Is next years draft being talked up as a deep one or somewhat shallow?

Still a long ways out from draft time, but my team is doing better than I had originally anticipated. Was originally thinking I'd be in the lottery for #1, but think I'll wind up around 10 somewhere.

Just curious is all

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30 Team, 27 Player Capped Keeper. 12F, 6D, 1G Active

Scoring - G, A, PPG/A, +/-, SHG/A, W, SO, (GA bonus's)

F - Couture, Stamkos, Neal, Vermette, M. Koivu, Kulemin, S. Koivu, Schwartz, Gerbe, Sheppard, Cizikas, Galchenyuk (Da Costa, Cousins, Sgarbossa)

D - Hedman, Ellis, Gardiner, Faulk, Irwin, Orlov (De Haan, Sproul, Finn)

G - Varlamov (JS Giguere, Allen)

There is a few high end forwards.

But this draft is VERY deep as far as good defenceman go.

I wouldn't get too caught up in what the "experts" say about who deep/shallow a draft is. Many thought last year's draft was weak yet it looks to be decently deep.

The 2012 draft is supposed to be so amazing, yet a lot of the hyped d-men are already dropping (Nick Ebert, Derrick Pouliot, Jacob Trouba). I'd say the draft will be good for the first and that's about it (like most drafts).

That being said, you should be sitting pretty if you h ave a Top 10 pick.

Agreed. By all reports, more D are likely to be taken in the first round than maybe ever before. Some great young defenders on the rise. But some solid talent in the first up front, too, especially from Europe this year. You've got the three Russians, Nail, Grigorenko and Galchenyuk, some Swedes: Forsberg, Bystrom, Collberg, Samuelsson and Aberg to mention a few. Czech Martin Frk is also interesting me, as well as Finn Terravainen.

Of course impossible to tell who will rise and fall this coming year - a long way to go, but those are a few of the names I've been reading about. Maybe some or most of them will turn up at the WJC for a better look.

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24-Team Keeper League
PTS: G=1, A=1, W=2, SO=5
Starting roster: 6F, 3D, 1G, *Keep 12

F: Spezza, Kovalchuk, Krejci, Franzen, Pacioretty, Steen, Berglund, Erat, PMB
D: Keith, Weber, Visnovsky, Leddy
G: Lundqvist, Harding

16-Team Keeper League
PTS: G=1, A=1, W=2, SO=3
Starting roster: 6F, 4D, 1G, *Keep 12 + 4 on farm
F: Benn, Krejci, Kessel, Skinner, Ryan, Parise, Clowe, C. Smith, Boedker, Leblanc
D: Edler, E Johnson, Campbell, Kronwall, Petry, McDonagh, Hamonic
G: Price, Rask
Farm: Schwartz, Zibanejad, Bjugstad, Dumba

Is Alex Galchenyuk Russian or American? Hockeydb has him listed as born in America, which I'm pretty sure is true... Didn't he also state he wanted to play with the US at the international level? Just curious how much "Russian factor" he actually has, if any at all.

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14 Team Full Keeper - G, A, SO G (1), +- (.2), PIMs (.1), Shots (.05), Wins (2), SO (5)

Forwards: Crosby Giroux Hall Getzlaf Neal Benn Voracek Ryan Pacioretty E Kane Kesler Moulson
Defense: Yandle Enstrom Schultz Edler Carlson Bieksa
Goalies: Rask Luongo
Bench: Hodgson Weiss Little Hanzal Versteeg Stafford Clutterbuck M Staal Petry S. Mason

Top prospects: '13 1st overall Couturier Zucker Kassian Faksa Dumba Lack

Yakupov is going first overall and I can say that with confidence. The other players you'll want to keep tabs on are the following.

Ryan Murray, D, Everett
Alex Galchenyuk, C, Sarnia
Matthew Dumba, D, Red Deer
Mikhail Grigorenko, RW, Quebec
Filip Forsberg, LW, Leksands
Nick Ebert, D, Windsor
Jacob Trouba, D, USHL
Morgan Reilly, D, Moose Jaw
Derick Pouliot, D, Portland
Martin Frk, RW, Halifax

Those are the big names in the draft and what you'll notice is that there is a ton of D depth this year. So many promising young defenders that will go after the top ten.

I hope that helps.

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macv@dobberbaseball.com
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Detroit Red Wings coverage
Twitter- @MacVincent1

Family is from Belarus but Alex was actually born in the Milwaukee, WI (when his dad was playing hockey here). Alex and his family returned to Belarus but later returned to the US where Alex Jr. played competitive hockey in Chicago. Galchenyuk has stated that he will represent USA if given the opportunity (but he is eligible to play for either country). His agent, Igor Larionov, was a big influence in Alex Jr. chosing to play for Team USA.

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Mac has a decent list but he's missing some really good fantasy relevant players including (at this point in time):
- Zemgus Girgensons (F)
- Sebastian Collberg (F)
- Teuvo Teravainen (F)
- Pontus Aberg (F)
- Olli Maatta (D)
- Cody Ceci (D)
- Jordan Schmaltz (D)

I like all of the forwards I listed better than Frk and Maatta, Ceci, Schmaltz are better options at defense than Ebert (who is falling fast) and probably Pouliot too.

Your top ten pick should fetch you a good forward/defenseman

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He's Russian and he's boning Larionov's daughter. That's all you need to know.

Awesome. One of my leagues has a category for "boning ex-NHL's daughters".

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