Who to Draft?

[Shoeless]

Damn I keep looking at your team and thinking there isn\'t going to be much stopping you in a year or two if you can keep that team together.

Time to rest from the draft as the next 20 picks go by. About the middle of the next round you need to assess what\'s left for you. I see some good deals in experienced players out there but who knows what will be left when it comes back to you.

I like that you are staying off centres for now. But I have to admit I am not sure why guys haven\'t drafted Nylander, Gionta or Andy Mc yet - their price is decent for what they will produce this season. Curious!

So when can you take your 3rd goalie? Is it the same situation as before that you have to wait until everyone has 2?

Anyway I am enjoying watching your draft - just got into my first one of the year and it is going to be interesting - 6 goalies went in the first 10 picks - I went for Iginla with my 7th pick and then traded down my 2nd round pick for one 4 slots later and a 6th rounder for my 20th rounder - hope that works.

[Shoeless]

By the way, I think the most you are likely to spend on your 3rd goaltender is a maximum of 850,000 (there are 5 I like at that price or less) so you should have about 32.6 to spent on your last 10 skater picks. That\'s a lot of coin at the back end of the draft.

[Shoeless]

Well Loui Eriksson is looking good for your left wing for 1.6M - Liles just had a fuel injection with Sakic signing - little pricey but definitely a young D guy on the rise. Ryan Clowe is good and cheap with PIM\'s. I would continue to hang back on centers for now. I like Filatov if I didn\'t tell you before. Nigel Dawes is a steal for this year at the price - young and coming.

I think I would dump the cash on Liles right now and fill that D out more - still in the game to compete this year, so you likely don\'t want to go all out on prospects just yet. I woiuld likely try and catch Eriksson on the way back.

[ESY16]

Thanks again for all of the help Shoeless, I truly appreciate it. I just started college back up again so that is why I haven\'t been posting lately. I picked Giroux knowing that I needed a RW and hoping that Filatov would fall to my next pick. He did fall and is definitely someone to consider. The one problem would be loading up on too many prospects, but he will be good. What do you see as his upside in the next couple of years?

Liles would definitely be a solid pick and another one that I am strongly considering. I also love Clowe (and to a slightly lesser degree Dawes and Erikson, though anyone can correct me if these two are better options).

I do have a question for you. What about Legwand? He seems to have solid numbers already and a decent upside compared to other available players as well. His salary is a bit high at $4.5 million per year but maybe over the life of the 6 year contract it will become good value. What do people think?

P.S. I love the look of your team right now Shoeless. Amazing forwards and it was fortunate that you were able to land Theodore as late as you did in the draft.

[Shoeless]

I think you can afford to wait on your centers at this point - still an abundance there and I think some better value and short term performance than Legwand. Andy McDonald is one of those.

I guess strategically you will find it easier to draft center value later especially if you have cash like it seems you do now. You have a great core of centers in Staal and Stamkos so I would bide my time in finding deals elsewhere in the roster. Guys like TJ Oshie will come to you and with cash later guys like Sakic and Sundin will give you a big short term boost if you want to compete this year.

Generally I am guessing that Liles is a guy who won\'t fall to you later and with him in the saddle you can relax a little on D and focus on filling out your wingers next and be ready to grab that goaltender and centers when the time is right.

Filatov will get you 50-60 for sure if he plays this year and it will only keep going up - his ceiling is likely over 100.

[ESY16]

Thanks for the response! I also forgot to answer your question about a 3rd goalie. I can pick one in the 16th round regardless of whether people have a 2nd or not. I should continue thinking about who I want to pick to round out my goaltending.

[Shoeless]

Okay I will start looking at them - kinda have a hankering for Rinne because he will give you stats this year but there certainly other others to consider.

On the other hand if guys are foolish enough to let Gerber sit there until that round - you ceertainly need to consider him - he will get alot of stats this year and you might well be able to trade him in the season to someone who is struggling in goal. A little pricey but high short term value.

[Shoeless]

Question - ESY - do you have daily or weekly starts? That might make a difference in this part of the draft.

Another question - can you draft a goalie during the 16th round? If so, I think you might offer your next pick to Android for his 16th rounder and then a swap again of picks in round 20 say. Positions you to take the best goalie available in round 16 - I don\'t see a real earth shattering player for you to grab at your turn anyway (unless your plan is to grab Filatov).

[Shoeless]

Well you are sitting pretty here - if Gerber happens to make it to your next pick I would grab him but I don\'t think he will. It would set you up to compete strongly in goalie categories for this season.

Rinne will make a good choice if he is gone and if Rinne is gone then you could certainly take a flyer on Ersberg - he posted some good stuff in his end of the season stint with LA last year. There are lots of other prospect goalies worth looking at - Bishop in St. Lou might be the closest to NHL ready.

I think you need to shift gears after you get your goalie to spending a little of the cash you have saved - I really like Gionta if he comes to you in round 17, Mike Knuble will be solid this season for the price - you won\'t need to keep him next year. Anyway you have time on all that - keep staying off those centers - see where you are at cash wise at about round 19 or 20. There are several solid cheap D guys to be had still and you can easily fill out your roster there.

[Atomic Wedgy]

Chris Pronger made it to the 13 round? I am flabbergasted.

[Shoeless]

It\'s the salary cap - he is pretty pricey and in an initial draft like this I think guys were sorting their way through what they could reasonably afford after they got into their goaltenders.

[Carcillo]

I can\'t believe Georges Laraque was taken on round 12. He\'s waiver material in a league like this, heck, in any kind of fantasy league. Also other odd picks as well, like Mike Grier on round 15, another player who\'s waiver material.

I\'ll throw in a name for ESY16 to think when he\'s next turn is up: Michael Ryder. At 4 million he\'s a bit pricey, but still he should have been taken by now. He\'s due to a nice rebound year while playing with Marc Savard.

[Shoeless]

I can understand Laraque a little from a flat out cheap PIM\'s grab but the Grier pick as you suggest Carcillo was looney tunes - I think there are several GMs in this league that know their stuff in depth, but there also seems to be a few who kinda started to drift once the recognizable names disappeared.

Actually I think Ryder is affordable for ESY but he might be a couple of picks away strategically from needing to decide on another RW and in that case Gionta and Knuble are both likely to out point him - Gionta is only 28 and while in offense pergatory can still notch them and will.

[hockeygoddess]

agreed!

[Shoeless]

well ESY - I would love you to be able to scoop Gerber for this season but if you don\'t I think the following prospects are likely good buys: Rask, Bishop, Rinne and Howard

Rinne will produce the most for you this season, then Rask but perhaps not much, and Bishop is closer to playing than Howard in the next few seasons.

I don\'t see a tremendous difference in the upside value as a goaltender at the moment - pretty evenly rated.