How will the acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk impact
The most comfortable answer I'm willing to give is that Parise won't be as valuable as he previously was. Whether or not it's time to jump ship, I think we still need a few more weeks to dissect.
The biggest concern is that it doesn't appear either player will play the off wing, which is shocking since Kovalchuk shoots right-handed. Could you imagine a scoring line with Parise and Kovalchuk? It would be lights out.
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| It'll be interesting to see if Parise, left, and Travis Zajac get to skate with Kovalchuk. (US Presswire) |
Parise has one point in three games since Kovalchuk's arrival. He has taken 12 shots in more than 60 minutes in that span and still logs a ton of power-play time, so what gives?
New Jersey's biggest hurdle is finding a comfort zone with Kovalchuk. In the Russian's first game with his new team the offense took a little while to get going since New Jersey believed the goal was to feed Kovalchuk the puck. Once coach Jacques Lemaire got everyone under control the game plan went a lot smoother and resulted in a 4-3 comeback win against Toronto.
General manager Lou Lamoriello obviously is over the moon about landing a scorer of Kovalchuk's ability, even if he is a rental player. Even Hall-of-Fame-bound goalie Martin Brodeur lauds Parise for his presence, but he says Parise lacks Kovalchuk's size (6-2, 230 pounds) and clearly he holds Kovalchuk in higher esteem.
Parise is saying all the right things on how Kovalchuk's arrival will take some of the pressure off the top line and can only make him a better player. However, with the acquisition of a player like Kovalchuk, the scoring chances will also dwindle.
It would be better for Fantasy owners if the two star wingers were on the same line. It might not have showed up in the win column in Atlanta, but when Kovlachuk played alongside Marian Hossa, the duo made a formidable scoring threat and Fantasy owners reaped the rewards.
If I was Parise owner, I would strongly consider trading the 2003 first-round pick. Then again, I wouldn't frown upon keeping him since Parise has already defied the odds once and showed us he could continue to be a top-scoring threat despite playing in a defensive system.
Who should Fantasy owners target on Atlanta's roster now that Kovalchuk has moved on?
The trade of Kovalchuk is a bit of a signal that the Thrashers are putting up the white flag despite being in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The front office must not have thought much about its postseason hopes, even if Kovalchuk remained on the roster, so Atlanta got something before it was too late.
One interesting tidbit from general manager Don Waddell is that he mentioned the fact that this trade opens up the opportunity for some of Atlanta's younger players to showcase their skills.
Niclas Bergfors, who came to the Thrashers as part of the trade with New Jersey, has taken Kovalchuk's spot at left wing on the top line despite being a right winger. He scored on Saturday against the Panthers and is slated to join the power play after a few more practices. Don't forget he thrived in New Jersey when he skated on the top line with Parise and Zajac.
Bryan Little, who has been mired in a terrible slump all season, also scored on Saturday after being moved back to the top line -- a place he inhabited frequently in 2008-09 when he scored 31 goals.
Evander Kane, the team's first-round pick in 2009, also got on the scoreboard against Florida. However, he was playing well early in his rookie season before being moved to the top line in November after Kovalchuk got injured. It really messed with Kane's confidence as he wasn't ready to take on seasoned Eastern Conference vets.
Waddell might be looking toward a youth movement, but three other players he might be able to lean on as scoring threats are Slava Kozlov, Todd White and Maxim Afinogenov.
Kozlov and White have been some of the most disappointing players for Atlanta in 2009-10 after both breaking 20 goals and 70 points last season. Afinogenov has been dropped to the third line after playing well with Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov on the top line early in the season. But the Russian forward was the other player to score in the 4-2 win against Florida and has a lot to play for down the stretch since he is headed for free agency.
I tend to lean toward Little as my favorite Fantasy pick among the bunch since he has the recent history of scoring in the NHL and also knows coach John Anderson's system very well from their days in the minors. After him, I like Bergfors, Afinogenov and Kozlov.
Is it time to take a flier on the recently traded Ville Leino?
It has been well-documented all season that Leino was not only a bust in real life for Detroit, but he was one in Fantasy. He was on everyone's list as a potential breakout since Detroit paved the way for the Finnish forward to become the next great scorer.
After four goals, seven points, a minus-10 rating and numerous healthy scratches, the Red Wings sent Leino to Philadelphia on Saturday. Is this the spark Leino needs to reach his full potential?
The move to the Flyers can't hurt Leino. He goes from a more balanced system where solid two-way hockey is a must to a team that is led by a coach, Peter Laviolette, who preaches an up-tempo pace. Leino hinted after the trade he is more of an offensive skater first.
The only issue is that Philadelphia hasn't quite fully grasped Laviolette's system and have been very Jekyll-and-Hyde as a team. Also, Leino is likely to start on the team's third line and could bounce all over the place.
The recent wave of overseas imports has been disappointing. Leino was the second-most coveted import in the summer of 2008 behind Fabian Brunnstrom and neither player has fared well with full-time minutes. Maple Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson was the top import this past offseason and his struggles have also been well-chronicled.
I think Leino is a wait-and-see project. I do feel he is in a better situation, and he can relax a bit more with the pressure off. But will he return to being a scoring champ like he was in Finland? Remains to be seen.
Take your pick -- Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov?
I think Washington will continue to share starts between the two netminders once Varlamov is back from his knee injury. However, I just feel Varlamov will emerge with more Fantasy points down the stretch.
There is no doubt Theodore needs to be applauded for his 10-game winning streak. But it hasn't entirely been because of him. Washington has been on an unreal scoring tear and has bailed Theodore out of some sticky situations, like on Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Theodore trailed 4-1 against the Penguins before Washington, led by Alex Ovechkin's hat trick, rallied for a 5-4 overtime win. In fact, Theodore has allowed nine goals in his last two starts while getting 11 goals in support.
Varlamov is the much-more controlled player in net and clearly the better prospect at this stage in their careers. Varlamov had 12 wins in his first 16 appearances before his injury issues. He also had a 2.21 goals-against-average and .924 save percentage. He is also an Olympic-level netminder despite being 21 years old.
Theodore is not headed to the Olympics and has a 2.87 GAA and .908 save percentage with no shutouts. Varlamov has been a solid fit for coach Bruce Boudreau's forechecking system that relies on the goalie to make big plays, and he certainly showed that during the 2008-09 postseason.
Is it time to start relying on Steve Mason in Fantasy?
The coaching change in Columbus is already working miracles for the sophomore netminder. In two starts under interim coach Claude Noel, Mason has two wins, stopped 50 of 51 shots and posted a shutout on Saturday against the Sabres, who are a top Eastern Conference contender.
However, the coaching change is not entirely why we want to pump up Mason in Fantasy. The wins are nice for his confidence and Columbus seems to be playing harder as a team since coach Ken Hitchcock's release. But the work with goalie coach Dave Rook has been the biggest reason why Mason has won four of his last six starts.
Rook has been urging Mason to attack shooters and don't play as deep in net. Rook wants Mason to use his 6-4, 212-pound frame to intimidate shooters and make himself look bigger as he plays at the top of the crease.
Mason also seems to be gaining more confidence in his defensemen that they will be able to clear rebounds and take care of the open net on back-side scoring chances.
Noel probably won't have any qualms about playing Mathieu Garon at times, but Columbus is beginning to build for the future and Mason is just that in net.
Mason showed last season during his Calder Trophy run that he could hang with the best in the NHL, and Fantasy owners might finally be able to trust him again down the stretch.
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