As enter the final stanza of an exciting 2014 for the NHL, a few thing things stood out from last night. First, Brian Elliott showed no rust in his first game back from injury in the St. Louis crease. Despite losing the match to Nashville, his 44 saves is a strong indication that he is ready to re-claim his starting spot. With no disrespect intended to future HOFer Martin Brodeur and young Jake Allen, it's been Elliott with the dazzling numbers- 1.90 GAA and .931 SP. He should continue to receive the majority of starts moving forward, but it's probably more like a 60/40 split... Second, the Florida Panthers have become extremely competitive and it all starts in goal with veteran Roberto Luongo. His fantasy value has actually improved since his move from Vancouver, as he has compiled a 14-7-7 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .923 SP on the upstart Florida team. He turned aside 33 of 34 shots in the 2-1 loss to Montreal, but fantasy owners should not shy away from the Sunshine State. Youngsters Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad continue to improve, indicating bright fantasy futures for both in the years ahead... Shea Weber is again playing like one of the fantasy elite on defense, scoring two huge goals to raise his point total to ten over the last ten games. He was off to a somewhat slow start, but the dominant defender is a lock for top-five fantasy status moving forward... The Edmonton Oilers snapped a nine-game losing streak in the 2-1 win over the Kings, but make no mistake about it- they are still REAL bad. Even superstar Taylor Hall has performed way below fantasy expectations because of the utter debacle going on in the City of Champions. Maybe buy low on Hall and RNH, but the situation does not offer much hope for a huge turnaround in the second half...

THE FUTURE IS NEAR We are just three months into the 2014-15 season and we already have caught a glimpse of the next generation of goaltending talent that will descend upon the NHL in the years to come. First, let's pay tribute to a goaltender that has made a tremendous impact on the league and may be playing his swansong year in St. Louis.  I am talking about none other than Martin Brodeur who set another NHL record with his 125th shutout against the Colorado Avalanche on December 29th. With this possibly being his last hurrah, I am grateful to have witnessed one of the great NHL goaltenders of all time. A lot of people look forward to the New Year because it holds the promise of a new beginning for some and a chance to turn things around for others. Although we never really know what the future has in store, we are fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of what that future holds for some young goaltending talent and it certainly looks quite bright. So let's take a look at some up-and-coming goaltending talent. We might as well start with who is probably the top-rated goaltending talent around. And that distinction belongs to Tampa Bay prospect Andrei Vasilevskiy. The 20-year old net minder was drafted #19 overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning and has played the past few seasons in the KHL where he has posted some impressive statistics.  AV's KHL stats in 36 games over 2 years are 18-9-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 SP.  Vasilevskiy was called up when Tampa Bay starter Ben Bishop went down with a minor lower-body injury and started 3 games, winning 2, and posting a 2.01 GAA and a .940 SP. Even though they are both small sample sizes, the talent is there as noted by HockeysFuture.com's 15th overall rating among prospects. The future looks bright in sunny Tampa Bay. Switching over to the West Coast, the Anaheim Ducks are sporting a very talented goalkeeper of their own in John Gibson. Gibson already has had a much heralded career as he won the gold medal for the United States in the 2013 World Junior Ice hockey Championships sporting a 1.36 GAA and .955 SP.  Impressive  indeed!  He also won the bronze medal at the 2013 IIHF World Championships by posting another set of incredible metrics; 1.56 GAA & .951 SP. When starter Frederik Andersen went down with an injury towards the end of last season, Gibson was called up and added to his resume an NHL debut 3-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks. In just 3 starts that season, the youngster went 3...

Cory Schneider stonewalled the Carolina Hurricanes stopping 39 of 40 for the Devils 2-1 victory. Schneider was the story as he kept the Devils in the game until they could overcome a 1-0 deficit.  Counterpart Cam Ward only faced 16 SOG as the banged-up Devils managed to come away with the win. New Jersey needs more efforts like this from their No. 1 net minder if they want to reach the playoffs, so he will continue to get the boatload of starts.....There is no doubt that Ward is the canes No. 1 starter and he has played well but is just not getting the offensive support.... The New York Rangers managed to come away with a 4-3 overtime win after letting a 2-goal lead with just a little under 5 minutes left in the game. Rangers D-man Kevin Klein, yes that Kevin Klein-lol, scored the game-winner in OT, his sixth tally on the season breaking his previous career high of 5. Klein is no Al MacInnis, but he seems to be having a magical season.... Martin Brodeur won his St. Louis home starting debut with a pedestrian 32-save, 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. With Brodeur winning, that throws a wrench in the goaltending plans when Brian Elliott comes back for the Blues....Panthers rookie D-man Aaron Ekblad scored his 5th on the season, giving him 18 points in 26 NHL games. There should be no qualms about starting this rookie as long as he continues to contribute offensively as he is +6 on the season as well.

Hooray to the great Martin Brodeur for picking up his first win For St. Louis, after stopping 14 of 16 shots in relief of an ineffective Jake Allen. Somewhere way inside me, I have a feeling he can push Allen for playing time given his tremendous future HOF pedigree but am not sure how it would play out when Brian Elliott returns. I would say that if you any room on your bench, stashing him for now might not be the worst idea.. To stay on this game, Kevin Shattenkirk's three points has vaulted him to second amongst NHL defensemen in scoring with 22 points. For fantasy formats that reward power-play points, he actually leads all d-men in power-play assists with 14. As elite as they come.. Up-and-coming Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is making quite the rookie impact with three more assists, giving him 17 points in 26 games. While its unreasonable to expect the youngster to maintain that level of production, I could easily see him pull off a "Tyler Myers"... Chicago's other great line came up huge for the second straight match, as Marian Hossa scored two goals in the 3-1 win over Nashville. Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg have been dynamite on the second line, but the impending return of Patrick Sharp to the top unit might give them the edge going forward. Nonetheless, plenty of goals to go around as the Blackhawks are explosive.. While Sidney Crosby and Jakub Voracek have been battling for the NHL scoring lead seemingly all season long, studly Tyler Seguin roared past the two with a three-point effort and now also leads in goals scored with 21. There is a subtle "change of the fantasy guard" going on here, as the Dallas center making a bold statement for universal top-three selection in next year's fantasy drafts... Maybe it's time to change Mark Giordano's first name to "Norris" as the Calgary defenseman continues to prove that his breakout season of 2013-14 was no fluke. With his goal last night, he now leads all defensemen with 28 points. His point-per-game production last year-.73- ranked third only behind Erik Karlsson and Duncan Keith, so he keep your faith in this guy. He's legit elite and not worth trading under most circumstances... Shades of heavy-duty Vezina form for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky lately, as he turned aside 33 shots in the improbable victory in Tampa. He has now won three straight for an injury-plagued Columbus squad and should only get better as the team gets healthier. Your "buy-low" window is closing rapidly... MORE COMING..

Most eyes were on Martin Brodeur's first career start on a team other than New Jersey, and the end-results were mixed. He surrendered four goals on 24 shots in the 4-3 St. Louis loss to Nashville, but looked on his game early on after making several splendid saves. As a die-hard NHL fan, it's great to see Marty back manning the crease but as a fantasy owner, I won't be running to scoop him up soon. He will get a few starts to alleviate Jake Allen's workload while Brian Elliott recovers from injury, so don't get caught up in the hype. Brodeur's elite fantasy days are long over.. A heavy dose of reality for Jhonas Enroth and his Buffalo mates, as they got slammed by Tampa Bay 5-0 in the second game of a home-and-home set. You didn't think that the suddenly streaking Sabres would hand the Lightning a second straight loss, did you? Even though Enroth gave up 5 goals on 35 shots and had his three-game winning streak snapped, he has played extremely well lately and should be considered a depth spot on most fantasy squads. With a very manageable three-home game week coming up, I am seriously considering starting Enroth over the struggling Kari Lehtonen.. The injuries to Pittsburgh's forward corps keep piling up, as Patric Hornqvist was not out there for the third period of the 3-0 loss to Vancouver. Apparently, he suffered the injury after taking a big hit from Ryan Stanton, but there hasn't been a confirmation yet. The ex-Predator has been a fantasy revelation on the Pens, collecting 25 points in 25 games, so a serious injury would be a massive blow to his fantasy owners.. Sergei Bobrovsky's 52 saves paced the Blue Jackets in a much-needed 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers and ending his personal five-game win-less skid.With a 6-8-1 record and a less than elite 2.89 GAA, the young Russian goaltender is off his normal slow start, but just like his 2013 Vezina winning year, he could heat up in a hurry. I am saying huge "buy-low" opportunity here, so inquire what it would take to get him on the moderate cheap.. Eleven straight and counting for Jaroslav Halak, as he continued his lengthy winning streak with his 20-save effort in New York's 2-1 road win over Ottawa. His numbers speak for themselves, with his .926 SP and 2.05 GAA ranking him amongst the fantasy elite. Keep riding him in the crease as the Islanders have shown no signs of any slippage soon.. Great news for Logan Couture fantasy owners, as he passed all concussion protocol and played last night in...

With 7 points in the past 4 games and 15 points in past 9, it is safe to say that Chicago's Patrick Kane is on fire. Kane's 2 goals paced the way in the Blackhawk's win over Jake Allen (29/33 SV) and the St. Louis Blues. ...Allen didn't have his best game and new Blue Martin Brodeur will make his debut tonight against the Nashville Predators....Antti Raanta turned aside 40 shots on goal to earn the win in his first start since October 25th. Raanta should see most of the action over the next few weeks as starter Corey Crawford recovers from a lower-body injury... Kris Versteeg has shown no signs of slowing down as he pitched in with a goal and 2 assists giving him 7 points in last 3 games. Versteeg es en fuego!  He now has 21 points in 21 games played this season.  Grab him as he is for real.... Minnesota's Darcy Kuemper (18/19 SV) came within a minute of pitching a shutout against the Montreal Canadiens but Alex Galchenyuk spoiled that bid. Kuemper is solidifying his hold on the starter's role but things can change if and when Josh Harding is ready to return to NHL action. The Wild will need to address their soon to crowded goaltending core..... Will the Edmonton Oilers ever win another game this season? That's 11 straight losses with 4 of those losses in overtime so they did manage to grab 4 points out of this ordeal.  Big deal, right?  Something will have to give for these poor Oiler fans who have suffered long enough.... The Philadelphia Flyers are just a touch above the Edmonton Oilers as they have now lost 10 of their last 11 with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks last night....Wayne Simmonds scored twice and, with 7 SOG, may be on the verge of breaking out of his slump. The Flyers are in a desperate state and something big may be lurking just around the corner.  He does have 17 points in 25 games but more was expected of the RWer....

Hoping to have one last chance at hoisting the Stanley Cup, Martin Brodeur signed a 1-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues were in a bind when starter Brian Elliott went down with a lower-body injury and will be sidelined for a few weeks at least, leaving them with just Jake Allen with any NHL experience. Perhaps the injury to Elliott is more than the Blues are letting on.   In many ways, this was a prudent signing by St. Louis as they keep him away from their competition as well as providing a mentor for young Allen who they hope can be their undisputed no. 1 someday. Brodeur had only played with one team before signing with St. Louis and set many goaltending records while with the New Jersey Devils, including such marks as most shutouts in a season, most career wins by a goaltending in the regular season, and so on. At 42, the Devils decided to make a change and go with Cory Schneider as their starter. Schneider was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for their 1st round pick. Brodeur most recently led the Devils to the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Finals against the Los Angeles Kings but lost in 6 games. The experience that Brodeur brings to the table is priceless and tutoring Allen in net while Elliott recovers will only be beneficial to the young net minder.  The owner of 3 Stanley Cups is just what the doctor ordered as the Blues are devoid of any players who have won the coveted Cup, or have the amount of playoff experience that Brodeur brings.  Having a goalie of Brodeur's stature will surely have players paying attention to any advice that he can give them.  He will spell Allen and if Elliott's injury proves to be more serious than originally thought, having Brodeur around can only be a good thing. All-in-all, a very good move by the Blues who are on the threshold of competing not only as a regular season dynamo, but as a team, with a little bit more playoff experience, could make a run for Lord Stanley's Cup. POST MARKS: BACK-TO-BACK??--Rumor has it that he Dallas Stars are looking for a more experienced net minder to back up starter Kari Lehtonen in case of injury. They believe their team can compete for the Cup this year and having depth at goaltender is critical to their chances.  Not too happy with Anders Lindback, perhaps Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom will become available once Josh Harding works himself back into shape and creates a logjam in the crease for the Wild. Keep an eye on this as the ...

When the Edmonton Oilers made those two trades last year to acquire Viktor Fasth from Anaheim and Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles, I thought that they were on the right track since the Devan Dubnyk experiment was a disaster. I had thought that Fasth would take over as the number 1 goaltender even though Scrivens played better upon arrival, but neither has shown any resemblance of an NHL starting goaltender. Comparing the numbers, Scrivens is just 4-7-1 with a 2.94 GAA and a .899 SP. Fasth on the other hand is much worse with a 2-3-1 record, a 3.63 GAA (whoa!) and a .885 SP. If the Oilers want to save their season, something needs to be done and quickly.  It's nice to have all those young offensive weapons, but they need a goalie who can take over as a true No. 1, with a little help from the defense of course. In fact, Minnesota just put Josh Harding on waivers and with Edmonton sitting near the bottom of the NHL, Harding might be the ideal candidate for this young team. Harding has the talent, and the experience now, to be their guy.  He doesn't cost much against the cap at $1.9 million, and if he doesn't work out, he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year. Other options include Martin Brodeur but I don't believe he would want to go anywhere except a Stanley Cup contender. They've gone down the Ilya Bryzgalov road last season and that didn't pan out. Tomas Vokoun could be a decent option but he hasn't played much over the past few years and is up there in age at 38. There are slim pickings out there that is why Harding makes so much sense.  He may have health issues, but he did sport a 1.65 GAA and a .918 SP in 29 games last year. Not too shabby and better than what they are getting now. Harding is worth a shot for a team that is trying to establish themselves as a true NHL contender. Harding wouldn't cost them a young talented player and the cap hit is very palatable. How bad could this be?  Harding just may cause the Oil to stop slipping. POST MARKS: SHARK BITE--Hats off to Troy Grosenick who got his first NHL start the other night and posted a 2-0 shutout of the Carolina Hurricanes. Young troy faced 45 SOG and turned every one aside.  Nothing could be finer than to shut out Carolina for my fir-r-r-r-rst win!.....STEALTH JET--Michael Hutchinson burst onto the NHL scene as the end of last season and opened a lot of eyes with a 2-1-0 record, a 1.64 GAA and a .943 SP. Can't get much better than that huh?  Well, so far this season he is 2-1-0 ...

A few miscellaneous notes about some NHL goaltenders who have surprised so far, both good and bad - SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE style. Ryan Miller has certainly been a pleasant surprise so far as he leads the NHL with 10 wins. Good for Vancouver as they have recovered nicely from last year's Tortorella debacle. It is no surprise that Pekka Rinne is at the top of the win category as he is definitely recovered from last year's hip surgery/infection fiasco. His save percentage could be a tad better, but give the guy a break, he is sporting a sparkling 1.81 GAA. Probably the biggest surprise, to me at least, is the performance by Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec. He has started every game but one and his numbers back up that decision with a 1.98 GAA and .928 SP.  I never thought he would put up those kind of numbers.  I always wished he would when I had him on my fantasy teams, but it took him a few years I guess. Darcy Kuemper would have topped Pavelec especially after his 3 shutouts in his first 4 games of the season, but the bloom has fallen off that rose as he has given up 4 goals in each of the past 2 starts. Josh Harding has returned to practice after his team suspension for breaking his foot in the off-season. Harding may be a few weeks away from wrestling the starting job back. It took a few years, and a few teams, but Ben Bishop has finally landed in the right spot as Tampa Bay's no. 1. Since taking over the starter's job last year, Bishop has been nothing less than terrific.  37 wins last year and will probably reach 40+ this season. Cam Ward was left for dead after last season but one bad season, especially an injury-riddled one, should not be the reason to cast aside an established NHL starter.  After starting out 0-3-1 this season, most of those critics were probably rubbing their hands with satisfaction but true competitors always rise to the occasion.  November started a new month and a new life for Ward as he rattled off 5 wins in a row.  Ward is back as the no. 1 in Carolina. I would've expected better metrics out of Cory Schneider but he does have a 6-5-2 record and has started every game a la Martin Brodeur, so you know you have to stick with him. His numbers, 2.91 GAA and .906, should improve as the season progresses.  His play has been up and down already this season but should flat line soon. You may have recalled that there was a goaltending controversy brewing in San Jose at the beginning of the year about Alex Stalock getting a lot more starts ...

The New Jersey Devils went through a transition phase last year and it all started on Draft Day of June 2013 when the team acquired Vancouver Goalie Cory Schneider for just their 1st round pick straight up. The Martin Brodeur era was coming to a close and the Devils needed to shore up their goaltending before too long. The Devils barely missed out on the 8th and final playoff spot and if it weren't for the 18 overtime losses, 12 sustained by Schneider himself, the Devils could have made a decent run. So what did GM Lou Lamoriello do in the off-season?  He stacked up on some offensive players to round out the forward lines and hopefully give Schneider that extra goal support that he was lacking last year.  Now, all the pieces just need to fit perfectly. GOALIES The New Jersey Devils have always been known for their defensive style of play and their goaltending in particular which was consistently made easy by having Martin Brodeur in net for all those years. But being over 40 years old, the time was now for the Devils to turn over the reins.  Schneider has all the tools to take over as Brodeur's replacement for the next 10 years as the Devils signed Schneider to a 7-year extension in July.  Brodeur has been floating as a free agent and is currently unsigned.  Scott Clemmensen, a familiar face, was brought in to backup Schneider. Schneider will see the lion's share of starts and could challenge for the Vezina. DEFENSE The back end hasn't been the same since the departure of the two Scotts, Niedermayer and Stevens. The Devils are hoping that Marek Zidlicky has another 40+ point season in him as they await the youngsters to develop. Andy Greene is another solid blueliner for the Devils but has never seemed to be able to make that next jump to the 40-point level in his 8 years as a member of the Devils. Eric Gelinas had a nice audition for the Devs last year with 29 points in 60 games played.  He does possess the talent to be a 40+ scorer but may be a year or two away.  Adam Larsson was the 4th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and a lot was expected of him right off the bat but he never was able to gain the confidence early on. The jury is still out on whether Larsson can be the top offensive defenseman for the Devils.  Jon Merrill will get a shot at a regular assignment after a 53-game season. Don't expect much in terms of offense though.  FORWARDS With the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk to retirement, the Devils lack that elite scoring presence on ...