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Originally Posted by Jabba11
Hey guys, I know it's out of context, but I need some info for my hockey pool.
1) I need to draft defenseman and I was wondering about Ryan Ellis and Jon Blum. We are now at the 11th round of the draft(20 rounds). Do you guys think Ellis will make the team this year, and how many points will Blum put up? The things is, at the point where we are in the draft, the only defenseman that are still tehre, are putting around 30 pts max. I might take a risk on Ellis.
2) Is Sergei Kostitsyn going to be able to top the 50 pts again this year?
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Ellis might start the year off with the team. Whether or not he will play the entire season, or even a good chunk of it, depends on how well he does and if he can stay healthy. He is a small guy, and he does like to mix it up physically. I think he'll be fine, but the possibility of injury should be in the back of your mind as you pick.
I think Blum is capable of 30+ points this year, but he also plays a shutdown role. He's going to be on the ice against the other team's big guns, so he isn't likely to spend as much time on the good side of the puck as someone like Ellis would. With that said, the departure of Franson opens up a slot on the PP. Blum could get that spot. Of course, the departure of SOB opens up a slot on the PK, and I think it's more likely he gets that spot with maybe some limited PP time.
SK should be able to maintain that point total, but I kind of expect him to score more this year. The kid has a very accurate shot, but he doesn't like to use it for whatever reason. I think he'd rather make a beautiful pass to set up a goal than score a beautiful goal himself. He won't have to start the season on the fourth line working his way up, and he won't start the season with a broken toe/foot. Those two things alone point to him being more productive. He is also more familiar with his teammates, and he will have Fisher (probably) centering him this season. Again, health is the major factor here.