Tim Connoly - Marian Havorik All-Star

Tim Connolly is quickly becoming the Vince Carter of the NHL.

Connolly was the center piece of the Mike Peca trade with the Islanders. He started off his career fairly slowly but seemed to have made the fantasy leap in 2006. After scoring the game winner against the Sens in Game One, Connolly was about to make his descent to Marian Havorik All-Star. In Game Two he kept his head down and was lit up by Peter Schaefer of the Senators. Connolly has played 55 games since.

Where he becomes a fantasy pariah is his 47 points in those 55 games.

Year after year desperate owners grab him in hopes of unearthing an injured gem, making them smarter than the owner who tried it they year before, and the owner who learned the year before that owner, etc etc.

Once again comes word that Connolly has left a game with an upper body injury suffered from a hit by Keith Tkachuk. Congratulations Mr. Connolly on your nomination, you have earned it. You now join fellow members Martin Havlat, Marian Gaborik and Kari Lehtonen.

The Links - November 3, 2008

Looks like the Rick Nash experiment at center is over. RJ Umberger has been moved back up to the top line to remove any pressure from the club's leading scorer, rookie Derrick Brassard. The Columbus staff wants to remove Brassard from the pressure of opposition's top checking units. Brassard will remain with Voracek and Chimera, if the Jackets want to retain Rick Nash past next season, they need to put pretty boy with Nash soon.

Is Ilya Kovalchuk on the move? Rumblings are beginning in Atlanta that Ilya Kovalchuk is tired of playing for a piss poor franchise and wants out. I would love to say that it is unlikely that he is traded, but we are talking about Don Waddel here. The same guy who in the last two seasons has unloaded Braydon Coburn and Marian Hossa for Alexei Zhitnik, Colby Armstron, Erik Christensen and Angelo Esposito. One of the rumours is Toronto, a package of Grabovski, Ian White and Robbie Earl sounds just about right for Waddell.

I always love when a player flies out of the gates and people lose their minds in praise. We have Alexander Semin exploding out of the gate and taking shots at Sidney Crosby.

Now we have the inevitable is Semin better than Ovechkin argument. Does everybody forget WTF just happened 4 months ago? Since when does 10 games put you in the same class as somebody who has done it for three seasons, owns a Calder trophy and an MVP all at the age of 23? Can we get the guy who wrote this into my pool, trade him Ovechkin and allow me to trade Semin to him? Can we make this happen?

Perusing the stats this morning it occurs to me that three goalie's have started every game this season. Martin Brodeur, Miikka Kiprusoff and Jason Labarbera?? Finally somebody in LA has come to their senses and is giving Erik Ersberg a chance?

Alex Goligoski is the new Zarley Zalapski!! High praise indeed. If only he can match Zalapski's feat of playing for 15 professional teams in his career. Aim high Alex!!

Larry Brooks letting out some frustration in regards to the usage of Scott Gomez. He definitely has a point. Why pay a guy 6M+ per season and play him with Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan. Can you throw the guy a bone and line him up with Naslund and Zherdev?

Poor Henrik Zetterberg, Hossa and Datysuk seem to be soul mates and he seems to be spinning his wheel with his second choice.

Interesting tidbits from Eric Duhatschek. Mikko Koivu is breathing some rarified air. His start to the season has placed him in elite company including Gretzky, Oates, Jagr, Forsberg and the great Mario Lemieux. Also for those fantasy enthusiasts impressed with Tim Thomas' back to back 1-0 shutouts, it has only been done ONCE before in NHL history.....by future Hall of Famer Craig Anderson. Newsflash, Thomas still sucks.