Green hurting Carlson's future?

[Skooch22]

Hi guys, I'm in a salary cap points only keeper league. I traded for Carlson and am very happy to have him on my squad, just wondering what the perception is out there on how Mike Green's return to health and red hot end to the regulation season might affect Carlson next year and going forward. I know Green's band aid history, and have no plans on moving Carlson......just playing devil's advocate if both have healthy seasons next year!! Thanks

Getzlaf, Giroux, Kovy, Eriksson, Purcell, Kane, Galchenyuk, Tlusty

Karlsson, Yandle, Goligoski, Carlson

Rask, Khudobin

[blayze]

It will be the same as it's always been... Green gets paid way more, so he will have every opportunity to succeed offensively at Carlson's expense.

[SeaDawg]

Yes, no question that Green hurts Carlson's value, but the truth is that even when Green was out of the lineup this past season, Carlson didn't exactly light it up.

Carlson is a top notch, all-around dman who plays tough minutes. Anytime I watch him play, I can tell he has the potential to score points, and he does pick his spots nicely, but for the most part he is very defensively conscious.

That said, even with Green taking away his PP time and Carlson focused on defense, he somehow still manages to quietly put up very respectable numbers every year. He may never explode to 50+ pts a season, but there is nothing wrong with 35-45 pts, which is what he always seems to do.

You might not want Carlson as your #1 or #2 dman in your hockey pool, but considering you already have Karlsson, Yandle, and Goligoski, I think Carlson is an incredibly solid #4 option for you.

[Skooch22]

Yes, no question that Green hurts Carlson's value, but the truth is that even when Green was out of the lineup this past season, Carlson didn't exactly light it up.

Carlson is a top notch, all-around dman who plays tough minutes. Anytime I watch him play, I can tell he has the potential to score points, and he does pick his spots nicely, but for the most part he is very defensively conscious.

That said, even with Green taking away his PP time and Carlson focused on defense, he somehow still manages to quietly put up very respectable numbers every year. He may never explode to 50+ pts a season, but there is nothing wrong with 35-45 pts, which is what he always seems to do.

You might not want Carlson as your #1 or #2 dman in your hockey pool, but considering you already have Karlsson, Yandle, and Goligoski, I think Carlson is an incredibly solid #4 option for you.

Thanks gents, great feedback! I don't see much Caps hockey here on the west coast, but I'm familiar with Carlson's perception as a better real life than fantasy player, and the fact that he does have enormous offensive talent but much of his energy is spent logging those tough minutes. Due to the cap going down this season, I'm getting squeezed and looking to trade Goligoski. I'll get more value in return for Carlson, but Goli seems a little more streaky and doesn't get as much love in fantasyland. Not quite sure what to do.

[Dakkster]

The truth is that Carlson isn't as good offensively as Green. His passes on the PP to Ovy miss the stick blade a lot of the time.

[SeaDawg]

Due to the cap going down this season, I'm getting squeezed and looking to trade Goligoski. I'll get more value in return for Carlson, but Goli seems a little more streaky and doesn't get as much love in fantasyland. Not quite sure what to do.

In my points-only salary league, I was in the exact same situation. I owned Goligoski and Carlson (as well as Yandle and Shattenkirk) and opted to trade Carlson and keep Goligoski. I did this because they both make roughly the same money next year (Carlson at $4 mill and Goligoski at $4.2 mill) and, as you mentioned, Carlson gets a bit more love in fantasyland because of Goligoski's inconsistency. Truth is that even with Goligoski's inconsistencies, I still like his upside in points-only leagues compared to Carlson's, largely because of opportunity. Despite his inconsistencies, Dallas continually puts Goligoski on the top PP unit because they don't really have anyone else, and Goligoski gets the sheltered minutes because Robidas, Dillon, and others are taking all the tough minutes for him.

The truth is that Carlson isn't as good offensively as Green. His passes on the PP to Ovy miss the stick blade a lot of the time.

I totally agree with this. Green is definitely the better offensive player and certainly the better passer. Carlson's offense, when he does score points, comes from him booming shot and rushes up the ice. He is definitely more of a shooter and not a great passer. He would do very well on the PP with a passer on the point to play with (someone like Enstrom to Byfuglien or Suter to Weber), but Washington tends to run with 4 forwards on the PP and Green gets the top spot (rightly so because he can shoot or pass at an elite level).

[kevinsrangers]

green is better offensivly than carlson so he will get the offensive minutes. carlson is a great two way defenseman and will be treated as such.

[Skooch22]

Thanks guys, good insight. That cleared things up for sure.

Great site, great forum. Good luck to all going forward, and GO LEAFS! It may not last past Boston but it feels good to be watching playoff hockey finally!!

[Dakkster]

Welcome! I'm sure you'll fit in great here

[fungchen3]

Personally, I became very frustrated with Carlson's production and situation and decided to bail on him. Carlson has a real nice shot from the point and can lug the biscuit well for a big fella but he has been locked into fantasy mediocrity on the Caps. Between the Caps using him as a multi-purpose DMan, and offensive players like Green and Orlov in the fold, I expect a steady 34-42 points from Carlson - not the spectacular output many of us envisioned. Unless Green is out for the duration (or dealt) I see Carlson picking up the scraps offensively. In addition, I think Orlov is soon poised for a Voynov-like breakout and he and Green will be the main offensive weapons from the blue line in Washington. Carlson's all-around game actually hurts his offensive production in fantasy.

[Shiva Blaster]

Personally, I like the smoke-screen that Green throws up for Carslon. My multi-cat league counts hits, bs, and sog, and Carlson is an absolute beast. Sure, Green caps his point output, but I will still happily take a 40+ point pace along with his 100 hits and 200 blocked shots (pro-rated) while being top ten in SOG and with some PPP sprinkled in. In a league that counts bs, he is still pure gold, as he puts up a very diverse fantasy line and people still underestimate him due to the Mike Green factor. For me, with everything else he does, anything above 35-40 points is pure gravy.

I'm glad Green had a little late season resurgence because a) people will make the mistake of either using a keeper spot on Green or drafting him too early b) Carlon will once again be criminally overlooked in my league because of Green's little surge c) I will happily draft Carlson again and Green will inevitibly go down with another injury.