Dallas, Dallas, Dallas...........

Where to begin.

My original WTP team was Colorado and as these things go, I did very well for a while with a top line of Marleau-Staal-Cheechoo (that was a long time ago obviously)

When it came time to revamp and do a new league I was dallas and when i was done trading I probably had not a single player I started with. Just how it goes in these leagues. I've only won one championship in WTP and it was a very very long time ago. But i played as the stars for a solid 3 or four years. So, when it came time to pick a western team, given my favorite teams are both in the east (Detroit and Carolina) Dallas was a natural choice.

Boy howdy did I walk into a mess.

Glad Z is on this team. Zeta is one of my favorite players, I own a 2008 Stanley Cup finals jersey with his name on the back, he's my captain and the guy i'm going to build this team around. The rest are a group of guys I kinda like, but don't love.

Line one Ladd-Zetterberg-Franzen

As any red wings fan will tell you, Z is equally adept at playing LW or C so he makes a much more attractive C as a playmaker then trying to find a 87+ rated C who's not one. Ladd is a guy I thought carolina was crazy to trade, even though I love Rutuu. He's a Shanahan type of player minus the snarl that Shanny had, but he's a guy you want playing with a super skilled Forward like Z. Franzen is a guy, who despite being very good for the wings, i've never really loved. He's mind blowingly lazy some times. He reminds me of a big, swedish, Alex Kovalev to be honest. Virtually however he's going to be a constant 30-30 who scores on the pp alot.

Line two Glenncross LW 84 Little 84 Bourque RW 84

Look up "apathy" in the dictionary and it's this line right here. Highly rated for a second line, I literally could care less about any of these players. Bourque has played well for me in the past so i know his game. Glenncross supplies that strong Defensive forward aspect I try to role with. Little? Well, I know little about him (good joke yeah?) Anybody who plays for the former thrashers now jets I'm going to not spend alot of time watching. I guess he's a good playmaking forward but if Z goes down for extended periods of time this team is in trouble.

Line three-Letesu LW 79 Talbot 81 Connelly RW 78

One thing I do like about this team is it's bottom six depth. The fourth line and third line are pretty much interchangeable. This line in particular has perfect team chem (that would be playmaker-grinder/TWF-Sniper for the uneducated) and will be counted on to chip in offensively against teams who's third line is weaker than others. Big fan of Talbots game, i've always respected players who destroy the wings and do so cleanly and with class. Example: love Joe Sakic, Hate Peter Forsberg.

Line Four-Jeffery LW 78 Gomez 80 Pyatt RW 79

Again, the fourth line and 3rd line arn't to far off. Might move Gomez for a winger but i'll take his super high poise stats come playoff time if he doesn't go anywhere. I've got good depth in reserves too with Falk and Beksley as guys who could easily slip into the bottom pairings

My goaltending is slightly better here than on Carolina, but Pavleic is part of the problem in the 'peg not the solution.

On D

J. Johnson D 86-A. Mezarous D 85

C. Erhoff D 83-Wideman D 82

S. Hannah D 81 R. Ellis D 77

I seem to have the opposite problem I have in Carolina, none of these guys except Mezarous and Hannah are guys you want on the ice in PK situation late in the 3rd period. Wideman is very underrated as he's a "top four D" despite being only an 82 and is good for 20-30 assists a season. As a canes fan I hate Jack Johnson but that 86 is hard to ignore.