2010-2011 NHL Fantasy Draft Who to Avoid

2011-12 NHL Fantasy Draft: WHO TO AVOD O OV Atlantic Division "STOP! You do not want to draft these players" Drafting elite players in early rounds of fantasy drafts is imperative. It constitutes the core of your lineup and the bulk of your points but how often do we curse the hockey Gods when these players go down with mid-season injuries? We take a look at key players on each team who were injured and missed games in the 2010-11 season and who may carry some bumps and bruises into this upcoming year. mosti e team in2010-11 with 393 man-games lost ury in2 Predicted games played 2011-12 69 Zach Parise |LW]: As a UFA next summer he'll be shooting for a strong comeback year but will his surgically repaired knee be strong enough for a complete 82 game season? Predicted games played 2011-12 53 Anton Volchenkov [D: Has missed 64 games over the past 3 seasons. Unless your league credits (and overvalues) blocked shots, steer clear of this pick and find another D. Predicted games played 2011-12 40 Tm Larsson |LD: Likely to make the team out of camp but unlikely to endure a complete 82 game schedule in his first season. As well, the Devils may choose to season him in the minors learning the North American game. Predicted games played 2011-12 22 Travis surgery. Would only be worthy of a late pick in a keeper- league that has many years planned. : Out for at least 4 months after achillies NY ANDERS - Had the most man-games lost to injury last year. - Had 2nd most points in NHL after December thanks to new coach Jack Capuano Predicted games played 2011-12 68 Kyle Okposo [RW]: Plays a ruggid style. Missed first half of 2010-11 with shoulder injury. Could still be a concern although he is reporting to camp healthy. Predicted games played 2011-12 71 Mark Streit [D: Missed entire season with shoulder injury. The Swiss defenseman does not play a crushing style so he may be able to play through any lingering pain but if you can find another serviceable D-man, do so. Predicted games played 2011-12 34 Rick Dipietro [G|: Played just 26 games last year and that's more than he has in a while. Don't expect that to change especially with Evgeni Nabokov pushing him for a spot. NEW YORK RANGER Coch John Tortorella is hard nosed and expects the same from Ins players - Lost 291 ames to injury in 2010-11 Predicted games played 2011-12 54 Ruslan Fedotenko [LW: Has missed 50 games in the last 4 seasons. You won't get a full season out of this guy. Predicted games played 2011-12 64 Marc Staal Dl: Returning from a concussion. Always a concern going forward. Predicted games played 2011-12 67 IRW]: While he has world class skill, his body rarely holds up for more than 70 games in a season; if that. It's tough to pass on Gaborik but it's the wise move if similar scorers are available. Predicted games played 2011-12 Bran Callanan |RW: Returning from a broken leg and a broken left hand. Will the Rangers' new captain be able to stay healthy this year? They sure hope so. - Stayed relatively healthy in 2010-11; especially with their top tier offensive performers. Predicted games played 2011-12 50 Chris Pronger [D]: Is expected to be in the line up when the regular season starts but last year's broken right hand could still be an issue. Predicted games played 2011-12 65 Jaromir Jagr [RW]: Could see time on the top line but at 39 it is unlikely he will be able to hold up for a complete 82 game schedule. Most likely he will play between 60-70 games. Predicted games played 2011-12 Danny Briere [RW]: Brier has been durable throughout his career but with the subtraction of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, it could be a tougher grind this year with increased responsibility and ice time. - The Penguins endured injuries to their best two players in 2010-11 and still sustained a consistent winning record. Credit should go to coach Dan Bylsma's team philosophy and commitment to defense that the players bought into. Predicted games played 2011-12 30 Sidney Crosby [C]: By far the most publicized injury/concussion of last year and the off-season. The hockey world is watching this very closely. Predicted games played 2011-12 67 Evgeni Malkin |C]: Says the knee has felt strong in preseason. He will have to carry the load offensively if #87 can't return. Missed 54 games since 2009-10. Predicted games played 2011-12 50 Kris Kunitz [LW]: Kunitz put up very good numbers in 2010-11 but once again his season was cut short due to injury. He's missed 48 games in the last 2 seasons. Don't be surprised if his "lower body injury" from last year returns. Predicted games played 2011-12 75 James Neal [LW]: Coming to a new team and ready to embrace a different roll. How will he adjust to coach Dan Bylsma's demands? Preseason talks suggests he's expected to contribute more offensively. He may see some top line minutes meaning he'll face bigger/better D pairings. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/ http://www.nhl.com http://ca. sports.yahoo.com O silver oak www.silveroakcasino.com