Keith Aulie

Aulie won't deliver you points, but he will bring you 100 PIMs, 100 blocked shots and 200 hits. So he can bring fantasy value in specialty formats. Make him your last-round pick.

Aulie is a beast -- 6-6 and 225-plus -- who can skate. He's one of those guys who'll eventually fit into the Bolts' top four as a shutdown dude. But right now, there's more development to come and time must pass for Eric Brewer and Sami Salo to age (or get hurt in the latter's case). Still, he's a player who will bring stability to the ice, but little to your fantasy squad.

Aulie is a bull on the ice but a kitten in fantasy. He’s a classic stud defender who’ll toil on the Buds’ shutdown pairing and give the league’s best players absolute fits (and bruises, too). He reminds us of a slightly larger and somewhat more mobile Cory Sarich who was critical to the Bolts’ Cup run. And like the under-rated Sarich, Aulie’s fantasy value will be restricted to PIMs and hits -- he may never top 20 points in his career. But Toronto’s big man will come over-hyped on draft day because of the jersey on his chest. He’s good but you’d be wise avoid the hyperbole unless you need an otherwise empty 100 PIMs and 150 hits.

It came as a complete surprise that the Flames included big Aulie in the Dion Phaneuf trade. He's 6-6 and like most big men, his skating is a bit suspect. But he should eventually develop into a an invaluable crease clearer with passable wheels. Unfortunately, there isn't much fantasy value in guys like that... unless you're in a super deep league.

Aulie is a big, bruising defenseman who is expected to make an impact on his own end of the ice more than on the offensive end. He will start the year in the AHL and is several years away from making a potential fantasy impact.