For the average fantasy hockey player, draft preparation consists of purchasing a magazine, turning to the last page and cracking open a beer 10 minutes before draft time. They may pull up an injury report while they're waiting for that last guy to drop off his kids and show up 10 minutes late for the draft. For those who put their fate entirely in the hands of the experts, you will undoubtedly miss on a few of your picks. To provide some context for your cheat sheet, I've taken the liberty of rating their ratings. After finalizing my own draft rankings (free at landsharkhockey.com), I took the liberty of pulling up the lists for some of the major go-to sources: The Hockey News, NHL.com, and Yahoo. Here's what they got wrong. Today, I'll deal with the over-rated players. I'll follow up tomorrow with the under-rated misses.
These two go together. Either you believe last season was a bit of an anomaly (I do), or you overdraft them both.
Unless your league is based purely on assists, this is overreaching in the early rounds.
As a Captain, sure. As a fantasy Round 2 pick? No way.
Injury prone and getting older. I see a major decline for Sharp. They don't.
I assume Yahoo was looking at the faceoff stats. Otherwise, are you serious?
Again, Yahoo loves their captains. This is fantasy hockey, not the real thing. Don't reach nearly that far for Backes.
He's 39 years old, guys.
Not a horrible reach at 38, but you can wait a few more rounds here.
He'll be sitting there in the last round. Be patient.
Wow. Fourth? That would be great for the Caps and the NHL to see this revival. Won't happen.
Once again - real NHL he's a stud. Fantasy? Average.
Best days are behind him. Way behind him. 13th is silly.
I can't see him repeating last year's magic.
Plus-minus fluke has Yahoo reaching crazy early for an average fantasy option you'll drop in week 3.
I just don't understand this one.
He's still in Florida, right?
I see a big season for big Bishop. Just not that big.
He won't come close to last season's breakout numbers again.
The Devils will be bottom feeders this season, meaning Schneider won't compile enough wins, no matter how well he plays.
I love the Canes, but can't understand why Ward continues to get fantasy attention like this.
Ready to shake off the summer slumber and get to work on your draft prep yet? First step: Figure out which teams to target and which teams to avoid. Let's get to it then.
The Avalanche surprised most last season, charging down the mountain from the first puck drop to be a dominant force in the West and a fantasy gold rush. Nobody should be surprised to see that continue in year 2 of the Roy Regime. From MacKinnon, Duchene, Landeskog and Iginla up front, to Barrie and Johnson on the back end, and throw in a rising O'Reilly, the goals will flow freely in Denver this year. Get a piece of this action early and often in your draft.
It seems redundant to list the Penguins as a team to target in fantasy circles. It has been that way since about 1984. The new front office may be reforming the image of this squad for better Spring results, but you still can't go wrong with Crosby, Malkin and a host of adequate complimentary wingers to finish those passes. The addition of Ehrhoff more than offsets the loss of Niskanen on defense, and a full season from Letang could land him back in the Norris party.
The Flyers took their time getting started last season, but finished among the best in the NHL. I'll avoid grabbing for the obligatory Giroux jokes and say that he remains a top 3 fantasy option, making Voracek and anyone else that finds their way to his line worth drafting. The fantasy-worthy options stretch into the third line in Philadelphia.
Who cares about the playoffs, right? Just keep picking Sharks for their regular season success and you'll be a happy drafter.
The evil-opposite of the Sharks don't care a lick about the regular season. Nonetheless, with 3 lines of top end offensive talent, including a slew of first and second year speedsters, you should keep the Kings on your radar. Look for potentially monster seasons from the likes of Kopitar, Carter and Gaborik. Doughty is due for a big fantasy campaign as well.
Like LA - The Hawks like to spread it around and get the wins. Some of their top names will be overrated and overdrafted as they approach the back end of their career. Don't overreach for anyone on this squad, but if the value is there come draft time, there should be about 10 Chicago players going off the board in your draft.
My surprise pick for fantasy explosion this season is coming out of Texas. The top line may be the best in hockey this season. The Stars have quickly transformed to a to a resurgent powerhouse over the last several seasons. Don't expect much from the defense crew.
With two Calder runners-up last season, and strong Calder favorite in Drouin this season, the Bolts are building a fantasy power from youth. And then there's potential MVP Stamkos. Hedman continues his slow ascent to the elite on D.
This has to be the year Edmonton finally breaks through, right? They could have 3 forwards in the top 10 by the end of the year. And 2 more in the top 50.
In any other division, Minnesota would be a clear favorite to finish first. It won't come easy, but they will give the big 3 a run for their money. Along the way, look for some very solid fantasy options to emerge, including the obvious (Parise, Suter, Pominville, Vanek), and the not so obvious (Grandlund, Niederreiter, Coyle). If they could ever get a full year's work out of a goalie, one of them may emerge as a top 5 option in net. All around, this is a solid, rising Wild squad.
The only coach they've ever known has moved on, leaving the team seeking a new identity. Perhaps that is reason to hope that this team could finally turn a history of sweet defensive prospects into fantasy meaning. The roster up front gives little hope for 2014 relevancy.
When your only viable fantasy option is 42, you have no viable fantasy options. Even Schneider will struggle to find wins.
Defense first. If he has a C or W next to his name, look elsewhere.
The Panthers seem content to throw silly money at average players, just to meet the salary floor. Many of these guys could do well if paired with elite talent; however, given their location, they will see their totals dive down. A handful of promising youngsters give a slight glimmer of hope on the horizon.
Quick hit through the fantasy hockey-relevant headlines you missed while vacuuming your pool this summer.
To get yourself grounded, it helps to get your mind around which teams will do well this season, and which teams have entererd (or lingered in) the dreaded "rebuild mode". This is particularly critical when it comes to choosing goalies.
Speaking of goalies, our official goalie rankings will available in about a week.
We traditionally follow that up rather quickly with our Defense picks.
Armed with our final draftlist, you'll be prepared to configure your own (for free) right here. We'll follow that up with focused articles on: Breakout Players, Rebound candidates, Sleepers, Gambles, Busts and other clever ways of putting a label on someone who makes more money than you.
To quote the immortal Phil Bourque -- "Buckle up, Baby!"