Dave Bolland and Raffi Torres

[internalprime8]

I was just going to ask how people think Bolland will do this year being moved up to center the 2nd line with Kane and Sharp but I figured I would bundle my other player question about Raffi Torres to save on valuable server hard drive space.

So Bolland. I already picked him up in the LWL Keeper league and I'm wondering what others think about him. I'm not the biggest Hawks fan but I know he is a solid player and a fan favorite who is defensively responsible with a good shot. He's been thrown around on some of the PP lines but being stuck on the 3rd line with little help from his wingers, he's never been a great fantasy option except in deep leagues. He also has had an injury history. But this year they are playing him on the 2nd line with Kane and Sharp. Am I too high on him or is there a consensus that he could be a solid sleeper?

Then there is Raffi Torres. A former 5th overall pick who has consistently been a decent bench player in fantasy leagues due to his high PIMs and Hits while still putting up almost .5 points per game. He has vowed to clean up his game after his 21 game suspension which must draw comparisons to Matt Cooke last year. Cooke made good on his promise and managed to cut down drastically on his PIMs while not hurting his points or hits. Not an improvement from a fantasy perspective but great for Pittsburgh. I guess my question is with Torres, do you think a) will he clean up his game and lower his PIMs and b) will he be able to improve his stats elsewhere to make up for the loss in PIMs? I think Phoenix is the team for him to be able to do it if anywhere so I'd like to think he could be a good option to take a chance on once his suspension is over.

[Rocketman9]

Raffi still misses 8 games, which for me is enough to stay away from him.

[internalprime8]

I wouldn't draft him, I know he is still serving his suspension. I meant as a FA pickup once it's up.

[Cowtown]

A caveat: I'm a 'Hawks fan, so I despise Torres (more for what he did to Seabrook than Hossa, and I like Bolland. But here goes:

Is "suspensions" a scoring category in your league? But as far as fantasy goes, Torres isn't worth the trouble. He's something of a marked man now amongst the officials which mitigates against his normal game role. And I don't think he'll pick up enough scoring points to offset his +/-. Muscle points, maybe, but how many shifts a game would he get, 8? I just don't see him as a net win on the numbers. And you're gonna have to replace him sooner or later anyway, because even if he's not suspended, he'll lose his effectiveness.

Bolland's the kind of player who can't do anything but beat you. So he's been less than an ideal fantasy player that way, but this year he's an excellent post-draft pick up, esp. in a deep league. Quenneville trusts him so he gets a lot of TOI. He'll see some more PP time (he's earned it 12 PPP last year) on the second line. At even strength, I figure Toews' line will usually see the other team's best checkers, so playing with Kane & Sharp should get him a career year for scoring numbers; and he's a PK guy, too (3 SHG last year), and he does pick up some peripheral numbers as well.

[Rocketman9]

I hate Raffi Torres.

[internalprime8]

It's a shame Carcillo keeps getting injured. Quenneville seems to really want him on one of the top 2 lines.

[SGTSteve0]

I was just going to ask how people think Bolland will do this year being moved up to center the 2nd line with Kane and Sharp but I figured I would bundle my other player question about Raffi Torres to save on valuable server hard drive space.

So Bolland. I already picked him up in the LWL Keeper league and I'm wondering what others think about him. I'm not the biggest Hawks fan but I know he is a solid player and a fan favorite who is defensively responsible with a good shot. He's been thrown around on some of the PP lines but being stuck on the 3rd line with little help from his wingers, he's never been a great fantasy option except in deep leagues. He also has had an injury history. But this year they are playing him on the 2nd line with Kane and Sharp. Am I too high on him or is there a consensus that he could be a solid sleeper?

Then there is Raffi Torres. A former 5th overall pick who has consistently been a decent bench player in fantasy leagues due to his high PIMs and Hits while still putting up almost .5 points per game. He has vowed to clean up his game after his 21 game suspension which must draw comparisons to Matt Cooke last year. Cooke made good on his promise and managed to cut down drastically on his PIMs while not hurting his points or hits. Not an improvement from a fantasy perspective but great for Pittsburgh. I guess my question is with Torres, do you think a) will he clean up his game and lower his PIMs and b) will he be able to improve his stats elsewhere to make up for the loss in PIMs? I think Phoenix is the team for him to be able to do it if anywhere so I'd like to think he could be a good option to take a chance on once his suspension is over.

Bolland....

Heres my thoughts on Dave...and he is one of my favorite players...He cannot win a faceoff if his life depended on it. so his tenure as second line center will be short...He may move to LW- (trading with sharp) or Switch with stalberg/shaw on the third line....

However...NO ONE trains harder than bolland on the hawks...its very well documented that he has taken on 2 consecutive offseasons of heavy muscle building and endurance training...if this is the year if pays off, we will find out...but it absolutely isnt for lack of effort.

Bolland also plays with more heart than anyone on the hawks, save toews. He is always the first to defend his teammates on and off the ice...So thats how hes kept his place on this roster amidst all the smaller contract players high turnover rate (kopecky, byfuglien {big contract now}, versteeg, brouwer..and the list goes on and on.

So is this his break out season where he cements his spot? I dont know. He HAS to learn how to win a faceoff. 42% is NOT going to cut it long term. However, if he can hold serve in the circle, i see no reason to not put at least a flag on him and watch...Quinville really likes him.

[SGTSteve0]

As far as torres goes, hes a far cry from the once relevant player on vancouver. He cannot contain himself and next ignorant play hes done for the year...which will take about???? 5-10 games. If you want that one 20PIM game hes a sure bet for one of those before he comes back next year. His 8 suspensions last year (this is exaggerated) will not deal him a kind number this year when he does what he always does. Matt cooke may have turned his game around, however torres simply doesnt have the talent anymore to maintain relevance and follow rules...

[internalprime8]

I didn't realize Bolland blows at faceoffs. When I saw how few faceoff wins he was netting me, I figured he had been moved to the wing or something lol. Oh well, he got me 3 points in his last game.

[SGTSteve0]

I didn't realize Bolland blows at faceoffs. When I saw how few faceoff wins he was netting me, I figured he had been moved to the wing or something lol. Oh well, he got me 3 points in his last game.

He went 10-8 last night and i think thats the first time in a long time ive seen him on the + side of that...

He was 582-621 last year and
455-553 the season before that...maybe hes slowly improving?

All I know if other than Toews, most of the hawks SUCK at faceoffs. Toews is one of if not the best in the league.