After a poor season, Emery looks to bounce back to form in 2014-2015 with the Flyers. He signed a one-year extension to be Steve Mason's backup and this could well be his last opportunity to prove that he has what it takes to be a starter in the NHL. His 9-12-2 record last year and 2.96 GAA/.903 save percentage numbers did nothing to help to his cause. Fantasy general managers should stay away. Emery's performance is streaky at best and unless Mason is still suffering from the broken finger he suffered this summer, Rayzor is unlikely to see any sustained playing time this year.
Emery is coming off an impressive year with the Blackhawks, helping Chicago win the Stanley Cup with his 1.94 goals against average. While most expect him to be the Flyers' everyday goaltender, he faces competition from Steve Mason, who has publicly stated that he wants the starting job. Philadelphia has never been amiable to goalies, and last season's GAA was well below his career mark of 2.63, so proceed with caution here.
Emery was a life saver for the Blackhawks last year when starting goalie, Corey Crawford, hit a rut several times during the season. In fact, there was a point in December (and another near the trade deadline) when it looked like he'd stolen the starter's gig. He couldn't sustain it, but he was in goal for the most games (34) since his 58 in 2006-07. He's healthy and as he gets stronger, he should be able to string together longer spurts of success. He's still the back-up, but he'll push Crawford again. Daily leaguers need to pick up both men to avoid an ulcer. And smart drafters will stash him for the possibility he really presses Crawford.
Despite being just 27 years old, there are questions if Emery's career is over after undergoing hip surgery this past March. He's played in over 40 games in a season just once in his career, and that was only a 58-game campaign. Wherever he lands, it will likely be in a backup situation as he's proved himself unreliable to be Plan A for most teams.
The last many of us saw of Emery, he had lost his starting job in Ottawa to Martin Gerber and the Senators decided to rid themselves of a player they'd determined to be a locker room cancer by buying out the remainder of his contract. His collective transgressions kept the other 29 NHL teams from signing him after the 2007-08 season, prompting Emery to take a one-year deal to play in Russia. The baggage made it through customs, as Emery took a couple of swings at his trainer after getting pulled from a game, and later had a hiatus from the team for a spell when there was financial dispute about his contract. On the ice, Emery went 22-8 in 36 games with a 1.86 GAA and .926 save percentage Atlant Moscow, which was ultimately enough for the Flyers to take a chance on him with a one-year, $1.5 million deal this summer. Unfortunately, he's gained a bad reputation for being unable to control his emotions on and off the ice, which makes him an extremely volatile fantasy commodity, as he's a talented ticking time bomb in a city where he'll attract plenty of negative attention if he's unable to stay out of trouble.
Now that Razor is the number one goalie in Ottawa, he'll start in more games this year and should be able to post 35+ wins to go along with a strong SV% and GAA.
With Gerber as Ottawa’s new number one, Emery will take on the backup duties again this year. He’s not yet ready to be a number 1 goalie, but playing behind a quality goalie like Gerber should improve his game by leaps and bounds. Emery should get between 15-20 starts this year.
This is an important preseason for Emery as he's expected to back up 40-year-old Dominik Hasek in Ottawa this season. Any injury to Hasek would potentially be a windfall for Emery owners.
