Fantasy Hockey: Bruins players that will be HOT or NOT this season (#1)

Jun 22, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman

(33) celebrates with center

(46) after scoring a goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period in game five of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Hockey is right around the corner. Most of us are in one (or more) fantasy league with co-workers or on-line, and it’s never too early to take a look at Bruins players that will be desirable in your league.  So, we’re going to do another quick series of players that you’ll want to pick up, players you might be on the fence with and players you’ll just hope they do well on the ice (but not put them on your roster).

I thought we would start with the blueliners. While on average, defensemen don’t score all the points for your fantasy squad, some of them drop impressive numbers.

HOT: Zdeno Chara. Sure, Zdeno is getting up there in years. He’s still a monster on the ice though, and having a great fantasy season will mean adding the biggest man in hockey to your roster.  He had seven goals and nineteen points last season. His +14 on the plus/minus will be benefitial to those who have that in their leagues, and if your league tracks points for ice time, then his usual twenty five minutes plus on the ice is a boon for those of you looking for an ice warrior. He put up seventy minutes in penalties as well, for those of you whose leagues give credit for time served in the sin bin. Chara’s still the captain, and will throw out another good season for the Bruins.

NOT: Johnny Boychuk. While Boychuk is one of my favorite players, I won’t be scrambling to score him early in my fantasy team. Why? In my leagues, we do factor in penalty minutes. (Which makes players like Shawn Thornton highly coveted.) Boychuk plays good, clean, hockey. He only had twelve minutes in penalties. He’s a beast on the ice, but had a rough go of lighting the lamp in the regular season(one goal and five assists).

HOT: Torey Krug. This kid came out of nowhere to become one of our heroes of the postseason. He’s been working out all summer, and he’s getting bigger and he understands his role as a NHL blueliner. “It’s been a lot better this summer,” said Krug in an interview with BostonBruins.com “Because now I have a full year of  professional hockey under my belt and I understand the ins and outs of  the pro hockey lifestyle. So I know what’s important and I know what  actually isn’t as important to make sure I’m ready for the season.” He’s only going to get better and should be a good higher round grab for you.

As the next few days pass, we’re going to look at all the positions and hopefully give you solid recommendations on who to/not to pick for the 2013-14 Fantasy Hockey Draft.