Remarkable 2009-10 Fantasy Seasons: Part 3
Matt is covering the forgettable 2009-10 fantasy campaigns, so I am going to look at some guys who really surpassed expectations this season and hopefully helped deliver your team a fantasy title. This is part 2.
Tomas Plekanec
O-Rank: 200, Final Rank: 46
After an off-year in which he recorded only 39 points in 80 games, Plekanec really picked his game up in 2009-10 and was by far the Habs leading scorer with 70 points. Add in 50 PIMS and 24 PPP and you have yourself a productive fantasy player. However, I would caution against over-drafting him next year. He is turning 28 in October, and only has two 50+ seasons to his name. People are likely going to be drafting him as a strong #2 center when he will probably only be an average #2 or strong #3 option at the position.
Drew Doughty
O-Rank: 214: Final Rank: 52
Like the man drafted ahead of him in the 2008 draft, Doughty completely dismissed the theory of a sophomore slump. He was third in defensive scoring with 59 points and ranked second to only Mike Green for PPP by a defenceman. As such, I would not be surprised to see him as the second defenceman off the board next year, although Keith, Pronger and Boyle will challenge for that honour as well. You can’t go wrong with any of those guys, but at this point Doughty probably has the biggest upside.
Rene Bourque
O-Rank: 213: Final Rank: 63
After a strong rookie season in 2005-06, Bourque pretty much fell off the map before emerging as a legitimate fantasy force with the Flames the last two seasons. In that span, he has averaged .75 PPG, a+25 rating and 158 PIMS. I wouldn’t expect anything more than that as he has probably already reached his peak. I am also unsure about the quality of Calgary’s lineup next year as Iginla is starting to lose a step and there are not really any other impact players. This could hurt Bourque’s value, although it is too early to comment as a lot can change at the draft and in free agency.
Chris Stewart
O-Rank: 215: Final Rank: 65
Stewart was probably one of the biggest surprises for me this year. He jumped from an awful 19 point, -18 campaign in 2008-09 with a brutal Avalanche team to a 64 point, +4 season for a playoff bound team. I really have no idea what to expect from him next year, as it depends how the Avalanche utilize him. If he is the recipient of some more PP time, 70 points is not out of the question.
Jonathan Quick
O-Rank: 160: Final Rank: 96
Jonathan Quick was my favourite fantasy player this year. I picked him up off waivers at the start of the year, rode him for most of the season, and then unloaded him at our trade deadline on March 12th, after which he only won four games. That end of season performance is a major red flag for next year. Quick started 72 games, and was obviously worn down by the end of the year; he only posted four games with a save percentage above .900 in his last fifteen starts. His end of season GAA and SV% were also worse than the year before. He can still be a valuable asset next year, but is definitely on my at-risk list.