Full List of Prediction Updates
Chistov .. Ana .. Has too much skill not to make an immediate impact,
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as he flashed at Anaheim's rookie camp .. but can he survive a long, grueling
schedule? .. a riskier investment, considering his age (19) and lack of game
play last season.
Paul Kariya .. Ana .. We took a fairly conservative stance here (77-36-34-70),
so this could be a solid pick even in the 80-point price range.
Steve Rucchin .. Ana .. Could exceed our initial prediction (65-12-21-33)
if he can stay healthy for once .. has good upside and is worth taking a risk
on.
Hartigan .. Atl .. A strong showing at the Traverse City rookie tournament
(led all scorers) earned Hartigan a top-line spot early in the main camp between
Kozlov and Kovalchuk .. could start in Atlanta, so market for the 15-goal, 30-point
mark.
Vyacheslav Kozlov .. Atl .. Past injuries and inconsistency dampened
the initial projection, however, Slava could threaten the 60-point level now
that he has fully recovered from a serious Achilles tendon injury .. will start
the season with Kovalchuk.
Bryan Berard .. Bos .. Free agent signee is a better fit here than with
the Rangers, and he should see plenty of duty on the top power play unit ..
our initial prediction still stands (75-7-26-33).
Martin Lapointe .. Bos .. It appears that coach Ftorek may keep Glen
Murray alongside Jo Stumpel, which means Lapointe takes Guerin's spot with Joe
Thornton .. look for him to threaten the 25-goal, 50-point mark.
Morrisonn .. Bos .. Even with Kyle McLaren on his way out, the 19-year-old
Morrisonn may spend half the year in Providence, especially if Jonathan Girard
wins the No. 6 spot at camp.
Samuelsson/Andy
Hilbert .. Bos .. Both youngsters showed that they're ready to challenge
for a spot based on their rookie camp performances .. but they will have to
beat out the veteran likes of a Grosek, McInnis, Zamuner or Knuble.
Jochen Hecht .. Buf .. Stands to move into the top six if and when one
of the many Chris Gratton trade rumours comes true .. has a shot at 40 to 45
points.
Taylor Pyatt .. Buf .. Gratton's imminent departure may also open the
door for this rising third-year talent .. we're warming up to Pyatt, who has
the size and tools to reach the 20 to 25-goal plateau.
Derek Morris .. Cgy .. A great candidate to blow away last year's totals
.. has reported to camp in terrific shape and has a chance to exceed our initial
48-point projection.
Jaroslav Svoboda .. Car .. The Canes may break up the BBC line to spread
out the wealth, and Svoboda could find himself on one of the top two lines with
a strong showing at camp.
Arnason .. Chi .. Showed up to camp in much better shape and has the
inside track on landing either a third or fourth-line role .. give him 13-16-29
totals and reduce Mikhail Yakubov to the 35-game mark.
Theo Fleury .. Chi .. A nice replacement for Tony Amonte .. Fleury gives
the Hawks a shot at the playoffs and should win the club scoring title with
70 points.
Steve Sullivan .. Chi .. Has been flying early in camp and could benefit
greatly from Theo's arrival, as his presence on the right side will draw some
of the checking attention away from Sullivan.
Alex Tanguay .. Col .. With a new contract and the trade rumours waning,
we now feel that Tanguay could soar to the 65 to 70-point level.
Andrew Cassels .. CBJ .. Reunited with Whalers' running mate Geoff Sanderson,
look for Cassels to threaten the 65-point mark.
Ulf Dahlen .. Dal .. Another score from the Stars' summer free-agent
haul, Dahlen is impressing early on the top line with Mike Modano and Bill Guerin
.. could duplicate his 52-point effort from last season.
Pavel Datsyuk .. Det .. There's still some upside here beyond the initial
estimate of 16-29-45, especially given captain Steve Yzerman's potentially career-ending
knee problems .. add 10 points with a shot at 60-plus.
Zetterberg .. Det .. Sparkling early with eight points in three days
of camp scrimmages on a line with Jason Williams and Tomas Holmstrom .. another
who should benefit from Yzerman's absence .. has a shot at 45 points.
Dan Cleary .. Edm .. So much potential, so little passion .. we're starting
to see Cleary as a hunch pick who could surprise .. move his projection to the
17-25-42 range.
Hemsky .. Edm .. A riskier pick with potentially a nice payoff, although
Hemsky has shown signs of needing some time in Hamilton to mature .. also, his
odds are reduced with two rookies (Jani Rita and Jason Chimera) already guaranteed
promotion.
Rita .. Edm .. The rookie standout at Edmonton's camp so far, Rita looks
primed to beat our initial projection of 72-12-8-20.
Kristian Huselius .. Fla .. Among the early projection casualties after
spraining a knee at camp .. will miss the start of the season, but we still
like this prediction (28-25-53).
Weiss .. Fla .. Has been slow coming around from April's serious knee
injury, and will have to step it up based on his camp performance so far ..
still needs to get stronger to fully exploit his skills.
Cammalleri .. LA .. Has the passion and skills to overcome 'small package'
bias, and has been outstanding in training camp so far .. still the odds-on
favourite to start the year on the top line with Allison and Deadmarsh.
Frolov .. LA .. Much-heralded Russian rookie has flashed his great potential
at camp, but logic still dictates that he'll need time in Manchester in order
to smooth the cultural transition.
Cliff Ronning .. Min .. Veteran newcomer has fit into the Wild's lineup
like a glove and is a good bet to exceed our initial estimates, given the league's
obstruction crackdown .. project for the 22-41-63 range.
Sergei Zholtok .. Min .. May finally deliver solid back-to-back seasons
based on his performance early in camp .. coach Lemaire may also drop Marian
Gaborik alongside Zholtok on the second line in an attempt to create a more
balanced attack .. 45 to 50 points is not out of the question.
Saku Koivu .. Mtl .. Among the elite high-risk, high-return picks this
season .. Koivu has a skilled support staff to operate around and is worth the
gamble .. Our initial projection of 68 points could even be on the low side
if all the pieces fall into place.
Richard Zednik .. Mtl .. Healthy and finally signed, Zednik has the
best upside among the Habs' wingers and could easily surpass our career-best
55-point projection.
David Legwand .. Nsh .. Teamed with Vladimir Orszagh early at camp,
the fourth-year Legwand is hinting that this may be the year he breaks out ..
we projected a career 45-point effort initially, but there's a chance he can
creep up another 10 points.
Sergei Brylin .. NJ .. Returning from reconstructive knee surgery, coach
Burns may opt to utilize the multi-faceted Brylin in the fourth-line center
spot vacated by Sergei Nemchinov .. Expect another drop in points if that plays
out.
Jamie Langenbrunner .. NJ .. We may have undershot on this projection
in hindsight .. signed to a new deal, along with Scott Gomez, Langenbrunner
now has a good chance of rebounding to the 50-point mark.
Oleg Kvasha .. NYI .. The Russian enigma is centering the second line
of Brad Isbister and Mark Parrish, with Mike Peca out of the lineup .. Oleg
has the tools to deliver a breakout 55-point effort, and the downside is our
initial 42-point thought.