The top goaltender entering the season has to be Evgeni Nabokov. He's playing for a perennial Stanley Cup contender, he's got a strong group of defensemen in front of him and he's playing in his contract year. All of these things add up to a Vezina trophy winning year for the San Jose Sharks netminder. After an injury-shortened season, Martin Brodeur's looking to prove that he's still got some great years still in him. If the Vancouver Canucks are going to get into the postseason, it'll be on the shoulders of Roberto Luongo, as usual. Tim Thomas took some big steps forward last season, so he'll be looking to follow that up with a strong season this year. After his incredible play in the playoffs last season, Marc-Andre Fleury's hoping to carry that right into this season. If he can provide some consistency between the pipes for the Pittsburgh Penguins, then a return date to the Finals isn't an unreasonable expectation.1. Evgeni Nabokov (SJ)
2. Martin Bordeur (NJ)
5. Niklas Backstrom (MIN)
6. Tim Thomas (BOS)
7. Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
8. Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT)
9. Cristobal Huet (CHI)
10. Ryan Miller (BUF)
Fantasy Impact: While it's probably smart to have at least one proven netminder on your roster, I've always subscribed to the belief that if you actively manage your roster, you can usually find a goalie that comes out of nowhere to contribute for you. He may not be Evgeni Nabokov or Martin Brodeur, but he'll give you 20-25 wins. In fantasy baseball, the equivelant would be the closer. There are guys like Mariano Rivera and then there are guys like David Aardsma, who took over in the middle of the season and have been spectacular the rest of the way. Grab one of the top goaltenders, but then hold out for that sleeper pick-up that you'll ride straight to the playoffs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment