The Anti-Social Report

Sunday, October 2, 2011

30 in 30: Top NHL Fantasy Sleeper Picks - Toronto Maple Leafs

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 twenty-seventh of the thirty players that could be great sleeper picks in your draft this year.

Joffrey Lupul - Toronto Maple Leafs

Position – Right Wing

Height – 6’1”

Weight – 206

Drafted - 1st Round, 7th Overall, 2002 NHL Entry Draft

2010/2011 NHL Stats – 54GP, 14G, 17A, 31P, -11, 33PIM

It hasn’t been an easy last few years for Joffrey Lupul. After having a 50 point season in 2008/2009, the veteran was traded back to the Ducks who had drafted him originally in 2002. Early into the 2009 season, Lupul went down with a back injury which ended up taking him out of the last 52 games of the season. He ended up being out of action for over a year as he finally rejoined the Ducks in December of last year. After being off for a year he had respectable return by scoring 13 points in 26 games. Lupul couldn’t get too comfortable though as he was traded to the Maple Leafs for Francois Beuchemin. After joining the Leafs he seemed to pick up his scoring pace with

18 points in the final 28 games.

For a player that’s been traded four times in the last six seasons, Lupul may have found a home in Toronto. He seems to be a good piece for a rebuilding Toronto team. He’s still young yet has seven NHL seasons under his belt so he will be counted on to be a leader on a very young team. The big upside to Lupul this season is that there’s a good chance that you could see him on a line with Tim Connelly and Phil Kessel. If Connelly can stay healthy, that could be a great top line for the Leafs this season. Lupul probably won’t be ranked really high on team’s draft lists so he could be a great late round steal for you.

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

Day 9 - Dallas Stars

Day 10 - Detroit Red-Wings

Day 11 - Edmonton Oilers

Day 12 - Florida Panthers

Day 13 - Los Angeles Kings

Day 14 - Minnesota Wild

Day 15 - Montreal Canadiens

Day 16 - Nashville Predators

Day 17 - New Jersey Devils

Day 18 - New York Islanders

Day 19 - New York Rangers

Day 20 - Ottawa Senators

Day 21 - Philadelphia Flyers

Day 22 - Phoenix Coyotes

Day 23 - Pittsburgh Penguins

Day 24 - San Jose Sharks

Day 25 - St. Louis Blues

Day 26 - Tampa Bay Lightning

Friday, September 30, 2011

30 in 30: Top NHL Fantasy Sleeper Picks - Tampa Bay Lightning

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 twenty-sixth of the thirty players that could be great sleeper picks in your draft this year.

Teddy Purcell – Tampa Bay Lightning

Position – Right Wing

Height – 6’2”

Weight – 201

2010/2011 NHL Stats – 81GP, 17G, 34A, 51P, +5, 10PIM

It’s always great to see guys have a breakout season. That’s exactly what happened to Tampa Bay forward Teddy Purcell last year. After spending the first four years of his professional career in Los Angeles, Purcell ended up becoming lost in their shuffle and was traded to Tampa during the 2009/2010 season. That season he had scored 15 points in 60 games which was his first full year in the NHL. Last year in his first full year in Tampa he had his breakout year by scoring 51 points in 81 games. Even more impressive was he was third in team scoring in the playoffs when the Bolts went to the Eastern Conference Finals. His 17 points were behind only Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. When the playoffs were over he actually had five more points in the playoffs than Steven Stamkos.

Looking at Tampa’s roster this season it’s easy to see Purcell playing on the second line with Vincent Lecavalier. Tampa’s big three of Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier will all go early in most hockey drafts; however, don’t overlook Purcell. With him having a huge playoffs and a career season it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 26 year-old have another career year and flirt with 60 points. There’s bigger name players that also scored 50 points last year like Erik Cole or Jussi Jokinen but Purcell could be the better pick for you since Tampa will continue to be one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL this season.

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
Day 9 - Dallas Stars
Day 10 - Detroit Red-Wings
Day 11 - Edmonton Oilers
Day 12 - Florida Panthers
Day 13 - Los Angeles Kings
Day 14 - Minnesota Wild
Day 15 - Montreal Canadiens
Day 16 - Nashville Predators
Day 17 - New Jersey Devils
Day 18 - New York Islanders
Day 19 - New York Rangers
Day 20 - Ottawa Senators
Day 21 - Philadelphia Flyers
Day 22 - Phoenix Coyotes
Day 23 - Pittsburgh Penguins
Day 24 - San Jose Sharks
Day 25 - St. Louis Blues

Thursday, September 29, 2011

30 in 30: Top NHL Fantasy Sleeper Picks - St. Louis Blues

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 twenty-fifth of the thirty players that could be great sleeper picks in your draft this year.

David Perron – St. Louis Blues

Position – Left Wing

Height – 6’0”

Weight – 200

Drafted – 1^st Round, 26^th Overall, 2007 NHL Entry Draft

2010/2011 NHL Stats – 10GP, 5G, 2A, 7P, +7, 12PIM

Concussions have obviously been a big topic in the NHL the last year. Of course Sidney Crosby and Marc Savard suffered major concussions last season which not only ended their seasons but in Savard’s case his career. Another player that suffered from a major concussion was David Perron of the St. Louis Blues. In a game on November 4, Perron was hit by Joe Thornton of the Sharks just as Jumbo Joe was stepping out of the penalty box. Perron ended up scoring later in the game; however, his season was over after the hit.

This past week was a big one for Perron as he attended the Blues training camp for the first time. According to a recent article on the Blues official site, Perron has been doing some light skating the past four weeks and will continue to work out off-ice until he’s ready to join the rest of his teammates on the ice. It doesn’t seem like he’s quite as close to returning as Sidney Crosby is but what’s encouraging is that Perron is back at the rink with his teammates. While he was hurt he stayed away from the rink to focus on his recovery, so him just being at the rink at this point is encouraging news.

You could make an argument about drafting Crosby in the first round (as per a recent article on Dailyfaceoff.com) but where do you take someone like David Perron? Before he got hurt last season he had 7 points in 10 games and looked like he was on his way to surpass is career total of 50 points in the 2008/2009 season. If Perron can return to the Blues lineup by November 1 he could be a good for 50 points. With the lack of a firm return date a lot of teams will probably stay clear of him at your draft. Remember that this is the type of late round sleeper pick that could win you your draft.