Preseason Fantasy Stockwatch

Our Daniel E. Dobish debuts his Fantasy Stockwatch as drafts heat up.

By Daniel E. Dobish

Sep 28, 2007 at 9:54 am ET • 4 min read

Each week during the season, we'll survey the Fantasy Hockey landscape and provide you with a list of players whose Fantasy value has increased or decreased over the course of the past week.

	Jason Chimera, W, Columbus Chimera has been turning heads in Columbus and drawing the praise of his coach Ken Hitchcock, who he really blossomed under toward the end of last season. Hitchcock says he has always been a fast skater, but that his mind is finally catching up. Through four preseason games for the Blue Jackets, Chimera has two goals and six points with a sparkling plus-5 rating and 14 penalty minutes. Might we finally see the player who tallied 77 points with Hamilton of the AHL in 2001-02? So far, he looks primed for a breakout season, especially for Fantasy owners in leagues that heavily reward penalty minutes. He has averaged 16 goals in the past two seasons in Columbus and an increase to 20-25 goals would not be surprising.
	Ray Emery, G, Ottawa Emery still does not appear to be 100 percent recovered from offseason wrist surgery, as he made just his first preseason appearance on Tuesday night. Martin Gerber has also had a tremendous preseason in his absence, so the Senators might opt to ease Emery into the lineup rather than put him out there every three games out of four. The loss in Fantasy value for Emery is the gain of those who have Gerber, especially in leagues that average points per game in a scoring period.
	Johan Hedberg, G, Atlanta The health of Kari Lehtonen has the Thrashers and Fantasy owners worried. He made his first preseason appearance Wednesday at Florida. Coach Bob Hartley might simply be taking it very, very slowly with his star netminder, or he might not be at 100 percent. Hedberg is one of the most capable backups in the league and can handle the No. 1 job if needed. At the very least, Lehtonen's owners should grab Hedberg immediately. It might not be a bad idea for those searching for a No. 3 netminder to do the same, especially in formats that average points per game in a scoring period. Hedberg has a chance to shine early.
	Johan Holmqvist, G, Tampa Bay The Lightning talked long-term contract with Holmqvist, as he came out of nowhere last season and sparkled while free agent acquistion Marc Denis was a bust. That looked good for Holmqvist heading into the 2007-08 season, but coach John Tortorella has made it a fair competition, with Denis getting a chance to redeem himself and youngster Karri Ramo also in the mix. Tortorella has said that he will not name a starter until the day before the regular season opener Oct. 4 against New Jersey. That has Fantasy owners pulling out their hair and Holmqvist owners uneasy about the future.
	Cory Murphy, D, Florida Murphy has been a breath of fresh air for the Panthers, coming out of nowhere to lead the team in preseason points through Tuesday's games. He has a goal and four assists, including three in Tuesday's afternoon game against the Blackhawks. No other Panther has more than two helpers. While we don't think he is going to go from unknown to All-Star overnight, he is showing that he belongs and can be useful in Fantasy leagues. If you're filling out a roster in the later rounds on Draft Day, definitely remember this name. Mining these types of gems can be the difference in winning and losing.
	Jordan Staal, C, Pittsburgh Staal exploded for 29 goals last year, including four on the power play and seven of the shorthanded variety. While the shorties might come again, coach Michel Therrien has said that Staal will not be included on the man advantage to start the season. He is also centering the third line, which of course does not include time with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, as he moves back to his natural position. We believe a drop in production is inevitable, especially since his linemates will not be superstars this time around.
	Bobby Ryan, W, Anaheim Ryan is definitely not anyone who will sneak up on Fantasy owners. However, he has finally survived final roster cuts for the Anaheim Ducks and is ready for his first full NHL campaign. He led the Ducks in preseason scoring with a goal and five assists, two better than the nearest competition. Ryan will be replacing the departed Dustin Penner and should be considered one of the favorites for the Calder Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top rookie.
	Nikolai Zherdev, W, Columbus It was announced on Wednesday that Zherdev will not be centering the team's top scoring line with Rick Nash and David Vyborny. He'll be back on the wing, which might be better suited for him anyway. He was lukewarm to the idea of a position change when it was floated to him by coach Ken Hitchcock and general manager Scott Howson. However, he'll now be skating with lesser talent around him, which decreases his Fantasy appeal a bit, especially if he is not skating on the No. 1 power play unit.

Do you have a trade you'd like reviewed by our experts, or feel that we're missing someone from our Stockwatch? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Pucks in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware we do not guarantee personal responses to all questions.