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Posted - 09/05/2006 : 08:11:20
By Darryl Dobbs
Now the dust has settled in Islanderland, the team can focus on the season ahead. By the same token, fantasy owners can focus on what changes this team has undergone and which players will be the most affected.
As of September 3rd, Ted Nolan is the head coach, Garth Snow is the general manager, and Wade Dubielewicz is the backup goaltender. Although on Long Island any of those roles can be mixed and matched, let us assume that this will be the arrangement the team goes with going forward.
For the past eight years, Miroslav Satan has tallied between 57 and 75 points per season. That isn’t going to change under Nolan, who did coach Satan briefly in Buffalo. Satan is Mr. Consistency in fantasy circles. He had 10 points in 12 games under Nolan in Buffalo, and that’s about what he will do this season.
Alexei Yashin, on the other hand, is a far better offensive player than Satan – but does not have much to show for it. After a stellar 1998-99 season in Ottawa which saw him garner 94 points in 82 games, Yashin sulked for a full year until he got the contract that he felt he deserved (as an aside, it is interesting that after a full season of mediocrity, Mr. Yashin isn’t holding out for a reduced contract, but I digress).
Yashin has never reached those heights again. Nolan, however, is renowned for getting the most out of his players. The most out of Yashin is 95 points. He may be worth a gamble.
Two forwards to keep an eye on in camp this year are Robert Nilsson and Andy Hilbert. Both are very talented offensively, and Nilsson is a big favorite in the Islanders’ organization. Nilsson clicked with Sean Bergenheim (who will be playing in Russia this season) and Yashin over the final leg of the season last year (13 points in 16 games), and will to retain his spot there in training camp.
Hilbert had 18 points in 19 games with Pittsburgh, but that was on Sidney Crosby’s line where I would probably get 18 points in 19 games myself. To do well for his new team, he will have to secure the left-wing spot on Yashin’s line or his fantasy value will be nil.
With sophomore Chris Campoli and veteran Alexei Zhitnik being joined by Tom Poti to lead the attack from the blue line, it’s easy to overlook Bruno Gervais. Gervais played two games over the maximum of 25 last season, and so does not qualify as a rookie officially, but he is inexperienced nonetheless. That being said, he really came into his own over the last 15 games, and will look to build on that. He could be a 55-point defenseman one day, and a 40-point year this time around is not out of the question. He was certainly a big scorer down in Bridgeport.
This will be a hard-working team that will rely on six or seven players for their offense in 2006-07.
Meanwhile…
Brad Isbister’s former – and now current - coach Peter Laviolette plans to give the underachieving power forward every opportunity to see his potential in Carolina. Winger Corey Stillman will be out until the beginning of December after shoulder surgery, which likely means anywhere from 16-24 games missed. That’s plenty of time for an audition or two on one of the first two lines…
Aleksey Morozov just officially signed with HK Dimitrov of the Russian League, so that officially closes the book on him coming to the NHL in the foreseeable future.
Dobber wrote articles in both The Hockey News Ultimate Pool Guide, AND The Score Hockey Forecaster. Who else can say that? Nobody.
So why not pick up more hockey pool tips from a proven expert? Dobber's Pool Guide - $4.99.
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