Dobber's Fantasy Hockey Guide - Fully Updated for Shortened Season - updated as of January 10

If you were one of the smart people and chose to ignore the CBA negotiations that have been ongoing for the past several months, kudos. However, with a shortened season on the horizon, you may be scrambling for answers as your hockey pool approaches. The pool guide magazines were all published last summer and are severely out of date. Thankfully, our guide will be completely updated and configured to the 2013 NHL season.

We are taking note of injuries, notoriously strong second half players, players who haven't played in months, and players who have dominated at the AHL level or over in Europe.

As always, we have you covered. Pick up the 2012-13 DobberHockey Guide here.

Read on to find out more about what you have missed in the hockey world, and what the guide contains to help you rule your pool!

The CBA Details:

Added to the bottom of this document (because - do we really care about the details? Hockey is back!)

The DobberHockey Goods:

Unlike the other fantasy hockey gudes that were published last summer, ours has been updated consistently throughout the lockout. Check out more information about the 2012-13 DobberHockey Fantasy Guide here. And this is what we have in store for you to prepare for the shortened season:

• All projections based on 48 to 52 games, depending on schedule. This isn't simply taking a percentage of each 82-game number. Not at all. Injuries need to be considered, prospect performance in the AHL, older players playing better in a shortened year (or worse), etc. Dobber has spent the days leading up to ratification going through each player with a fine-tooth comb. All projections, sleeper notes, rookie charts, injuries will be based on the shortened season and the latest information. Almost every single page of the Guide that was released on August 1 has been changed.

• All blue highlights are removed from the August-December updates. Once the Guide is re-released Monday, January 7, all updates after that date will again be highlighted for you in blue.

• All notes, team-by-team, are being edited to relate to a shorter season.

• A new section in each team, called "Lockout Notes" will show my revised opinion on some players based on how they have done in other leagues.

• Dobber wrote a piece on the impact of a shortened season, in general, on fantasy hockey and on the guide itself.

• Lockout-related revisions to every article.

• Guide will be updated once or twice per day until the puck drops!

Buy the guide here

Included in the guide is a coupon code to get the all new Fantasy Goalie Guide for a measly $4 bucks...

And a goalie guide sampling...

Making Sense of the Shortened Season:

Even though the NHL and its players took the past few months off, we didn't. DobberHockey's writing team is as strong as ever, and some great content has been published in the past few months. Here is a look at some of the most pertinent and useful information as poolies prepare for a very interesting fantasy season ahead.

A Review of the DobberHockey Experts Draft, by Jeff Angus

Fantasy Hockey Mistakes to Avoid, by Jeff Angus

Capped: Proven Players vs. Risks, by Eric Daoust

Capped: Future Bargain Players to Watch, by Eric Daoust

Overruled: To Veto or Not to Veto? By Glen Hoos

Russ Miller of the Eastern Edge Looked at the Top Defensemen and Wingers in the East.

Michael Amato of the Wild West Did the Same for the West. Defensemen, and Some Lockout Beneficiaries

Geek of the Week: Phil Kessel, by Terry Campkin

Holding Court: Will Rinne or Howard Suffer Without Weber and Lidstrom? By Rick Roos

Poker Lessons in Fantasy Hockey, by Rick Roos

Top 100 Roto Players, December 2012, by Gates Imbeau

Here are the Details of the New CBA (as per TSN):

- The players' share of hockey-related revenue will drop from 57 percent to a 50-50 split for all 10 years. 

- The league coming off their demand for a $60 million cap in Year 2, meeting the NHLPA's request to have it at $64.3 million - which was the upper limit from last year's cap. The salary floor in Year 2 will be $44 million.

- The upper limit on the salary cap in the first year is $60 million, but teams can spend up to $70.2 million (all pro-rated). The cap floor will be $44 million.

- The 10-year deal also has an opt-out clause that kicks in after eight years.

- Each team will be allowed two amnesty buyouts that can be used to terminate contracts after this season and next season. The buyouts will count against the players' overall share in revenues, but not the team's salary cap.

- The salary variance on contracts from year to year cannot vary more than 35 per cent and the final year cannot vary more than 50 per cent of the highest year.

- A player contract term limit for free agents will be seven years and eight years for a team signing its own player.

- The draft lottery selection process will change with all 14 teams fully eligible for the first overall pick. The weighting system for each team may remain, but four-spot move restriction will be eliminated.

- Supplemental discipline for players in on-ice incidents will go through NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan first, followed by an appeal process that would go through Bettman. For suspensions of six or more games, a neutral third party will decide if necessary.

- Revenue sharing among teams will spread to $200 million. Additionally, an NHLPA-initiated growth fund of $60 million is included.

- Teams can only walk away from a player in salary arbitration if the award is at least $3.5 million.

- The NHL had hoped to change opening of free agency to July 10, but the players stood firm and it remains July 1 in the new agreement. But with a later ending to the season, free agency for this summer will start at a later date.

Also, a decision on NHL participation at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be made outside of the new CBA. While it is likely that the league will participate, the IIHF and IOC will have discussions with the NHL and Players' Association.

Special Note for all users with a hotmail account - we at DobberHockey are currently getting emails bounced back when we reply to you with a hotmail account. If possible, please send us a second email address to reply to. No, we're not ignoring you - blame hotmail!

Comments (16)

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TeamFoster4 said:

	Draft list Just saw the note that it would be ready in a couple hours. THANKS!!!!
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January 07, 2013
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TeamFoster4 said:

	Draft list to be updated as well? Drafting this weekend for our annual Yahoo H2H League. Any chance the draft list gets updated as well? Thanks for all your hard work to make our fantasy hockey lives easier. It is greatly appreciated.
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January 07, 2013
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fmoriss said:

	... Thank you in advance for the great work Dobber!
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January 07, 2013
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Dakkster said:

	... So I was blind. I'm not surprised. Found it on page 82. Thanks!
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January 07, 2013
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Brosive said:

	... Dobber - thanks for the quick response.. definitely not trying to rush you or anything, just wondering.. also, appreciate all the hard work you do
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January 07, 2013
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Dobber said:

	... Around 7pm I should have the update finished. Easily 50 hours of work over five days - just updating. I've been at this since Thursday!
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January 07, 2013
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Brosive said:

	... when exactly today is the updated guide available?
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January 07, 2013
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Pengwin7 said:

	I am... ...so excited. 7 leagues ready to rock & roll. (One, yet to draft!) Can't wait for the updated guide!
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January 07, 2013
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Dobber said:

	... Sakic - the new version isn't ready yet. It will replace your old version
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January 06, 2013
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Dobber said:

	... Dakkster - goalie guide coupon has been in there for a month now, two pages, can't remmeber them off the top of my head...I think one after the sabres and one after the roto expert league column
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January 06, 2013
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Dakkster said:

	... Will the guide need to be updated before the goalie guide coupon code gets in there, or am I just blind and can't find it right now?
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January 06, 2013
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sakic19 said:

	Link doesn't work I would really love to download the new Fantasy Guide but the link doesn't work and I don't see a new version in my download section. Do I need to re-buy it?
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January 06, 2013
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BKD said:

	How is it Thursday already? This article is dated "Thursday, 06 December 2012 11:13" I know we are anxious to get back to the game...
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January 06, 2013
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Dobber said:

	... Fixed, doulos, thanks for the heads up
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January 06, 2013
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doulos said:

	Link Not Working When I click on the link to buy the guide it seems to be broken.
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January 06, 2013
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Jeremy Campbell said:

	It's a beautiful day!!! Loving this new CBA deal!!!! Can't wait for the signings and trade frenzy to begin once the paperwork is done!!! WElcome back NHL!!! Now give us our free Centre Ice package!!!
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January 06, 2013 | url
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