Fantasy Rewind

The 2006-07 season

by Michael Finewax

April 10, 2020, 9:46 am ET

Updated On: April 10, 2020, 11:16 am ET

The 2006-07 season still saw seven players hit the 100-point plateau as scoring continued in the NHL.

But it was Sid the Kid who took the scoring title for the first time as the 19-year-old beat the 2005-06 Art Ross Trophy winner, Joe Thornton, by six points, 120-114.

The 2006-07 season saw Marc Savard leave Atlanta as an unrestricted free agent and go to Boston. The Bruins got a lot of grief for their decision the previous season as they traded Thornton to San Jose for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart. But keep in mind that there was a severe salary cap of $39 million the season after the lockout and dealing Thornton away allowed the Bruins to ink Savard to a seven-year/$28.15 million deal. Had they not dealt Thornton, Boston would not have been able to afford the Thrasher great. Savard had some big years with Boston, especially this season when he had 22 goals and 96 points. He also had 78 points the following season as well as 88 points in 2008-09 before concussion woes derailed his career. As well, Sturm was a solid player for Boston as he had 20-plus goals in four of the five seasons he suited up for the Bruins. He was a solid two-way player as well. The Bruins also picked up Andrew Ference the following season in a deal for Primeau and Stuart, so despite the perceived bad trade by the Bruins, it really wasn’t too bad at all.

Anyway, that was my rant. Let’s look at the best from 2006-07.

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Best Fantasy Center

Sidney Crosby established himself as the best hockey player in the world this season with 36 goals and 84 assists to win the Art Ross Trophy. The sophomore Crosby chipped in with 60 penalty minutes (down from 110 in his rookie season), and had a plus-10 rating with 250 shots on goal. Crosby also led the league in power play points with 61, a tad more than 50 percent of his point total. He had an outstanding season, and was not only the best center in the NHL but the best player.

Honorable Mention:

Joe Thornton (San Jose) – 22 goals, 92 assists, plus-24, 44 penalty minutes, 10 power play goals, 54 power play points, 213 shots on goal.

Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay) – 52 goals, 56 assists, plus-two, 44 penalty minutes, 16 power play goals, 36 power play points, 339 shots on goal.

Marc Savard (Boston) – 22 goals, 74 assists, minus-19, 96 penalty minutes, 10 power play goals, 49 power play points, 221 shots on goal.

Best Fantasy Right Winger

The Rangers’ Jaromir Jagr had another fabulous season. He dropped from 123 points to 96 with 30 goals and 66 assists, but continued to be strong everywhere with 76 penalty minutes, a plus-26 rating, 41 power play points (albeit with only seven goals) and 324 shots on net. Marian Hossa, Teemu Selanne and Marting St. Louis gave him a run for his money but just fell short of the mark.

Honorable Mention:

Marian Hossa (Atlanta) – 43 goals, 57 assists, plus-18, 49 penalty minutes, 17 power play goals, 44 power play points, 340 shots on goal.

Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa) – 29 goals, 58 assists, plus-42, 42 penalty minutes, seven power play goals, 25 power play points, 240 shots on goal.

Teemu Selanne (Anaheim) – 48 goals, 46 assists, plus-26, 82 penalty minutes, 25 power play goals, 48 power play points, 257 shots on goal.

Best Fantasy Left Winger

Dany Heatley was by far and away the best left winger in 2006-07. He led all with 50 goals and 105 points, had a plus-31 rating with 74 penalty minutes for the Ottawa Senators. In addition, Heatley had 17 power play goals and 39 points with 310 shots on goal. He chipped in with three shorthanded goals as well and had 10 game winners to tie Selanne and Zetterberg for the league-lead. That was back-to-back 50-goal seasons for Heatley who would never score more than 41 again in his career.

Honorable Mention:

Thomas Vanek (Buffalo) – 43 goals, 41 assists, plus-47, 40 penalty minutes, 15 power play goals, 22 power play points, 237 shots on goal.

Alex Ovechkin (Washington) – 46 goals, 46 assists, minus-19, 52 penalty minutes, 16 power play goals, 37 power play points, 392 shots on goal.

Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) – 36 goals, 48 assists, plus-19, 36 penalty minutes, 16 power play goals, 34 power play points, 236 shots on goal.

Best Fantasy Defenseman

Nicklas Lidstrom continued his dominance despite finishing fifth among blueliners with 62 points including 13 goals. But Lidstrom was outstanding elsewhere as well, tying for second in shots on goal with 224, tying for top-spot in plus-minus with a plus-40 rating as well as scoring 10 times and adding 23 assists with the man-advantage. His 46 penalty minutes were adequate enough as he won the Norris Trophy for the second straight year and fifth time in his career.

Honorable Mention:

Sheldon Souray (Montreal)– 26 goals, 38 assists, minus-28, 135 penalty minutes, 19 power play goals, 48 power play points, 224 shots on goal.

Bryan McCabe (Toronto) – 15 goals, 42 assists, plus-three, 115 penalty minutes, 11 power play goals, 34 power play points, 207 shots on goal.

Sergei Gonchar (Pittsburgh) – 13 goals, 54 assists, minus-five, 72 penalty minutes, 10 power play goals, 48 power play points, 191 shots on goal.

Scott Niedermeyer (Anaheim) – 15 goals, 54 assists, plus-six, 86 penalty minutes, nine power play goals, 34 power play points, 172 shots on goal.

Best Fantasy Rookie

Evgeni Malkin showed why he was the second player taken in the 2004 draft as he came over from Russia to lead all rookies with 33 goals and 85 points. Malkin was a force on the power play with 16 goals and 24 assists and had 80 penalty minutes with 242 shots on goal. All-in-all, Malkin was a top-ten fantasy center as well, never mind his rookie status. Surprisingly, Malkin missed only four games that season, a feat he would accomplish only four times in the 14 seasons he has played to date.

Honorable Mention:

Paul Stastny (Colorado) – 28 goals, 50 assists, plus-four, 42 penalty minutes, 11 power play goals, 31 power play points, 185 shots on goal.

Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles) – 20 goals, 41 assists, minus-12, 24 penalty minutes, seven power play goals, 29 power play points, 193 shots on goal.

Wojtek Wolski (Colorado) – 22 goals, 28 assists, plus-two, 14 penalty minutes, seven power play goals, 17 power play points, 165 shots on goal.

Best Fantasy Goaltender

Martin Brodeur returned to the top spot this season as he set an NHL record with 48 wins (since equaled by Braden Holtby in the 2015-16 season). Brodeur was also third best in the NHL in both GAA and save percentage with 2.18 and .922 marks respectively. Roberto Luongo gave him a run for his money with 47 wins and great peripherals as well but it was Brodeur who reigned supreme this season.

Honorable Mention:

Roberto Luongo – (Vancouver) 47-22-6/2.28/.921.

Miikka Kiprusoff – (Calgary) 40-24-9/2.46/.917.

Dominik Hasek (Detroit) – 38-11-6/2.05/.913.

Marty Turco – (Dallas) 38-20-5/2.23/.910.

2006-07 LEADERS

Points

Sidney Crosby – 120

Joe Thornton – 114

Vincent Lecavalier – 108

Dany Heatley – 105

Martin St. Louis – 102