Post by GoVoysGo on Sept 15, 2014 22:31:26 GMT -5
Power Rankings Week 0 Part 2 also known as the MC Hammer Portion (Too Legit too Quit)
#1 GRAND RAPIDS GOATS (1)
I don't like to use puns, but I am "scaping" (or in the words of Victoria Rafaeli, "escaping") the Goats here, if you will, when I say that this Grand Rapids team is the epitome of choke. Constantly heralded as the powerhouse of the league, this should-be-dynasty somehow has not been a dynasty. FEAR NOT! Good things that come to those who wait, and so far Grand Rapids have spent $15 waiting. This is a roster that is a bit shallower up front but loaded with depth, giving a good argument that they could finally do what they have been unable to do thus far: win the championship. Owner Adam Stier showed confidence at the draft, picking a solid squad that is actually better than those that preceded it (despite the star-power the former rosters contained). Jarome Iginla (9) and Kyle Okposo (13) showed solid early selections, before the Goats used their four picks in a row (25 – 28) on Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Johansen, Zdeno Chara, and Gustav Nyquist. Immediately thereafter, Blades owner Mark Korodetz was quoted saying "[expletive]" following the selection of Nyquist. Stier took John Gibson (52) and his "time-split" partner Frederik Anderson (91) in a bold move. Christian Ehrhoff (69), Valeri Nichushkin (76), Bobby Ryan (81), and Steve Mason (88) capped off a very strong draft. Ehrhoff is an interesting case, year-by-year seeming to just hover below the status of star; will Pittsburgh give him an opportunity to shine? His career best statline (14/36/50 in 79 games, Corsi % of 53.8%... for those not familiar with Corsi, that's damn good) came from the latter of a two-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks from 2009-11. Ryan Johansen continues to be a pest as his trade talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets are pretty much at a standstill; the club requesting a bridge contract for the youngster to prove himself, while Johansen claims that his 33/30/63 through 82 games last year is deserving of a longer, better-paid contract. The twist? The Jackets are prepared to go to training camp (and possibly start the season) without him. Yikes. He should eventually sign and Stier will let out a HUGE sigh, putting the final touches on a steal in the draft at 27, but he may miss time at the start of the season. Fortunately for Stier, he won't need the extra production... yet. Every facet of this roster kicks ass, but his goalies are notably a notch above the rest of the league. He has two goalies who both make solid cases for best fantasy 'tender in Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist. A solid supporting cast of Mason and Anaheim's Anderson/Gibson tandem put the Goats echelons above the rest. Goats fans can confidently claim "This is our year!" with a subconscious worry, as if this isn't their year, they might not have one for a long time.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: When reached for a fake comment that I am completely making up in regard to why his team has hope, Stier replied "Just look at my [expletive] roster. I don't need any hope."
#2 SEATTLE BLAZERS (2)
Somewhere, Isaac Reich is fuming after seeing his poll rendered useless. What he is about to find out, the one thing that is sadly true in journalism, is that the only opinion that matters is that of the writer. And the writer likes to throw his team a bone. Overall, owner Daniel Ronel's drafting was solid, although a couple of picks surprised, and not in a good way. A good place to start is with his first selection, second overall. This was Ronel's prized possession, one he once even called his "baby." Who did he use it on? Pekka Rinne, of course (the Milwaukee and Grand Rapids picks that followed were even worse, but that's another story). His next three picks of Alex Pietrangelo (11), Patrice Bergeron (14), and Patric Hornqvist (16) were remarkably better. He did not pick for 19 selections, but chose solidly with T.J. Oshie (35) and Brandon Dubinsky (38). Torey Krug (40) is a steal in the event that he re-signs, which at this point does not look very likely. Seattle turned heads with their third goalie selection of Jonathan Bernier (62), and shocked even more when they did not select a fourth goalie (they sport Kari Lehtonen, Bernier, and aforementioned Rinne). Ronel's big move came with his final pick of the draft (Johnny Gaudreau, 107), but aside from that he drafted pretty solidly. The Blazers enter as a team that has not made large splashes in the postseason, contrasting the two teams they join in the top three. The forwards are absolutely demolishing, showing off Evgeny Malkin, Claude Giroux, Patrice Bergeron, and Brandon Dubinsky at centre; Phil Kessel, Alex Ovechkin, and Marian Gaborik on the right; Taylor Hall and Rick Nash on the left. There is an obvious hole on the back end, with Duncan Keith and Alex Pietrangelo being the only ones worth noting, and it would be a good idea for Ronel to figure out soon that the league uses a goalie position. I would think Dubinsky, a player who has not yet reached his prime, could top his career record of 54 points. It will also be interesting to see how Gaudreau does in his first full NHL season. Last year, he scored in his only game with the Calgary Flames, and won the Hobey Baker award last year posting a statline of 36/44/80 in 40 games. The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. "Johnny Hockey" must prove that he can translate this into NHL success, and owner Daniel Ronel must prove that trading his depth for keepers to give himself a better standing next year was a smart thing to do in what will likely be the league's last year with the current structure.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: Ronel has sworn to be stricter with his trading and will make way fewer deals, meaning there will be fewer opportunities for him to screw up his team.
#3 HAMILTON HUSKIES (3)
The cinderella story of the ages; that's what this Hamilton team is. Formerly Milwaukee owner (although they weren't located in Milwaukee back then) Adam Sharvit opted not to renew his GM contract, and instead sold the team to Sam Kantor and purchased this last-place Hamilton Hyena squad. What he did was nothing short of miraculous, stripping the roster to the bone (not an easy feat, especially with the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk to the KHL) in a Brian Burke-like fashion, and rebranded them as the Huskies (no fan-vote, yet greeted with positive reaction). Most importantly, he gave the franchise their first career playoff birth, which in itself seemed reason for celebration. He didn't stop there; he massively upset Adam Stier's Grand Rapids Goats in the semifinal, sending the Huskies to the finals, where they ousted the Red Deer Blades for their first franchise championship. You might ask, "Shouldn't that put Hamilton as the team to beat this year?" The answer will always be, "Assuming this league uses keepers, and assuming the Goats don't trade away their valuables, nobody else will EVER enter the year ranked 1." Regardless, Sharvit did a solid job drafting, as seen by his taking of Martin St. Louis (10), Jonathan Drouin (12), Keith Yandle (18), Daniel and Henrik Sedin (23 and 24 respectively), Evander Kane (58), and Tomas Hertl (110). The likes of the Sedins, Drouin, Matt Niskanen (78), Braden Holtby (54), Eric Staal (19), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (last overall pick, at 114) show that Sharvit has taken a high-risk, high-reward approach. As the Sedins played under physically-tiring head coach John Tortorella, they saw a decline in production (Daniel achieved 16/31/47 in 73, while Henrik posted 11/39/50 in 70); Sharvit predicts an increase under a new head coach. Matt Niskanen is coming off of a career year, which Sharvit is betting wasn't a fluke. Drouin enters the NHL as the number one ranked prospect, and Sharvit would not allow him to slip by onto another roster, despite not playing a single minute of NHL time. Perhaps the biggest question mark of this Huskies team is Holtby. Last year, Holtby posted a barely-above-mediocre 2.85 goals against average along with a fairly strong .915 sv%. Competition/temporary starter Jaroslav Halak was traded away, eliminating a starting-role fight and assuring Holtby a large number of starts, and the hiring of defensive-minded coach Barry Trotz point to what should be a strong year for Washington (and Holtby by extension). Nevertheless, Holtby's lack of consistency maintain a huge concern for the Huskies, which owner Sharvit may be overlooking. The result of Sharvit's drafting leaves a team with a lot of power in the upper ranks, with some left to be desired at the bottom of the food chain, although Sharvit has openly expressed interest in fixing this via wheel-and-deal. And as we have seen throughout the years, wheeling-and-dealing is a Sharvit specialty.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: The only teams better than Hamilton are notorious for choking. As well, Sharvit is literally the only owner in this league to have won. Ever.
#1 GRAND RAPIDS GOATS (1)
I don't like to use puns, but I am "scaping" (or in the words of Victoria Rafaeli, "escaping") the Goats here, if you will, when I say that this Grand Rapids team is the epitome of choke. Constantly heralded as the powerhouse of the league, this should-be-dynasty somehow has not been a dynasty. FEAR NOT! Good things that come to those who wait, and so far Grand Rapids have spent $15 waiting. This is a roster that is a bit shallower up front but loaded with depth, giving a good argument that they could finally do what they have been unable to do thus far: win the championship. Owner Adam Stier showed confidence at the draft, picking a solid squad that is actually better than those that preceded it (despite the star-power the former rosters contained). Jarome Iginla (9) and Kyle Okposo (13) showed solid early selections, before the Goats used their four picks in a row (25 – 28) on Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Johansen, Zdeno Chara, and Gustav Nyquist. Immediately thereafter, Blades owner Mark Korodetz was quoted saying "[expletive]" following the selection of Nyquist. Stier took John Gibson (52) and his "time-split" partner Frederik Anderson (91) in a bold move. Christian Ehrhoff (69), Valeri Nichushkin (76), Bobby Ryan (81), and Steve Mason (88) capped off a very strong draft. Ehrhoff is an interesting case, year-by-year seeming to just hover below the status of star; will Pittsburgh give him an opportunity to shine? His career best statline (14/36/50 in 79 games, Corsi % of 53.8%... for those not familiar with Corsi, that's damn good) came from the latter of a two-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks from 2009-11. Ryan Johansen continues to be a pest as his trade talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets are pretty much at a standstill; the club requesting a bridge contract for the youngster to prove himself, while Johansen claims that his 33/30/63 through 82 games last year is deserving of a longer, better-paid contract. The twist? The Jackets are prepared to go to training camp (and possibly start the season) without him. Yikes. He should eventually sign and Stier will let out a HUGE sigh, putting the final touches on a steal in the draft at 27, but he may miss time at the start of the season. Fortunately for Stier, he won't need the extra production... yet. Every facet of this roster kicks ass, but his goalies are notably a notch above the rest of the league. He has two goalies who both make solid cases for best fantasy 'tender in Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist. A solid supporting cast of Mason and Anaheim's Anderson/Gibson tandem put the Goats echelons above the rest. Goats fans can confidently claim "This is our year!" with a subconscious worry, as if this isn't their year, they might not have one for a long time.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: When reached for a fake comment that I am completely making up in regard to why his team has hope, Stier replied "Just look at my [expletive] roster. I don't need any hope."
#2 SEATTLE BLAZERS (2)
Somewhere, Isaac Reich is fuming after seeing his poll rendered useless. What he is about to find out, the one thing that is sadly true in journalism, is that the only opinion that matters is that of the writer. And the writer likes to throw his team a bone. Overall, owner Daniel Ronel's drafting was solid, although a couple of picks surprised, and not in a good way. A good place to start is with his first selection, second overall. This was Ronel's prized possession, one he once even called his "baby." Who did he use it on? Pekka Rinne, of course (the Milwaukee and Grand Rapids picks that followed were even worse, but that's another story). His next three picks of Alex Pietrangelo (11), Patrice Bergeron (14), and Patric Hornqvist (16) were remarkably better. He did not pick for 19 selections, but chose solidly with T.J. Oshie (35) and Brandon Dubinsky (38). Torey Krug (40) is a steal in the event that he re-signs, which at this point does not look very likely. Seattle turned heads with their third goalie selection of Jonathan Bernier (62), and shocked even more when they did not select a fourth goalie (they sport Kari Lehtonen, Bernier, and aforementioned Rinne). Ronel's big move came with his final pick of the draft (Johnny Gaudreau, 107), but aside from that he drafted pretty solidly. The Blazers enter as a team that has not made large splashes in the postseason, contrasting the two teams they join in the top three. The forwards are absolutely demolishing, showing off Evgeny Malkin, Claude Giroux, Patrice Bergeron, and Brandon Dubinsky at centre; Phil Kessel, Alex Ovechkin, and Marian Gaborik on the right; Taylor Hall and Rick Nash on the left. There is an obvious hole on the back end, with Duncan Keith and Alex Pietrangelo being the only ones worth noting, and it would be a good idea for Ronel to figure out soon that the league uses a goalie position. I would think Dubinsky, a player who has not yet reached his prime, could top his career record of 54 points. It will also be interesting to see how Gaudreau does in his first full NHL season. Last year, he scored in his only game with the Calgary Flames, and won the Hobey Baker award last year posting a statline of 36/44/80 in 40 games. The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. "Johnny Hockey" must prove that he can translate this into NHL success, and owner Daniel Ronel must prove that trading his depth for keepers to give himself a better standing next year was a smart thing to do in what will likely be the league's last year with the current structure.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: Ronel has sworn to be stricter with his trading and will make way fewer deals, meaning there will be fewer opportunities for him to screw up his team.
#3 HAMILTON HUSKIES (3)
The cinderella story of the ages; that's what this Hamilton team is. Formerly Milwaukee owner (although they weren't located in Milwaukee back then) Adam Sharvit opted not to renew his GM contract, and instead sold the team to Sam Kantor and purchased this last-place Hamilton Hyena squad. What he did was nothing short of miraculous, stripping the roster to the bone (not an easy feat, especially with the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk to the KHL) in a Brian Burke-like fashion, and rebranded them as the Huskies (no fan-vote, yet greeted with positive reaction). Most importantly, he gave the franchise their first career playoff birth, which in itself seemed reason for celebration. He didn't stop there; he massively upset Adam Stier's Grand Rapids Goats in the semifinal, sending the Huskies to the finals, where they ousted the Red Deer Blades for their first franchise championship. You might ask, "Shouldn't that put Hamilton as the team to beat this year?" The answer will always be, "Assuming this league uses keepers, and assuming the Goats don't trade away their valuables, nobody else will EVER enter the year ranked 1." Regardless, Sharvit did a solid job drafting, as seen by his taking of Martin St. Louis (10), Jonathan Drouin (12), Keith Yandle (18), Daniel and Henrik Sedin (23 and 24 respectively), Evander Kane (58), and Tomas Hertl (110). The likes of the Sedins, Drouin, Matt Niskanen (78), Braden Holtby (54), Eric Staal (19), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (last overall pick, at 114) show that Sharvit has taken a high-risk, high-reward approach. As the Sedins played under physically-tiring head coach John Tortorella, they saw a decline in production (Daniel achieved 16/31/47 in 73, while Henrik posted 11/39/50 in 70); Sharvit predicts an increase under a new head coach. Matt Niskanen is coming off of a career year, which Sharvit is betting wasn't a fluke. Drouin enters the NHL as the number one ranked prospect, and Sharvit would not allow him to slip by onto another roster, despite not playing a single minute of NHL time. Perhaps the biggest question mark of this Huskies team is Holtby. Last year, Holtby posted a barely-above-mediocre 2.85 goals against average along with a fairly strong .915 sv%. Competition/temporary starter Jaroslav Halak was traded away, eliminating a starting-role fight and assuring Holtby a large number of starts, and the hiring of defensive-minded coach Barry Trotz point to what should be a strong year for Washington (and Holtby by extension). Nevertheless, Holtby's lack of consistency maintain a huge concern for the Huskies, which owner Sharvit may be overlooking. The result of Sharvit's drafting leaves a team with a lot of power in the upper ranks, with some left to be desired at the bottom of the food chain, although Sharvit has openly expressed interest in fixing this via wheel-and-deal. And as we have seen throughout the years, wheeling-and-dealing is a Sharvit specialty.
MVP - None.
Reason for hope: The only teams better than Hamilton are notorious for choking. As well, Sharvit is literally the only owner in this league to have won. Ever.