ESPN Fantasy Hockey Blog

Posted by John Pereira, Special to ESPN.com

Happy turkey day, or in my case, Tofurky day.

I must admit, as a Canadian I am a bit envious of my neighbors to the south on this day, simply because while I go to work today, they eat, drink and watch football. In my best effort to write a festive blog, I will take a page out of my dear mother's holiday book and, just like when I was young, make a list of what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Alex Ovechkin. In fact, I'm tired of all the debate. Yes, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are fantastic, but Ovechkin simply is the best player in the world. If I were building a franchise (in fantasy or in real life), I'd take Ovechkin every single time. Despite the fact that the Washington Capitals were missing a handful of players Wednesday, Ovechkin needed only a little more than one period to record his sixth career hat trick in a win over Atlanta. "Alexander the Gr8" is now riding a nine-game point streak.

I am thankful for Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. How many of us are leading in our fantasy leagues right now because we were able to snag Thomas in the late rounds of our drafts? I took him in the 18th round of the ESPN draft kit mock draft and haven't stopped smiling yet. The Bruins and Thomas lost to the struggling Sabres on Wednesday 3-2, but Thomas' goals-against average still stands at an unbelievable 1.88 … and he's not even on the All-Star ballot.

I am thankful for the addition of hits and blocked shots to fantasy leagues. What better way to reflect the true grittiness that NHL players display on a nightly basis? The PIM (penalties in minutes) statistic often forces fantasy owners to carry dead-weight players such as Eric Godard or Colton Orr just to make a dent in the category. In a league where you use hits, players like Milan Lucic and Dustin Brown are elevated to the level of man-crush for many owners.

I am thankful for Sean Avery. NHL players are a boring breed and can be tough to cover from a journalistic point of view. Not Avery. You'll never ask him a question and get an answer that includes "110 percent" or "we left it all on the ice." Avery will tell you exactly what he is thinking, and deep down we all love that. We also love that if you do use penalty minutes in your league, he's the man to own. He's leading the NHL in that category, and remember, he can score too. He is a good candidate to target in a trade, as his owner must be feeling somewhat frustrated due to his current lack of offense. Make an offer for him; he will eventually start scoring, he just needs to find his game in Dallas.

I am thankful for Brian Burke, whom the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly close to hiring as a GM. Yes, I am a Maple Leafs fan.

I am thankful for Shea Weber. Seriously, who saw his breakout season coming? With an average draft position of 201st, obviously not many of us. Weber is the top-rated fantasy defenseman as we speak and has proven to be a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate. He's on pace for an 82-point season, which would more than double his career-best season of 40 points.

I am thankful for Todd McLellan. San Jose's rookie bench boss has worked magic with the Sharks and has created possibly the best line in the NHL. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi have been tearing up the opposition and are all ranked among the top 25 fantasy players this season. That, of course, doesn't mean much for Thornton, because we knew he was going to be this good. But for those who drafted Marleau after a down season, or those who plucked Setoguchi late in their draft or off free agency, this is fantastic. All three had at least one point in the Sharks' overtime win over the Blackhawks on Wednesday.

And finally, I am thankful for fantasy hockey in general. The long winter would be much less interesting without the ability to play general manager and pick through the box scores every morning in an effort to gain bragging rights over your friends, colleagues and family.

Ice Chips…

Don't be surprised to see Thomas Vanek's production dip a little over the next few days. Vanek missed half of the second period Wednesday after Milan Lucic hit him into the boards. Vanek suffered a bruised leg but did return for the third period. It is a situation worth monitoring. … Karl Alzner proved to be quite steady in first NHL game. Alzner was called up by the Capitals as a fill-in on their injury-riddled roster. The fifth overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft has been a standout defender in the juniors and will one day be an impact NHL defenseman. Keep an eye on his progress as he might be worth a pickup in a deeper league. … Evgeni Malkin picked up a hat trick in the third period to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a comeback win over the New York Islanders. He now has 18 points in November alone. … Bad news for Olli Jokinen owners. The big Finn injured his shoulder in the first period and is now listed as day-to-day. Coach Wayne Gretzky said after the game that he didn't know how long Jokinen would be out of the lineup. … The Big Apple is certainly treating Markus Naslund well. He scored both goals in the Rangers' win over Tampa Bay. He's more than on pace to improve on last season's disappointing 55-point effort in Vancouver. … With Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo both out because of injuries, Henrik Lundqvist continues to make his case as a Vezina Trophy finalist. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in the win over Tampa Bay. His goals-against average is down to 2.08. … Devils goalie Scott Clemmensen is working hard to keep his job as a fill-in starter in New Jersey. He won his fourth straight start with a 36-save performance over Florida. Clemmensen is owned in only 4 percent of ESPN leagues and could be worth a roster spot if you are desperate for a goalie in the short term. … Johan Franzen continues to make a name for himself as an elite goal scorer in Detroit. He scored his 10th goal of the season on Wednesday despite playing in just his 16th game of the season. … Montreal winger Alex Tanguay could miss some time with a sore neck. He is listed as day-to-day after being checked by Brad Stuart in the first period of the Canadiens' win over Detroit. … Despite his surprising production early this season, Dallas winger Loui Eriksson remains available in more than 90 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. The 23-year-old has 10 goals and seven assists and is worth a look in deeper leagues. He had three points in a win over Minnesota. … Let Wednesday's win over St. Louis be example No. 1 why Peter Budaj is so frustrating to own. Budaj looked great in stopping 21 of 22 shots in Colorado's 3-1 victory. He has the potential to be a solid fantasy option, it's just that for every one or two good starts, he puts up a stinker. … Los Angeles center Patrick O'Sullivan is showing signs of coming out of that horrific scoring drought. After going 11 games without a goal, he has scored in three of his past four games. I think it might finally be safe to move him off your bench and into your starting roster.