Monday Ramblings - Draft Edition (Part Two)

Welcome fantasy managers to another week of the Monday Ramblings. Last week, my co-writer Logan Clarkson gave you part one of our draft edition where he shared the selections he made in a small draft we held a few weeks back. Now, it’s my turn to give you my reasoning/thought process in making my own picks. Let’s get to it!

Ramblings Draft

1 - Connor Hellebuyck / Winnipeg Jets

After graciously giving the first selection over to Logan, I immediately thought of who I would pick second overall. It didn’t take long to land on the reigning Vezina winner, as Hellebuyck has been a workhorse for the Jets over his career. He’s played in excess of 60 games each of the last three years with some impressive numbers, culminating with last year's 37-19-4 record accompanied by a superb 2.39 goals against and .921 save percentage. Elite talent.

2 - Jake Oettinger / Dallas Stars

Selecting Oettinger here was a no-brainer for me as the young netminder has elite talent which still has not reached its ceiling, while playing for a perennial powerhouse in the Dallas Stars. While I will agree that Oettinger’s peripheral numbers did fall off a little last year, his 35 wins were only three shy of the league lead in only 53 starts due to injury/health issues. With another season under his belt, growing confidence and a deep roster in front of him, expect to see Oettinger at the top of the leaderboard all season long.

3 - Andrei Vasilevskiy / Tampa Bay Lightning

I was more than happy to add the two-time Stanley Cup champion in the three spot as I fully expect the Lightning to lean heavily on the “Big Cat” seeing as there is not much to speak of as it relates to the backup role. Hence, we should see a full workload from Tampa’s starter which is certainly beneficial in this particular scoring format (wins/shutouts). The group is not as deep as in years past, however, it’s pretty hard to bet against Vasilevskiy’s pedigree in this spot with the Lightning still owning an array of offensive firepower.

4 - Jeremy Swayman / Boston Bruins

Look, the risk was always there. Now with that being said, I truly never thought that we would find ourselves here. The Bruins have completely fumbled the Swayman file and with each passing day the relationship between player and management becomes even more fractured. Swayman’s talent is undeniable, the roster is again a contender and if both parties can find a way to repair their bruised egos, Swayman’s value skyrockets. Until then, we are in a holding pattern that the Bruins faithful never thought they would be dealing with. Fingers crossed that this gets solved one way or another and in rather quick fashion. Swayman signed with the Bruins on Sunday for 8 years at 8.25M AAV.

5 - Jacob Markstrom / New Jersey Devils

With the offseason changes that were made to the roster, I think the Devils are in for a big bounce back year and a fair bit of it has to do with their acquisition of starting netminder Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey’s achilles heel last year was most certainly in between the pipes as general manager Tom Fitzgerald was more than forthcoming in his attempts to land the Swedish goaltender. With Markstrom now in tow, the additions to beef up the defence and that lethal offense all signs point to New Jersey wreaking havoc on the Metropolitan division and returning to the upper echelons of the NHL.

6 - Pyotr Kochetkov / Carolina Hurricanes

The exuberant young goaltender has got some moxy and certainly does not lack confidence, which has endeared him to the Carolina fanbase. I will admit the risk of a potential timeshare between him and Frederik Andersen but at some point this team will need to turn over the keys to Kochetkov to see what the kid is made of. I'm hedging that transition begins in earnest this year. All that being said, when you combine that with the stingy defensive system that the Hurricanes play, the potential for a huge breakout becomes evidently clear provided that coach Rod Brind’Amour plays ball and moves away from a shared crease.

7 - Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen / Buffalo Sabres

At some point this team needs to take the next step right? The Sabres are a team overflowing with young talent just waiting to pop, however, with a deep Atlantic division it has been an uphill battle to make the postseason for some time now. This year I believe this team is scratching and clawing at one of the final wild card spots and a big reason for that will be the continued growth of its starting netminder - Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The young Finn announced his arrival last year, posting a 27-22-4 record supported by a 2.57 goals against and .910 save percentage while receiving little run support from Buffalo’s 22nd ranked offence. If the team can find a little extra offence, in particular from their abysmal power play, it would go a long way in helping the Sabers take that elusive next step in their progression.

8- Jordan Binnington / St. Louis Blues

This pick may be a bit surprising here, however, I think the Blues could surprise this year and play above expectations. I’ve got a lot of time for how GM Doug Armstrong goes about his business, if he doesn't think his teams have what it takes to make the postseason he’s not afraid to act regardless of what the fanbase may think. In doing so, the team never really hits rock bottom electing more of a retool/refresh when it comes to the teams roster. There is still a lot to like about this group with plenty of offense in the team's top six supported by a reliable defensive group in front of the aforementioned Binnington. It is for this reason that I believe the Blues starting netminder will have a solid if unspectacular 2024-2025 NHL season.

9 - Dustin Wolf / Calgary Flames

Much like the aforementioned Blues, I believe the Flames will also play above their weight and surprise a few people………..that and I may be a little biassed as I have him entrenched as a future star on one of my fantasy teams. That being said, the kid has nothing left to prove at the American Hockey League level and looks ready to take on the challenge that is the NHL. The Flames have a more than adequate NHL roster with the team still employing the likes of Huberdeau/Kadri/Sharangovich/Weegar providing insulation for the team's incoming youth. Now, I’m not saying this team won’t have its struggles over the course of the 2024-2025 season, however, when this season comes to a close i think we may be pleasantly surprised by the team's overall performance.

10 - Joey Daccord / Seattle Kraken

The NHL is a results driven business and if the Seattle Kraken want to take the next step in their evolution it may be time to hand the full time starter’s role to the Massachusetts native. After having posted some very impressive numbers last year going 19-18-11 with a splendid 2.46 goals against and .916 save percentage he more than outplayed incumbent Philipp Grubauer. Regardless of yearly salary, the Kraken would be best served in giving Daccord the opportunity to continue flourishing as the team's undisputed number one goaltender.

11 - Filip Gustavsson / Minnesota Wild

I was quite pleased to land the Wild’s starting netminder here even if he did struggle throughout the 2023-2024 NHL campaign. I am rather confident that Gustavsson is in line for a big bounce back season with a talented roster in front of him as well as the ever calming presence of future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury’s mentorship. If the 26-year old Swede can regain his form from two years ago where he burst onto the scene posting a 22-9-7 record accompanied by a stingy 2.10 goals against and .931 save percentage in only 37 games played, he will have more than outplayed his value at this spot.

12 - Sam Ersson / Philadelphia Flyers

Full transparency here, when making this selection I was under the impression that Logan and I were selecting a starting goaltender from each one of the 32 teams (let that be a lesson to you folks, lay out the ground rules before you excitedly jump into a friendly wager!) Having said that this could end up being quite a sneaky play…………or a massive bust. What Ersson does have going for him is the inside track to the team’s number one role at the outset, how long that last with John Tortorella as your bench boss is anyone’s guess but Torts did praise the youngster last year for his play under what was unforeseen circumstances as it relates to the Carter Hart situation. At worst, he finds himself in a timeshare with the incoming Ivan Fedotov, yet both goaltenders should benefit from the team's overall defensive style of play.

13 - Justus Annunen - Colorado Avalanche

If I may borrow a line from our good friend Darryl Dobbs, He’s been a “Dobber Darling” of mine throughout the summer and a player I targeted in both my fantasy drafts this year (what about Mike’s Must Have? - yep, that’s got a nice ring to it!) Annunen’s solid play in the second half last year led him to a record of 8-4-1 with a very impressive 2.25 goals against and .928 save percentage providing the Avs with much better peripheral numbers than starter Alexander Georgiev’s inflated 3.02 goals against and pedestrian .897 save percentage. If Georgiev’s struggles continue into the 2024-2025 NHL season, do the Avs turn to the 24-year old youngster and give him a bigger piece of the pie? I think they do and Annunen will reward them in spades with his continued strong play

14 - Anthony Stolarz / Toronto Maple Leafs

In continuing with my selection of top backup netminders on strong teams I was pleased with the selection of Stolarz here for the simple fact that Woll has never dealt with a starters workload at the NHL level plus there is an injury history there as well. Combine that with Stolarz strong showing last year with the Florida Panthers, sporting a 16-7-2 record accompanied by a miniscule 2.05 goals against and .925 save percentage albeit in limited action and one can see the sneaky value that he provides. If Woll has any prolonged struggles, I do not think it will take Berube long to turn to the experienced backup to right the ship in the Leafs crease.

15 - Arturs Silovs / Vancouver Canucks —---- Alexander Georgiev / Colorado Avalanche

My original selection was the Canucks defacto number one with starter Thatcher Demko still on the mend and was quite happy in doing so. That is until Logan and I thought it fair to level the playing field out a bit due to him having the first overall selection. So as my co-writer mentioned last week I had the opportunity to select one of his top five picks and decided to handcuff the Avalanche goaltending by snagging last year's wins leader in Alexander Georgiev. Needless to say I am quite happy with securing any Colorado victory and shutout for the entirety of the 2024-2025 NHL season. Don’t feel too bad for Logan folks, he certainly made the right move in handcuffing Silovs to his earlier selection of Demko while also securing a starting netminder in return for losing Georgiev, at least until Demko’s eventual return.

16 - Spencer Knight / Florida Panthers

I really like this selection as my last pick in the Ramblings Goalie Draft. You can’t help but get behind the kid in what is sure to be a triumphant return to the NHL from his stint two years ago in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He made a successful return to the Panthers organization with their AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers for the 2023-2024 season, then promptly went out and fashioned a 24-14-5 record with a solid 2.41 goals against and .905 save percentage as the Checkers undisputed number one. Knight is back in the NHL again as the defending Stanley Cup Champions full time backup and to say that the youngster is highly motivated would be a sizable understatement.

There you have it folks, our full Ramblings draft results in all its glory. Logan and I will have a mid-season check in as well as an end of season breakdown of how we both fared in relation to our simple scoring system consisting of only wins and shoutouts. I hope everyone enjoyed the teaser that was the NHL Global Series between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils as we all look forward to this week where the rest of the league will get in on the action!

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See you all again next Monday!