Bucket of Pucks

Flyer's Ray Emery out 4-6 Weeks with Abdominal Tear, Surgery Wednesday.

After struggling for the past few games, Ray Emery has officially been put on the shelf with an abdominal tear that will require surgery to repair. Emery faces a 4-6 week recovery period after tomorrow's procedure, depending on the outcome.

The Flyers have floundered lately, leading to the firing of head coach John Stevens last week, with former Carolina bench boss Peter Laviolette taking the helm.

Emery was 11-8-1 with a 2.83 GAA and a .901 SV % in 21 appearances in his first season back in the NHL after being banished to the KHL last season after the Ottawa Senators bought the formerly troubled goaltender out of his contract.

For the Fantasy Scoop, join us below the crease...

Waiver Wire Report: NHL Fantasy Free Agents, Week of 11/30

This week's Waiver Wire Report has some holiday fantasy buys.  All these Free Agent treats offer something to improve you team's roster.  Come in and window shop these players and see which ones you'll buy for the holiday season and which ones you'll keep all year round:

Waiver Wire Report: NHL Fantasy Free Agents, Week of 11/9

At the beginning of this past week 110 NHL regulars (or 18% of NHLers) were either on IR or are sick enough to be missing games.  Leading to constant talk about, what seems to be a dramatic rise in injuries to start this first month of the season.  With almost 1 in 5 players out of their lineups, that means most NHL teams have at least a few players effected in some way.

In fantasy terms, this means your own team could be limping badly.  With so many players out, even shallow leagues must be feeling it too.  With that in mind, now is the time to jump on good available free agents since they probably won't last long.

Find some players to sure up you team, after the break:

Quick Hits: Injury Updates, November 2nd: Ovechkin Week to Week!

Concussions seem to be the injury of choice lately, with broken bones accounting for a nice chunk of the IR as well. Still quite amazing there has been this many injuries, although Ottawa General Manager Brian Murray believes size and speed are creating an injury pandemic in the NHL. Perhaps he’s right, as the rise in injuries this year is absolutely astounding. Lots of players returning, so there’s a quick run down of what’s what below the crease:

Waiver Wire Report: NHL Fantasy Free Agents, Week of 10/26

As mentioned in last week's BucketofPucks Quick Hit's NHL Fantasy Injury Report, injuries are starting to pile up at an alarming rate this first month of the season.  Where injuries are a part of every sport, there is a disturbing trend emerging.  That is the increase of concussion related injuries.

In the last few years, there has been a rise in concern and some action related to concussions in most of the major sports.  In hockey alone, we've seen an improvement in head gear for both goalie and skater to better protect players but has that been enough?  In the NFL there has been rule changes penalizing players for blows to the head, not unlike hockey rules relating to stick fouls.  You must always be responsible for your stick, whether it be intensional or not.  With recent injuries to Toews, Tucker, Souray and Booth, it might just be time to consider similar action.

Hits that injure anyone almost always have a debate to them, whether it was dirty and/or intentional.  But with the NHL's "always responsible for your stick" rules in mind, coupled with League offices monitoring all the games for instant replay.  Maybe it's time for the NHL to combine the 2 for a safer game, in an effort to reduce this rising problem.

I watched the replay of Richards hit on Booth and I didn't feel it was dirty.  I did however feel Richards could have made more of an effort to avoid hitting him as he did.  Richards has a bit of a reputation for hitting players in vulnerable positions.  The NHL should look to force players into avoiding these vulnerable hits that expose players.  Whether it been a passing shoulder to the head or a hit forcing a player head first into the boards, like Souray being tripped or Tucker being checked.  What I'm suggesting is have the NHL "War Room" add to it's responsibilities keeping an eye on hits to the head and making players more responsible for their contact.

All this injury talk leads us right into our Waiver Wire picks for the week.  See who we've got on tap for you, after the break:

Waiver Wire Report: NHL Fantasy Free Agents, Week of 10/19

As most teams have played 8 or 9 games into the season, we're starting to get an idea of how teams are starting to shake out.  Although, it's still to early to definitively determine individual players booms or busts, now is the time to take a chance or two with those weaker "back end" of your fantasy roster spots.

So, if you have a roster spot or two that you can open up by either poor production or injury, this weeks Waiver Wire Report has just what you maybe looking for.  Most of the players on this weeks' list are off to a hot start or taking advantage of some injury opportunity.  Over the next 2-4 weeks these players will prove themselves as the real deal or flashes in the pan.  Either way, they could help those in need for the short term and just might surprise you, as permanent fantasy players for your team.

This weeks' Waiver Wire Players after the jump:

Waiver Wire Report: NHL Fantasy Free Agents, Week of 10/12

Injuries are one of the main reasons for fantasy owners to keep a close eye on who's out on their leagues waiver wire.  The first couple of weeks of this years hockey season has only served as a reminder of that.  With injuries, both short-term and long-term, to a number of players a lot of fantasy owners planned to depending on.  Now in a pinch, it's never a bad idea to key on a player that's slotted to replace an injured players spot.  There's always a few unexpected players every season to bloom from replacing a teammate that's gone down with an injury, especially these days with Salary Cap restrictions make trades harder to pull off.

Luckily for the stricken fantasy owner, it's still early in the season.  Meaning there's usually plenty of players out on the waiver ware to replace those players off to a disappointing start or those felled by the injury bug.  Come and see what players are still readily available in more than 50% of public fantasy leagues:

DRAFT: Top Ranked NHL Fantasy Centers

When drafting your fantasy hockey team there are many strategies on how to approach constructing your team.  You may want to start with a goaltender, who many consider the backbone of their team - especially if you're in a league where goalie stats are equal to offensive ones (ie: your standard 5x5 category leagues).  You may choose to draft wingers high, since elite scoring depth at that position isn't as deep as others.  Particularly if you're league designates LW/RW, rather than just the generic F or W.  Maybe you focus your top picks on the defense, stockpiling elite D and filling your roster with solid secondary scorers.  Or perhaps you subscribe to the best player available when it comes around to your turn to select.

Whatever way you go, the center position is undoubtedly the deepest position to draft.  Just look at the last 4 years statistics and you'll find an average of 23 out of the top 50 scorers play the pivot.  This just confirms that most offense goes through a team top centers.  Armed with this knowledge, you can start your draft with some of the best scorers in hockey.  Or you can look for balance on your fantasy team and still know they'll be an elite center to choose from in the 3rd to 5th round.  It also means you can find productive secondary scoring from a center in the mid-late rounds, long after the LW, RW and D have dried up.

With this in mind BucketofPucks has doubled the traditional Top 10 list to 20.  Find out who's there after the jump

DRAFT: Top Ranked NHL Fantasy Hockey Wingers

BucketofPucks gives you it's top ranked wingers to choose from and why we think so.  It's these men that will be anchoring most of your teams fantasy offense this year.  Expect most of them gone by the end of the third round, if not sooner.

Those of you in deeper, more competitive leagues that designate LW and RW, (rather than just the generic wing position) should make note that elite wings are a bit LW heavy, so you may want to consider this point when
drafting.

Top Wings after the jump:

Heatley Traded to San Jose...For REAL This Time...Finally!!

As it turns out ESPN Analyst John Buccigross was right.  Where there's smoke, there is fire.  Although, his timing and details may have been off, the Ottawa Senators were indeed on the verge of trading disgruntled winger Dany Heatley to the San Jose Sharks.

TSN reports the Senators finally pulled the trigger, trading Heatley and a 5th round draft pick to San Jose, in return for wingers Milan Michalek, Johnathan Cheechoo and a 2nd round draft pick.

"I'm excited obviously, I'm excited to be a Shark," Heatley said.  "I want to thank to thank everyone in Ottawa, the organization, the fans and the city.  I had a great four years here and I'm happy to move on."

The trade ends a contentious summer between Heatley's camp and the Ottawa Senators organization, with both sides seeming to make a number of bad judgment calls in the handling of the situation.  From Heatley's agents going public with the trade request, to Ottawa management apparently letting Edmonton's trade offer slip out - in what appeared to be a pressure tactic to get Heatley to agree to a trade they already knew he wouldn't likely to accept.