While winning in fantasy hockey requires success and smarts (and luck), being self-aware enough to acknowledge your mistakes - and maybe even learn from them - is another key.
Naturally, it’s not just a key trait for fantasy hockey team-building. Good business leaders, politicians* and real-life GMs know when to cut their losses and/or alter their current course. It harkens back to that Albert Einstein quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Sure, there are times when regression/puck luck show that you shouldn’t be too radical when reacting to good times or huge slumps. But there does come a point - usually year after year - when you need to take a long look in the mirror and admit that change is in order.
In the last two days, we’ve seen examples of insanity from two regional rivals: the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
HOWSON OF PAIN
Look, I’m not saying that former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson cannot be a clever guy. He certainly has a knack for handling the media, as I recall a pretty staggering amount of people Tweeting about how good of a guy he was following his inevitable firing.
Still, when you’re a franchise that’s as hapless as the Oilers, do you really want to add a name associated with the OTHER worst team in the West to your front office? If you base your mental images on nothing but the association that comes with the successes and failures that an executive has experienced, you wouldn’t trust Howson and current Oilers GM Steve Tambellini to deliver a pizza.
FLAMING OUT
Few things in hockey management top the hilarity of Flames GM Jay Feaster thumping his chest about how much “better” Calgary’s been than Edmonton in recent years and how proud he is not to burn the current Flames structure to the ground. That’s the equivalent to mocking a Pinto endlessly instead of upgrading your own shabby little vehicle. (Especially because, in the case of the Flames, they’ve typically spent in the top five or 10 in the NHL to drive their jalopy into the ground.)
To a very small extent, it’s hard to blame Feaster TOO much for his ridiculously stubborn stance. As far as I can tell - with no insider access whatsoever, mind you - the Flames hired him because they didn’t want to go into a rebuild. Apparently one flukey, lightning-in-a-bottle run to within one game of a Stanley Cup victory can justify a decade of wheel-spinning and money-wasting.
I’ll admit I was wrong (at least so far) in endorsing Miikka Kiprusoff as an interesting redemptive project. While he’s an acceptable 2-2-0 since returning from injury (including a win against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night), Kipper’s overall numbers are so stomach-churning it’s tough to fathom. I can deal with a mediocre 4-5-2 record, but an .878 save percentage is far below even mediocre backup status at the NHL level. At least since the 1980s ended.
That’s the thing, though; most of us who gambled on Kipper (or at least recommended him with some reservations) can reassess things and move on. In Calgary’s case, the Flames’ management is sinking so deeply in the quicksand of their own denial that it’s hard to imagine this franchise ever really getting on the right track unless they purge their front office of all the many men in comical denial of this underwhelming roster.
At least the Red Wings only seem silly about rolling the dice with Jonas Gustavsson.
* - Assuming they exist/still exist.
Jump for Corey Perry’s suspension and more.
While winning in fantasy hockey requires success and smarts (and luck), being self-aware enough to acknowledge your mistakes - and maybe even learn from them - is another key.
Naturally, it’s not just a key trait for fantasy hockey team-building. Good business leaders, politicians* and real-life GMs know when to cut their losses and/or alter their current course. It harkens back to that Albert Einstein quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Sure, there are times when regression/puck luck show that you shouldn’t be too radical when reacting to good times or huge slumps. But there does come a point - usually year after year - when you need to take a long look in the mirror and admit that change is in order.
In the last two days, we’ve seen examples of insanity from two regional rivals: the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
HOWSON OF PAIN
Look, I’m not saying that former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson cannot be a clever guy. He certainly has a knack for handling the media, as I recall a pretty staggering amount of people Tweeting about how good of a guy he was following his inevitable firing.
Still, when you’re a franchise that’s as hapless as the Oilers, do you really want to add a name associated with the OTHER worst team in the West to your front office? If you base your mental images on nothing but the association that comes with the successes and failures that an executive has experienced, you wouldn’t trust Howson and current Oilers GM Steve Tambellini to deliver a pizza.
FLAMING OUT
Few things in hockey management top the hilarity of Flames GM Jay Feaster thumping his chest about how much “better” Calgary’s been than Edmonton in recent years and how proud he is not to burn the current Flames structure to the ground. That’s the equivalent to mocking a Pinto endlessly instead of upgrading your own shabby little vehicle. (Especially because, in the case of the Flames, they’ve typically spent in the top five or 10 in the NHL to drive their jalopy into the ground.)
To a very small extent, it’s hard to blame Feaster TOO much for his ridiculously stubborn stance. As far as I can tell - with no insider access whatsoever, mind you - the Flames hired him because they didn’t want to go into a rebuild. Apparently one flukey, lightning-in-a-bottle run to within one game of a Stanley Cup victory can justify a decade of wheel-spinning and money-wasting.
I’ll admit I was wrong (at least so far) in endorsing Miikka Kiprusoff as an interesting redemptive project. While he’s an acceptable 2-2-0 since returning from injury (including a win against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night), Kipper’s overall numbers are so stomach-churning it’s tough to fathom. I can deal with a mediocre 4-5-2 record, but an .878 save percentage is far below even mediocre backup status at the NHL level. At least since the 1980s ended.
That’s the thing, though; most of us who gambled on Kipper (or at least recommended him with some reservations) can reassess things and move on. In Calgary’s case, the Flames’ management is sinking so deeply in the quicksand of their own denial that it’s hard to imagine this franchise ever really getting on the right track unless they purge their front office of all the many men in comical denial of this underwhelming roster.
At least the Red Wings only seem silly about rolling the dice with Jonas Gustavsson.
* - Assuming they exist/still exist.
Jump for Corey Perry’s suspension and more.
PERRY HURTFUL
Well, as expected, Corey Perry got off pretty lightly for an ugly hit on Jason Zucker, drawing a four-game suspension from the NHL.
As far as suspensions go, I argued that this is one of the deals that hurts fantasy owners more disproportionately than usual. Think of it this way: the Anaheim Ducks are comfortably in first place in the Pacific Division with a chance to take the West overall, so missing a star like Perry hurts less than usual. While Perry gets docked the $115K from four game checks, he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, so he’ll likely stop missing that lost money by the time he gets the first check from his next deal. (Really, he might not even care THAT much about the money now, depending on how wisely he’s saving.)
Meanwhile, on fantasy owners’ end, they lose Perry for 1/12 of the shortened season. Considering the fact that he took until mid-February to really get in gear, it’s been a very disappointing season in that area. You don’t get to put him on the IR for those games, so you lose a guy who’s probably no worse than a second-round pick until March 22nd’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Every now and then, the aligning yourself with "evil" players plan can backfire.
P.K. - WORTH THE WAIT
I consider myself a pretty strong proponent of P.K. Subban’s merits in both fantasy and reality, yet I can’t say that I expected him to be such a slam dunk. Particularly since his RFA situation ended up dragging on longer than some (but not all) expected.
Even if you dock him for missing those games, his production has been outstanding: seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points, solid +5, 12 PIM, 16 power-play points (second overall in the NHL to his teammate, Andrei Markov) and exactly 3 SOG a game (63 in 21).
Unless you own him in a league, it’s likely that Subban’s brilliance might have slipped under your radar. It’s reasonable for two reasons: 1) he slid seamlessly into Montreal’s impressive start, obscuring his individual successes and 2) many dislike him, so they won’t give him credit unless forced to.
It’s great to see Subban succeed, even if he isn’t going to get paid appropriately compared to his significant value. Don’t worry, though; the Habs will have to pony up after 2013-14.
HEDBERG HEADS IN RIGHT DIRECTION
Things were looking pretty desperate for New Jersey Devils backup-turned-interim-starter Johan Hedberg. He went 0-6-1 from mid-February to early March, with numbers that were often outright disturbing. Yet last night’s 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers marked his second victory in a row (both with two goals allowed) and third victory in four tries.
The aging No. 2 isn’t likely to set the world on fire, but goalie-desperate people were hoping he’d snap out of it. With Martin Brodeur’s status still a bit of a mystery, it looks like Hedberg is worth at least a short-term look for the goalie needy now that he isn’t leaking goals.
INJURY NOTES (full list) and QUICK HITS
Sergei Gonchar is quietly carving some solid fantasy value out for himself in Ottawa, with a five-game point streak that totals six assists … Chris Kelly’s sidelined indefinitely with a broken tibia … Just to reiterate, it looks like Kris Versteeg is day-to-day with that right knee injury … So far, Jason Zucker is out indefinitely because of that Perry hit … As expected, T.J. Oshie’s upper-body issue leaves him day-to-day so far … Tom Pyatt is day-to-day with an upper-body problem … As a chance of pace, Jim Slater’s upper-body issue leaves him week-to-week, not day-to-day.