SMC: A WHOLE NEW WORLD...AGAIN Good day fanatics! Back to a normal NHL schedule after two Covid-shortened seasons. Plus we have another new team in the Seattle Kraken who appear to be very tough to play against so far this season. It's only been a few days I know but I'm back to give you my early Sunday morning thoughts on what has happened so far. Already I'm a big hater of the not-so-specific injury status of the higher end players who make up most of our fantasy squads. I have missed out on Ovechkin's huge first night against the NY Rangers because he was doubtful but then plays and puts up a boatload of points. Thank goodness I had Max Pacioretty in my lineup. Oh wait! He was good for one night and now is out for 6 weeks. Plus Matthews didn't play at all this week but I didn't have him in my lineup. I keep reminding myself it's not how you start but how you finish. Anze Kopitar with a hat trick! Surprising to me. Sam Bennett with a hat trick also. Not that surprising. Big year for Bennett coming! You too Anze. That was a real afternoon snooze-fest Coyotes vs. Sabres. Sabres won in snooze-out 2-1, Looks like the Islanders need Varlamov back sooner than later with Sorokin struggling giving up 11 goals. Not to worry Isles fans. Sorokin and the team will turn it around. Pittsburgh fans, this is what your team is going to look like from now on especially with Crosby and Malkin getting up there. It will all come down to their goaltending. I hate when there is a huge slate of games on a Saturday and you hardly get any fantasy points. So deflating. The way Ovechkin is playing he may have a shot at Gretzky's goal record this season. LOL Not happening. If anyone wants a free version of the 2021-2022 PrimePucks(tm) Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide just shoot me an email I think the Columbus Blue Jackets will surprise a lot of people this year. The Jets lost to the Sharks and I'm not talking about West Side Story folks. Shame on you Winnipeg. Viktor Arvidsson has found renewed energy out in California...along with bean sprouts, alfalfa, Pink's Hot Dogs, etc. Do all these holdouts just wait to sign their contract on the eve of the season just so they don't have to attend training camp? Zibanejad looks like he is just off his timing a touch but he is close my fanatics. Real close! Islanders play first 13 games of the season on the road as they finish up with the UBS Arena. That's all for this week. Hope all your fantasies come true! Ray

Good day fanatics! Sorry for the delay in updates but we had a death in the family last year. I made a few updates in the Guide but mostly just contract signings and a few injuries that have been in the news of late and Guentzel testing positive for Covid. I was involved in 4 drafts, some slow, one live and it all went well I think but we won't know until the season starts. In the 10-team live draft (Starters: 6F, 4D, 2G) I managed to pick up some firepower early with Matthews, Zibanejad, and Ovechkin with top 3 picks then started to fill in my defense Josi in the 4th, Pietrangelo, Werenski and Rasmus Andersson in the 6th, 7th, and 8th with Pacioretty slotted in the 5th. Wondering where my goalies are? In this league we are able to keep up to 3 players not drafted in the first 5 rounds or who were kept for last season's draft. So I kept Mike Smith and Darcy Kuemper in the 12th and 14th rounds. My other keeper was DeBrincat in the 9th. Filling out my bench there is Gibson-G (13th) , Leddy and Ekholm on defense and then some decent fill-ins like Giroux (10th, Bjorkstrand (!1th), Larkin (15th), DuBois (17th) and Kapanen in the 20th-last round. I selected Verhaeghe in the 19th when I probably should have picked up another goalie but managed to claim Jake Allen after news of Price's entry into the Players Assistance Program hit. Prayers are with Carey and his family! The 3 slow drafts I think I killed it but too involved to get into that. Also helped a subscriber in his draft, especially with the later rounds. I hope you all have faired well in your fantasy drafts and good luck to those who have drafts coming up and most of all good luck in the upcoming season! Ciao Ray

Good afternoon, Made a few minor updates to the Draft Guide this week adding the Retired & Elsewhere page along with Sidney Crosby revised projections for the upcoming year due to his surgery which will keep out for at least the next 6 weeks. Also added Zdeno Chara signing with the NY Islanders and Kailer Yamamoto's signing to a 1-year contract with the Oil. I also made a few adjustment to the Defensemen Tiers. SO for those who purchased the Guide and want to see the updates just go to your account file and upload the revised edition. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

September Blues 2022 The day of September 11th, and the day before and after, always are an emotional time for me as I, along with countless others, lost someone true and dear to their hearts that day. God bless those that were murdered on that day and the families that hold their memories true! Good thing though is it's almost Mallomar season! And NHL hokcey is just around the corner, well, maybe 2 corners! Did Darcy Kuemper step in dog shit or what getting traded out of the desert and into Rocky Mtn. high? No, Viktor Arvidsson will not win the Rocket Richard trophy this year now that he is playing alongside Anze Kopitar. Hoipefully he can score over 20 goals this season. Seth Jones will find renewal energy in Chitown playing with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and will possibly test his career high of 57-points in 2017-18. Can we get this Jack Eichel fiasco over and down with? LA or NYC? West or East Coast? Both up-and-coming teams for the next 10 years. Always high hopes in Detroit but give them abother year I think. Not sure what the total makeover in Carolina was with their goalies and defense? I guess they will be alright. The New Jersey Devils are gonna to be sneaky good this year. There are going to be quite a few horrible teams this season and they all are competing for top pick in 2022's NHL Entry Draft, Shane Wright. What is Dallas going to do with all those goalies? Jake Oettinger is the answer. The Metropolitan and Western Divisions are going to be fun to watch how they play out this year. Ottawa should contend for a playoff berth right until the end with Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson & Co. getting better and better. I'm excited about the Ducks because they are in a weak division and have one of the better yougn goalies in the game. Need some offensive breakouts from the young ones and some solid defense. Is this the year the Penguins start to fade and it becomes obvious? Big guys are breaking down. Carter Hart and the Philadelphia Flyers should rebound. And if they get off to a slow start, say goodbye to Alain Vigneault. There is no doubt in my mind that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be battlting it out for their 3rd straight Stanley Cup. The question is can they win it in a full NHL 82-game season? I still can not believe we have teams in Las Vegas And Seattle now but not Quebec. or Hamilton. Linus Ullmark & Jeremy Swayman should be a formidable duo in net for the Boston Bruins this year. Ullmark never having played more than 37 games in...

Hockey fans, we are on the verge of getting some quality live-action NHL hockey with the qualifying set to get under way.  The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will kick off the qualifying round at 12:00 PM EST followed by 4 other matchups that day.  And then Sunday follows up with another 5 games so there is something for everyone on the re-opening weekend on this wacky 2019-2020 season.  It’s usually around this time that I am wrapping up my Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide, but that will have to wait.  Now  let’s go into the predictions.   EASTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #12 Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh in 5 When you have the Chipotle group (CMG-Crosby-Malkin-Guentzel), hard to bet against such talent and experience even if Montreal has G Carey Price to keep them in the series.  Too much Penguin firepower will overcome the Price factor.  CMG is the stock symbol for the chipotle corporation for those who did not know.  Just like the food, this Pittsburgh team is soooo good.   #6 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #11 New York Rangers New York Rangers in 4 Probably a little hyped after watching Googly Eyed Scorpion’s YouTube video of the Rangers road to the 1994 Stanley Cup but if D Dougie Hamilton is out of the Carolina lineup, the Canes’ defensive corps will be stressed.  If indeed he does return to action, and do not forget playoff wonder RW Justin Williams, then the Canes will have enough to win in 5 games.   #7 New York Islanders vs. #10 Florida Panthers New York Islanders in 4 I remembered how hard the Panthers played in their last playoff appearance in 2015-2016 against these very same Islanders team and expect the same level of competitiveness but the Islanders play a stifling defensive game and have Barry Trotz behind the bench. That’s all there is to know unless somehow Sergei Bobrovsky rises from the horrible funk he’s been in and brings his Vezina-winning form to the ice.   #8 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #9 Columbus Blue Jackets Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 This is going to be a fierce battle between two teams that finished the truncated season with the same amount of points, 81, but got there in different ways.  Columbus more of a blue-collar work ethic while Toronto has a load of flash,  Again, most series on determined on the backs of the goaltending and this series will be no different.  Slight edge to Toronto in that department even with Elvis in their building.     WESTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS   #5 Edmonton Oilers vs. #12 ...

SMC 2/9/2020 First off, I’d like to apologize for not writing in so long.  But now that the holidays are past us as, well as the All-Star break, it’s time to get back on the horse so to speak. Now is the time for you to evaluate your fantasy team and either make a run for the championship or build for next year if you are involved in any type of dynasty league. First half slumping veterans are a good play in the second half after the All-Star break as they know the importance of these games for their playoff contending teams.  Players such as Blake Wheeler, Taylor Hall, Jakub Voracek, Ilya Kovalchuk ( I can’t believe I said his name here!), Jamie Benn etc.  Trading away potential prospects and mid-round picks may be worth it if your team has a legitimate chance. On the other side of the coin is to trade those same players mentioned above for high-level, near-NHL-ready prospects and high draft picks returns as you build for next year and beyond. I recently made trades for Sebastian Aho, Blake Wheeler, Jakub Voracek, Steven Stamkos a few weeks back but had to give up a lot for Stammer. Starting to pay dividends! Patrik Laine with his 8th NHL hat trick last night.  He was an assist machine early this season but the goals are coming now! NY Rangers blew their slim playoff hopes with that regulation loss to a reeling Buffalo Sabres team on home ice the other night.  Let the rebuild continue. How about those Montreal Canadiens making a push for playoff significance? Can Ilya lead them to the promised land? Elvis is in the building! Elvis is in every building lately with his 5 shutouts in last 9 games. Shades of Patrick “the Dream” Lalime and Brian Boucher’s string of 5 consecutive shutouts. He's already known on a first-name basis! The LA Kings are really bad.  The LA Suc-Kings!  Sorry, just making a joke.  I’m sure they will turn that team around in the next year or two. I think the SJ Sharks are waking up just a tad too late. I cannot believe how the Minnesota Wild have turned their season around after that horrendous start and making themselves playoff contenders. Arizona needs Darcy Kuemper back in net and quick if they want to stay in the playoff picture. Adin Hill is not he answer and Antti Raanta got hurt yet again the other night. Are the NJ Devils sabotaging their chances of another 1st overall pick with Mackenzie Blackwood posting consecutive shutouts and winning 3 of past 6 games? Nick Suzuki scoring with more consistency over the past 7 games. ...

12/15/2019 This is definitely not a good year to be an NHL Head Coach.  It looks as if the Buffalo Sabres have found their second wind as Jack Eichel is showing that he now belongs amongst the NHL elite. And that Victor Olfosson is lighting the lamp again after a soft stretch. See that quite a lot where a relatively unknown catches the league’s attention early on only to cool off before returning to another hot stretch. Calgary has gotten on a roll of late as I had mentioned to ‘buy-low’ on Calgary players in last week’s SMC article. Who would have thought the NJ Devils would be this bad? Rebuild starts. I know Detroit has been hit with some injuries but they are the only team with single digit win totals. The Red Wings are in on the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes. Even with the coaching change I’m still not convinced about the San Jose Sharks. These NY Rangers sure are looking very promising for the next decade with the display of talent so far this season.  And they are only going to get much better. Still odd to see teams like the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific Division. That Darcy Kuemper is something else leading all regular starting NHL goaltenders but Pavel Francouz and Tristan Jarry are looking legit at the moment.  I started my points-only fantasy league with just Matt Murray and Pekka Rinne but have relegated them to my bench in favor of waiver wire pickups Kuemper and Jarry. Ride the new wave of goaltending. Are you starting to believe in the NY Islanders yet? I told you in the PrimePuck™ Draft Guide that they were legitimate playoff contenders. I also said to beware of Chicago D Erik Gustafsson and that he would regress from last year’s totals. He just had never been that guy before. One-hit wonder like Chumbawamba. Anthony Duclair has found his NHL life on the Island of Misfit Toys, aka the Ottawa Senators. I saw somewhere that he is on a 40-goal pace. Let’s get this Taylor Hall situation cleared up as it’s killing my fantasy team that he sits out 2 games while I have his in my starting lineup. Probably the cause of me dropping out of 1st place this week. Do you know who you don’t hear much of this year?  The Winnipeg Jets.  Early on it was the Dustin Byfuglien situation, but that story faded quickly. Quiet is good as they are just going about their business. Where did the Nashville Predators go? They seem to be missing.  I know the Central is competitive but the Preds are loaded for Bear and are playing like kittens. ...

SMC 12/8/2019 Hope you are enjoying a cup of fresh brew on this chilly December morn! Thoughts this week were mostly on the Calgary Flames and their new Head Coach Geoff Ward.  Seems he is trying different line combos looking for something that works like magic. You would think these are buy-low moments for the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm.  Calgary D Mark Giordano had a season of all seasons last year but when the previous two were just in the 30s no reason to believe he would return to that historical level of 74 points. John Carlson is having himself a 2018-2019 Giordano-type season isn’t he? If you are looking for points on any given night, just look for a Vancouver Canucks game because they don’t seem to be lacking in points. I have always thought highly of Evgeni Malkin, especially when Sidney Crosby goes down because he really steps up. Not that I wish badly on Crosby, just Malkin turns on the beast mode. Pittsburgh will fight for a playoff spot this season but the emergence of G Tristan Jarry and D John Marino make the future a little brighter as the team ages. The other Pennsylvania team also has some young guns in D Ivan Provorov and C Morgan Frost amongst others that their future looks just as bright. Anthony Duclair may be good for those fantasy teams that need goals because he looks relaxed in Ottawa.  If you believe he won’t be traded, then add him.  If traded, that could disrupt his comfy flow and production. Vancouver D Tyler Myers not getting the PP time that was made available by Alex Edler’s IR stint that some had alluded to. Hmmmm. Looks like Boston took the night off against the Colorado Avalanche with only 19 SOG against the pair of Avs goalies. G Phillip Grubauer left after tweaking something on a save early in the  game. Add Pavel Francouz if in need of goaltending just in case if you haven’t added as a handcuff yet. Detroit is really having a crap year aren’t they? And they looked so good in their season opener.  Oh well. They are on a current 11-game losing streak.  And before the 3-game winning streak that preceded this current losing one, they lose 12 of 13.  And still no coaching change.  Interesting. Lightning have found their offense lately but no the San Jose Sharks. More like sand sharks than Great Whites. Brent Burns?  Brent Burns?  Where are you?  All you fantasy owners are wondering where you have gone off to. Amazing how the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild have made themselves ...

SMC 12/1/2019 Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving that were celebrating! If the NY Rangers can find consistency to their game, they could be poised for a very good second half.  IF they remain healthy of course. This Adam Fox is such a joy to watch.  He seems like a complete defenseman.  Crazy that the other teams couldn’t persuade him to sign on with them. Penguins getting hit by injuries could create an opening for that last playoff spot.  In the PP Guide, I predicted the Penguins wouldn’t make the playoffs this year. I can’t for the life of me see how the Devils can be this bad.  Buy low team right now. The Detroit Red Wings look like a minor league team these days. #1 draft pick in the cards. The Nashville Predators need to find their game and fast because Laviolette could be next head coach gone. A coaching change sure looks like it benefitted the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Calgary Flames followed Toronto’s lead in order to save their playoff hopes. No Stanley Cup hangover for the St. Louis Blues as they sit at 17-5-6 atop the Central Division. Chicago Blackhawks may not have enough unless they get themselves on a long hot streak to get back into the playoff picture. The Colorado Avalanche should start to rumble as they get key players back into the lineup. Edmonton and Arizona hanging tough atop the Pacific Division.  Who will fall? Have you seen the rise of teams like Dallas and San Jose lately?  Teams that look to be dead in the water after a horrendous start to their seasons. Timo Meier is a buy-low candidate as it looks like he is starting to turn things around.  Goal scorers tend to get on a roll. Brent Burns seems to have gone AWOL on the stat sheet lately. Had a few chats this week about veterans off to poor starts like Wheeler, Benn, Voracek, etc. and my advice was if you can hold onto these guys, do so, because veterans tend to turn it up around the start of the new year when they know games mean a lot more. Short post this week as I have Christmas lights & decorations to put before the snow! May all your fantasies come true this week!

SMC 11/17/2019 My apologies for the lack of a SMC last weekend but I had family events that took precedent. The NHL standings are starting to take proper form except that Edmonton and Arizona are holding onto the top spots in the wide-open Pacific. Vancouver right up there with them but they were projected to be in the hunt this season. At least for a playoff spot. I had mentioned in previous SMC’s that the Chicago Blackhawks & Tampa Bay Lightning were good ‘buy-low’ candidates.  The Dallas Stars & San Jose Sharks are turning it around as well now. New Jersey Devils are your next ‘buy-low’ team. Anaheim will stick around but only based on the heels of John Gibson’s goaltending. In the 2019-2020 PP Draft Guide, I had Jack Eichel and David Pastrnak for 100+ points.  Looking good for the moment especially with Eichel 4-goal night against Ottawa. Two players I thought for sure would be lighting the lamp more than they have are Patrik Laine and Taylor Hall. But they are contributing with a boatload of assists so I’m not complaining too much.  The goals will come in bunches. Washington’s D John Carlson isn’t stopping, is he? NHL top goalie so far: Arizona Coyote Darcy Kuemper.  Who would’ve thought? Another shutout last night against the Calgary Flames giving him 2 on the young season. Sidney Crosby out six-weeks….Bummer.  But Geno Malkin has come to the rescue. Malkin always plays and produces much more when Sid is out. Minnesota D Matt Dumba is starting to get top PP time I’ve noticed.  About time. Winnipeg Jets Kyle Connor is starting to heat up with 3 points in last 2 games and 10 points in 8 November games. Dallas Star Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist last night in Edmonton. 3 points in 2 games is a third of his total points this season.  Is Benn waking up? Benn team mate Tyler Seguin has 10 points in last 8 games. Patience has been rewarded. Are the Los Angeles Kings trying to become relevant after winning three in a row? 5 Washington players had more SOG than Alex Ovechkin in Saturday’s game versus the big bad Bruins. OV had 7 hits though. NY Rangers got shellacked by the Bolts 9-3 on Friday.  Better effort versus Florida but still lost.  Tampa Bay game was revenge for the Lightning after looking horrendous against the Blueshirts the week before losing 4-1. NY Islanders came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in a shootout to keep close to Washington atop the Metropolitan Division.  9-0-1 in last 10 and 13 of last 14. Wow! ...