There is a lot that goes into running a fantasy hockey team. You draft your squad, maintain it on a daily basis, identify trades and scour the waiver wire for difference makers. If you do it all the right way you can get everyone in your league talking about you. In fact, some may even call great prospecting and harvesting on the waiver wire… Scandella-ous!

Marco Scandella, 21, might not be setting the world on fire yet, but after two games he is primed to make an impact and just might be worth a spot on your roster.

The book on Scandella is one of promise and injury, as the youngster has long tempered the Minnesota Wild's excitement about him by getting himself hurt on a fairly regular basis. Now it is Scandella that is taking advantage of injuries and a suspension to Pierre-Marc Bouchard to put himself in the Wild's line-up daily -- and he is thriving.

The six-foot-three, 208-pound defenseman is blessed with speed, size, strength and the ability to rush the puck -- something that is lacking on the Minnesota blue-line. He showed off all of those skills during the Wild's opening night 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets as he scored a goal, blocked a shot and spent 21:58 on the ice.

Every Monday during the season, goalie specialist and founder of The Goalie Guild Justin Goldman will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy goaltenders in NHL.com's weekly segment: "In the Cage." From updated goalie rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Goldman will be your fantasy goalie expert all season long.

Even though we're only five days into the new season, it's never too early to assess your fantasy goalies, so if there's one piece of advice we can give you for this week, it would be to stay patient with your picks. It's easy to overreact after a starter gets shelled in their first game, but it's wise to give these guys a chance to bounce back. Let them shake off the rust, get into a rhythm and get comfortable in their new surroundings.

All season long, NHL.com’s weekly Fantasy Mailbag will feature the best fantasy hockey-related questions from you, the fans.

Locked into a toss-up in deciding which player to add or drop? Looking for insight on a trade proposal? Look no further than this interactive forum every Saturday during the season for comprehensive analysis on moves that can make or break your fantasy squad.

NHL.com fantasy insider Pete Jensen has your inquiries covered all season long. The most compelling questions posed each week will be answered in an effort to provide you with the best chance to succeed in your particular league.

Submit your best questions for the NHL.com Fantasy Mailbag by contacting PJensen@NHL.com.

The Rangers decision to waive Sean Avery on Tuesday didn't exactly send seismic waves across the fantasy hockey world. The 31-year old left winger only mustered 24 points last season and was expected to play limited minutes on the fourth line if he did crack New York's lineup this season. 
 
With Wednesday afternoon's deadline come and gone, Avery has now officially cleared waivers. Options for him at this point appear to include being assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League or exploring playing possibilities in Europe should the Rangers permit him to do so.
 
Despite Avery's lackluster offensive output, the agitating winger may have registered on some fantasy owners' radars in leagues which count PIMS and hits as categories. Last season, Avery compiled an impressive 174 PIMs while adding 115 hits.  When you consider that he is a bigger name with a greater ability to put the puck on net than your average fourth-liner, Avery could have generated some moderate interest in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, but now, with his NHL career very much in limbo, Avery has become irrelevant in all fantasy formats. If you drafted Avery to add some sandpaper to your lineup it is time to follow the Rangers lead and send him to the waiver wire.

The Nashville Predators assigned defenseman Ryan Ellis to the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals on Monday.  This comes as a bit of a surprise as the former first round pick of the 2009 Draft figured to be in the mix for a spot on the Preds' blueline this season.
 
The news of his demotion is surely a blow to fantasy owners who drafted Ellis or were targeting him in their upcoming drafts. At just 20 years-old and with plenty of offensive potential -- he posted 24 goals and 101 points in just 58 games in the OHL last season -- Ellis was targeted as prime sleeper candidate at the defenseman position heading into this year's campaign.
 
Of course Ellis' demotion to the AHL changes that a bit.  At this point you might want to consider passing on Ellis in your upcoming fantasy draft. If you already drafted him in a deeper league, Ellis may be worth stashing away to see if his stay in Milwaukee may be only a brief one. Otherwise you probably want to consider sending Ellis back to the waiver wire.  

Predicting what might happen never is an easy task. Predicting completely extreme and surprising things to happen is even harder. But this is our shot at that -- a story full of strange, kind of outlandish and audacious fantasy hockey predictions.

Some of these predictions are based on statistics, or changes of scenery, or different line combinations, but most of them are based purely on instinct or a hunch. It's more than likely that you'll think these predictions are unrealistic and doubtful to happen, but that's the point.

We don't want to give you the standard, boring, "you know what you're going to get" information -- we're trying to show you some things that might be unlikely to happen, but we believe they actually are a possibility. Is Alex Ovechkin going to score 30 goals? Of course he is -- he's done it in every season of his career (although last season he definitely gave us a little bit of a scare with just 32). We're here to tell you we think Matt Duchene could score 40.

Take these predictions how you want -- they're here to help you understand that these are players we either really like or don't like too much. When we say Matt Duchene will score 40 goals, we do think it's possible, but even if he doesn't, the point is for you is to know that we think Duchene is going to have a very good season.

Telling fantasy hockey fanatics that injuries are part of the game is just adding insult to their knowledge of that fact. Many -- fantasy hockey team owners, that is -- are still recovering from having to put their lineup studs on the back burner for the better part of the 2010-11 season.

Moreover, given the cutthroat nature of fantasy hockey, many other players have emerged as potential point-producing machines, to the point that the former Mr. Dependables may have left the consciousness of team owners when it comes time to draft new squads.

But here's a reminder: The players who were put on the shelf are recovering -- quite nicely, in fact. Their message: Don't forget about me!

NHL.com fantasy expert Sergei Feldman breaks down the list of players who are poised to bounce back from injuries and reclaim their respective spots on the fantasy hockey throne.

All season long, NHL.com’s weekly Fantasy Mailbag will feature the best fantasy hockey-related questions from you, the fans.

Locked into a toss-up in deciding which player to add or drop? Looking for insight on a trade proposal? Look no further than this interactive forum every Saturday during the season for comprehensive analysis on moves that can make or break your fantasy squad.

NHL.com fantasy insider Pete Jensen has your inquiries covered all season long. The most compelling questions posed each week will be answered in an effort to provide you with the best chance to succeed in your particular league.

Submit your best questions for the NHL.com Fantasy Mailbag by contacting PJensen@NHL.com.

Welcome to NHL.com's "In the Cage" fantasy hockey segment, where each week fantasy insider Justin Goldman will give you an in-depth analysis of fantasy goaltenders. From updated goalie rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Goldman will be your fantasy goalie expert all season long.

With that, here's his opening statement regarding the League's goalkeepers...

When it comes to drafting fantasy goaltenders, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the endless options. You not only have to determine who to select, but when to select them and whether they're worth drafting over other skaters. On top of it all, you only have 60 to 90 seconds to make that crucial decision, one you simply can't afford to rush.