Tuesday, September 13, 2011

30 in 30: Top NHL Fantasy Sleeper Picks - Dallas Stars

It’s almost time for those annual fantasy hockey drafts. While most drafts feature the same players going in the first two rounds, it’s those players that you take in the mid-late rounds that will win you your league. Here’s the ninth of the thirty players that could be great sleeper picks in your draft this year.
Sheldon Souray - Dallas Stars

Position – Defence
Height – 6’4”
Weight – 233
Drafted – 3rd Round, 71st Overall, 1994 NHL Entry Draft
2010/2011 AHL Stats – 40GP, 4G, 15A, 19P, +10, 85PIM
Living in Edmonton I'm going to get a lot of grief for this pick but that's ok. Sheldon Souray is welcome to play on my fantasy team this year. He won't get picked in the early rounds but if he's available in the later rounds I'll gladly take a gamble on him this year. A real GM who took a gamble on him was Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Niuwendyk.
Of course everyone knows the story of Souray's very public fallout with the Oilers (not the first player to ever do that). Souray spent the entire 2010/2011 season playing for the Hershey Bears in the AHL after the Oilers waived him. He spent the season with the Capitals farm team (because the Oilers didn't want him around their young guys) where he had a lackluster season. At the end of the season the Oilers bought out the remainder of his contract and the Stars signed him to a one year $1.5million deal. 
Looking at the Stars blue line this year it's very easy to assume that Souray will be firing bombs from the point on their power-play. The Stars aren't going to be a great team this year but they'll at least give Souray every opportunity to be successful and get his NHL career back on track. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him to spend the entire season riding the bus in the AHL last year so you know he'll be determined to show everyone that he means business this year.

Previous Sleeper Picks:
Day 1 - Anaheim Ducks
Day 2 - Boston Bruins
Day 3 - Buffalo Sabres
Day 4 - Calgary Flames
Day 5 - Carolina Hurricanes
Day 6 - Chicago Blackhawks
Day 7 - Colorado Avalanche
Day 8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

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