The Hockey News Pool Guide

With the Mats Sundin situation still fresh in the news, the possible trades of Bryan McCabe, Jay Bouwmeester and Nikolai Khabibulin on the burner and four teams still sitting below the salary cap floor, it does seem to me that releasing your Hockey Pool Guide may be a little pre-mature in a lot of cases, although the information that the Hockey News provides in theirs is pretty good. Especially when it comes to the rookies who are likely going to make the league in the coming year, although I've already done mine, so I won't have to go through that now.

Absolute predictions from the Hockey News may not be the way to go for your hockey pool draft, but it should give you some indication of where to go when you're in dire need of ideas.

Nothing should come as a big surprise in the top 10 skaters as Sidney Crosby leads the way in the points lead, but Alexander Ovechkin will return to the goal lead with another 60-goal campaign. Eight players are projected to hit the 100-point mark, while four are expected to pop in 50 goals or more.

Interesting points of note: If Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin and Teemu Selanne return for another year, the Hockey News would project them all to be in the top 100 skaters, at 78, 75 & 66 points respectively; Steven Stamkos & Kyle Turris will be in the top 100 skaters as well at 63 & 61 points, with Stamkos eventually taking the the Calder Trophy; Martin Brodeur will return to being the top goalie in goalie points (according to the Sherpa's scoring) at 102 points, with Marc-Andre Fleury and Miikka Kiprusoff not far behind (96 & 92); Fabian Brunnstrom is expected to notch 54 points in Dallas; and finally Nicklas Lidstrom will be the top producing defenseman at 69 points.

I do suggest picking one of these up for hockey pool draft, I know I'll have at least this one sitting with me for others to use at my hockey pool draft on October 7th, but in order to get some homework done, it's a good magazine to use.