The NHL’s move to Winnipeg is good news for almost everyone. The notable exceptions are the fans of Atlanta and the poor suckers who will make bad hockey pool selections from Winnipeg’s team next season.
There is nothing wrong with this team or its players. They are as likely to score points as players from any other team.
The issue to be cognisant of here is that Winnipeg players will receive a TON of media coverage between now and fall. They will be given feature articles, photo shoots, TV time, and every other piece of attention worthy of Winnipeg’s big score. However, this surge in media attention will likely not translate into a surge in 2011-12 fantasy hockey point production for the team’s individual players.
Two things that are normally correlated will be separate for Winnipeg’s players heading into 2011-2012: media attention and expected point production.
Beware of chasing Manitoba players in your 2011 drafts. Make the decision now not to overvalue these players.
Of course, the opportunity surrounding the team’s move is that others in your pool will be more likely than normal to spend high picks on players like Byfuglien, Pavelec, and Rob Schremp. By letting them pick up mid-round players with first-round picks, you’ll be free to pick up legitimate first-round players from the other 29 teams who didn’t move this year.
To bait your pool-mates into making bad picks, talk about Winnipeg’s upside potential as much as you like!