Better Than Nothin' - Fantasy Hockey 2K13

Oh, you didn't think I'd miss out on a season of fantasy hockey just because it's a shortened year, did you? The puck dropped on January 19, and you better believe that TDZ is going to be one Serious Cat to contend with in his rando auction league.

Serious Cat = hax

Click below for a breakdown of all the Mike Ricci-hot bargains and Patrik Stefan-hilarious busts in this truncated fantasy season.


The Ricci's

Jamie Benn - Numero Uno - $2

He's in contract negotiations now as a restricted free agent, but when he'll soon join a line with Jaromir Jagr and Loui Eriksson in Big D and build on his yearly point progression.

Brad Marchand - Ennis the Menace - $1

He may have a reputation as a dirty player, but fantasy trophies don't get smudges. Marchand offers a great combination of PIMs, +/-, and he's improved his point total every year. If he avoids suspensions in this short year, he's going to net a nice ROI. He really is an ass though (proof below).

Milan Lucic - Serious Cat - $6

Imagine Marchand, but even more points and PIMs, and even more of an absolute bastard. He's never leaving my lineup - unless he gets suspended, too.

Nicklas Backstrom - Numero Uno - $9

He's the #1 goalie on one of the most consistently solid defensive teams in the league, only now they've got the offense to earn a few more W's. Considering most starting goalies go for $30+, this guy looks like a total steal.


The Stefan's

Sidney Crosby - Serious Cat - $61

Yep. Before I remembered that the draft was happening, Yahoo autodrafted Cindy Criesby. Now, speaking seriously and not as a Caps homer, I do think Crosby will underwhelm somewhat this year. He's skating on a line with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, who aren't exactly the biggest offensive threats. Assuming he combines with Geno and Neal on the PP, he'll get his points, but I'm not expecting a mind-blowing return like most pundits, and that's what I should get for $61.

I'm back y'all!

Alexander Ovechkin - Numero Uno - $53

Here's what we know: Ovie has declined in production by 20 points each of the past two years. It's natural to ask if he's lost a step (or stride). The Caps have a new coach at the helm, and had but a handful of practices to play in his system. It should take months to adjust their style - oops, the season is over. I'm a fan through and through, but I'm more excited in what he'll do next year.

Eric Staal - MD Maher Maulers - $40

My co-worker Eddie has a great team, but I'm not too thrilled with this buy. Staal is a notoriously slow starter, and considering the season is just a few months long, I'm not seeing the ROI on this one. I had Staal last year, and it took him a solid 3 months before he got back up to a point-per-game pace.

Jonathan Quick - Serious Cat - $52

He ended up being the most expensive goalie in the draft, exceeding even the price tag for Henrik Lundqvist ($50), who is easily the most consistent goalie in the game. Quick doesn't have that track record; he had a hell of a season last year, but you don't buy high. Someone should've told the CPU that before I got to the draft...