Noon Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 9)

The Ottawa Senators skated this morning ahead of their home game against the Chicago Blackhawks, but Matt Duchene was not among those who skated, as he is dealing will a bout of the flu as well.  He was said to be questionable for tonight's game and if he can't go, the Senators will likely go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the game, dressing tough guy Mark Borowiecki in his place.  Duchene, acquired from Colorado in a 3-way deal earlier this season, hasn't quite been the offensive force yet, only picking up 10 points in 26 games since being acquired and he only has 20 points in 40 games between both teams.

Troy's team has made some small strides since the Waiver Draft, seeing his team lift up from 20th to 17th, since the end of Week Nine, but still has some gaps to overcome, if his team is to get any higher.  Duchene is one of those players that needs to improve his game, in order to close those gaps, so hopefully, he's in and can start scoring again.

The surprises keep on coming from the Chicago Blackhawks, as they continue to struggle for consistency these days. The team had already demoted non-pool defenseman Cody Franson on Tuesday morning and now there was confirmation that Brent Seabrook will be a healthy scratch against the Senators tonight.  Seabrook has 1 goal and 11 points in 41 games this season and he also carries a +7 rating in the plus/minus department.  Sure, the scoring levels are down from expectations, but him getting singled out still comes as a shock.  The results tonight will be definitely telling for the Blackhawks.

Wilton opened the week in 3rd place, 13 points out of 1st place, but didn't have much going on in the Columbus/Toronto game last night, much like the other money teams, so that's where his team stayed last night.  Missing out on Seabrook might not be a huge loss, given his production to date, but in the chase for the trophy, you don't want to be missing out on games.