That’s it for another edition of Q&A. Apologies if you didn’t make it into this one, but the next session will come on Monday. Remember that tomorrow’s live blogging will start early too… 12pm et
Have you got a brief fantasy hockey question? Drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com within 24 hours or so of any Q&A (to keep your league info relevant) and your email may be included in the blog, which will begin live at 3pm et/ 12pm pt on Mondays and Thursdays. One per person, please. Don’t forget to include your first name and hometown to represent!
Video: Thankful players
Posted at 4:21pm et
MAKE THIS DEAL?
Darcy in Edmonton
“Hi Chris
I received an offer in my ESPN H2H keeper league:
My James van Riemsdyk for his Shane Doan and Andrei Kostitsyn. What do you think of this deal?
My team and league stats:
ESPN-10 team H2H Keeper w. Farm
C: Crosby,Roy,Sedin,Jokinen,Carter,Frolik
LW: Sedin,Lucic,Whitney,Booth,S.Kostisyn,JVR,Shirokov,Benn
RW: Hossa,Boyes,Erat,Stafford,Samuelsson,Kugryshev,Makarov,Repik
D: Gonchar,J.Johnson,Letang,Pronger,Suter,Carle,Yandle,Grebeshkov,Niskanen,Kindl,Carlson
G: Backstrom,Vokoun,Leclaire,Harding
Roster: Start 3-C,3-RW,3-LW,3-F,6-D,2-G
Bench:5 Farm:15
Stats(skaters):G,A,PPP,SHG,PIM,+/-,SOG
Stats(goalies):W,SV%,GAA
Thanks!”
Chris
Reject it Darcy. JVR looks really, really good and he’s obviously much younger than Doan. Kostitsyn is not nearly enough to entice me to make the deal either. I’m not sure how many keepers you hang onto each year, but JVR has the pedigree to make me believe he can have the sort of instant value that Bobby Ryan did when he eventually burst onto the scene. Nothing is guaranteed, obviously, but it’s tough not to love what we’ve seen so far.
Posted at 4:14pm et
NEED A CENTRE
Shane in Edmonton,
“Hey Chris, this will be my 4th try now so hopefully you’ll be able to get to my question. I am short one center in my 8-team points-only (2pt-G, 1pt-A) pool with limited moves, as I have Malkin, Datsyuk and Laich, and we start 4 each day. . Who is the most worthwhile for the season?
Krejci, Gomez(just dropped, although I already have Gionta and Cammalleri), Horcoff, Frolik, Stoll, Langkow, Drury, Brendan Morrison, Vermette and Stajan. Thanks for your great advice!”
Chris
Shane, it’s a tough call with limited moves. Gomez should theoretically be the best long-term bet (but was really cold before getting hurt), but someone like Vermette has been doing well and is at worst a second line centre with Columbus. If he continues to play well with Nash on L1, who knows? I guess it depends just how limited the moves are for your league.
Posted at 4:07pm et
POST-TRADE MOVES
Adam in Comoros
“Hey Chris,
Thanks for your advise on Malone’s short term versus long term value. Unfortunately the Malone/Jokinen for Crosby deal fell through but I’ve swung a deal for Thomas and Weber in exchange for Malone, Jokinen and Zidlicky. I needed to clear a roster spot for Savard to come off IR and since I am dead last in Wins and SO, I figured I would look to upgrade in goal. I hope I didn’t overpay, but Thomas should get the wins and thus is more valuable to me than Malone, I believe Weber is an upgrade on Zidlicky, and Jokinen was needed to get the deal done. I am currently 6th with the following line up:
C – M. Richards, Savard
LW – Morrow, Burrows, (Van Riemsdyk)
RW – Iginla, Ryan RW/LW, (Dumont)
D – Lidstrom, Gonchar, Kaberle, Doughty (Weber)
G – Luongo, Thomas, (C. Mason)
FAs: Franzen (IR), Markov (IR), Knuble (IR), Briere, Kesler, Krejci, Kunitz (IR), Tanguay, Backes, Booth (IR), Okposo, Neil, Morrison, Arnott, Vermette, Sullivan, Fleishmann, Pitkanen, Burns, Wisnewski, Rivet, Neimi, Lehtonen (IR), Toskala, Smith, Conklin, Biron, Halak
I’m currently running >10 games under the projected max for all positions but LW, so I am thinking dropping Van Riemsdyk and picking up Knuble to stash on IR and one of Briere, Kesler, Arnott, or Morrison. Your suggestions and thoughts, as always, much appreciated.”
Chris
Although I think Morrow will pick it up, I don’t think I’d want to drop JVR with only Burrows as your other LW option. Burrows may be ok, but JVR has shown a lot of offensive promise. You do have Ryan eligible at both slots, but he’ll likely generally be on the right side for you since he qualifies there. I think I’d rather see you wait a few weeks to see what develops with your current players before making a move. And for your IR slot, when you do make a move (assuming you can’ t just add a player straight to your IR now) I’d rather see you invest in Markov unless you run into your own string of injuries and need the IR slot for someone else.
Posted at 4:00pm et
KRONWALL’S INJURY
Abe in Winkler MB.
“Howdy Chris.You haven’t gotten to any of my questions in quite sometime(i realize you must get a ton of emails)So i hope you can get to this one.As you know Niklas Kronwall recently went down thanks to a cheap hit by Laraque.So now i am a Dman short and need help in decideing who to take.Its a points only 10 team keeper league,we keep 10 players each so whoever i take now would probably not be a keeper for me but just a fill in.Here are the notable D on the FA wire:
Robidas,Stralman,White,Tyutin,Demers,Aucoin,Morris,Yandle,Green(andy)Kuba,Kubina,Beregeron
Girardi,Myers,Blake,Jones(LA)
I was thinking to drop Kronwall since he wont be a keeper anyways,and takeing Stralman..what do you think?(incase dropping Kronwall sounds bad i have Chara,Campbell and Bogosian as my other dmen and want to keep Campbell and Bogosian.)Thanks!”
Chris
I’d agree with giving Stralman a shot here Abe. If you have no IR slot and need points nightly (not sure if it’s H2H or roto and who your fringe players might be) then I guess drop Kronwall, but just be careful because he’s still a guy that has value for this season when he gets back- even if he won’t fit into your keeper plans.
Posted at 3:53pm et
TRADE THOUGHTS
Jill in Los Gatos
“Hello Chris,
I would appreciate your insight on a trade that has been proposed to me. The Team in 1st place has proposed a trade of his John Tavares for my Brad Richards and Tomas Fleischmann. Our league is Keeper H-to-H. Our stat categories are goals, assists, points, PPG, PPA, PPP, PIM, +/-, GWG, SOG & SHP. We are allowed to keep 4 Centers. I have Backstrom, Crosby, Brad & Mike Richards. Fleischmann was an IR pick-up so I am not really concerned about him.
Richards has been on my Team since his big years on TB. He is finally rounding back into form and tearing it up this season. I don’t think I can win this year as I went on a youth movement. I figure B. Richards has a few more good years – but Tavares was the #1 pick. I don’t really want to part with Richards, but getting Tavares for a Veteran is something to think about. I would really appreciate if you could please tell me what you see as point totals for Tavares in his prime and if I should make the trade. Will Tavares produce like Richards some day?
I wish you a Very Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thank You!”
Chris
Thanks Jill, you too. That deal is an easy yes for you. If it’s on the table, take it right now and capitalize on the hot play of Richards. He’s not terribly old, but Tavares will match and beat his production before too long in a keeper league and Tavares’ age is obviously much more keeper-friendly. A centre keeper core of Backstrom, Crosby, Mike Richards and Tavares is ridiculously good.
Posted at 3:46pm et
BOYLE FOR BOGOSIAN?
Bill H. – Aurora
“Hi Chris,
Happy Thanksgiving!!! I think everyone who reads your Fantasy Hockey information is very Thankful for you!
I’m in a head-to-head keeper league with these scoring categories: G-A-PIM-+/- PPG-PPA-GWG-SOG-SHP. I have Dan Boyle and have been offered Zach Bogosian. I am building for the future as I have a young team. We keep 3 Defensemen. My other Defensemen are Kaberle, Phaneuf & Weber. I have had Boyle for many years and it would be hard to part with him. I have read good things about Bogosian so I am thinking hard about possibly doing this trade. Will Bogosian someday be running the Power Play and match Boyle’s point totals? Should I make the trade? Thank you very much for your advice – I really respect your hockey knowledge.”
Chris
Thanks Bill, I appreciate that. Just keep in mind here that although Boyle is 33, he’ll still have a number of high-end years left and it could still be a few seasons before Bogosian – who should become a standard league stud at some point – can approach that sort of production. I’m all for building for the future when prudent though and in general, if you’re looking over the long term, Boyle for Bogosian is a fair deal. You’d lose out in the short term.
The negatives to you doing this deal would include the fact that you only keep three defencemen and you already have three aside from Boyle that are currently more valuable than Bogosian. I’d feel better if you had a deal in place to swap Kaberle for a younger stud at another position because then I’d know you won’t be left holding the bag with four excellent keeper D and only three keeper slots at that position.
Just keep in mind that your current defensive corps is really strong and that can often be a launching point for winning a league. I’m not sure how your forwards or goaltending compare today, but I’ll take your word for your need to build for the future and as such – assuming you have no shot this year – I’d want to work out a Kaberle deal at the same time.
Another option, since Boyle is such a hot commodity, is to keep Kaberle and deal Boyle for a young stud at another position since your remaining D – with Kaberle – is already great. In the end, that might end up being the best play for your team.
Posted at 3:39pm et
NYLANDER’S STATUS
Costa Greco in Woodbridge
“Hi Chris….I got a quick question for you, hope you can help…
I’m in a keeper hockey pool league and I have M.Nylander on my team and paying him allot of money….. I know Washington placed him on waivers and he cleared…Now I also heard that Washington was trying to work out an agreement with some team in Europe were he could go play…..Now my question to you is he officially gone to Europe?…and if so can you please tell me the team he is now playing for?….thanks”
Chris
I don’t believe he is playing yet Costa. He was waived in early November and that’s really the last official tidbit I’ve heard. There was a mention in one of the Washington papers earlier this week that referred to the ongoing stalemate over his status, so it doesn’t sound like there has been any resolution yet.
Posted at 3:33pm et
GET HEATLEY?
Brandon in Guelph
Hey Chris,
“Thanks for your advice a few weeks ago on the Afinigenov for Kozlov deal. I had some really good luck yesterday and saw that Niklas Kronwall was dropped, so I picked him up. I know have Gonchar, Doughty, Bogosian and Kronwall as four Dmen I consider keeper worthy. I was only planning on holding three at the end of the year. I was wondering what your thoughts were on me offering Gonchar and Horton for Heatley? does this make me stronger (goals are worth more) or am I just making a move for the sake of it?
C: M. Richards*, D.Brassard*, B.Laich, E. Kane
RW: Hossa*, Horton, Cleary, Afinogenov,
LW: Parise*, Wolski, Tkachuk, McLeod
D: Gonchar*, Doughty*, Bogosian*, Carle, Picard, Girardi
G: Mason*, Leclaire
BN: A.Kostitsyn, T. Hunter, Kadri*, B.Schenn*, M.Hodgson*, Pietrangelo, N.Kronwall, W. Simmonds, T. Conklin, M.Legace,
Gonchar and Horton for Heatley? Thanks!”
Chris
Brandon, if you can get that deal done then go for it. Heatley and Gonchar are each high-end players and Heatley certainly has the edge in age. Horton is a chip I wouldn’t have a problem dealing to make that trade complete. It does leave your D weaker, but Doughty, Bogosian and Kronwall are all solid and Pietrangelo has a shot at making your fourth depending on how quickly he develops between now and the end of the season. Heatley and Parise are a deadly duo on the wing.
Posted at 3:25pm et
ADDING MARKOV
Steve, Springfield, Illinois
“Hey,
Great blog and live coverage!
A couple a weeks ago you covered IR strategies and mentioned that it might be a great idea to add Markov in H2H-leagues. How about adding him in a one year roto league at this point? No dedicated IR-spot but four bench spots. I’m very tempted to drop a fringe player to stash Markov on my bench. I figure that if he’s back at the latest after the Olympics he will still give my team 19 games. Well, might be very valuable for the stretch run. But at the same time, it gives me less flexibility adding other players from the waiver wire. Thanks!”
Chris
Thanks Steve. I’m sure I must have mentioned that there is some risk in adding him in H2H leagues because you need points on a nightly basis. But strong teams that can survive losing a nightly bench spot (assuming there’s no IR, like your situation) could certainly really have it pay off for their playoff run.
It’s actually the best idea to add him in roto leagues because you’ve got strict seasonal GP limits anyway. So rather than be tempted to throw in a hot player nightly and then get way ahead on your GP pace, Markov would be like a built-in limiter that should pay off with good point totals down the stretch for you. I’d absolutely drop a fringe player to make that move. There’s also word today that he might be back before January 1st, which would be huge.
Posted at 3:18pm et
FANTASY COMMISH
Will
“Hi Chris,
Love your fantasy hockey advice as it always great to get an educated second opinion. Speaking of which, I have a question about fantasy hockey etiquette, a topic you have written about in the past.
Our league is nearing its 10th anniversary, and since our first season so much has changed – the rosters are much deeper, we have added a few expansion teams, more stat categories have been added, and, most importantly, we have made the league a keeper league (8 players). With all these changes the league has become much more competitive and requires diligence in following the NHL regularly. The majority of original managers and new expansion managers have risen to the increased challenge and the league is more fun and better for it; however, one manager who has been with us from the beginning has not evolved with the league (finishing last the past few seasons) and this has put me in a tough situation as league commissioner.
When asked, the manager affirms that he wants to stay part of the league and manage his team, but it has become obvious he does not have the hockey knowledge to compete. Every year he fails to capitalize on his #1 pick because he does not know who the top prospects are (instead relying on the fantasy rankings to pick Ray Whitney over Tavares, Hedman, etc..) and should a good prospect fall in his lap, he often trades them away for the hot player of the month (as a result, vetoing his trades have become a point of contention in the league). His nonchalant approach may have worked in a shallow year-to-year league, but not a competitive keeper league.
I would appreciate any advice on how to remove a willing, but unable fantasy manager from the league in a polite manner. Thanks.”
Chris
Thanks Will, I appreciate it.
As a fellow longtime league commish, I feel for your situation. Being in charge of a fantasy league is a challenge at the best of times because trying to get every owner on the same page is nearly impossible on even the simplest of issues. As the guy who has to make the final decisions on most non-voting issues, you’re always stuck as the lightning rod for criticism too.
That said, I’ve been in your shoes with this sort of situation and there is no easy way to do it. I believe only half of the 10 owners in my keeper league are original owners (this particular league began with ’02-3) and although we’ve gotten a few excellent replacements for them since then, a few teams have had somewhat of a revolving door in a continuing effort to find the right fit. Most have involved me, usually after getting input from a number of fellow owners, deciding to pull the plug on a certain team’s ownership. At least one left on his own.
I’ve had to replace owners that had the knowledge with a waning compete level (that’s usually been the case) as well as one owner who I finally realized, much like you have, just wasn’t up to the challenge of being in this sort of a league. This actually happened just after the last season and there was also a developing issue of lack of participation, although that hadn’t been a problem in the past. After getting thoughts on what to do from a few key owners, I sent a very polite but direct email informing that owner that they would no longer be included in the league and why. I never heard back from that person, but that’s par for the course. You can’t exactly expect a pat on the back and you have to know that people will get peeved at you in these situations… there’s just no way around it. It’s part of being the commish.
From what you’ve said, it sounds like this will be the right move for your league even if it hurts a bit at first. You just have to do as good a job as possible as vetting the new owner before handing over the keys to the team- trust me on that one.
Posted at 3:07pm et
ACTIVATING HOSSA (A DAY TOO LATE)
John from Calgary (Go Oilers Go!)
“Hey Chris! Well I played it cautious and didn’t add Hossa as soon as he came back and heck if he didn’t come out flying. Now I need to know ASAP who to drop to activate Hossa before I miss another game. H2H Keeper league and stats are: G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG. We start 3 RW every night, my current RWs are: Horton (C), Boyes, Samuelsson, Giroux, Afinogenov and Holmstrom. My instinct is to drop Holmstrom since he’s been ice cold lately but I’d like your opinion. Thanks.”
Chris
Yep, I’m fine with that move John. Holmstrom will certainly get hot again, but you can’t drop Giroux or Afinogenov with how well they’ve been faring. Boyes and Samuelsson probably have more upside overall than will Holmstrom, looking at the whole picture from here until April.
Posted at 3pm et
TRADE EVAL
A fellow Chris in Halifax
“Hi Chris,
I was sitting pretty in 2nd place in a points-only keeper league (counts top 8 forwards, 4 d-men and 2 goalies) when disaster (aka BGL) struck last Saturday night. My d-men at that point were Green, Doughty, Kronwall, Burns and Jack Johnson. Then word came out that Burns is having concussion issues again, so I decided to act. After some negotiation with a few different owners, I traded Kronwall, Semin, Derek Roy and Anisimov for Brad Richards, Morrow, Pronger and a 2nd round draft pick. Reaction in the pool was mixed, with one guy thinking it was a total steal for me, another guy thinking that I gave up too much. What do you think, and will Burns be OK or should I be looking for a replacement for him? Thanks as always for the words of wisdom!”
Chris
In terms of Burns Chris, it’s truly impossible for me to give any kind of timeline because the team doctors have no idea. Concussions are wildly unpredictable and he’s had this issue in the past, which could make things worse.
As far as the trade itself, it seems fine for each side. Aside from Kronwall’s current injury situation, he’s still a valuable points-only d-man with a lot of good years ahead of him. Semin has injury issues, but is still one of the better forwards around when he’s on his game. They’re each a little younger than what you’re getting back in the deal. Richards is probably a little hotter now than he will be on average, while Morrow is underperforming and should get better. Pronger obviously has more value in standard leagues, but still produces more than enough points to make him a good player in any format. Not sure how valuable the second round pick is for you, but you certainly didn’t get taken in the trade and I don’t really think you got the other guy either… looking longer term.