Some More Yahoo Rankings

I finally found a bit of time to go onto the Yahoo site last night to set some pre-draft rankings. In my last post, I was looking strictly at players way down the list that could provide much higher payoffs than their rankings would project. This time, I'm going to focus on the early-round picks: both players that should be ranked higher or lower. After all, remember the year when Yahoo ranked Bobby Ryan #9? I mean, Ryan is a good player and all, but he has never done anything to justify that ranking. (In case you're wondering, Yahoo has the new Senator ranked at #41 this season, a ranking that I believe is fair.)

Raise them up

Claude Giroux, C/RW, PHI (16): If Giroux is able to return from his freak hand injury as early as Tuesday (still the preseason), shouldn't you bump him up a little? If he starts the season on time, the point-per-game scorer is easily worth a top 10 pick. (Philly.com)

Corey Perry, RW, ANA (23): Perry was a top-10 pick and 50-goal scorer not so long ago. Although I'm not saying he will reach those number again this season, he should be counted on for at least 30 goals and 100 penalty minutes again. That should at least move him up a little.

Erik Karlsson, D, OTT (32): If P.K. Subban is ranked #17, shouldn't Karlsson be ranked higher? I'm not necessarily saying Subban should be ranked lower. The last two Norris Trophy winners, who you can count on for near point-per-game numbers, should be ranked a little closer together. Like Giroux, an injury pushes Karlsson down the rankings. For the same reason, perhaps Kris Letang (35) could be ranked higher too.

Roberto Luongo, G, VAN (50): All you 7uongo fans will laugh at me, I'm sure. But Luongo's regular season numbers are always better than his playoff numbers. In addition, he won't be challenged for starts by anyone this season. I'd certainly rank him higher than Braden Holtby or Marc-Andre Fleury, which Yahoo has not done.

Logan Couture, C/LW, SJ (81): Couture is the future franchise player for the Sharks. Scoring 21 goals in 48 games is a notable accomplishment. Left wing is the thinnest of the forward positions, so he is valuable if he holds onto that eligibility.

Lower them down

Craig Anderson, G, OTT (21): I loved picking Anderson when he was ranked something like 140. On that note, picking him at that spot helped me win the Experts League last season. But I get the feeling that he will only disappoint if you draft him this high. Like he does every year, he will probably face a million shots, and you'll have to hope that only a few of them go in.

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, CBJ (24): Remember that it wasn't so long ago that it was wrong to go near any Columbus goalie in fantasy? I guess I'm not quite as big a fan of Bobrovsky as Jay Onrait. He will probably get drafted this high anyway, since the goalie run in most drafts starts fairly early.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, EDM (63): The latest news on the Nuge is the seven-year contract that he signed with the Oils. However, don't forget that he is expected to miss the first month of the season following offseason shoulder surgery.

Derek Stepan, C, NYR (72): I usually lower contract holdout players for the same reason that I lower injured players. Although Stepan was a near point-per-game scorer last season (44 points), Darren Dreger doesn't seem to think that the contract will be ready in time for the season opener.

Did I miss any players? Do you agree/disagree with my choices? Feel free to comment below.