Live from London!

and there we have the NHL's opening weekend! did you watch? i actually was only able to catch the opening ceremonies and the first period but i always pick up highlights later. i wasn't able to see game 2 at all.

Mike Camalleri is on pace for 123 goals! how amazing is that? you always hear about guys in baseball taking a run at the HR total after day 1 and it makes me chuckle whenever i see suggestions to go out and sign some schmoe because he got a part time job in the bigs and had a career day on day 1. this however, is not the case. if Mike Camalleri is sitting on your waiver wire then you need to go add him now. go ahead and do that now. i'll wait. done? as a C2 or 3 Cam's a great option. now having said that there's no way that Camalleri should be on a waiver wire, even in an 8 team league.

now i understand that the Ducks are the champs but people have really underestimated this Kings squad this season. they are going to be a high quality, gunning team that will score a bunch of goals. Camalleri and Kopitar are stars, Frolov will head up a support staff that will shoot and give you no break at either end of the ice, Jonathan Bernier will hold the job and do more than an admirable job for them, and the defense corps is the gem on the team. Let's talk about them shall we?

Rob Blake is old but the man can still score. what sort of model could one want for a guy like Jack Johnson? Johnson is going to be a star. he might be the next Scott Stevens, except he'll score more. i couldn't believe that Carolina traded him last season just because they couldn't wait another year for him to develop. if i were a GM when Johnson goes on the market i would've asked what the price tag was and then been willing to pay it. just going on my memory but i believe the Canes got Gleason and a forward for Johnson. surely my Leafs could've submitted an offer better than that? apparently not. i could be wrong about what they got for him though. ok, enough man-love. i also like Preissing on that squad. if the Kings can stay afloat in their division, stay above .500, then it'll be because of significant two way play of defensive forwards and guys like Preissing on this team. and i haven't even gotten to the best D on this whole team, Lubomir Visnovsky. this guy is a star now that hardly gets noticed. he's a top 8 D that you can get a bit later in fantasy drafts than others just because he gets so little print.

enough love for the Kings, i still haven't forgiven them for the Gretz/Gilmour incident in game 3 of the '93 playoffs where a high stick drew blood but Gretz was allowed to stay in the game and scored the winning goal to erase my Leafs from the best playoff year i'd seen in a long time. what do i think about the Ducks? well, watch Bobby Ryan. kid's got skills. he was the 2nd pick in the Sidney Crosby draft. stop and think about the fact that the Ducks almost got Sidney Crosby. imagine what that team would be like now with Sid in tow. Ryan has 50 goal potential down the road, but i think that 20 could be realistic this season if he gets exposure and they're patient bringing him to the fore. i have some concerns for Anaheim's D but not once their captain decides he wants to play again and returns to them. i'm telling people it'll be after Christmas before we see the greater Niedermayer back on the ice, so be patient. will Teemu Selanne return? well, they'll need him but like Nied's, he can wait to decide. i don't see him signing anywhere else so if you can wait til spring to start playing hockey again then why not do so? i don't have either guy on any of my fantasy teams but i understand guys who do add them. i'm just not prepared to wait that long for them. i may wait until December and throw out some low-ball offers to trade for either of them. i doubt they'd be successful though; if you've waited that long then there's now way you deal either of them away in December for a low-ball offer.

the Ducks are going to be led by Chris Pronger for a while now. and make sure you keep an eye on Todd Bertuzzi who i'm expecting to break back out again after some hard, lean years.

highlights from game 2 are 2 assists for Andy McDonald who should break out pretty nicely, a fight in the 2nd period between Scott Thornton and the best porn moustache in hockey, George Parros, and 3 pts (2 goals) for Corey Perry who gelled very nicely with Ryan Getzlaf last season only to find himself with new linemates already this season. all of those guys have fantasy value, depending on what you're looking for.

some guys have already started asking about getting a review of their team and i've been thinking about perhaps being able to do a review/week if i can find the time. i'd have to post info right here in this blog and let you know that it's there. that sound like a good idea to you? if it does then email your info in. if you're reading this then you should already have access to my email.

that's it for today though. i don't know if this'll be a daily thing or not. life is busy as i'm sure it is for everyone.

all the best boys. keep your stick on the ice (as Red Green likes to say).