Editor's note: Our Ross Devonport and Michael Hurcomb read, write and analyze everything Fantasy Hockey on a daily basis for CBSSports.com. They agree and disagree on a variety of subjects on a weekly basis and will share their opinions on Fantasy-relevant topics each week.
Which player do you feel has too high of an ownership in Fantasy?
Ross Devonport
Michael Hurcomb
I know Bryan McCabe had three nice seasons with Toronto earlier this decade, but before those campaigns he'd only had 40 points once, and now he plays for one of the worst offensive teams in the league. While he's clearly capable of producing OK numbers on a consistent basis for your Fantasy teams, he's not worth his 97 percent ownership by any stretch of the imagination. People are just simply living in the past.
Patrik Elias being owned in 96 percent of Fantasy leagues seems a bit extreme to me. He does have 21 points and eight goals in his first 21 games. Elias is on pace for 30 goals and 46 points, which would justify his high ownership. However, he has managed just 70-plus points three times in his career and had only 25 Fantasy points in his first five weeks before exploding for 34 in his last three. It just seems he is a bit unreliable to be viewed as a No. 1 or No. 2 Fantasy forward.
Since the Islanders opted to keep 2008 first-round pick Josh Bailey, what should we expect?
Ross Devonport
Michael Hurcomb
Bailey only has five assists in 10 games this season and has yet to find the back of the net, but I've seen him and his second-line partner Trent Hunter play a few times this season and I've been impressed with their performances, just like coach Scott Gordon. Two things Bailey has going for him: a.) he really has no one threatening him for top-six time in New York, and b.) top-line guys Doug Weight and Bill Guerin are at that age where injuries come a little more frequently, so Bailey might even get some top-line time later this year. I see him more as a keeper option for now, but he does have some value in deeper seasonal formats as a bench guy in case he heats up in the new year.
Bailey, who missed the first several weeks of the season due to injury, has impressed first year coach Scott Gordon with his passing ability and vision to find the open scorer. It really didn't really all come together for Bailey until he totaled 96 points last season for Winsdor (OHL). He appears headed down the path as being more of an assist man than scorer. As a top 10 draft pick, obviously the bar is set high. But it's going to be a trying process for Bailey as a rookie with an Eastern Conference bottom feeder. It's hard to imagine him cracking 40 points in 2008-09.
This is a tough one. Rinne and Mason have upside because of the fact they play for pretty average teams and could definitely get plenty of playing time the rest of this season. Meanwhile, Stephan plays on the Stars, who are undoubtedly better than their 8-11-4 record shows. If he could somehow unseat the ineffective Marty Turco, even over a short period, he would probably pick up wins on a more consistent basis than the other two. I'm going to lean towards Mason though, simply because of his potential to be a superstar in this league at some point. His keeper value is a lot better than his seasonal value, however.
The easy choice here would be picking Mason since it seems he is already on his way to becoming Columbus' No. 1 goalie. However, I'm still not ready to consider Pascal Leclaire a backup goalie. Therefore, the guy I'm eyeing is Pekka Rinne. Nashville has shown in recent seasons to have a short leash with their starting goalies (Chris Mason, Tomas Vokoun) and Dan Ellis hasn't been impressive with a 3.06 GAA and .893 save percentage. Rinne is 4-0-0 on the season and starting to get some momentum behind him after Monday's shutout of Buffalo.
Which of the Coyotes' youngsters do you have the most faith in the remainder of the season?
Ross Devonport
Michael Hurcomb
If it wasn't for the awful Senators (52 goals) and Lightning (53), the Coyotes (55) would be the lowest-scoring team in the NHL so far this season. Peter Mueller's lack of offensive output the last few of weeks (no goals, two assists in nine games) has had a lot to do with that, but I think the Minnesota native will turn things around soon. He should get a few more shots on goal with the injured Olli Jokinen not on the ice for the next few weeks, so hopefully he gains some confidence from the extra opportunities and gets back on track.
Kyle Turris or Peter Mueller would be the popular picks because of their highly-touted background, but I'm a big fan of Martin Hanzal, who most people forget was a 2005 first-rounder. Hanzal had a solid rookie season in 2007-08 (35 points) as he was getting bypassed by Mueller, who had 54 points. However, Hanzal has settled in nicely as the Coyotes' second-line center and could really shine in the next few weeks with Olli Jokinen sidelined by injury. Hanzal is more of a passer than scorer, but is definitely a developing talent.
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