My Wildfire Pool Team

Well, I thought I would post the entire draft list round by round... but I don't really feel like it. It seems kinda silly. What I might do though is post teams as we progress through the season. Post the best teams of the week and how they did it... but before the season starts, I feel like posting the Sherpa's Yaks... my team!

Up front is where I concentrated on getting my points, but I did manage to get my goalie in the first few picks. To no real surprise, I picked up some important Canucks. Markus Naslund was my first overall pick and Dan Cloutier was my third pick... I feel that there's a lot of points sitting there for me. Naslund should produce some serious points on the big line and that should be enough to win games for Cloutier. Hoorah!

The other team that I stacked my line-up from was in Ottawa... there is gonna be a lot of points coming from the Senators this year and I feel fortunate to get the guys I did. I managed to pick up Jason Spezza, Martin Havlat & Wade Redden... three guys who will all see power play time. Spezza will be on the Sens top line and after he had his big season in the AHL, he'll be a go-to guy in Ottawa. The chemistry between him and Heatley looks to be better than any high school science fair project.

Marian Gaborik, despite his injury, was still worthy of my 5th pick in the pool. He's generally a Sherpa-favourite from year-to-year and the year I didn't take him, the last one (I think), he was injured through a good portion of the season. Hopefully, he's got his groin problem sorted for the first game of the season against Calgary. I hope he has a big year!

My sixth pick, 5th forward, is Nikolai Zherdev. I expect some good numbers out of the youth in Columbus... despite their probable lack of a winning record. Zherdev, Nash, Brule... all prove to be great scorers in the league this year... and for years to come. That's why I wanted Zherdev now!

My last forward in the draft is another youngster who I have high hopes pinned on... Thomas Vanek. The Hockey News has him pegged at 20 goals this season and that's about where I think he should produce at. Anything more would be a bonus... anything less, wouldn't be terrible... he is a rookie after all.

The youth movement is completed back on the blueline with two future Norris Trophy candidates (in my opinion)... Joni Pitkanen in Philly and Dan Hamhuis in Nashville. Pitkanen is a part of a high-powered Flyer team that should feed from each other and earn points game after game. Hamhuis will be a quarterback of a hard-working Predator power play with the likes of Sullivan and Kariya. Both players are two I've had my eye on and cheer for regardless... so, they're better off on my team.

Markus Naslund, Jason Spezza, Martin Havlat, Marian Gaborik, Nikolai Zherdev & Thomas Vanek up front; Wade Redden, Joni Pitkanen & Dan Hamhuis on my blueline; and Dan Cloutier in net. If I don't win, I'll have a good time cheerin' for 'em.