I'm looking to pick up one of the 2 for my hockey pool. Which one do you anticipate having a stronger start to the year? This is for a short-term IR relief...
They'll probably be pretty close points-wise assuming they stay on the same line. You'll get a little bit more PIM out of Stafford. Ennis is the safer choice.
They'll probably be pretty close points-wise assuming they stay on the same line. You'll get a little bit more PIM out of Stafford. Ennis is the safer choice.
They should be real close in points, Ennis is a little more versatile since he has C and LW eligibility, but if you need goals and some more PIMS then Stafford may be a better choice.
I would take Stafford. Until Ennis can put a full season without injury I would stay away from him.
He did play all 82 games his rookie season, and he's only played two seasons thus far, though I know he did get hurt for awhile over in Switzerland this off-season as well.
Ennis also carries dual position eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. If he's providing short-term IR relief, that extra flexibility may be exactly what you're looking for.
The PPs really haven't been announced yet. But, I am guessing he ends up on the 1st unit. That generally will be with Vanek in front of the net and Ehrhoff on one point. Pominville will either be the 3rd forward or other pointman. If Poms is point, it's entirely possible that Grigorenko is the 3rd forward.
The 2nd unit will, in all likelihood, be the Foligno-Ennis-Stafford line with Myers and Leopold on the point.
In camp Hodgson practiced on the first unit which included Vanek, Pominville, and Ehrhoff. Leino was also there but I'm not sure that lasts or if they tried other guys already. I'm quite certain this will be the PP unit they go with unless it doesn't produce. Ennis-Stafford should be expected to stick together on the second unit, which doesn't leave many worthy candidates to replace Hodgson as PP1 center outside of Grigorenko. Grigorenko would probably be used as a PP winger this early in his career, due to the fact he is not proven to be reliable at faceoffs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lush
You guys seriously need a fantasy thread!
Is Hodgson seriously on the top line? Huge sleeper IMHO (van fan here)
Yep. Part of that is he doesn't have much competition (Ennis is the best other candidate and Foligno-Ennis-Stafford is set in stone, particularly Ennis-Stafford) but he also deserves the opportunity. He played a bit with both last year and a lot with Vanek. Vanek-Poms made Luke Adam look like a legitimate top 6 NHL-ready player for a month and Hodgson is a much better fit (better defensively, better hockey IQ). If Hodgson doesn't work there the only two options to replace him are Hecht (great history w/ Poms) and Grigorenko (if he's playing well, that line would be dangerous). Ruff very much wants to groom Hodgson as his reliable top two-way center.
