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That’s a wrap for another live Q&A. Thanks for your participation and sorry if I didn’t get to your question this time around. Live Q&A returns Monday at 3 pm ET/ 12 PT.
Fantasy Video: Struggling stars, Marty Turco and Zherdev for Selke?!?!
Wednesday’s recap
Brodeur aftermath
Posted at 17:02 ET
TRADE OFFER
Alan
“Here’s a deal I was offered:
I GET: Martin St. Louis
I GIVE: Ilya Bryz
On my team I have Kipper, Kevin Weekes, and Alex Auld. He has Turco, Huet. What do you think?”
Chris
The trade itself is even Alan, but I’d be less inclined to make it because Kipper and IB are your only guaranteed #1 guys. Weekes and Auld could be decent… we’ll see… but you’re trading away some safety there and I’d not something I’d be inclined to do.
I’d rather see you wait a bit longer until maybe Auld gets some more starts and then deal him to Gerber’s owner, who might hit panic mode.
Posted at 16:58 ET
GOALIE DEALINGS?
Doug in Barrie
“Hi Chris,
10-team keeper league, where we play 3 goalies each week. My goalies are Luongo, Turco, Ellis, and new addition Kevin Weekes. I waited too long to grab E. Johnson at the draft but would like to have him as 1 of my 3 d-men keepers for next year. His owner also has Brodeur, and I was able to beat him in snagging Weekes. He is now serverely depleted with his goaltending.
Question is do I try and swing a deal (this might be the only time I can pry EJ out of him) with either Weekes or Ellis, and if so, which one? Or do I forget about EJ, and push entirely for this year, since then I’ll have to tie up one of my reserve spots for EJ for this season? On a side note, I’m in first place, and the guy who has EJ is in 2nd.
Sorry for the wordy question. Thanks as always”
Chris
Hmm. The trade itself is an obvious “yes” and you can certainly afford to do without Weekes no matter how well he does.
Assuming you’re not going to be totally hamstrung by having EJ, I’d make the deal because for all we know the Devils will acquire another goalie soon. They say they won’t, but that’ll depend on the play of Weekes.
Posted at 16:54 ET
BLAKE OR FEDOROV?
Loyal Reader
“Hello Chris,
As usual looking for your expert advise. In a 12 Team H2H Draft. Categories are G, A, +/-, PIM, SOG, GWG, FW, W L, GAA, SV. We have a 17 player roster and my current team consists:
C- Thornton, Gomez, Langkow
LW- Heatley, Vanek, Nash, Blake, Cole LW/RW
RW- Cheechoo, Havlat, Doan LW/RW
D- Phaneuf, Kuba, Ballard
G- Kipper, Ellis, Budaj
IR- McCabe
Each day we can have 2-C, 2-LW, 2-RW, 4-D and 2-G playing. I feel I’m alittle over loaded on LW as I have a couple of dual postion players. Would you swap out Blake for Federov. I was thinking I could work him in the line-up a bit more and if he ever gets the D desgination that would be a bonus (Y! got to be close now)….a D-man that gets FW. Blake has been in the doghouse lately and Toronto really doesn’t have that good of a team. What’s your thoughts??? Thanks again.”
Chris
I’m fine with that swap. Fedorov has had a pretty key role with Washington this season and Blake has been questionable. Toronto actually has done better than expected and has a few fantasy-worthy guys, but I think your line of thinking on this swap is good.
Posted at 16:50 ET
TIME TO ADD JOVO?
Matt in Mtl
“Hey Chris,
After getting your response last week, I held off on dealing Fleury and I decided not to add Erikkson. I also have held off on adding Jovo, simply because most of the other managers in my league are fairly slow to add players, especially players that are underachieving.
Just to remind you, I’m in a single season, 10 team H2H, stats are G,A,P,+/-, PPP, SHP, GWG, W,L,GAA,SV%,SO and each night we play 2C, 2 LW, 2 RW, 2F, 4D, 3 Util, 3G, 4 Bn and 2 IR
As it stands now, my lineup is:
C: Jokinen, Roy, Bergeron, Mueller (RW), Brassard, Lang
LW: Ovechkin, Morrow, Elias, Raymond
RW: Doan(LW), Satan, Holmstrom, Erat, Justin Williams (IR)
D: Niedermayer, Boyle, Ehrhoff, Robidas, Ballard, Whitney (IR)
G: Lundgvist, Fleury, Leclaire
I think now is the time to add Jovo as the Coyotes seem to be heating up and his production is bound to pick up. I know you suggested dropping Ballard last week but after watching Florida play, my feeling is that Ballard may be able to continue to produce even with the return of McCabe. I’m leaning towards dropping Robidas instead as his production seems to have dropped off and the return of Zubov will likely push him down the depth chart. Does this make sense or will I be making a mistake??
Keep up the good work and thanks for the advice.”
Chris
Matt, I’d be fine with dropping Robidas to add Jovo. Ballard is hotter than Robidas and we’ll see what happens when Zubov comes back. One of Robidas or Boucher will come out ahead with Zubov active and I’d agree that Ballard can do ok with McCabe back too.
Jovo is one of the better blueliners out there in fantasy, so I’d certainly want to add him before he’s snatched up.
Posted at 16:46 ET
JOHNSON OR ROY?
Sandro
“Hi Chris,
I have Erik Johnson on my roster in my keeper league. Should I protect him and risk losing D.Roy?
What do you think both players can bring to the table for me next year?
Categories are goals, assists, +/-, pppts, and defpts.
We can only protect 9.
My main roster includes: Malkin, Kovalchuk, Spezza, Kopitar, Nash, Vanek, Roy, Phaneuf, Miller, E.Johnson
What do I do? Thanks Chris.”
Chris
It’s tough because of EJ’s lost season here Sandro, but I’d still be more tempted to keep him – especially since you count defensive points. He and Pietrangelo are going to be a DEADLY duo on the back end a few years from now and even next season they should be pretty formidable.
Nothing against Roy either… it’s just easier to replace his production and EJ is a young stud in the making.
Posted at 16:43 ET
ADD SUNDIN?
Sam in Edmonton
“Hi Chris, I am in an 8 team points only pool where there are no max games played, just a 100 move limit. My team is at the bottom of the standings and I have 3 or 4 fringe guys that are basically flow through positions occupied by whoever is on a hot streak. Should I drop someone like White, Raymond or Kessel for Sundin and stash him until he gets signed? My only problem is that for as long as he is not playing, one of the aforementioned could be contributing to my team since everyone gets to play.”
Chris
Sam, I think in your situation I might actually be inclined to gamble on Sundin. If you’re already at the bottom then why not sub out a fringe guy who would have his production eclipsed by Sundin after about a month of his return?
You could theoretically get the short end of the stick if this drags out past Christmas though, so there’s certainly a risk involved. Life is short though… I might be inclined to take a gamble and hope for the best.
Posted at 16:38 ET
FORWARD CLEAN-UP
Scott in Plymouth, MI (Home of the Whalers!)
“I’m in a 12-team, single-year H2H Weekly Points League starting 2C, 5C/W, 5D, 2G – with Standard scoring + bonus for shootout goals & hat tricks. The forwards I currently have are…
C – Getzlaf, E. Staal, B.Richards, Sharp, O’Sullivan
F – Cheechoo, Michalek, Selanne, Gaborik(IR), Hejduk, Whitney
I’m figuring I’m not going to be able to rely much on Gaborik so he’ll likely remain on IR. I’m not enamoured with LA’s offense either – and am looking at possibly replacing either O’Sullivan or Richards. The free agent pool currently has Clowe, Raymond, Lucic, Ruutu, Burrows, Hagman, Raymond, and Brassard. Any of these guys worth grabbing? Thanks in advance.”
Chris
I would drop O’Sullivan and add Brassard Scott, but I’d keep Richards. Gaborik will get going once he’s finally healthy, so be patient there.
Posted at 16:35 ET
SUNDIN’S FUTURE
JR from Mississauga
“Hey Chris- where do you think the Mats Sundin saga will end. Please explain to the people that worship your blogging if he is worth picking up or not. With all that is going on with Marty, perhaps we can change the subject a little and talk about Sundin. Thanks Chris…”
Chris
Thanks and that’s nice of you to say.
I wish I had a good answer on Sundin, but when the people in Toronto that live and breathe this subject can’t give a definitive timeline it’s tough for me to do any better. I’ll repeat what I’ve said in terms of what we poolies should do now though…
H2H league owners should likely only add him if their team already rocks or they know they’re guaranteed a playoff spot. Otherwise, it’s tough to justify using a bench spot that could be getting you extra points each night.
Roto league owners are much more likely to be able to afford the bench spot since they can only use so many games as it is. And for what it’s worth, it really does seem all but 100% that Sundin will come back… we just don’t know when or with whom.
Posted at 16:30 ET
TRADE HEATER?
“chris,
i’m in a real deep keeper league and almost every stat counts except ice time and faceoffs. my goaltending is brutal. lehtonen, gerber, weekes, legace… yikes! i was offered bryzgalov, stastny and first round draft pick for heatley. thoughts?”
Chris
It’s not a bad deal, but I couldn’t give up Heatley personally. He’s a guy around which you can build and Stastny is going to be a tremendous fantasy guy (he’s already really good), but I’d rather have Heatley and try to find a goaltending deal elsewhere.
Posted at 16:26 ET
USE THE WAIVER PICK?
John in Chitown
“Hi Chris. Niclas Backstrom was waived in one of my leagues today. Think he’s worth my No. 3 waiver priority? My current centres are Lecavalier, Toews and Sakic. I’m thinking he might slot in nicely behind Vinny once Ovie inevitably takes off.”
Chris
Tough to tell you for sure without knowing the quality of FA available in your league John, but unless it’s a shallow eight-team format I can’t see many better players coming down the pike than Backstrom.
I cannot emphasize enough that with Backstrom it’s not just that he’s Ovechkin’s centre that makes him valuable – this kid is going to be a STUD before too long.
Posted at 16:23 ET
TRADE TALK
GP in Toronto
“Hi Chris, I thought I’d hold off from asking you a Brodeur question (how many of those have you seen today?) and just tell you that I picked up Weekes for both of my teams (even though I only have Brodeur on one of them). I have been trying to trade Weekes from my team listed below, but so far no takers. I really need him on my other team, so maybe I’ll get back to you with a goalie question if New Jersey struggles. Anyways, from this team:
C: Jokinen, Pavelski, Horcoff, Tkachuk(BN)
W: Ovechkin, Selanne, Bertuzzi, Holmstrom, Smyth(BN), Rolston(IR)
D: Niedermayer, Campbell, Visnovsky, Blake, Corvo(BN)
G: Lundqvist, Bryzgalov, Weekes(BN), Leclaire(BN) – only 1 IR spot
I have worked out a trade, in theory, which would see me give up Tkachuk + Campbell or Niedermayer to get Backstrom(Wash) + Hamrlik or Meszaros. What do you think of this trade? Which d-man to give up? I really like Backstrom, but is that too much to give (defense wise). Our league is a single season, 11 team, Yahoo points league with stat modifiers: G (1), A (1), +/- (0.5), PIM (0.1), PPP (0.5), SHP (1), GWG (1), SOG (0.1), W (1), GA (-0.25), SV (0.05), SHO (2). Thanks as always.”
Chris
As much as I’m not against dealing Tkachuk while his value is up or getting Backstrom while his value is down, that trade is horrible for you. Campbell and Boyle are too valuable. Unless you have a hidden stat modifier where guys who have a name starting with “Camp” or “Boy” only receive half of their points, I’d avoid that deal.
Posted at 16:18 ET
RW NEEDED
From Shane in Edmonton,
“Hey Chris, I only have 4 RW’s in my 8-team POP and we start 4 every day- St Louis, Doan, Bernier and Jason Williams, so I’m definitely worried about that situation right now, particularly with the last two… I picked up Weekes when I heard Brodeur was out, so now have Giggy, Biron, Garon, Conks, Legace and Weekes!! haha.. I know, it’s too many. That’s why I’ve offered G’s for RW’s to my league, and received a couple offers so far, but none that are too worthwhile yet. Should I wait, or just look to one of these FA’s: Walker, Parrish, Guerin, Samuelsson, Hunter, Lehtinen, Langenbrunner, or even the LW Rolston, who was recently cut by another owner. By the way, we have 15 drops for the year, and I’ve used 4 so far. Thanks as usual for your awesome help!”
Chris
Shane, Rolston is probably your best overall bet if you had a spot for him when he’s 100%. Lehtinen will be back asap and he’ll have a prominent role in Dallas, so in that eight-team format I might actually cut Legace outright if you have no movement on the trade front.
Posted at 16:14 ET
GET BRODEUR & ZETTERBERG?
Ken in Montreal.
“Hi Chris,
I play in an 8 man H2H league with a basic scoring system that includes FW. I have Lundqvist and Backstrom as my goalies and prefer to just use two goalies since I aggressively rotate players each week to maximize the amount of games played due to the deep FA pool.
Recently the owner of Brodeur dropped him to waivers, I’m hoping to beable to pick him up. If I can, I’m thinking about trading Backstrom +a player to the previous owner of Backstrom for his Zetterberg. Most likely, the trade will be my Backstrom and Tanguay for his Zetterberg.
I love the idea of having Zetterberg since he picks up so many FW and points in the LW slot, I tend to maximize the amount of Centers used since my league also has one W, F and UTIL spot.
After that I’ll just pick up Auld, Weekes or Bulin as my 2nd goalie until Brodeur comes off IR just in time for the H2H playoffs. I don’t see losing Backstrom as much of a risk during the overall season since the top 6 teams make it to the H2H playoffs (Yahoo sports). What do you think of this trade and my plan overall? Thanks!”
Chris
It sounds like a pretty well thought out plan Ken. I like it, especially since you have some decent FA goalies and Zetterberg is Zetterberg. I’d go for it and I like that you’re thinking ahead like that… that’s the kind of thing that can make a difference in your playoffs.
Posted at 16:11 ET
WING HELP NEEDED
OilFan in Cowtown
“Hey Chris,
Quick one for you. 12 team H2H league with standard scoring. We play 2C/LW/RW, 4D, 4 Bench, 2G. My LW is an area of concern behind Nash, and his goalless drought has really hurt. I just dropped Wolski (+/- killing me) for Kunitz, but am still not happy with my left side. Marleau has picked up LW eligibility, and I was thinking of putting him there and picking up another C, especially since the LW pool is thin. Some free agents follow. What are your thoughts?
Roster:
C: MRichards, Marleau(LW), SKoivu
LW: Nash, Kunitz, Lucic
RW: Hossa, Havlat, Gionta
D: Jovo, Liles, Weber, Kuba
G: Osgood, Ward, Conklin
FAs: C – Stamkos, Brassard, McDonald, Pavelski, Fedorov, Lang
LW – Clowe, Wolski, Poni, Blake, Booth
Thanks as always!”
Chris
Kunitz has been great on a line that couldn’t possibly be much hotter. I would drop Lucic, move Marleau to LW and then add Brassard at C. You’ve got some equal and even more proven guys than Brassard available, but I can’t even begin to explain how impressed I’ve been with him so far in Columbus.
Posted at 16:04 ET
TRADE DISPUTE
Rich
“Chris, I need your help to settle a dispute in my league. 12 team, head to head. The following trade is coming under scrutiny- Malkin/J. Blake for Olli Jokinen/Nicklas Backstrom (C-Was). In your opinion, is this trade worthy of a veto? My take is that the team getting Malkin is getting the better end of the deal, but that the trade is fair enough to proceed. Thanks for your help and keep up the great work!”
Chris
I’m only one man’s opinion here Rich, but generally speaking I can’t possibly imagine why anyone thinks that deal needs to be vetoed assuming standard scoring categories. It’s not a secret I value Jokinen highly in standard leagues and Backstrom, although quiet now, is still Ovechkin’s centre and a stud-in-the-making too.
Is Malkin the best player in the deal today? Yes. But if that doesn’t pass for tradable value then it’s tough to get a deal done. If it’s a LW-C-RW league than I suppose the two centres would have less value and Malkin a bit more since he plays W and C, but it’s still not something I’d veto.
Posted at 16:01 ET
GOALIE SITUATION
Hank from Cologne
“Hi Chris, your blogs still make my day! Thanks for that.
In a standard yahoo h2h league we need minimum 4 goalie starts each week.
My netminders are Lundquist, Lehtonen and Harding. It seems that Harding won`t get too much starts this year.
I tried to get Backstrom…no way. Even proposing Nash wasn`t it!
Do you think I should go for Roloson who is a FA all season so far? And what do you think of my goalies in general?
Thanks so much and keep on bloggin…”
Chris
And thanks to you Hank, for keeping the reach of this blog to points across the globe.
Harding will get worked in more and more, but when Minnesota was super-hot they just had to ride Backstrom. Roloson has played fairly well and he’ll certainly get more starts than Harding for now (a trade to Jersey would be great for his value, but that’s a potential longshot). I can’t promise you decent peripherals with Roloson now though, which is the problem. You don’t want to hurt the good work Lundqvist has done, which is why Kari is a risk now too. Atlanta has been WRETCHED at times.
How attached is Turco’s owner to him right now?
Posted at 15:56 ET
DEFENSIVE CHOICES
DW
“Hi Chris,
I have a D dilemma. I’ve long been a Mathieu Schneider fan, but he’s having a terrible year in Atlanta. I also have Timonen, who is off to a mediocre start in Philly. I’ve recently picked up Nashville’s Suter who is benefiting from playing with Weber. I hate giving up on veterans, but I’m tempted to dump one of these older guys and move on. Long-term, who is worth keeping and who can I sacrifice? Thanks.”
Chris
I harken back to something I wrote in a blog a few weeks ago about an interview I saw with Schneider in an intermission where he said that he was more focussed on the defensive end of things this year because that’s Atlanta’s main need. And -11? Ouch. Big team problems right now.
It always depends on your options, but I’d be more inclined to dump Schneider for help and keep Timonen.
Posted at 15:48 ET
GIMME A D!
Mike
“Chris,
What do you think of the following core of D
(After the dust has settled due to a trade, a couple drops and a couple adds)
we play 4
G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP
Niedermayer, Zubov, Weber, Jovo
the FA D are: Van Ryn, Girardi, Ohlund, O’Brien, Blake, Rivet, Vlasic
Or should i Just wait and worry about getting a spare D when i absolutely have to, due to injury etc.
Thanks”
Chris
Mike, I actually like that group a lot. I don’t see any need to make a change right now and I’m giddy to get Zubov into my line-up starting this weekend. We’ll see if he can contribute immediately, but we know in the long run the guy is a steady producer.
Posted at 15:45 ET
BRODEUR DOWN – NOW WHAT?
Jason
“Hi Chris,
First off I’d like to say I am a big fan of your blog, keep up the good work. Now time for business. I too am a Marty owner and and now face a struggle looking for a suitable replacement. I am in a 8 team league in which each team must have 2 and only goalies. Point structure is 5 for a win, and 10 for a shutout. There is a limit of 30 moves so I want to make sure that I don’t have any second thoughts on who I pick. I would love to take the starter for the Hawks, but it looks like they are gonna share the load. Here are the goalies that are available and that I’m gonna have to choose from to replace my first overall pick. Tim Thomas, Khabibulin/Huet, Mike Smith, Vesa Toskala, Ilya Bryzgalov, Alex Auld, Jason LaBarbera, Manny Legace, Garon/Roloson and Dan Ellis.
Thanks for your help”
Chris
Thanks for the kind words Jason.
For me, there’s one choice that stands above the rest since you have little choice but to eliminate either of the Chicago guys given the tandem situation… go with Bryzgalov. He has no back-up threat and IMO he stands the best chance of helping out given your categories.
Posted at 15:43 ET
DEAL OF A LIFETIME?
Bob, Newfoundland
“Huge trade for me.
I start Luongo and Lundqvist and have Auld on my bench. I have been offered Voros, Lecavalier and Huet for Parise, Kunitz, and Auld. Do I pounce on this once in a lifetime offer? Is this just too automatic to pass up? Thanks. Standard Categories including GWG (Vinny’s specialty)”
Chris
That deal is an automatic yes, even though you have zero need for another goalie in the deal Bob. Take it right now just to get Vinnie, for sure. Love that goaltending too.
Posted at 15:38 ET
FEDOROV ON D?
Peter from Orangeville
“Hey Chris,
Not in a keeper league, standard scoring with shp and fw
I was wondering if you would drop any of Streit, Boyle or Souray to pick up S. Fedorov if he does end up getting the D in yahoo. Thanks for your help!”
Chris
In your situation I’d probably stick with the guys you have, unless Souray gets hurt again and you can IR him and use Fedorov. I’ve still got Fedorov on my bench hoping for the F/D, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be patient. We’ll see how it goes. I can likely afford to be more patient than most since I spare the bench spot for the time being.
Posted at 15:34 ET
WINGMAN
Zahid
“Hi Chris,
Love reading your thoughts and the live Q&A especially. I’m in a standard one-year with no PIMs. Debating dropping Michalek at LW and have Wolski, Lucic, Higgins, Raymond, Booth, Clowe to choose from the FA pool. Also considering what to do with Cheechoo and Gionta in my RW spots with Samuelson, Guerin, Afinogenov, Voracek, Hudler available as FA’s. Also holding O’Sullivan, Frolov, Kessel, Bergeron and PM Bouchard but I can leave them in bench spots for now. I am thinking they will at some point rebound and heat up but wanted your thoughts. Maybe went a bit young this year but remainder of my team is producing well, aside from having to plug Smith and Khabi in for Brodeur and Leclaire right now…ouch.”
Chris
Rough luck in net indeed Zahid. I actually don’t necessarily see a need to replace Michalek. There are a number of hot producers there, but Michalek is playing a winning team and a fairly decent line. Tough to complain about Gionta’s production too, on the whole.
I could see replacing Cheechoo with Voracek though, at least for now.
Posted at 15:30 ET
OLD GOAT
Joe
“Hi Chris. I have been offered Osgood for S Weber in a keeper league.
Points in my league are distributed as follows:
Goalie – 5ts for each W, SO, A or G scored.. 3pts for OT loss
Defense – G 4pts, A 3 pts
Forward – G 4pts, A 2pts
I need goalie help but I think this is a bad move. Weber is my top producing dman at the moment and has excellent keeper potential whereas Osgood is an old goat on a good team. I kindly said: “no”. Right move?
There is another owner who has Carey Price on the block and he’s willing to take Datsyuk off my hands. I’m not sure what to say.
This is my team:
G – Huet, Bryzgalov
D – K Ballard, S Weber, N. Kronwall, Edler, Boumeester, Zubov, Pietrangelo
F – Crosby, Erat, Zetterberg, Gomez, Datsyuk, S Bernier, Sykora, Umberger
Think he’ll bite on something else or is Datsyuk a fair trade? Thanks Chris.”
Chris
Good call on the first trade Joe. I have no way of knowing who else the Price owner might like instead of Datsyuk, but that’s a fair trade that I would personally definitely take before he changes his mind on dealing Price. Stud for stud and you come away with the age advantage.
Posted at 15:25 ET
PHANEUF OR LIDSTROM?
emppenguin
“Chris,
12 team weekly roto. Sitting in 3rd place. G 12, A 11.5, PPG 12, + – 2, SOG 2. SHG 9. PIM 12, W 2.5, SV% 1, GAA 1. I have been offered Lidstrom for my Phanuef. I have an offer into a guy for Bertuzzi/
Visnovsky for D. Sedin also. Would you make any of these deals?
My team C – Savard, Toews, Backstrom, Sundin LW – Heatley, Bertuzzi, Gagne RW – Perry, Selanne D – Phanuef, Nieds, Weber, Visnovsky, Zubov G – Turco, Auld, Weekes, Khabibulin. I finally went under the 4.00 GAA this week starting Auld and Weekes. Start 2 C. LW, RW, G 4 D per week.”
Chris
If I read that scoring situation correctly, PIM are worth six times what +/- is… which means you can’t give Phaneuf away, even for a stud like Lidstrom.
Assuming Zubov stays healthy for you, I like the other deal for your side.
Posted at 15:20 ET
WHICH GOALIE?
Mike
“Hey Chris,
H2H league goal tending stats include wins, saves, save %, GAA, shutouts. I have Kipper, Vokoun, and Auld all playing tonight. Auld has been great lately but going up against the scoringest team in the league while Vokoun is going to be playing the struggling Kings. Kipper is an automatic start so who should be playing in my second spot: Vokoun or Auld?”
Chris
These situations never come with guarantees obviously Mike, but I think in your shoes I’d go with Vokoun over Auld. Ottawa is clearly the better team, but Vokoun is the better goalie and frankly – Philly offensive possibilities scare me.
Posted at 15:16 ET
TN REVEALED!
Dennis
“Chris,
From reading your blogs over the past year or so, I know you like referring to “Team Nichols” regularly
Why do we only get glimpses of “Team Nichols” from time to time. I am interested to see what exactly “Team Nichols’” looks like in its entirety. Thanks”
Chris
I have actually done entire blogs on Team Nichols with the whole roster but maybe I haven’t done one in the last year. I thought I at least did one with the farm system roster within the last few months. Blogging everyday like this though, it all kind of tends to run together for me at times.
My forwards will make you cry. My D right now is fairly weak, aside from Phaneuf and Gonchar – who is no good to me now. My goaltending was Team Vezina until Brodeur’s injury.
I’ve actually been eyeing a blog on not only which guys are on my roster, but also how I got each one. Not sure when exactly that’ll come out, but it’s in my thought process at least.
Posted at 15:11 ET
POST-BRODEUR
Darryl in Waterloo
“Hey Chris. With MB gone for the next few months, just wondering if you could pls comment on my goalies. I have Weekes, Lehtonen, Auld, Leclaire, MB (IR). We start two each week. Points league counting W/SO/Saves, with negative points for losses. There isn’t much in the FA pile. I might be able to trade for somebody like Ellis, Khabi, Ward, Turco. Would you roll with my guys, playing the hot hand and favourable matchups every week? Or should I try to trade for one of the aforementioned goalies? I normally don’t like carrying more than 3 goalies but feel that I have to right now, given the quality of my netminders. Thanks, as always, for your insight!”
Chris
Darryl, you may not be as bad off as you think. It remains to be seen how Weekes will fare, but there’s a chance he’ll ok. Auld has looked good in Ottawa and if that continues he may see enough starts to help you. Leclaire should be fine once he’s totally healthy too. Would I love to see you get Turco while he’s down? Absolutely. It would just depend on the price though.
Posted at 15:08 ET
TOEWS TANKING?
Pete from San Antone
“Chris,
Should I be concerned about Toews? Sophomore jinx or the weight of Chicago on his shoulders? Hang on or pick up one of these attractive FAs? Single-season league, all scoring categories and PIMs.
Hejduk, Avery, Zherdev. Thanks!”
Chris
I have zero concern for Toews at this point Pete. The production will come.
Posted at 15:05 ET
LONG-TIMER
John in Vancouver
“Hey Chris,
I’ve been following your stuff since you worked at ESPN six years ago and it’s amazing how it just gets better every year. You’ve helped me fare better than I ever could have in countless pools and I wanted to know if I sent something to Sportsnet HQ to say thanks if you’d get it?
Keep on keepin’ on.”
Chris
Thanks for sticking around all of these years John, that’s much appreciated. It’s truly not necessary to send anything and honestly, if you really felt the need to do anything I’d encourage you to just make a donation of any size to a no-kill animal shelter in your area. Dogs are a big part of my life, so something like that would mean a lot. Thanks either way too… this thing only succeeds because people read and now watch the videos.
Posted at 15:00 ET
SHAN THE MAN
Jay
“Hey Chris,
What do you think Shanny’s prospects are looking like? is he worth a pick up in an h2h league? If he goes to Philly will he see anymore than 9 minutes of ice time or any pp time? Of the long list, which suitor do you think his fantasy value would be best on? Thanks Chris, and thanks for the live recaps”
Chris
Thanks for reading it all Jay, I appreciate it. I’d personally be less inclined to add him in a H2H league right now because that means you’re tying up a bench spot you could actually use on a nightly basis for an undetermined amount of time. Roto situations (not points only leagues) would be where I’d see more of a benefit in adding him now.
Shanny has not been the PIM producer he used to be in recent seasons and his point production has also dropped off, which makes him less valuable. That said, he still loves to shoot the puck alot and that helps the SOG category, obviously. He’ll also be used enough to make a difference or he wouldn’t sign there (wherever he signs) in the first place.