Filip Forsberg owners - you probably should read this (Schwartz owners too)

[RizzeeDizzee]

I love it when RizzeeDizzee's numbers and analysis match up with my gut. I feel like Schwartz with a healthy season would have put this one to bed this year. Not to say Forsberg is not a really good own too. I'd be OK with either but I'm taking Schwartz ahead of Forsberg.

Thanks Hoopo. The beauty is you won't even have to take Schwartz ahead of Forsberg! Last season Forsberg was drafted, on average, 62nd overall in Yahoo leagues, compared to 108th for Schwartz. And that was despite Schwartz posting the same number of points (63) as Forsberg in 9 fewer games. Chances are the gap will be even wider going into 2016-17, what with Forsberg not regressing but Schwartz losing more than half the season due to injury. When factoring in cost vs. value, the scales tilt even more toward Schwartz, I think.

[RizzeeDizzee]

I think both these guys have great upside and that we have yet to see them hit their full stride since they barely have 2 and 4 full seasons under their belts for Forsberg and Schwartz respectively. As you said, I would definitely keep Forsberg here as I do not see him regressing.

Nonetheless, there's some very interesting points in the article RD!

Thanks for the praise, and I'm glad folks feel like this match was as interesting as I found it, both in general and due to the fantasy-impacting conclusions.

[foltzie]

Great stuff. I've been trying to move some pieces to make Schwartz a keeper, but was afraid I was being too much of a homer. This helps anchor my belief that Schwartz is worthy of being kept.

[RizzeeDizzee]

Great stuff. I've been trying to move some pieces to make Schwartz a keeper, but was afraid I was being too much of a homer. This helps anchor my belief that Schwartz is worthy of being kept.

Thanks for the kind words.

One thing that's important to note - Schwartz might not be a keeper in all leagues. Not because he doesn't deserve to be, but rather because of his redraft potential. In other words, if you're in a keep five league with only 8 teams, then he's probably not a keep but instead is a guy to target at the right stage of the draft in order to get a great cost vs. value payoff.

As for your team, you have too many solid keepers. I'd see about selling high on Panarin. It's not that he won't be good again next year and beyond - he will. It's just that folks likely would give you so much value in return that you'd benefit by dealing him. That gives you room for Schwartz, although losing Voracek is a tough pill to swallow. You might consider him over Keith, or perhaps try to include Keith in the deal with Panarin? In the end, these types of "embarrassment of riches" problems are good ones to have.

[Noddes55]

I think both forsberg and Schwartz are great players. Next season both should be north of 60pts. I do agree that Schwartz is very underrated by a lot of poolies. And I see forsberg getting part or possibly full time duty with johansen next year which should definitely improve his stats. Very good read.

I own both these guys, and both are untouchables. Always have been and will be for the foreseeable future too.

[hipcheck]

Great Match this week! I've long been a proponent of Schwartz and while this season's production by Forsberg had me questioning my early conclusion of him as a 65 point guy, your column may have swung me back to that notion.

I think both are very strong players, but Forsberg has all the spotlight after this season and Schwartz obviously does not due to injury and often secondary offensive opportunities.

Inspired by a previous Cage Match, I wrote an article last offseason about the importance of Schwartz lining up with Tarasenko in order for both players to reach new heights.. If they are 'connected at the hip' I can see 70+ from Schwartz on a continual basis and Tank would have a shot at that elusive 80 mark.

Seeing Jaden's SHTOI drop is key in this as well.. He's a great PK'er but you pay other guys to do that spade work and he's a player who should be getting close to 3:00 of PP time a game. Goals are at a premium... can't be wasting too much of an offensive player's energy jammed in their own zone down a man.

With one (or both) of Brouwer and Backes leaving, that PK time may sneak up again, but one would hope the PP time rises as well and he starts to play around 19-19:30 a game.

I'll be looking to (re)buy low on Schwartz this offseason thanks in part to this article reminding me how strong he is despite his deployment.

Great cage match Rizzee!
Also, great article last year CrazyJoe.

The cage match series has been one of the best ways for me to transition real hockey knowledge with fantasy hockey knowledge. It has helped me draft much better and develop my player tiers. Knowing you can get the same value from someone else later in the draft or to find the player set to increase over projections has really been helped by the Cage series!!

I am glad I got sniped on Schwartz last years draft and did not have to deal with the pain of a missed season! I will 100% move him up a round in my tiers and reach for him just a bit this year. Most of the first few rounds go according to Yahoo rankings so I should be able to snipe him up a bit early in my league.

[RizzeeDizzee]

I think both forsberg and Schwartz are great players. Next season both should be north of 60pts. I do agree that Schwartz is very underrated by a lot of poolies. And I see forsberg getting part or possibly full time duty with johansen next year which should definitely improve his stats. Very good read.

I own both these guys, and both are untouchables. Always have been and will be for the foreseeable future too.

Thanks for the feedback and kind words. Both should coast to 60 points in 2016-17, health permitting, and owning both definitely puts you in a great spot.

[RizzeeDizzee]

Great cage match Rizzee!
Also, great article last year CrazyJoe.

The cage match series has been one of the best ways for me to transition real hockey knowledge with fantasy hockey knowledge. It has helped me draft much better and develop my player tiers. Knowing you can get the same value from someone else later in the draft or to find the player set to increase over projections has really been helped by the Cage series!!

I am glad I got sniped on Schwartz last years draft and did not have to deal with the pain of a missed season! I will 100% move him up a round in my tiers and reach for him just a bit this year. Most of the first few rounds go according to Yahoo rankings so I should be able to snipe him up a bit early in my league.

Thanks Hipcheck - hearing this means a lot to me. It's not an easy column to write each week on top of a full time job; but knowing that not only are people reading it, but benefiting from the matches and the analysis, that helps give me the motivation to continue to put the time and effort into making sure readers can look forward to more of the same.

You've definitely seized upon a key theme of Cage Match, namely cost vs. value, which is arguably the biggest key to fantasy hockey success, especially in one-year leagues. Given how low Schwartz was selected last season, he'll likely slip again in 2016-17 drafts, especially if your fellow GMs use Yahoo rankings. I think the time to take him would be right when folks are targetting guys who project to score in the low 60s or upper 50s.

After all, he scored 63 points in 75 games in 2014-15, yet he was selected, on average, 108th in Yahoo drafts for 2015-16, with these being the other forwards in the 100-120 range:

Evander Kane, Sean Monahan, Jeff Carter, Ondrej Palat, Jarome Iginla, Ryan Kesler, Jack Eichel

[BreadManPanarin]

Curious. Would you be in favor of trading MacKinnon ($20) for Schwartz ($4)?

[RizzeeDizzee]

Probably.

I happen to think that Mac could do much better if given more ice time - read my cage match from last month for more details: http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-h...ex-galchenyuk/, but that's still an if as long as Roy is at the helm, which will be for at least the beginning of next season. Plus, Schwartz at $4 is too good to pass on, especially since your team seems like it's building for the future and by the time that pays off Mac would be approaching $30 to retain based on the 10% cost increase each season.

[Canucks_fan18]

Curious. Would you be in favor of trading MacKinnon ($20) for Schwartz ($4)?

In a cap league for that kind of value yes I would. Macks just comparable to the values you have listed on your team a $20 guy. Where does he fit amongst the league for cost? Schwartz production seems like a steal at $4.

[Eskimo Brother]

Curious. Would you be in favor of trading MacKinnon ($20) for Schwartz ($4)?

I agree I would definitely be looking to swing that if I could.