Periodically this offseason,, we'll survey the Fantasy Hockey landscape and provide you with a list of players whose Fantasy value has increased or decreased.
 | Pavol Demitra, C, Vancouver  The 33-year-old forward is relieved to leave Minnesota for Vancouver. He is coming off a down season in which he failed to record 20 goals for the first time since 1996-97. He attributes his lack of goal scoring in 2007-08 as a result being moved from the wing to center since Minnesota focuses more on a defensive approach. The Canucks were hardly an offensive juggernaut last season, but that's why GM Mike Gillis threw down $8 million for the aging forward. Gillis will likely move Demitra to the wing on a line with the Sedin Twins and expects him to replace Markus Naslund, who signed with the Rangers. If Demitra stays healthy, 25-30 goals is possible. |
 | Jaromir Jagr, RW, Russia  There is no denying that the 17-year veteran can still play in the NHL, but Jagr decided to sign with the Russian club Avangard Omsk after the Rangers said they had no intentions to re-sign the right winger. Jagr, who played in all 82 regular-season games, had a disappointing 2007-08 season with just 25 goals and 46 assists. They are good totals by any stretch of the imagination, but for Jagr, they were below the norm. New York spent big money prior to last season to bring in centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Jagr couldn't click with either player and eventually found comfort with Brandon Dubinsky. Well, the Rangers didn't bring in Drury or Gomez for one of them to play on the third line, so it was adios Jagr. It was a tough day for Fantasy owners as well since a high-end option is now off the board. |
 | Dan Boyle, D, San Jose The Sharks spent little time crying over the loss of Brian Campbell, who signed with the Blackhawks, by trading for Boyle. It's kind of surprising to see Tampa Bay trade away one of their top blue liners since they have been very active in the free agent market in their commitment to winning next season. But Boyle being traded to San Jose is great news for Fantasy owners. He played in just 37 games last season because of a freak wrist injury, but still managed 25 points (four goals). The only downside was an ugly minus-29 rating. We expect him to finish on the plus-side for just the third time in his career next season since San Jose will be a contender in the Western Conference. Boyle will likely be paired with free-agent acquisition Rob Blake and the two will make a formidable pair on the blue line. |
 | Ray Emery, G, Russia Jaromir Jagr leaving to play overseas was a bit of a surprise, but that's not the case with Emery. The former Senators goalie was let go by Ottawa in June after no one wanted him on the trade market. Apparently no team wanted him on the free agent market as well, and now the 25-year-old goalie needs to restart his career in Russia in hopes of returning to the NHL in 2009-10. Emery won 33 games with Ottawa in 2006-07 and entered last season as a high-end Fantasy goalie. But he started the season on the injured list and his career quickly spiraled downward as an attitude problem caused for turbulent times with Ottawa management. It was a big reason why no other teams wanted Emery this season. They did not want to bring a locker room cancer into the equation. Fantasy owners can scrap Emery from their Draft Day plans. |
 | Sergei Fedorov, C, Washington Fedorov hasn't been the same offensive player since he left the Red Wings after the 2002-03 season, but toward the end of last season he showed glimpses of his former self. After being traded from Columbus to Washington, Fedorov posted 13 points in 18 regular-season games and then had another five points in seven playoff games with the Capitals. Washington traded for Fedorov to pair him with fellow Russian Alex Ovechkin. The move paid off and it's no wonder the Capitals decided to bring back the 38-year-old forward. We don't expect him to return to his 1994 MVP form (120 points), but if he stays healthy, Fedorov just might reach 60-plus points. |
 | Kristian Huselius, LW, Columbus A four-year, $19 million deal got Huselius to pull up stakes in Calgary and bolt for Columbus. We will have to wait until the 2008-09 season to witness whether it was a smart move or not. Huselius was traded from Florida to Calgary during the 2005-06 season and his career then began to take off. He had career seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08 with the Flames and it primarily had to do with playing opposite Jarome Iginla. Well, Iginla is staying in Calgary and now Huselius is being asked to improve an average Blue Jackets' offense. He is situated behind Rick Nash on the depth chart at left wing and Columbus doesn't nearly have the talent at center that Calgary does. It would not surprise us if Huselius struggles to break 50 points next season. |
 | Michael Ryder, RW, Boston Boston decided to shell out a little coin and improve their offense by luring Ryder away from Montreal. It didn't take a whole lot of convincing since Ryder was coming off a career-worst season. He had career lows in games played (70), goals (14), assists (17), points (31) and shots on goal (134). Ryder was buried at right wing last season in Montreal behind Alexei Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn. He won't have that problem in Boston since he will be a top line forward either playing with Marc Savard, one of the league's best passers, or Patrice Bergeron. Ryder could return to his 25-30-goal form in 2008-09. |
 | Brian Rolston, C, New Jersey After three successful seasons with the Wild, Rolston returns home to New Jersey, where he began his NHL career in 1994-95. It's an interesting move by Rolston since he is coming off three straight 30-goal seasons and really had the best years of his career in Minnesota. Obviously this is a move by the 35-year-old forward because he believes the Devils are closer to contending for the Stanley Cup than the Wild. However, his Fantasy value takes a big hit since New Jersey plays a slow-pace, defensive-style of hockey. Rolston knows this since he had just one 50-point season in six campaigns with the Devils earlier in his career. We advise Fantasy owners not to reach for Rolston on Draft Day. |
 | Lubomir Visnovsky, D, Edmonton The Kings surprisingly dumped their most productive defenseman, Visnovsky, by trading him to Edmonton. Los Angeles wanted to get a bit more defensive and there is no denying that Visnovsky's strengths are on offense. The Kings' loss is Edmonton's gain. Visnovsky slumped to 41 points in 2007-08 after posting 58 (2006-07) and 67 (2005-06) the previous two seasons. He also had a career-worst minus-18 rating last season. We're not expecting that to happen again in 2008-09 with the Oilers, who are a better team than the Kings. Edmonton wanted more offensive production from their blue line and they get that in Visnovsky. We feel Visnovsky can return to his form as one of the top Fantasy defenseman next season. |
 | Mark Streit, D, N.Y. Islanders Another questionable offseason move was Streit leaving the Canadiens for the Islanders. It's not hard to see why he left -- 20 million reasons. However, it's just hard to imagine Streit coming anywhere near his career-high 62 points (13 goals), which he set in 2007-08. Streit split time between being a forward and defenseman last season. He also gained valuable time on the power play, as seven of his 13 goals came with the man advantage. Well, Streit is now primarily going to play on defense for the Islanders, a position he doesn't enjoy as much, and leaves one of the best power-play units in the NHL for a sketchy one at that. We like Streit as a No. 3 Fantasy defenseman until he proves to be an offensive weapon with the Islanders. |
Do you have a trade you'd like reviewed by our experts, or feel that we're missing someone from our Stockwatch? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Pucks in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware we do not guarantee personal responses to all questions.
