Round 14 (134): Dwayne Roloson
Round 15 (147): Chris Phillips
Round 16 (154): Gary Roberts
Round 17 (167): Petr Sykora

Get to know NHL'ers New Teams

Topic 1: Sportsupyours here, starting this blog - fantasy hockey 101. Here you can find all of the fantasy hockey advice you need in one place. Whether it be pre-draft advice, in-seasons game plans, or trade deadline deals, this blog has it all.

First things first, if you plan on managing a fantasy hockey team this season you will need to get to know players and their teams. I know what you are thinking, you already know who plays for who. Ah, but have you forgotten the effects of the new CBA and salary cap? Marquee players such as Daniel Briere, Scott Gomez, and others have moved to new cities with new teammates and new management....meaning new game-plans. But these top tier players are not the only ones who should be paid attention to when organizing your pre-draft rosters. Late round draft picks are often some of the most important players on your team and following their offseason moves is highly important, too.

Why, you might ask, is this so important? A player such as Anson Carter, for example, might flourish with one team and be nearly invisible with another. Different situations can turn once mid- to late-round fantasy picks into busts to be avoided.

Come back for the next post, which will highlight the key name players who found new homes in the offseason. I will cover who will have the biggest problems in their new cities and who will become more valuable. These are key to building a deep, well-rounded fantasy hockey team on draft day.