#1 OA - Lafreniere or JT Miller

[philbert]

Hello all,

I've got the #1 pick in my 8-team league where we keep 7 players each year, looking for some outside opinion on taking Lafreniere (LW) vs. JT Miller (LW/RW).
Current keepers are McDavid (C), MacKinnon (C), Pastrnak (RW), Marner (RW), Hedman (D), Vasilevsky (G), and Kyle Connor (LW) inmy rotating keeper slot
Our cats are : Goals (G), Assists (A), Points (P), Plus/Minus (+/-), Powerplay Points (PPP), Shorthanded Points (SHP), Game-Winning Goals (GWG), Shots on Goal (SOG), Shooting Percentage (SH%), Faceoffs Won (FW), Hits (HIT), Blocks (BLK)

JT Miller would be my pick if it was for just this season as he fills some of the back stats (HIT & FW) in addition to the points and at 27 he's in his peak season statistically. Good situation in Vancouver's top 6 and PP1.
Lafreniere won't be as valuable this year and is behind Panarin for now, but I'm not too sure what to expect from him in the next 3-5 years (and if its worth it). From what I've read it sounds like he's a big young player who's ready to jump into the NHL and who we can expect ~0.67pts/game from this year. Not sure if he's the kind of guy that will fill any backstats or what the coming years could hold for him.

What do you guys think? Should I go Miller for the better chance this year or should I jump on Lafraniere for a near guaranteed keeper for the next 5+ years to go along with current core?

Greatly appreciate any and all help.

Thanks!

[berni67]

8 teams, keep 7, J.T. Miller for me. And maybe a great D also. With that number of team, there should be some great players 1st overall...

[philbert]

Thanks for the input. I've been leaning JT Miller but all the Lafreniere hype is getting to me. There are some good players available(Guentzel, Lindholm, Bergeron, M. Tkachuk, Stone, etc.) for sure but I have Miller ahead of the pack (#15 with my projections) with the backstats (HIT & FW), I find they really separate him and extra value being able to get those from a wing slot. With my B2B picks in r2&3 I'll be taking at least 1 D + D/G/F if any significant outliers remain.

[Axeman33]

Another vote for Miller. Those FOW are just the icing on the cake.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Laf is going to be a beast. I watched that kid from the Zamboni pit so many times and i was blown away when I saw him going head to head with Zadina, 2 years younger and just looking more dominant. Zadina was going top 5 that year and we all knew it. This kid was 15/16 lol. That being said, depends on his usage.

They seem to like separating Zibanejad from Panarin and giving them their own lines. If Laf gets put on Zibanejad's line, it could be instant production.

[Rockies & Hockeys]

If your keepers were weak I'd say Laf, but they're amazing and young so you don't need to draft for future keepers - just to win this year. That swings it to JT Miller.

[Napoleon23]

In a keep 7 with the keepers you have I'd probably take a few of those top guys that will be available over Laf. So Miller pretty handily for me. He is a peripheral monster with your categories. I fully expect Laf to get 3rd line minutes and 2nd PP duty this year. Tempering expectations in year 1 is the route I would take. Especially in a devastating East division.

[stevegamer]

Miller is a dual-eligible winger who is probably an upgrade on Connor immediately as a keeper in your format.

LaFreniere has huge upside potential down the line, but your format devalues him with FOW, Hits and Blocks.

[dearyou]

Pretty Ironic as I am in a very similar boat.
I have 1st OA in an “8 Team - Keep 7” League.

I have been debating between Miller and Lafreniere.

My keepers aren’t as good as yours....and we don’t have FOW or Blocks.

Could be my anti-Canuck bias but I am really leaning towards Lafreniere and taking that gamble. He can slot into my 7 keepers very easily. OR at the least, I could use him as trade bait.

The guys available:

Lafreniere
Miller
Gaudreau
Pacioretty

I am gonna go Laf

[Joker]

Do you think you trade the pick for someone better than Miller?