Part 6: A World Of Fantasy

Adam Jennings | Pittsburgh Penguins

Sep 13, 10:04 PM | Hype this story!

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the dream team for fantasy owners, especially those in keeper leagues. We all know about the number one overall player, the reigning rookie of the year and the 18-year-old that led the league in shorties, so, in part six of Faceoff Factor’s training camp packaging, I’m going to focus more on the other guys’ fantasy potential for this year.

Forwards
Mark Recchi- The 500-goal scorer hasn’t been a major fantasy play since 2000-01. Still, Recchi has some value as he still has the ability to carry a fantasy team for a week stretch. He went scoreless in more than 45 games last season, which means he puts points up by the bunches. Recchi is a decent bench option.

Petr Sykora- Sykora has never been a top fantasy play. However, if Sykora gets put on the Crosby line, this could be his year to shine. Sykora has always possessed the ability to score and will get the opportunities, if Crosby is putting the puck on his stick. Sykora is a good stash player because of this potential.

Jordan Staal- This may be the only season that Jordan Staal could be considered overrated. Coming off of a great rookie campaign, Staal has the ability to be something special. However, I do not believe this will be the year. I fully expect Staal to match last year’s numbers, but I do not expect a whole lot of improvement. Staal is another good bench player, with the potential to be a starter in deeper leagues, if he gets more power play time. Also, if your league rewards extra points for short-handed goals, Staal becomes a lot more valuable.

Gary Roberts- If you take Gary Roberts’ production with the Pens at the end of last year over a whole season, he would’ve ended up with 56 points. That isn’t too shabby for a 40-year-old, but doesn’t cut for fantasy. However, just having Gary Roberts on your roster improves your team’s overall chemistry and toughness. Plus, what self-respecting/ Roberts’ fearing Pens fan doesn’t want to say he has Gary Roberts on his team?

Erik Christensen/Colby Armstrong /Maxime Talbot/Ryan Malone/Georges Laraque/Jarkko Ruutu- The Penguins’ role players, like those on every other team, don’t have much value fantasy-wise. Crusher, Colby, Talbot and Malone all have ceilings of about 40 points.

Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin- Crosby is the number one draft pick in many default leagues. I can see the argument in drafting Brodeur, Luongo, Heatley or Thornton depending on your league’s settings, but in most he’s number one. If you get him, just smile and know that your team is going to do well. Malkin should go by round 3. In most default leagues, he might go earlier then some other proven talents (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Jokinen) just because of his popularity. He certainly has the talent to justify picking him that high, but I don’t expect him to break 100 points.

Defensemen
Ryan Whitney/Sergei Gonchar- Whitney and Gonch both have the potential to lead all D-men in points. Whitney is a slightly better option as he has the edge in +/- and bigger potential. Both are worthy of being a fantasy team’s number one defensive option. Whitney and Gonchar should both be in the top 5 fantasy defensemen at the end of the year.

Mark Eaton/Darryl Sydor/Brooks Orpik/Robert Scuderi/Alain Nassredine/Mike Weaver- None of these guys will help you win a fantasy title.

Goaltenders
Marc-Andre Fleury- Fleury became a legitimate number two fantasy goalie last year. If the Pens continue to get better defensively, next year he could be a number one option. This year, Fleury should give your team help in wins, GAA and save %. Throw in an occasional shutout and you have yourself a solid second option.

The backup- Whoever ends up being the Pens second string (Ty Conklin or Dany Sabourin) is not worthy of fantasy considerations. Fleury should start around 70 games, which doesn’t leave many chances for a backup to make an impact.

The Future
Kristopher Letang- He has the potential to be an impact player in both real and fantasy hockey. If Letang breaks camp with the team and gets a chance on the power play, there is no reason to think that he won’t be a decent play this year. Try to grab him in the later rounds and see what develops.

Angelo Esposito- A couple years from now, Esposito will be a force. For now though, there is only a slight chance of him making the team. However, Staal set a precedent last year, so if Esposito earns a nine-game tryout, he could find a way to make the team. Still, his ceiling for this year is low.

Jonathan Filewich/Ryan Stone- Neither of these two have good potential for your fantasy team this year.

Penguins In Faceoff Factor’s Top 120
1. Sidney Crosby
24. Ryan Whitney
33. Sergei Gonchar
35. Evgeni Malkin
60. Marc-Andre Fleury


# Title Writer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9		 Schedules, Roster
Competition Comes To Fruition
Baby Steps From Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
A Jump From Juniors To Pittsburgh
NCAA All The Way To The NHL
A World Of Fantasy
"We Talkin’ Bout Practice"
A Look At the Job Squad
A Saga Fitting For Earl Mann		 Matt Bodenschatz
Michael Farkas
Kyle Dreibelbies
Jesse Marshall
Andrew Chiappazzi
Adam Jennings
CJ "Stoosh" Jiuliante
ThePensBlog.com
DoubtAboutIt.com

Comments

  1. Aron

    Sep 14, 01:47 PM

    Malkin 3rd round? Must be a shallow league. Yahoo Fantasy has him at #6 overall. Seems a little high and ruins any chances of having him and Crosby but 3rd rounds seems way too low. If you can get him 2nd round go for it.

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 14, 01:53 PM

    Well, depending on the league-size, that is second round. As you said, Aron, 6th is way too high — but based on last year’s performance, I’m not sure 35 is too low of a preseason rank. It’s very likely he will be prove to be higher, but remember that he really tailed off as the season came to an end last year.

    Thanks for the comment!

  3. Aron

    Sep 14, 02:00 PM

    Good point, also it’s important to note that Yahoo has him as a Left Winger…which ups his value as the 2nd best LW next to Ovechkin.

  4. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 14, 02:20 PM

    Exactly. While our ranking may be a bit low, I certainly don’t see it as unbelievable. It will be difficult for him to match his numbers from last year — but I think he will.

  5. Adam Jennings

    Sep 16, 07:14 PM

    My reasoning for saying he should be third round is because I don’t think he will break 100 points this year. There are many players that should have more points than Malkin. Malkin is a popular player, therefore, the less knowledgeable hockey fans will draft him because of his name. On the other side, I certainly believe that he could be a top player this year. I’d say overall, he’s between picks 18-25 which would make him a late second or an early third.

  6. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 16, 10:11 PM

    Thanks for the clarification, Adam. I think you’re spot on with your analysis of Malkin. He’s a solid player, but not yet elite status. His name will drive up his value in many leagues, but overall, he probably will finish ranked 18-25 as you said.

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