HabsWorld.net --
Our 2013-14 fantasy series isn’t done just yet as we still need to cover
quite a few players. Rather than doing profiles for the remainder of the
Habs whose fantasy impacts are at best limited, let’s examine the rest of
Montreal’s roster and look at potential situations where some of these players could
become legitimate options for your pool teams depending on what stat categories
need improvement.
D Francis Bouillon: He looks to be in a similar spot as last year,
likely a third pairing defender who would be a candidate to move into the fourth
spot in a pinch. Bouillon doesn’t bring much of anything to the table
offensively but despite his small stature, he was fifth on the team in hits
while also being third on the team in blocked shots in 2012-13. In deep
head-to-head leagues where both hits and blocks are stat categories, he’s worth
monitoring although I wouldn’t use a late pick on him.
G Peter Budaj: The Habs are a team that doesn’t rely on their backup
too often so Budaj’s value is limited more or less as a handcuff to Price in
deep leagues or as a plug-and-play option if he’s announced as a starter enough
in advance. If Price winds up with the starting job in the Sochi Olympics,
Budaj may see a short-term boost shortly thereafter to give the starter some
rest which may make him worth a roster spot at that time.
D Davis Drewiske: His best value to Montreal is that he’s content with
a #7 role, so much so that he took a cheap two year deal. Even when he
does get into the lineup, whether it’s forced by injuries or just to give a
player a night off, there is no reason whatsoever to add him to any fantasy
squad.
D Alexei Emelin: His uncertain injury status puts him on this list
instead of him having his own profile. We now know he’s out until December
but how much longer beyond that is up in the air. Although he showed some
offensive flashes last year, I wouldn’t expect big steps forward in that regard.
However, his physical prowess makes him a worthy IR-stash in leagues that have
hits as a scoring category.
D Josh Gorges: He isn’t going to put up much in the way of points
while his PIM total is low for a defenceman. His greatest value will be in
leagues with blocked shots as a stat category (particularly head-to-head) as he
has consistently been one of the best in the league in that regard the past few
years. Beyond that, he isn’t too important in fantasy despite being an
important piece on the Habs’ blueline.
F Travis Moen: I think some of the grit added around him will actually
help Moen elevate his game this season so I think we’ll see a resurgence in his
physical play and PIM totals. He’s also likely to be a mainstay on the
penalty kill but he’s not worth rostering for a shot at a SHP or two. He’s
not worth drafting but if he does play with the energy he did a few seasons
back, he may be a worth a late week stat-stuffer pickup (hits, PIMS) in head-to-head leagues.
D Douglas Murray: His reputation is that of a big time heavy hitter
even though he hasn’t been a team leader in that category the past couple of
years let alone being among the best in the league. His shot blocking,
however, is underrated and that combined with his physical style of play makes
him an intriguing end of the roster candidate for head-to-head leagues with
those two categories. If your league only has one of those though, it may
be wise to stay away.
F George Parros: He’s always good for adding PIMS (and to a lesser
extent, hits) to a team but his value will be hampered what appears to be a lack
of a regular roster spot for him in the lineup. He’ll play against the
tougher teams but he probably isn’t going to come close to the 70-game plateau,
a milestone he has hit just once the past three full (non-lockout) seasons.
As a result, he’s not really worth stashing at the end of a roster but keep him
in mind when the Habs are set to play certain opponents as a likely fight is a
good shot at getting some near-guaranteed points.
F Ryan White: His repeated instances of going over the edge actually
made him a passable fantasy option last year just for the PIMS while he averaged
just shy of a couple of hits per game. I expect he’ll be kept more in
check this season which should kill his penalty minute value. 4th line
centres rarely have fantasy value and White is no exception.
Players who are potential call-up or end-of-roster options (such as Jarred
Tinordi, Gabriel Dumont, and Christian Thomas) will be covered in the final
article of this series in the coming days.
