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 Posted - 12/11/2006 : 11:17:45
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By Darryl Dobbs
It is Martin Erat’s fifth season in the NHL, but he is no longer just a seventh-round steal from the 1999 draft by Nashville.
He is highway robbery.
It didn’t seem like Erat’s career was progressing. In fact, it seemed rather flat. After a 33-point rookie campaign in 2001-02, he was reassigned to the AHL in his sophomore year just a third of the way into the season. He came back strong the following year, posting 49 points prior to the lockout, and then repeated those numbers again last season.
Then came the 2006 NHL Playoff against the San Jose Sharks. The Predators were without goaltender Tomas Vokoun, and one of their top defensemen in Marek Zidlicky. They also had only half of star forward Steve Sullivan. He played, but he probably should not have with the pain he was feeling in his groin.
That series marked Erat’s coming out party. The beaten-up Preds did not stand a chance against the red-hot Sharks, and were handily defeated. However, coach Barry Trotz made no bones about his opinion of his Czech left winger – Erat was the best player in the series for Nashville. Trotz was of the opinion that if Erat gave that effort every game, he would be their top winger.
He was right. In training camp, the 25-year-old gave that effort, and he was rewarded with a plum spot on a line with Jason Arnott and Paul Kariya. Erat now has 26 points in just 28 games, is a plus-6, and has six multiple-point games. He is on a 75-point pace, and there is no reason to think he won’t hit that lofty mark given the fact that the coach loves him. His 18:23 of ice time per game is a huge increase from the 14:44 of a year ago.
Martin Erat has arrived…
Meanwhile…
Speaking of breakout seasons, I had expected Flames’ forward Chuck Kobasew to do it this year and it looks as if he may be finally coming around. Generally speaking, an offensive player has their big breakout season in the fourth year, and that is the situation that the 24-year-old is in. He now has five points in his last five games, and eight in his last 10. He has 70-point potential, and while that number is not in the cards this season, you can expect him to take a run at 55-60. He plays on the second line with Matt Lombardi and Kristian Huselius…
If your pool does not count plus/minus stats, Yanick Tremblay may be worth looking at. The Vancouver rearguard has three points in two games since being recalled to replace Sami Salo…
Columbus backup netminder Fredrik Norrena has won his last four starts. He has also started three times in a row, giving up just one goal in that span. All goalies have hot streaks, and coach Ken Hitchcock will be riding this one for awhile. Expect Pascal LeClaire to get into the next game or two, but Norrena will not be on the bench for long. In fact, expect him to start four of the next six games. If he cools off, then Denis will return to his No.1 role…
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Peter Bondra to a contract. Bondra will likely need a few games to get warmed up, but when he gets going, you can expect pretty good production for about a dozen games. That being said, you can also expect a groin injury. The 38-year-old has broken down a lot late in his career, and missing training camp will certainly not help matters. He is there to help the younger players, as well as to be insurance in case the Hawks lose a ton of forwards to injury again. Brandon Bochenski may be sent down to the AHL soon, and this will hurt Rene Bourque’s ice time when he returns from his neck injury…
For more fantasy tips, visit www.dobberhockey.com. Coming soon: Dobber’s Midseason Fantasy Hockey Pool Guide.
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Erat Breaking Out 
