CFFL 2026 Preview

 It's that time of year again.  The Cherry Fantasy Football League's 42nd season is about to kick off.  The draft took place with the annual presentation of the Fantasy Bowl trophy.  This year it was a bitter sweet presentation, as the owner of the Ferrets had passed away back in March after he won his first ever Fantasy Bowl.  However in his place running the team is now his son James Wening and it was a presentation like we have never done before, passing the trophy from past winner to past winner and ultimately to James, new owner of the Ferrets!

And for the third year in a row, we had a team drop out and a new team added.  This year, long standing team the Dragons have dropped out (but could return in the future) and enter the Stigmatas! 

13 of the 16 franchises were in attendance live a the CFFL Headquarters for the 2026 draft as the quest of Fantasy Bowl XLII begins!

NORTH

Cherry's Chislers

Big 3:  Stafford, Henry, Jeanty

QB: B+  

Matthew Stafford had a huge year last season throwing for over 40 TDs, but he has only done that twice in the past 17 years.  If he matches that mark the Chislers will be a force to reckon with.  

RB:  A-  

Hard to argue that grade with Derrick "Rat Tail" Henry in the backfield.  He is working on his 9th season of double digit TDs in a row.  Jeanty had a scare at practice, but looks to be okay and should be good week 1.  After that it gets a little thin

WR:  C+  

Mike Evans and DK Metcalf are getting long in the tooth.  Evans is a big red zone threat and now in SF.  Metecalf is a beast but not seeing more than 7 TDs.  Luther "Vandross" Burden could be a fantasy sleeper and emerge from the Bear's red hot offense.  X-factor may very well be De'Zhaun "Scribble Mark" Stribling.  

K/DEF: A  

Dicker the Kicker is always at the top of the scoring for kickers.  Chad "Weiland" Ryland is a solid kicker as well.  Seahawks were top scoring defense last year.  

Alex's Animals

Big 3:  Walker III, St. Brown, Montgomery

QB: C-

This is probably the weakest link on this team.  Daniel "Indiana" Jones and Baker Mayfield will fight for playing time.  Neither are going to set any records but should be solid.  Mayfield could be healthy for first time in 2 years.

RB: C+ 

David Montgomery is now in Houston and likely will get the call  more often than he did splitting with Gibbs last year.  Kenneth Walker III is coming off a Super Bowl MVP and is now in KC.  Walker could have a big year if he stays healthy.  

WR: B+

Flying St. Brown will lead this group and is a top tier WR with 10-13 TD potential.  How mad will the Crew be if A.J. Brown ends up with 12 TDs even though he hasn't topped 10 TDs since 2022.  They also have a good pair of TEs, in LaPorta and Kraft.  Both should see plenty of starts.

K/DEF: B

Borrgales is becoming a consistent Patriot kicker and should be in the top 10 of kickers. Cowboy defense is not stout, but hoping for lots of returns in wild games.

R.C. Wrecking Crew

Big 3:  Maye, C.Brown, D. Swift

QB: B-

Drake Maye is returning to the Crew for a second year after being traded to them last year in a terrible 3-11 year.  He threw for over 30 TDs and ran 4 more in and the Crew are hoping for similar production this year.  

RB: B-

The Crew are going to try to control games with the run, drafting Chase Brown and D'Andre Swift.  Chase Brown has scored 11 TDs in both of the past two years while Swift scored 10 times last year under Ben Johnson's offense.  Expect more of the same this year.  Rookie Jadarian Price could even enter the fold and become something special.

WR: C+

There is a lot of high hopes in camp for this WR corp.  Jameson Williams has got scary talent but needs to put a full year together.  Pittman "eh?" has been a solid WR in Indy but now is in Steel Town catching passes from the geriatric Rodgers.  "Turd" Ferguson and Colston Loveland will likely see a lot of playing time as well.

K/DEF: B

Harrison Mevis "Bevis" The Thicker Kicker scored 75 points last year in only 9 weeks.  With the High powered Rams offense Mevis should get plenty of chances.  

Fez's Ferrets

Big 3:  Lawrence, Chase, Jefferson

QB: B+ 

Trevor "Jack-o'-lantern" Lawrence had his best year of his career last season, throwing for 29 TDs and running in 9 more!  Can he duplicate that this season?  Or will he regress?  

RB: C-

Stevenson looks to be the lone back in the Ferret system.  He continues to compete with Henderson for carries.  Gainwell "Gaynell" will be in a committee of sorts in TB with Bucky Irving.  So this unit is fairly weak overall.

WR:  A-

Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson sounds like a deadly duo.  Both are top tier WRs.  However both players only topped 10+ TDs twice in their careers.  It will depend on health of Burrow and how well Murray plays in Minnesota.  McMillian "and Wife" ended up as the OROY in the NFL and provides some upside.

K/DEF: B+

Cam Little has a huge leg and will be paired with Lawrence guarantying points in the redzone.  Tyler Bass should be back and is a former top Kicker before he missed all of last year with an injury.

Outlook:  Ferrets find the road as defending champs rough...Chislers back in the mix...Crew feel pressure to have a big turnaround...Animals weather an average draft to make it back to playoffs...

Division Winner:  Chislers

Wild Card:  Animals

On the bubble:  Crew and Ferrets

Lenin Outlook: 

Chislers 9-5

Ferrets 9-5

Animals 7-7

Crew 7-7

EASTERN BLOC

Molotov Cocktails

Big 3:  Burrow, Etienne, London

QB: B+

This would be an A if not for Burrows injury history.  Clearly a top 5 QB if plays entire year.  Shough could provide good support.

RB:  B

Etienne had over 10 TDs last year and will likely start most weeks and now plays for the Saints.  Browns are a shitshow so not sure what to expect out of Judkins.  Hell, they could start both Steeler backs and hope for the best (Dowdle and Warren)

WR: C+

Just not a lot of fantasy TD power here with this group.  Drake "Joker Face" London anchors this group but most TDs he has had is 9 a couple of years ago.  Brian Thomas had a terrible second year last season after scoring 10 TDs in his rookie year.  They have 3 rookies in the room too.

K/DEF: C+

McPherson is a nice compliment to Burrow in the red zone trips.

Jakes' Juggernauts

Big 3:  Nacua, Prescott, Bowers?

QB: B

I would imagine Prescott will likely get most of the starts with the talent Cowboys have on offense.  However, they also have Sam "Blockhead" Darnold.  Darnold didn't have the TD production he had in 2024 last season, so while he won the Super Bowl, don't see 30+ TDs again for him.

RB: C

Too many questions in the RB stables here.  Is Hampton the real deal or will he be splitting carries in a new offense?  Is rookie Love going to be the real deal or will injuries plague him all year?  Keaton Mitchell might be a surprise with his speed and in McDaniel's new offense.  

WR: C+

Nacua will get get plenty of scores both through the air and on the ground. After that, not a lot to get excited about.  Bowers is a great TE, but playing for the Raiders.  Kyle Pitts has just never really played up to expectations.  Then you got Isaiah "Not Bloody" Likely!

K/DEF: C+ 

McLaughlin and Joey Slye "and the family stone" will kick for the Juggs.  The Eagles' Defense gives them the "plus" on the grade here.

Kretz's Krauts

Big 3: McCaffrey, K. Williams, Purdy

QB C+

Purdy is likely to get more starts than Rodgers as long has he is healthy and plays most of the year.  Rodgers playing his final year and will be a first ballot CFFL HOF, but those days are long gone.  

RB: A

Solid duo of McCaffrey and Kyren Williams.  These two could combine for over 30 total TDs!  However, historically the season after McCaffrey has maximum touches, he has an injury plagued season.  Can he buck the pattern?

WR: C+

Some how the Krauts will squeeze maximum talent out of this group of WRs, while non have had huge fantasy seasons.  Addison "Not Madison" and Jauan Jennings are a pair of homer Vikes for the Krauts that could produce.  Rashee Rice has the talent but hard to stay focus and has off the field issues.

K/DEF: B+  

Good kickers in camp with "Master" Bates for the high powered Lions and Loopty Loop.

Stamm's Sinistars

Big 3: Taylor, Jacobs, Higgins

QB: C+

Herbert will lead the Sinistars this season but has not exactly been a prolific Fantasy QB.  He is solid though.

RB: A

Another solid duo here in the backfield.  Taylor was incredible last year scoring 20 TDs!  Along side of Taylor will be Josh Jacobs "Jinglehiemerschmidt" He has scored 14, 16, and 12 TDs in his past 3 full seasons.  He needs to deal with some legal issues however after he beat his wife.  But as they say, "a man's gotta relax"

WR: B-

Higgins has been outscoring Chase and had 11 TDs last year.  He is becoming a great red zone threat.  Tony "Clifford" Franklin managed 6 TDs last season including a 4 week scoring streak.  Kittle has been injury prone, but should provide some production. 

K/DEF: C+

Cairo Santos "Todd Chontos" will handle kicking duties and should get plenty of chances playing for Bears.  No defense at press time.

Outlook:  Krauts trying to capture 5th title...Sinistars poised for another run...Cocktails must improve over their 3-11 season...Juggs weren't even at the draft and still got fed Kraut propaganda...

Division Winner:  Sinistars

Wild Cards:  Krauts, Cocktails

On Bubble:  Juggernauts

Lenin Outlook

Sinistars 9-5

Krauts 7-7

Cocktails 7-7

Juggs 6-8

SAD SACK SOUTH

Weiland's Warbirds

Big 3:  Robinson, Pickens, Hurts

QB: B-

Hurts is always a threat with the tush push but teams are starting to figure out how to stop it.  Jaxson Dart can't stay out of the Blue Tent. 

RB: B+ 

Bijan Robinson is a 10+ TD back and they drafted his handcuff "brother" Brian Robinson. Bucky Irving was a HUGE disappointment last year so we will see if he rebounds.  "Peak at my Butthole" is another HUGE disappointment.

WR C+

Pickens has potential to eclipse 10 TDs.  Watson is solid out of Green Bay and Tyler Warren showed flashes last year.  Keep an eye on the two Ma-Rookies.  Malachi Fields and Makai Lemon.

K/DEF: C

Jake Elliot is another nice red zone option if Hurts can't get in the endzone.

Killer Bees

Big 3: Cook, Harvey, Mahomes

QB: C+

Mahomes is coming off knee injury and hasn't really been a top 5 fantasy QB in a while.  The last time he passed over 30 TDs was in 2022..  Bees hope he can recapture some of that Mahomes Magic.

RB: A

The Bees will be fielding two backs with definite potential of 10 or more TDs each.  James Cook scored 84 points last season and Harvey, who looks good so far in preseason, scored 12 times including 5 from the air!  

WR: C+

The WRs are a bunch of 4-6 TD guys.  Terry "Midiclorin" McLaurin in his 7 years has only passed the 10 TD mark once (13 in 2024). Bateman got arrested.  "Hawkeye" Pierce is hurt.  Kelce is old, and now married.

K/DEF: A

Not a surprise that the Bees would  have two of the top kickers in the league.  Fairbairn is a typical bet over 1.5 FGs a game. Reichard from Minnesota hardly misses a FG.

Dave's Dominators

Big 3:  Williams, Jackson, McBride

QB:  B-

Lamar Jackson had an injury filled season last year that affected his numbers.  He is a top 5 QB if he stays healthy.  Dominators hope he plays a full season because Tua their back up may not even start the entire year.

RB: B+ 

Only 3 on this team at press time.  However, 2 of them scored over 10 TDs each last season.  Javonte Williams had his first 10+ TD season of his career and the expectation is more of the same this year.  Henderson had 10 TDs last year too, however he competes with Stevenson in the dreaded Patriot RBBC.

WR: C+

Cee Dee Lamb's name is bigger than his actual TD production.  He has only had one season of 10+ TDs in the last 6 seasons he has been in the league.  McBride had 11 TDs last year!  The Previous three?  2, 3, and 1 TD.  Expect a regression to the mean.  Doubs "Is that you Doubs" could find his TD production increase in New England.

K/DEF: B+  

Jason "Michael" Myers set the CFFL record for most points by a kicker with 171 last season.  

Stiggs Stigmatas

Big 3: Caleb Williams, Odunze, Hall

QB:  B-

Caleb Williams is quickly becoming a top fantasy QB.  Under Ben Johnson the sky could be the limit.  Seeing over 30 TD passes wouldn't be a surprise.

RB: C

These RB definitely have some injury concerns.  Breece "Kids in the" Hall is already starting the season banged up plus he hasn't scored more than 8 TDs in his career.  J.K. Dobbins, while lots of talent, seems to be always injured or blowing out a knee.  

WR: C+

Williams to Odunze could be big.  Odunze is trending up in TD production the past two years (3, 6).  How will Waddle do at Mile High?  4-6 TDs?  Or will he become Nix's favorite target?  Oh wait Courtland Sutton still plays there, so probably not...Flowers a consistent 5 TDs a year...Meh

K/DEF: B

Butker is a homer Chief pick by the Stigmatas but is always in the mix as a top kicker in the league.

Outlook:  Bees shock the world as Mahomes leads them to the division title...Warbirds streak of South titles end...Dominators finish another mediocre season...In the Stigmatas first season, owner Scottie Stiggs just trying to find his way...This could be the biggest difference between me and Lenin...

Division Winner:  Killer Bees

Wild Card:  Warbirds

On the Bubble:  Dominators

Sitting Home:  Stigmatas

Lenin Outlook

Warbirds 8-6

Stigmatas 6-8

Dominators 5-9

Killer Bees 4-10

Wild Wild West

Monterey Bay Whales

Big 3:  Gibbs, JSN, Skattebo

QB:  C-

Whales will be relying on other positions to help them to the playoffs.  Jayden Daniels needs to remain healthy to make a difference.  Can he capture the magic he had in his rookie season where he threw for 25 TDs and ran for 6?  Mendoza "Line" might not start until Week 12,  will that be too late?

RB: A-

The RB should be able to pick up the slack in QBs for this team but the stable is pretty thin.  Gibbs scores double digit TDs every year he has been in the league (11,20,18).  Skattebo had 7 TDs in 8 weeks last season before he injured his ankle and was lost for the season.  

WR: B- 

JSN is a game changer.  Last year he scored 10 times in his 3rd season.  After that however you have to look deep for help.  As mentioned before, the Browns are a shit show so I wouldn't bet my season on Fannin or Concepcion.  Garret Wilson had 7 TDs in 2024 but nothing greater than 4 in his other 3 seasons.  Whales hope Diggs is a big 10 point connection for Daniels.

K/DEF:  C

Folk or Pineiro?  Probably the kicker with the squiggly mark over his name. 

Cam's Killers

Big 3:  Adams, Goff, Sutton

QB: B 

Goff is coming off his 3rd straight 30+ TD seasons and is back with the Killers.  He will have the NFL's easiest schedule so the Killers might not get "Goffed".  If they do they have Nix and a possible 11 point connection to lean on.

RB: D

Possibly the worst RB room in the league.  The Law Firm of Jacory Merrrit-Croskey and Tajae Spears "Chucker" is all they have.  Nuff said...

WR: B+

Killers invested a ton on this group starting with Davante Adams who has seven 10+ TD seasons under his belt.  He is a big red zone target for the Rams every week.  Courtland Sutton is a big deep threat and could be a dangerous 10 point connection if Nix starts.  Egbuka should build on his rookie season last year.  And "Professor Q" Johnston had 8 TDs.  Lots to choose from.

K/DEF: B-

Lutz in Denver kicking in the thin air can make lots of FGs.  They got the Buccaneers as their homer D.

Largemouth Lunatics

Big 3:  Achane, Goedert, Collins?

QB: C+

Jordan Love is closer to a 25 TD guy than a 30+ TD guy.  Cousins is neither and will likely give way to the Mendoza "Line" at some point this season.

RB: B

They kept Hunt as their protected player for some reason and he's not even on a team.  They drafted Achane to help the RB room.  Since joining the league, Achane has scored 11, 12 and 12 TDs each year!

WR: C

You can't count on Goedert to be your anchor even though he scored 11 TDs last year.  This was the only year in his 8 years in the league that he scored more than 5...Nico Collins usually good for 6-7 TDs.  Outside of that not sure where the production will come from.

K/DEF: C-

Trey Smack "My Ass and call me Sally" looks to be the kicker in Green Bay.  Broncos don't score much on D.

Iron Legion

Big 3:  Allen, Barkley, Aubrey

QB: A

The three time CFFL MVP is now playing for the Legion.  There are no signs of him slowing down and could go for his 4th straight MVP!

RB: B-

Barkley had a "down" year last season scoring "only" 9 TDs.  He could rebound and make this a dangerous team. 

WR: C+

Lots of potential to end the season with an upgrade to at least a B+.  Olave had a career high 9 TDs.  D.J. Moore is now in Buffalo and is paired up with Allen.  This has the making of one of the most dangerous 10 point connections in the CFFL.  If that is the case look out!  Will "Son of Lightbulb Head" play up to his expectations coming into the league? 

K/DEF: A-

Aubrey can kick it from anywhere on the field.  He might boot a 70 yarder this year.  Plus with the Cowboys offense, he will have plenty of opportunities.

Outlook:  This Division should be between Whales and Legion and you can't go against Josh Allen...Can the RBs for the Whales carry them?  Killers need to figure will they get Goffed or Nixed...Lunatics and quickly becoming the Titans or Jackals...

Division Winner:  Iron Legion

Wild Card:  Whales

On the Bubble:  Killers

On the Couch:  Lunatics

Lenin Outlook

Iron Legion 10-4

Whales 7-7

Killers 7-7

Lunatics 4-10

FANTASY BOWL XLII

Cherry Chislers 48  Iron Legion 22

Chislers get their 8th title as they try to distance themselves from the Krauts.  They couldn't get it done with Allen for past two years and then beat him in the Fantasy Bowl!

 

CFHL 2026 Cherry Cup

 CFHL Cherry Cup

The Alex Assassins are the 2026 Cherry Cup Champions after a close battle with the California Raisins!  The Assassins held on to defeat the Raisins 3-3-1 winning the matchup by being the higher seeded home team.  

This game looked like another Assassins steam roll game as they went up 5-2 earlier in the week.  But the excitement was about to begin on the final night of the NHL season.  With the Assassins up 3-2-2 and the Raisins only having 2 skaters left it would appear the Assassins were heading toward an easy win.  But not so fast my friend.  When you have Macklin Celebrini on the ice, nothing is over!  The game was tied with goals and PPP so a single goal or PPP for the Raisins and they would flip the game and take the lead.

And the Raisins did just that!  Celebrini would notch two points by getting an assist on a power play taking the lead in PPP and tying the game 3-3-1!  Then out of a very unusual place, the Raisins get a goal from Lawson Crouse, who they just picked up before this week!  That goal gave them lead in goals and the game was 4-3!  Celebrinin would add another goal, to give them some breathing room in goals up 5-3.

Macklin celebrates notching the assist to tie game!

Where did this guy come from?  
Lawson scores the go ahead goal for Raisins

Celebrini celebriniates his goal!

The Raisins would survive the onslaught of Assassin players late in the game with Brock Nelson for the Avs anchoring their power play along with Devon Toews who normally plays on the PK, but with players out, played the point on the power play.  Not to mention Brandt Clake for the Kings on power plays.  

But the real deciding factor became goalies.  Raisins star goalie Karel Vejmelka played only two periods in the Mammoth loss, forgoing a very valuable goalie win.  While the Avs, with several players resting, decided to play their number one goalie for some reason in Scott Wedgewood.  All he needed to do is win the game and the Assassins would tie goalie wins and make the game 3-3-1 sealing the victory.   He not only did that, he stopped all 22 shots for the shut out earning him Cherry Cup MVP honors!

So congratulations to Alex Cherry owner of the Alex Assassins on their second Cherry Cup!  They won just back in 2022 defeating the Greek Empire.  This season they had little trouble all year, but just before the playoffs started they lost their best player Leon Draisaitl.  This didn't stop them however as other players stepped up to fill the gaps and lead the Assassins to the Cup Finals.

CFFL Playoffs round 2

 Well it looks like the Cherry Cup will once again have a Cherry name on it.  Will the Assassins get their name on the cup for a second time, or will the California Raisins win their first Cherry Cup?

The Raisins got there outlasting the defending champs Who Gives a Puck winning 4-2-1.  All the Raisins really needed was one more hit and 2 assists and they would have won with the games wrapping up.  Getting 6 hits on Sunday for the Raisins helped but the true story of this match up was the goal tending.  Goal tending had been the Puck's nemesis all season long but they were no match for the Raisins netminders.  They Raisins ended up with 5 wins with a SV% of .899.  Oettinger had 3 wins while Vejmelka had 2.  While the Raisins had trouble finding the back of the net, they were able to get 5 assists from Juraj Slafkovsky (say that name 3x fast).

No Draisaitl? No problem.  The Assassins just keep rolling on, defeating the Space Monkey Mafia 5-1-1. Nick Suzuki filled in just fine scoring 2 goals and getting 4 assists for the Assassins.  Leading the scoring was Jason Robertson who had 4 goals and Mark Stone who had 3.  It was a close one in net as both teams tallied 4 wins each.  But the big edge in SV% went to the Assassins as Logan Thompson and Scott Wedgewood combined for a .948 SV%.  

2026 Cherry Cup Finals:  California Raisins at Alex's Assassins

I am not sure the Assassins can be stopped.  Even without Draisaitl.  It's going to be a short week as last day for games is Thursday April 16.  Plus some teams might rest players and some teams might only have a game left.  Its going to be an intense 4 days!  

Overall, these teams are pretty evenly matched.  They are 1 and 2 in the league with blocks.  Both are close in assists and the Assassins probably drop a notch without Draisaitl.  Raisins do play a heavier game as they were 2nd in hits this season compared to Assassins rank of 7.  

Its hard to rule out a team that have Celebrini and Crosby on it for the Raisins.  Will Cuylle and Tom Wilson will start to keep pounding the Assassins on the boards.  As long as Suzuki and Robertson keep playing as well as they have, the Assassins will be tough to beat.

In net it's pretty close too.  Both were top in the league in goalie wins.  Oettinger has been a stud but so has Logan Thompson and Wedgwood.  I may give a slight advantage to the Assassins.

In the end it just seems like the Assassins are a team of destiny as they have steam rolled the entire league all season long.  It should be close and a key will be the remaining schedule, who's playing, and will the owners adjust accordingly?  Assassins 4-2-1

CFHL Playoffs Round 1

 The CFHL playoffs have begun.  The first round saw one stinker of a game and one that came down to a final power play assist!  Crazy!

First the Stinker.  The California Raisins almost completely swept all categories against the Krampus Carols, winning 6-1.  I mean hits and blocks were ridiculous.  Raisins had 50 hits compared to 11 by the Krampus, and that was with Cuylle on the bench with 17 more hits!  Raisins had 40 blocks compared to 18 by the Krampus.  Celebrini had 5 goals for the Raisins while Sid "The Kid" Crosby had 7 assists, 3 PPP, 5 hits and 5 blocks!  

The Raisins now move on and face the defending champion Who Gives a Puck.  The Puck bring the Golden Goal scorer Jack Hughes and his 47 assists on the year.  They also have two skaters with 40 plus goals, Wyatt Johnston and Kirill Kaprizov.  And I don't think it will be that lopsided in hits and blocks for the Raisins this time.  The Puck have multiple players with 100 or more hits and 100 or more blocks.

This game will be close and I see the Raisins eeking out a win, preventing a repeat by the Puck.

The Space Monkey Mafia got past the Slapshots on a final shot.  This game was a tight one, with the game 3-3-1 going into Sunday night.  Unfortunately for the Slapshots, their Sabers players that really got them into the playoffs, let them down once they got there.  Josh Norris had no goals.  Tage Thomplson only had 1 goal and 1 assist and 1 PPP.  Goalie Alex Lyon had a SV% of .400!! Ouch!  But despite all that, they were still in the driver seat since they were the home team. But J.T. Miller put the dagger in the Slapshots heart with a power play assist tying PPP and winning the game for the Space Monkey Mafia 3-2-2!

What does the Space Monkey get for it's efforts?  A date with the top seed and juggernaut Assassins.  However the biggest news over the past few weeks was their loss of team MVP Leon Draisaitl.  He will be tough to replace, however Nick Suzuki can fill in as a leader in the face off circle as he has 68 assists on the season.  They have a solid blue line with 3 d-men with more than 100 blocks on the season.  

Another close ones sees the Assassins continuing their dominance on the league.  

CFHL Playoffs

 

The playoffs are upon us and the defending champs have a chance to defend their title!  They made a late season charge after a slow start to over take the Slapshots and Space Monkeys for first place in the Smythe Division and thus they get a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  Could they get their name on the trophy yet again?

The other bye and number 1 seed of course is the Assassins.  They pretty much steamed rolled the entire league all season long.  However just at the final weeks of the season they lost Leon Draisaitl for the season.  He led the team with 62 assists and 42 PPP not to mention 35 goals!  He will be tough to replace so it might not be that easy for the Assassins going forward.

So what does that leave?  That leaves 4 more teams that face off this week in the first round of the playoffs.  

Krampus Carols at California Raisins - The favorite here has to be the Raisins.  With Sid "The Kid" back and young phenom Macklin Celebrini they are pretty powerful upfront.  Tom Wilson can smash the boards too with 169 hits on the season.  And between Oettinger and Vejmelka they have a combined 63 wins.  The Krampus Carols do have some players too.  Nikita Kucherov can win a game all on his own.  However, the team lacks brutes on the boards and will likely lose both hits and blocks.  Vasilevskiy will need to win goalies on his own as well.  

Game is currently 4-2-1 in favor of Raisins as they have huge leads in Hits and Blocks and Celebrini already has 2 goals and 2 PPP so far this week.

Space Monkey Mafia at Buffalo Slapshots - Sabre games will be huge in this matchup.  Space Monkey have Alex Tuch and goalie Luukkonen while the Slapshots, to no one's surprise, have Josh Norris, Tage Thompson and Alex Lyon.  Lyon was on fire winning 6 in a row before giving up two in a row in a slight regression.  He will need to get back to that winning form.  This game will be close, and could be determined on who gets the puck in Buffalo.  However, Slapshots' secret weapon could be Cole Caufield who has 47 goals, 34 assists and 26 PPP on the season.

Currently the Slapshots have a 5-2 lead winning almost every category except blocks and goalie wins.  But it is a long way to go...