Sep 04 Fantasy NHL - Western Forwards

Written by Gary "Rumble" Whittaker. Posted in Podcasts - Spotlight Montreal

In getting ready for the 2011-2012 NHL season, we brought in McKeen's Hockey Pro Scouting Coordinator Gus Katsaros to break down some of the major players, breakthroughs and sleepers out of the Western Conference. Some of the topics tackled were:

Rotislav Olesz has always been known as a talented player but an underachiever in Florida. Does he take a big step forward with a much better Chicago team?
- Colorado drafted Gabriel Landeskog considered by many as the most NHL-ready draft pick at the last draft. Do you think he sticks with the Avalanche and is he projected to put-up some points?
- Columbus made a big splash with the Jeff Carter trade, picking him up to help out Rick Nash but with both of them being mostly finishers, will this work out as well as Colombus hoped? At the end of the day, can a Derrick Brassard or Vinnie Prospal be the big beneficiaries of that trade?
- Is Michael Ryder a good fit in Dallas? Can he rediscover his game a little there?
- What are the odds, in your opinion that 1^st overall pick at the last NHL entry draft Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sticks with the team? Can a Sam Gagner rediscover his offensive touch with the Oilers or is he in real trouble of being passed-over?
- Is Mike Richards a good fit with the Kings? Will the team regret trading for Dustin Penner?
- 2 Quebec players, Latendresse and Bouchard, will be back in the Minnesota Wild lineup after missing a lot of time due to injuries. Can they make a real impact for their team or is that expecting too much of them?
- Marin Hvlat is joining an stacked bunch of forwards in San Jose. Will that make a real difference in terms of stats for him? Can former 1^st round pick James Sheppard save his career in San Jose?