Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

The Ottawa Citizen speculates that the optimism for fans of the Senators comes on two fronts. Summed up in brief, the article basically spells it out as such:

First, GM Bryan Murray and coach Cory Clouston have to hope for more consistency and better health from veteran forwards Jason Spezza (moving past the summer drama and perhaps aided by offensive defenceman Sergei Gonchar's presence), Alex Kovalev (always an enigma, but in the last year of his current contract and potentially playing for his last decent payday) and left-winger Milan Michalek (still only 25 and last year was really the only NHL campaign where he had limited GP due to injury), along with goaltender Pascal Leclaire (his bad luck has to end sometime, doesn't it?).

Second, the organization believes a younger cast, including forwards Peter Regin (strong late in season and playoffs), Zack Smith (inside track on a fourth line job at training camp), defencemen Erik Karlsson (his poise grew with his GP total and learning from Gonchar can only help), Jared Cowen (pushing for an NHL job with his physical style and that could allow the dealing of another defenceman) and Patrick Wiercioch, along with goaltender Robin Lehner (potentially this team's netminder of the future), can push for significant roles, creating a more competitive environment for ice time within the team.

In fantasy terms, it'll clearly be the usual standbys of Daniel Alfredsson, Spezza and Gonchar on whom poolies can rely for production.

Kovalev's consistency issues are maddening for fans and poolies alike, but he's still a late-rounder that has more upside as a bench winger than most options you'll have. His PIM contributions help in standard leagues as well. Like Spezza and every Ottawa forward in the top six, Gonchar's regular strength and power play presence should help create more offensive opportunities.

Michalek has the potential to be a 30-goal scorer in this league, but he still really hasn't come close enough to matching his rookie season success of 66 points back in '06-7. Again though, he's still young and he should also have a strong line assignment.

Karlsson could become a late round steal for fantasy leaguers in single season leagues and his keeper league value is fairly strong overall. The Swede's '10-11 projections will depend on how the Ottawa power play lines up and where Filip Kuba fits into the equation. Like more teams, PP2 will not be nearly as strong of an option as PP1 and the fallout of those assignments will determine point possibilities. In terms of raw promise though, remember we're talking about a kid in Karlsson who finished up the regular season with 12 points in his final 10 GP (six via the power play) and who posted six points in six playoff games last spring (three different two-point efforts). His skill-set is the real deal and it pained me greatly to have to part with him in my deep keeper league last year in a multi-player deal to land the aging Chris Pronger. That trade was one factor that helped bring me another championship though, maybe that'll ease the sting as Karlsson piles up the points over the next decade.

With UFA-to-be Leclaire skating into the last year of his contract ($4.8M in actual salary with a $3.8M cap hit) and with Brian Elliott playing out the final season of his deal before becoming an RFA, we may be just one season away from seeing Lehner earning a back-up role and perhaps even challenging for the starting job on this roster. Elliott has done a respectable job to date and ideally he'll continue to show improvement, but Lehner seems to have that high-end potential.

MASON'S STRONG SUMMER
According to The Columbus Dispatch, all indications are that Steve Mason is having a strong summer on the conditioning front. Goaltending coach Dave Rook said his longtime student has trimmed down and will arrive at camp in the best shape of his three-year pro career.

"He is putting in the work and has shown a lot of dedication," Rook said. "I'm not a fitness guru, but Steve has a lot more definition to his body."

GM Scott Howson said Mason's condition was a topic in the team's exit interviews. The goalie has spent part of his summer working out with captain Rick Nash and former Jackets winger Raffi Torres.

Last season obviously didn't go too well for the team or the former Calder winner. The Dispatch notes that the Jackets followed his lead to a 14th-place finish in the Western Conference.

"Goaltending is your lifeblood," first-year coach Scott Arniel said. "Good goaltending gives you a chance to make the playoffs. I don't think Steve got off to the start he hoped for and he had to work very hard to get back his game in the final third of the season."

Mason was 33-20-7 in his rookie year with stellar 2.29/ .916 splits and 10 shutouts, but fell to 20-26-9 with a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV% with five shutouts in his sophomore campaign.

The article points out that he did make strides in the season's final two months, posting a 2.57 GAA and .923 SV%. Beyond showing more maturity in dealing with adversity, Mason made progress in three technical areas: challenging shooters, handling the puck and remaining patient and upright when the play was behind the net.

The Jackets want to see continued growth, however. Howson has not yet spoken to Mason's representatives about a contract extension. Mason is in the last year of his entry-level deal.

"You look at Steve's numbers over the final few months and, with the exception of three or four games, he played pretty well," Howson said. "But he still has a lot to prove. Nobody is going to say he's back until he does it for a length of time."

The team is confident headed into next season with Mathieu Garon backing up Mason though. He's slated to start 20-25 games in '10-11 after starting 27 last year with a 12-9-6 mark and 2.81/ .903 peripherals. He also had two shutouts.

"Anytime your backup is better than .500 on a team below .500, he's had a very good year," Howson said. "If Steve were to get hurt, we're confident Mathieu could carry the ball for a month."

Swedish import Gustav Wesslau, 25, is expected to receive most of the workload in minor-league Springfield. The 6-4 netminder helped his club reach the Swedish Elite League final last season. The Jackets also added journeyman David LeNeveu, who played last season in Austria.

NIEMI NOT BITTER
Normally winning a Stanley Cup would tend to heighten a goaltender's fantasy value. In the case of Antti Niemi, the way the summer has unfolded has only sent him into a sea of obscurity... at least temporarily.

The Chicago Tribune writes that if you still have a hard time accepting the salary-cap machinations two weeks ago that resulted in Niemi becoming an ex-Blackhawk, you're not the only one.

"I thought it would get worked out all along and never really thought it wouldn't," Niemi said. "And then when it happened and they signed (Marty) Turco, I was real disappointed. I still am. But it worked out for them, so ..."

Niemi didn't finish his sentence, but the pain in his voice was obvious when he discussed the speed with which the Hawks moved on after an arbitrator awarded Niemi a $2.75M salary the team chose not to pay.

"It seemed like they already had a plan without me," Niemi told The Tribune without any hint of bitterness. "I don't think I had another choice."

He said, apparently sounding less than convincing, that he had no regrets about his decision to go to arbitration. Right. He also wouldn't comment on whether he had turned down a three-year, $8M contract offer from the Hawks or whether he and his agent overvalued his position.

He predicted he'd sign a contract in the next few weeks though. And not in Europe.

"The NHL is the only place I am willing to play," he said. "I don't know right now where, but I will play in the NHL."

What'll happen with Niemi's fantasy value remains to be seen, but it'll be tough to match the situation he was in playing behind Chicago's defence last year. Given the current climate for free agent goalies in the league now too, it's more than likely he'll be in a tandem role at best to begin the season. That's not to say he can't emerge from it with the number one job, since he outplayed Cristobal Huet for the role last year, but it's not quite the comfortable cushion a Cup-winner would hope to have at this point.

EXTENDED QUOTABLE
"He's a lot of fun. He's a big kid," Brendan Bell told The Ottawa Citizen of Omsk teammate Jaromir Jagr. "It's hilarious to think that this superstar is almost like your little brother. He's a goofy guy that jokes around all the time.

"Obviously, everyone is watching him. Everybody looks up to him; not only the fans, but the players - everyone. He's the king of this place."

Bell's early take on KHL hockey: "There's lots of skill. Even the fourth-line guys are very skilled. There are no big hits because the ice is so big, and there's so much room out there.

"The pace is very, very high. There's not a lot of dumping the puck, everybody is constantly moving. Everybody is always swinging, guys are darting in and out of holes. So, as a defender, you've got to be very aware of what's going on around you, and as an offensive player, you've got to be very creative."

Need help deciding on keeper choices for '10-11? Wondering about someone's poolie potential after summer moves by the team? The next fantasy Q&A will be coming up before too long, so drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com and it may be included. Please include relevant league details like scoring categories, number of teams, etc.