Recent Articles written by Dan Berlin

Fantasy or Fiction: Holding Players Accountable in Toronto

Fantasy or Fiction: Holding Players Accountable in TorontoHats off to Toronto sports anchor/reporter Lance Brown, who went down to Maple Leafs practice earlier this week to personally call the players out for their futility over the past two months. Since February 6th, when the Leafs were holding down 7th spot in the...

Fantasy or Fiction: The End of the Line for Brodeur?

Fantasy or Fiction: The End of the Line for Brodeur?Three goals against on 17 shots. Another three allowed – on three attempts – in the shootout. The end result – a 4-3 loss to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice Friday night. Welcome to Martin Brodeur’s world. Six weeks shy of his...

Fantasy or Fiction: The “Day-to-Day” Dilemma

Fantasy or Fiction: The “Day-to-Day” DilemmaIt’s not just the flu that’s going around now. The injury bug is proving to be just as contagious in the NHL this March, with the list of players listed as out day-to-day growing seemingly by the hour. As fantasy GM’s sit with baited breath...

Fantasy or Fiction: Waiver Wire To The Rescue

Fantasy or Fiction: Waiver Wire To The RescueIt’s inevitable. No matter how many shrewd moves you make to build your roster for a deep playoff run, injuries have a real tendency of biting Fantasy GM’s in the ass down the stretch, putting all that hard work, and ultimately the season, in peril....

Fantasy or Fiction: Top 5 Fantasy Busts of 2011-12

Fantasy or Fiction: Top 5 Fantasy Busts of 2011-12Last week, we took a closer look at five of the biggest surprises in this NHL fantasy season, which featured such players as Joffrey Lupul, Radim Vrbata and Brian Elliott. The majority of feedback received from that post focused on a perceived glaring omission from...

Fantasy or Fiction: Top 5 Fantasy Surprises of 2011-12

Fantasy or Fiction: Top 5 Fantasy Surprises of 2011-12I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the key to winning your pool isn’t necessarily tied to you having the best player in the league, the highest quality keepers or even the most consistent goaltending – it’s often about making shrewd selections late...

Fantasy or Fiction: Who Benefits Most From A Trade?

Fantasy or Fiction: Who Benefits Most From A Trade?What a difference a year makes. I don’t know about you, but this fantasy season, I certainly have my fair share of top scorers having “off” years. From keepers like Sidney Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf, to traditionally solid point producers like Rene Bourque and Brooks...

Fantasy or Fiction: Should I Pick Up Sam Gagner?

Fantasy or Fiction: Should I Pick Up Sam Gagner?In fantasy hockey circles this morning, Sam Gagner is trending. Big time. The Edmonton Oilers forward had a night for the ages Thursday at Rexall Place, recording a whopping eight points – 4 goals, 4 assists – in the Oilers 8-4 shellacking of the Blackhawks....

The Fantasy Hockey All-Star Draft

The Fantasy Hockey All-Star DraftThe All-Star game is this weekend meaning Daily Faceoff won’t be entirely relevant for the next couple of days. However, DF Editor-in-Chief Alexander Monaghan and ‘Fantasy or Fiction’ columnist Dan Berlin decided to have some fun with the festivities and select the Fantasy Hockey All...

Fantasy or Fiction: Karlsson Tops List of NHL’s Elite Defensemen

Fantasy or Fiction: Karlsson Tops List of NHL’s Elite DefensemenThe torch has been passed. For the better part of the past two decades, Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom has reigned as the NHL’s best defenseman. But as the surefire Hall-of-Famer finds his career winding down with the Wings in this, his 20th season in the Motor...