Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Carolina Hurricanes Fantasy Hockey Update-Updated Thu afternoon 10/10

October 3, 2013, 9:14 AM ET [0 Comments]
Matt Karash
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The plan is to leave this blog up as a bookmark point specifically for Carolina Hurricanes fantasy hockey updates.

if you missed it, you can find my Canes fantasy hockey season preview HERE.

It might also make sense to follow me on Twitter (@CarolinaMatt63) for random snippets here and there.

Updated Thu afternoon before Caps game.
--Khudobin will get the start.
--It looks unlikely that Ruutu will play.
--At least to start, the lines will be about the same.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon 10/7 night

After 3 points out of 5 in the opening weekend, expect little change roster-wise for Tue's game in Pittsburgh. A couple quick notes:
--Tlusty/EStaal/Semin is not clicking. The day when good lines bust out of short funks is almost always 1 of those huge offensive outbursts, but if you want to play the trend in daily type games, this line is cold.
--Elias Lindholm got banged up in Sunday's game but practiced today and seems likely to play Tue. He is seeing 1st unit power play time which offers potential scoring, but otherwise he is playing with 4th line offensive skill right now and getting 4th line ice time.
--Tuomo Ruutu traveled with the team and is practicing again. Wild guess is that he might still be a little way out but it suddenly seems more like day-to-day than long-term.
--Despite doing well standings-wise, the Canes are not firing on all cylinders offensively. I already mentioned the top line, and the power play is also struggling.
--Best guess (90/10) is that Cam Ward starts in net Tue though I have not seen that officially announced yet.

If anyone is reading this, say hey or something in the comments. Over the next few weeks I would like to try to gauge whether this is of use to anyone or just a waste of my time.

Thanks-Matt

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fri 10/4 after morning skate:
Komisarek and Westgarth stayed after practice for conditioning work, so it looks like the scratches are Gleason, Westgarth and Komisarek. Remember that Ruutu is on IR and out already.

Komisarek and Gleason out means that Murphy is in. I think that he will be sheltered/limited a bit in terms of minutes, but he should see 1st unit power play ice time which obviously leads to potential scoring.

Elias Lindholm: He is a complete wild card for deep leagues. On the one hand, he played only the 1st preseason game forever ago and only started practicing again early this week. I think he will see a limited role and limited ice time in his 1st NHL game. But then on the other hand, he too should see power play ice time possibly with EStaal and Semin and might playing against the most Swedish team in the league including Henrik Zetterberg inspire him? Hard to say what wins out.

Nathan Gerbe: Of the "likely available as a free agent" Canes or cheap players in salary leagues, Gerbe is interesting. He was playing very well and scoring at the end of Canes preseason on the team's best line (granted injuries hampered some of the others) with JStaal/Dwyer. Sometimes there is a bridge from preseason success to the regular season; sometimes there isn't. But if you ask me who is hot coming into the game in terms of offense, he would be my answer.

Roster looks like:
Tlusty/EStaal/Semin
Gerbe/JStaal/Dwyer
Skinner/Nash/Dvorak?
Bowman/Sutter/Lindholm
...though the bottom 2 lines are subject to random shuffling and ice time allocation based on how things go early in tonight's game.

Sekera/Faulk
Hainsey/Bellemore
Harrison/Murphy

Ward in net

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thu--10/3/13--AM
The injury and lineup picture is becoming clearer. As previously reported Gleason and Ruutu are both out for the opener on Fri. Gleason is a concussion, so he it is not clear when he will return. Ruutu is a lower body injury. The information from the team on timeline has been incredibly vague, so I have not idea if this is a week, a month, etc.

The injured forwards (Semin, Skinner, Lindholm) are all back in the team practices and expected to play Friday. Semin and Skinner will hop right back into their regular roles. Lindholm seems more likely to see a real limited role until he settles in, so I would not put him the lineup for fantasy if you have other options.

The bottom 6 has been cobbled together a bit as players have returned from injury, so it is likely to be in flux for the first few games. The top 6 is more likely to stick near-term at least.

If you need a cheap flyer at forward for a daily game, Gerbe was playing really well to finish out camp and might catch some power play scraps on the 2nd unit.

Tlusty/EStaal/Semin
Gerbe/JStaal/Dwyer
Skinner/Nash/Dvorak
Bowman/Sutter/Lindholm

The defense is a little fuzzier. Even minus Gleason, the Canes have 7 defensemen. The thought is that Ryan Murphy could skate in the 3rd pairing or even as a 7th defenseman. If he is in the lineup, he will get power play ice time probably with the first unit, so the potential for scoring is there even is his minutes are limited. It is not clear whether we will know after Friday's morning skate what exactly his role will be Friday night.

Sekera/Faulk (set)
Hainsey/Bellemore
Harrison/Komisarek/Murphy

Who exactly plays with Hainsey might be clearer after today's practice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the Discussion: » 0 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Matt Karash
» Maple Leafs and Hurricanes: Comparison in rebuilding strategies
» Snarly Hurricanes vs. Flyers match up set for Saturday
» Canes treading water - Will they eventually drown or swim?
» Solid first half of week tees 'make up' time at home for the weekend
» Hurricanes at Red Wings -- Canes look claw even for road trip