The Shadowmen

The Shadowmen

L: Sedin,D-Vcr, Franzen-Det, Versteeg-Tor RFA, Whitney, Ray-Phx RFA, Bergfors-Atl P1

Rating 3.5

Sedin gives the penumbra dwellers an elite producer to head the position off, but things get more interesting the rest of the way. Franzen is an absolute monster in the playoffs, but during the regular season his production is down a couple of notches, that and he can never stay healthy to have that 35-40 goal season he seems capable of. Versteeg is an enigma. He flashed some offensive talent in Chicago, scored some timely goals for them while playing with a lot of energy and grit, and he'll get an opportunity to fill top six minutes in Toronto - so the green light is on. That said, he's a tad undersized, and has no track record of elite production at any level and is a mild injury concern because of how he plays. Whitney is still a wizard with the puck, but lacks the high gears he used to have, and he is now clearly playing out the string in Phoenix. Bergfors was among the top scoring rookies last year, and now with Atlanta they'll be asking him to play a bigger role. He can be a decent two-way forward as evidenced by his play in NJ, but is he ready for top line minutes?

C: Carter-Pha, Ribeiro-Dal, Zajac-NJ RFA, Filppula-Det RFA, Burmistrov-Atl P1, Granlund-Min P1

Rating:3

Carter is still a potential 40 goal, ppg pivot, but he has had a lot of downtime the last couple of years, and the clock is running out on him fulfilling his full offensive potential. Ribeiro lost the top dog role to Brad Richards last year and pouted his way through the season. He's undersized and lightweight for the second line role, but he has had ppg seasons in the past so its a gamble worth taking. Zajac lacks a high end top speed, but is otherwise a very good meat-and-potatoes pivot who can do a lot of the heavy lifting for his linemates, and in Jersey he is bound to draw a very good left winger no matter which of the top three lines he commands. Filppula is a responsible two-way center with above average stickhandling, but if he crests 60 points its because Datsyuk and Zetterberg collided and put each other onto long term disability. Burmistrov and Granlund are topnotch offensive prospects who could earn long auditions, but are probably at least a year away from their rookie seasons.

R: Iginla-Cgy FP, Kane-Chi RFA, Simmonds-LA RFA, Frolik-Fla RFA, Nyqvist-Det P1, Tarasenko-StL P1, Tatar-Det P1

Rating: 4.5

Kane gives them an elite gunner to compliment the probably elite production of Iginla. Arguably the best 1-2 puch at RW in the FUNHL. Simmonds is mediocre tough guy who may chip in enough offense to keep his 3rd line role. Frolik has been slowly developing in Florida, but the supporting cast is weak even if he takes a step forward. Nyqvist and Tatar will marinate for at least another year in the Detroit system. Tarasenko has the potential to be very good - even as a rookie, but St Louis is in no hurry with their prospects anymore.

D: Rafalski-Det, Bouweemster-Cgy, Kronwall-Det, Yandle-Phx, Seidenberg-Bos RFA, Stralman-Clb RFA, Coburn-Pha RFA, Russell-Clb RFA, Smith-Det P1

Rating: 3.5

Solid top 4 featuring a mix of offense (Rafalski, Yandle), toughness (Kronwall), and upside (J-Bo). Seidenberg, Stralman, Coburn and Russell will be auditioned for the bottom pair, but all are likely planned WD cuts. Smith is on the Detroit slow-development train, so expect him to spend a year in the AHL learning the Detroit system before he plays an active role.

Goal: Luongo-Vcr FP, Niitymaki-SJ RFA, Schneider-Vcr P1

Rating 5

Bobby-Lu makes this position a real strength for the team and he'll be expected to produce at an FP level. Niitymaki is not an ideal backup given his platoon situation in SJ, but Schneider would be the fill in for Luongo in the event of injury and that locks this position up for the Shadowmen as one of the best netminding situations in the league.

Total = 19.5