In Praise of Parise

Usually, a big free agent addition doesn’t pay off as expected for professional sports teams. Really, even when a player stays with a team, it’s usually not anything to get particularly excited about. (See: Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne flopping for the Nashville Predators so far after receiving significant raises.)

And usually, if a guy gets the top billing in a column, it’s because that player had a fantastic performance the night before.

It’s not too late to draft a team in a league of your own. Sign up for a Yahoo pool here, but make sure you absorb Rotoworld’s Draft Guide first.

Zach Parise didn’t light up the the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Minnesota beat Columbus 3-2 in regulation, yet Parise didn't manage a single point. Instead, his talented linemate Mikko Koivu netted a goal.

Still, when you step back for a second, Parise's numbers are borderline magnificent:

Parise: six games played, five goals, four assists, nine points, +3, four PIM, three PPP, one GWG, 29 shots. (Yup, that’s just one shot shy of five per contest.)

If it weren’t for guys like Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, those stats would be pretty mind-boggling. Instead, they’re just kinda cool.

But seriously, how much more can the Wild expect, especially since Minnesota isn’t exactly playing a high-octane system that tends to amplify the skills of a guy like Parise? If this middle-of-the-pack group makes it, it’ll get there by a combination of Parise’s first line with Mikko Koivu and rejuvenated sniper Dany Heatley, typically tight defense and a rebound/contract year from Niklas Backstrom.

If nothing else, Parise is evidence that not every big-money transaction ends up in sticker shock.

CONQUERING CONACHER

Cory Conacher is not a perfect hockey specimen. And no, I’m not just saying that just because his height makes him an obvious comparison for Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Martin St. Louis.

My major concern with the other diminutive bolt is that he’s not piling up scoring chances, at least in the traditional sense.

In other words, he’s connecting on a large amount of his shots. He’s scored three goals on just 10 SOG in his six games this season, meaning that he's scored on 30 percent of the shots he's taken. He looked quite on Tuesday, scoring a goal and an assist on three shots in just 13:05 time on ice. He’s also averaging around 14 and a half minutes of ice time per game, so it doesn’t look like he’s getting a ton of chances to continue converting at such an impressive rate.

So, yes, Conacher carries some long-term risks - although the quality of his teammates and his AHL work make him worth a look for now.

Also pressing: what kind of nickname should he receive? My instinct is to make a Conan reference, which means we drop down to Conacher the Barbarian vs. Conacher the Destroyer. I’m still on the fence about which one is best.

More interesting bits after the jump.

Usually, a big free agent addition doesn’t pay off as expected for professional sports teams. Really, even when a player stays with a team, it’s usually not anything to get particularly excited about. (See: Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne flopping for the Nashville Predators so far after receiving significant raises.)

And usually, if a guy gets the top billing in a column, it’s because that player had a fantastic performance the night before.

It’s not too late to draft a team in a league of your own. Sign up for a Yahoo pool here, but make sure you absorb Rotoworld’s Draft Guide first.

Zach Parise didn’t light up the the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Minnesota beat Columbus 3-2 in regulation, yet Parise didn't manage a single point. Instead, his talented linemate Mikko Koivu netted a goal.

Still, when you step back for a second, Parise's numbers are borderline magnificent:

Parise: six games played, five goals, four assists, nine points, +3, four PIM, three PPP, one GWG, 29 shots. (Yup, that’s just one shot shy of five per contest.)

If it weren’t for guys like Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, those stats would be pretty mind-boggling. Instead, they’re just kinda cool.

But seriously, how much more can the Wild expect, especially since Minnesota isn’t exactly playing a high-octane system that tends to amplify the skills of a guy like Parise? If this middle-of-the-pack group makes it, it’ll get there by a combination of Parise’s first line with Mikko Koivu and rejuvenated sniper Dany Heatley, typically tight defense and a rebound/contract year from Niklas Backstrom.

If nothing else, Parise is evidence that not every big-money transaction ends up in sticker shock.

CONQUERING CONACHER

Cory Conacher is not a perfect hockey specimen. And no, I’m not just saying that just because his height makes him an obvious comparison for Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Martin St. Louis.

My major concern with the other diminutive bolt is that he’s not piling up scoring chances, at least in the traditional sense.

In other words, he’s connecting on a large amount of his shots. He’s scored three goals on just 10 SOG in his six games this season, meaning that he's scored on 30 percent of the shots he's taken. He looked quite on Tuesday, scoring a goal and an assist on three shots in just 13:05 time on ice. He’s also averaging around 14 and a half minutes of ice time per game, so it doesn’t look like he’s getting a ton of chances to continue converting at such an impressive rate.

So, yes, Conacher carries some long-term risks - although the quality of his teammates and his AHL work make him worth a look for now.

Also pressing: what kind of nickname should he receive? My instinct is to make a Conan reference, which means we drop down to Conacher the Barbarian vs. Conacher the Destroyer. I’m still on the fence about which one is best.

More interesting bits after the jump.

UNDER 50 OWNED DEBATES

Here’s a look at a few waiver wire considerations.

Nikolai Kulemin (12 percent) - Whenever there's a 30-goal scorer under 30 years old on the free agent heap, you have to at least consider him. He had that nice campaign (57 points overall) alongside Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski in 2010-11 before regressing sharply in 2011-12. The Russian winger is intriguing - especially in a hits league, as he piles up more than one per game, but his other peripherals aren't too endearing. Even in 82 games in 2010-11, he only had 173 shots on goal. He has just eight in six games so far. Kulemin also peaked at 26 penalty minutes, so it's really just about points. Even with five assists in six contests, his side work suggests that he doesn't bring enough to the table to sustain good stats if he isn't scoring.

Peter Mueller (three percent) - The injury concern has been piling up an appetizing amount of shots on goal so far (18 in six games), and that hard work is finally starting to pay off with a goal in two straight games. The Florida Panthers are really hurting for offense, too, so he has a great chance to prove himself. He's shown the ability to be a quality scorer in the past, even though concussions linger as a huge worry. In fact, that worry - and a lack of great peripherals beyond SOG - make me weary of the former Av/Coyote. Still, he's pretty intriguing.

INJURY NOTES (full list) and QUICK HITS

Do check out Kevin Brown’s column - which discusses David Backes worrisome statistical start. It's well worth reading … It looks like Ryan Callahan hurt himself in a fight with Maxime Talbot. Expect an update from the New York Rangers on Wednesday, but the team’s captain appeared to hurt his left arm. Not a great sign, and another bullet point for why you don’t want to see star players drop the gloves … The Anaheim Ducks carried much of the play last night, yet Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski (the goal) factored into San Jose’s tally in a 2-1 shootout victory. Antti Niemi has been deserving of more credit that he’s been getting lately, and he really showed that in this win … Theo Peckham is day-to-day with a hip issue … Jason Spezza is banged up with an upper-body injury … Dan Boyle missed Tuesday’s game but it sounds like he’s just sick … Two matchups to watch Wednesday: Chicago at Minnesota (the Wild are on a back-to-back) and Vancouver hosts Colorado (the Avalance are a mess right now) … After getting trounced 4-1 by the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins are 0-2-0 at home and 3-1-0 on the road so far this season. Odd. We’ll see if Tomas Vokoun gets a start after a tough go by Marc-Andre Fleury, who was pulled in the loss … It looks like Mike Smith should still be on the shelf tonight, so it’ll be interesting to see if Chad Johnson starts again after barely doing anything to shut out the Nashville Predators. He might be worth a one-week flier, although I wouldn’t overextend to add him just yet … Sounds like P.K. Subban’s teammates weren’t doing back flips upon hearing about his return, but his fantasy owners should be.