First dynasty league draft question

[stimperi]

First draft for new dynasty league. Every position has max games 82.

4C, 8W, 6D and 1G.
A max total of 17 bench players/prospects.

How many goalies do you draft, considering they may be hard to get later on in the course of the league.

[The Bottlenecker]

Minimum two. Most starters, and you hope to land at least one of them, will get 60-65 games. With an 82 game limit, I'd aim at getting a starter and a reliable backup.
I'm curious how many people are in your league and what categories count for goalies as that would certainly influence when during the draft you should take your first netminder. If there are lots of goalie cats or 18 or more teams than I'd grab a goalie with my 2nd or 3rd pick at least before all of the good ones are gone.

PS: As you get more comfortable with the setup here, you should consider creating a signature where you can detail your league cats and roster to help guys on here better assist you. Welcome to Dobber Nation.

[stimperi]

Thanks for the welcome

There are 11 teams, we might add a 12th before we lock it down and draft.

It's a points only -league, with the categories:

W 4 pts
SO 2 pts
GA - 1 pts
SVS 0.2 pts

[Ingolo]

In an 11 team league I might wait for the 4th round to grab a tender. I'd expect Holtby and Price to be gone in the first round, or the beginning of the second, but by the 4th round you can probably still grab a top-tier starter like Jones or maybe even Crawford. I'd be looking to grab a guy like that, and then a high-end backup, and possibly take a late-round flyer on high-end prospect who looks to see time soon. Be wary of getting caught in a goalie run though. Odds are guys like Dubnyk, Talbot, and Anderson won't be taken during a 2nd/3rd round run, so you can still safely wait it out and grab a workhorse in the 4th. Plus, when everyone else is reaching for goalies, you'll be able to get another high-end forward, or grab your first defenceman.

[stimperi]

I might need to add, that we have only two FA claims per season.

I was thinking if three goalies are enough to guarantee the 82 games played. Two sounds very risky. And considering the 17 spot limit for bench players and prospects, is four goalies too much room taken from skaters?

[stimperi]

Also does it make any sense to pick a prospect goalie with that limitation on reserve players?

[Sulla]

How many skater categories are there? Depending on the split and also the variety of players you may need this could be a tough league to draft in

[stimperi]

G, A, PPP, SOG, PIM and +/- for skaters.

[Sulla]

If there is a 40% goalie weighting then I'd be tempted to go three starters (and maybe even a fourth) but I would go for a high end one first

[Eskimo Brother]

With 82 games, more than three goalies would seem to be a waste of a spot to me. Two starters and a backup would be the balance I would be looking for.

[hockeymanG23]

With 1 goalie spot you'll only need 2 goalies.

I'd want a top starter by at least the early 3rd depending on what spot you're drafting from.

After that I'd have no issue with drafting two high end prospects who might be projected to play soon when it's time to start filling your bench.

[stevegamer]

I agree you only need 2 goalies to get to that 82 game limit. But with only 2 free agency claims per season, you will probably want 4 goalies on your roster to avoid needing to deal with injuries, and to roster guys who are promising backups.

My view on goalie prospects is that they are like pitching prospects in baseball. By definition, they exist, but it's really hard to know when or if they are going to even make it as a viable NHL player, much less a starter. I would recommend taking no prospect goalies who are below the AHL (or equivalent overseas) level and try to roster just guys who are in the NHL or bouncing up & down. Goalie prospects can be a crapshoot, and skaters are easier to project.

[Sulla]

I think my argument for 3/4 is that I wouldn't want to 'mess' Amy of those 82 games up! Especially at 40%

[stimperi]

Thanks for the input guys