Slava Kozlov sat on a wall
Slava Kozlov had a great fall
All the Thrashers' doctors and all the Thrashers' men
Could put Slava together again
Ok, so it's not as timeless as the 18th century nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty, but it helps illustrate a point. Unlike all the king's horses and all the king's men that couldn't bring Humpty back to life, the Thrashers have had much more success reviving Kozlov's hockey career.
The 17-year veteran has had a renaissance to begin the 2008-09 season and a little nip/tuck action has played a big part. Kozlov opted for offseason shoulder and knee surgery after a disappointing 2007-08 campaign and the 36-year-old winger appears to have the pep of a 21-year-old rookie.
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| Slava Kozlov seems reborn after getting his health in order this past offseason. (Getty Images) |
Kozlov has actually lived up to his word. He is tied for a team-high eight goals and has posted 14 points through 15 games. During his early-season success, Kozlov had a goal in four straight games (five total) from Oct. 30-Nov. 6, which was his longest scoring streak since December 2006. He also has five multi-point outings.
The former Detroit superstar looks nothing like the player that struggled through most of '07-08. Kozlov had five goals in two of the first three months last season, but after the New Year, he scored only six times in 42 games. These weren't the results expected from a player that totaled 80 points the previous season. He didn't blame poor health for the lack of offense.
Rather, Kozlov's offensive game took a dive after coach Bob Hartley was fired. Interim coach Don Waddell took Kozlov off the power play and off a line with Marian Hossa, a player with whom he had great success with in 2006-07.
After the '07-08 season ended, Waddell went back up the front office and opted to hire John Anderson as the Thrashers' new coach. His style of play has been a perfect fit for Kozlov, who is in the second year of a three-year contract.
Anderson has paired Kozlov with Bryan Little and Todd White on most nights and the trio has clicked. All three players lead the team in points (44 combined).
"He's in the right spot," Anderson told the AJC. "He's a pretty smart player. I don't think he has the wheels that he used to have probably six or seven years ago, but if you're in the right position and know where to go, you don't have to do as much skating."
Kozlov is currently on pace to achieve 70-plus points for the sixth time in his career. Perhaps the king's men should go back to the drawing board and take a page out of the Thrashers' playbook, proving with Kozlov that you can put the pieces back together.
Add 'Em
Erik Ersberg, G, L.A. Kings
Owned: 14 percent of leagues
Analysis: Jason LaBarbera opened the season 3-5-1 with a 3.01 GAA and .884 save percentage as the Kings' starting goalie. Ersberg is 3-1-0 in six appearances with a 1.93 GAA and .904 save percentage. Coach Terry Murray has no allegiances to LaBarbera and can do the math here -- LaBarbera wasn't winning and Ersberg has been. There could definitely be a changing of the guard in Los Angeles, and Ersberg appears to be the new blood. With that said, Los Angeles still doesn't have what it takes to contend in the Western Conference, but Ersberg can still pass as a viable No. 3 Fantasy goalie to start when the matchups are favorable.
Keith Yandle, D, Phoenix
Owned: 14 percent of leagues
Analysis: Yandle should really be under the "Watch" section below, but we just can't help ourselves. It's hard to overlook, although coach Wayne Gretzky is doing a pretty good job, but Yandle has been pretty effective in the nine games he has played this season. Gretzky has made Yandle a healthy scratch four times, but he does have six points (five assists) and hasn't been on the minus-side since compiling a minus-6 rating in four games from Oct. 12-18. It appears Yandle is once again playing disciplined hockey and producing. He has the track record of being a solid two-way player all the way back to junior hockey and the minors. With some holes to fill along the blue line, Yandle could be a breakout star in 2008-09.
Drop' Em
Antoine Vermette, LW, Ottawa
Owned: 37 percent of leagues
Analysis: Vermette came into the season with some lofty expectations of producing a 35-40 goal campaign. He has just two goals in his first 15 games and is on pace for 10 goals in 81 contests. Vermette has been a regular top-six forward for Ottawa, but his numbers don't show it (four points, minus-5). The former second-round pick has had great success dating back to his junior hockey days and even in the minors. But since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06, he has only been able to produce in spurts and has frustrated Fantasy owners.
Avoid' Em
Jeff Drouin-Deslaurie, G, Edmonton
Owned: 15 percent of leagues
Analysis: Drouin-Deslaurie has played just four times in 2008-09, but is showing why the Oilers can't afford to place him on waivers to get him back in the minors. The former second-round pick has won all three of his starts and has a 1.71 GAA with a .951 save percentage. With those totals, he should be starting full-time for Edmonton. But there lies the problem. Edmonton still has Mathieu Garon and Dwayne Roloson on the roster. Coach Craig MacTavish is having a hard time trying to divide up the starts and is probably begging management to deal one of them to make life easier. Drouin-Deslaurie is viewed as the future in Edmonton, but until that becomes reality, he is just going to sit on your bench and receive the occasional start.
Mark Parrish, RW, Dallas
Owned: 15 percent of leagues
Analysis: In case you missed the story, Parrish was signed last week by Dallas to help bolster their forward rotation and had a hat trick in his Dallas debut. He was a hot pickup in Fantasy, but since his hat trick, Parrish hasn't scored in two games. Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, how about teammate Fabian Brunnstrom. After he scored three times in his Dallas debut, Brunnstrom had just three goals over his next 12 games. Brunnstrom hasn't come close to his hat-trick night, and Parrish will also have trouble being a top scorer. Especially since Parrish has only broken 30 goals once in his career and managed 40 points just once in his previous three seasons.
Watch 'Em
Niklas Hagman, RW, Toronto
Owned: 41 percent of leagues
Analysis: We almost want to make Hagman a must add, but we are still a bit skeptical. Hagman, in his first season with Toronto, has been great for the Maple Leafs with 12 points (six goals) in 16 games. However, he had just one point in his first six contests for Toronto and his track record has never been as a top-flight scorer. Granted, he cashed in with a big contract after netting a career-high 27 goals in 2007-08 with Dallas, but at least he was playing for his next contract. Hagman is one of the better skaters for the Maple Leafs, but for a guy that has never broken 50 points at any level of hockey, we are still in wait mode.
Cam Barker, D, Chicago
Owned: 33 percent of leagues
Analysis: Chicago made Barker the No. 3 pick in 2004 with visions of him being an All-Star one day. He was an elite two-way player back in junior hockey (Medicine Hat of the WHL) and Chicago figured he would make an easy transition to pro hockey. That hasn't been the case ... until perhaps now. Barker returned from the AHL in mid-October when Joel Quenneville was hired to take over for Denis Savard. He has five points (two goals) in his first five games and is finally looking like a high-end draft pick. Barker is another candidate on the verge of being a must-add player, but our only concern is that there are some many talented defensemen in Chicago that Barker's points could eventually dry up. If it looks as though he can sustain his production at a decent pace, then you should have no qualms about adding him because he has the talent to succeed. He just needs ample chances.
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