Editor's note: Our Ross Devonport and Michael Hurcomb read, write and
analyze everything Fantasy Hockey on a daily basis for CBSSports.com.
They agree and disagree on a variety of subjects on a weekly basis and
will share their opinions on Fantasy-relevant topics each week.
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Who will emerge in Edmonton now that Ales Hemsky (shoulder) is done for the season?
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Michael Hurcomb
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Ross Devonport
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It's going to be the guy who is replacing Hemsky on the top line
-- Gilbert Brule. The 22-year-old
forward is having a breakout campaign under first-year coach Pat
Quinn. He has four points in his first two games since replacing
Hemsky and is up to 17 points in 24 games. Three more points and
he sets a career high. Don't forget Brule was the sixth overall
pick in the 2005 draft, but Columbus rushed him to the NHL when he
clearly wasn't ready. He is starting to tap into his potential and
could be a serious scoring threat for Edmonton.
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While Brule is definitely a solid pick in this spot, I think Patrick O'Sullivan might have a chance to get things going with a
move to the second line. He has struggled this season and has no
points in his last four games, but O'Sullivan knows he'll have to
pick up the pace if he wants Pat Quinn to continue giving him a
chance on a scoring line rather than on the fourth one, where he
has been languishing all season. O'Sullivan has offensive skills
but has lacked consistency and is getting very close to being
considered an NHL bust. Hopefully he can shed that tag over the
next few months.
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Would a trade benefit Vincent Lecavalier
and reestablish him as an elite Fantasy option?
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Michael Hurcomb
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Ross Devonport
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It clearly can't hurt. I will say it -- Steven Stamkos has passed Lecavalier on the talent depth chart,
and Tampa Bay has to start looking toward the future and making
Stamkos its marquee player. I thought the duo could co-exist like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby,
but Lecavalier is no longer holding up his end of the bargain.
Since February of last season, Stamkos has totaled 34 goals while
Vinny has 12. The Lightning could definitely clear some cap space
by dumping Lecavalier's mega deal and the Canadiens probably
wouldn't mind taking the All-Star center off their hands.
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There's certainly a chance it could, but it's no guarantee. Maybe
Lecavalier is just a guy who had his two great years while the
Lightning were a decent team and is just going to be a
point-per-game guy after all unless he's surrounded by a pair of
elite wingers. At the moment he has Alex Tanguay and Jeff Halpern
alongside him, neither of whom is Martin St. Louis. If you can find an owner willing to take Vinnie
off your hands, by all means do so, but you certainly could do
worse at center and a trade might be just what he needs to
get going later this season.
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Who has been more disappointing -- Alexei Kovalev or Thomas Vanek?
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Michael Hurcomb
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Ross Devonport
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I'm taking Kovalev. Ottawa signed the veteran forward in the
offseason to help offset the potential loss of Dany Heatley. Once Ottawa dealt their disgruntled star, the
Senators felt confident that Kovalev would help the fans forget
about the All-Star winger. It hasn't happened. Kovalev has scored
in only four of 21 games and has gone a month without finding the
back of the net. He is on pace for only 37 points, which would be
his lowest output since 2006-07. He clearly isn't an 80-point
threat anymore, but we would take 50 points as this rate.
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Kovalev isn't a huge shock because he's been inconsistent with his
point production throughout his career, which shows the Russian's
success really depends on who he's partnered with. So, instead I'm
going with Vanek, who is on pace for just 28 goals after averaging
39.7 goals over his previous seasons and never finishing with less
than 36 goals during that span. I mean, it's not like Buffalo
changed much this offseason, either, so I'm just stumped at what
Vanek's issue is. He has been picking up the pace lately though,
so maybe he's finally figured things out.
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Would you consider Jonathan Quick
a No. 1 Fantasy goalie?
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Michael Hurcomb
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Ross Devonport
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At first glance the easy answer would be no. But under further
examination, it's hard to argue against Quick as a No. 1 goalie.
First, he is a goaltender that starts pretty much every night. He
has appeared in 25 of the Kings' 27 games. Secondly, he is among
the league leaders in many stats. He tied for second in wins (14)
and fifth in saves (597). In standard Fantasy leagues, he is also
seventh in scoring for goalies (123.9) and ahead of players like Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist
and Cristobal Huet, who many view
as must-start Fantasy options.
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After his super-hot start to the season, Quick had calmed down a
bit before his solid Fantasy Week 8 (Nov. 23-29). Despite his
semi-slump, Quick is still playing at a high level and the Kings
just seem like the real deal. However, I doubt many Fantasy owners
out there are using him as a No. 1 Fantasy option, so it's hard
for me to consider him that just yet. A high-end No. 2 option for
sure, and Quick is definitely worth using in all single-goalie
formats when the matchups favor him, but I don't think two months
of success is enough to make him a concrete No. 1.
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Do you agree with Ross or Michael? Send your thoughts to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com
and we'll post the best responses. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy
Faceoff in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and
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