Bryzgalov as a Keeper...?

[Straight Chillin]

I'll be starting my first limited roto keeper league very soon and I'm wondering if I should try to nab Bryzgalov as my starter for the next three years. I like him because a) he's a Flyer b) he may not be as highly touted in the draft as others c) his attitude and work ethic are seemingly unmatched.

I really gained a lot of respect for him when he spoke about the decision between being an elite goaltender in the league vs. having a party lifestyle. He chose the former and I think that fits in with this new culture in Philly.

Also, the first draft will be an auction draft and there are 5 goalie stats to 11 Forward/Defense Stats. This may change before the start of the season, but for now that's where it sits. We have three keepers for a max of three years. Maybe I keep two goalies and one forward?

[TwoPuckCanuck]

I think nabbing a goalie early (first round even) is the perfect play considering your pool's set up. Bryzgalov is a great choice, but if I could I'd grab Lundqvist over Bryz. He's younger and has put up better numbers over the years.

As for selecting two (2) goalie keepers and one (1) forward, this isn't a bad strategy, but completely dependant on who the goalies are and which forwards you are dropping. You'd need to really see your entire team and how they perform this season before making any decision there.

[Straight Chillin]

Makes sense.

It being an auction draft, it'll be hard to take anyone in the first round considering there aren't specific rounds.

We'll be using Yahoo!Sports' auction style. So I'm assuming we'll have $200 for about 25 players. This means about $8/player on average.

[Laendarian]

I would say it makes sense, especially if you can get him for a reasonable salary. Your points spread is actually not as heavily weighted as most leagues towards goalies (31%) so I think the key for you will be to get good goalies at good cap hits. As for keepinng two goalies, as it was noted above it would depend on who you get in the draft and their value.

[TwoPuckCanuck]

An auction draft is somewhat trickier as you need to sometimes bid with or against the grain. I this case, with this type of category format, I think that goalies will be going at a high enough price. Don't throw all your money at Bryzgalov or Lundqvist, there should be plenty of great goalies going for reasonable cap hits.

An additional thought; you may be able to pick up Andres Lindback for a cheap price. I would consider picking him up (without overpaying of course) and would expect to get about 20 games from him with some quality stats. Best case scenario with that is Rinne gets hurt and now you got an inexpensive quality starter.

[Straight Chillin]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the auction draft is only the way we're dividing up players for the first year. We have no salary cap in the league, but the auction draft allows everyone a shot at any player they may want; often at the expense of filling out their rosters if they're not careful.

The second year and moving forward, we're having a legitimate draft with picks. So if you finish anywhere from 4-10th, you're put into a lottery to see which place you pick.

[dyzfunctioned]

I'd probably avoid him, especially in an auction draft. Hype for him will be through the roof and his price will probably be here.

I'd go for a slightly lesser goalie which you could snag much cheaper - some options could be Ward, Halak, Rinne, etc.

Also if the price isn't too high on Lundqvist or Price, those are the guys I'd target. Best two keeper goalies in fantasy hockey.

[Straight Chillin]

How high would be too high for Price and Lundy? And you're right about Bryz... Plus, a lot of the guys will be trying to get me to pay through the nose for any Flyer but I'm smarter than that. I won't spend Lundy money on Bryzgalov.

[dyzfunctioned]

How high would be too high for Price and Lundy? And you're right about Bryz... Plus, a lot of the guys will be trying to get me to pay through the nose for any Flyer but I'm smarter than that. I won't spend Lundy money on Bryzgalov.

It's hard to say. Depends on what the going rate for other goalies are and how many goalie cats you count.

[Straight Chillin]

Assuming you have $200 to fill out a 25 player team ($8/player) with 5 goalie categories and 11 forward categories.

[dyzfunctioned]

Assuming you have $200 to fill out a 25 player team ($8/player) with 5 goalie categories and 11 forward categories.

So goalies are roughly 1/3rd. On one hand I'd be willing to shell out $30+ for someone like Lundqivst if the going rate seems that high. However, if it seems goalies are pricey, I'd probably hold out and look for someone like Halak, Ward, Rinne, Brodeur, Kipper, etc. as you'll likely be able to get them much cheaper.

So would I shell out $30+ for Lundy? Yes. But if I could land a somewhat lesser talent for 1/5th the cost or whatever, I'd go that route instead.

[freeze31]

If you're only keeping 3 with 11 skater stats and 5 goalie stats I would have to give an edge to skaters. For goalies maybe you should target someone like Hiller who put up elite numbers in the first half last season before getting hurt, or Miller who had so-so numbers last season but will have a much improved defense infront of him this year (Regehr, Erhoff, an older more experienced, hopefully better, Myers). Those are two guys I would be very interested in this season which would hopefully give me a little bit more money to slightly overspend on 2 or 3 high end skaters for keepers.

Just a thought.

[Hey Robbie]

Remember that in a keep 3 league, it is imperative to concentrate your value as much as possible into your 3 best players. It will be tricky, as all auctions are, but don't hold back as you might in a normal auction. I think it will pay in the long run to blow more than half your money on the 3 top guys, even if it means filling out the rest of your roster with $1 dregs. I know that many people her have pointed out that in keeper leagues people often focus too much on the youth and miss out on the opportunity to win the first year, and I agree. However your situation seems like an exception to me, as with so few keepers, being willing to blow the auction the first year and probably get crushed due to a lack of depth, you could potentially stack your team with 3 super-elite players for years to come.

Depending on the number of teams in your league, I might go for 0 or 1 goalies, but not 2.