Drafting by position

[tgraveline]

Ok, First off, I'm not exactly sure where to put this. I'm in a keeper league and my league stats and amount of roster slots I think are available. What I'm curious about is when do you stop picking best available player and I'm talking all forwards, D, and goalies? What I need the most keeper-wise is a solid RW, but there are some really good players available in positions I'm already doing well in. Do I go for balance or do I get best available and trade for better players in positions I need to fill?

Also, considering my league type and all, what would you say (if I drafted by position) is my ranking of needs?

[Killer67]

Can you post some of the available players at various positions? That would be helpful in answering accurately.

[tgraveline]

Oh I can. Be prepaired for one long freaking post my friend.

Here are some available goalies:

Crawford
Backstrom
Anderson
Reimer
Steve Mason
Dubnyk
Smith
Tuukka Rask
Bernier
Schneider

Defenseman:

D. Boyle

J. Carlson
T. Myers
K. Shattenkirk
A. Pietrangelo
R. Suter
D. Phaneuf

Centers:

T. Plekanec
T. Connolly
T. Zajac
D. Krejci
P. Bergeron
B. Dubinsky

LWs:

M. Lucic
J. Benn
M. Cammalleri
J. van Riemsdyk
J. Neal

RWs:

T. Sellane*
M. Havlat
M. Hossa
1. D. Brown
R. Callahan
N. Horton
A. Hemsky
M. Grabner


Plus many more good ones to pick up like Seguin, Landeskog, RNH. I have lots of options. I'm picking 8th though and I think most of the decent starter goalies will have gone, though I'm hoping I can land one of them at least. Otherwise, I was planning to get at least Rask to compliment TT.

[Killer67]

Yikes, not kidding there....okay, well I guess we'll break it down a bit. In terms of filling spots by position, I like to have an elite player at each position but it never works out that way. Sometimes the BPA has to be taken over a position because you just can't pass him up.


Here are some available goalies:

Goalies seem to be of great importance, as usual so I'd definitely look at grabbing one of these guys.

Crawford - Could lose the job but that's debatable and applies to half the goalies in the league.
Backstrom - Mediocre team but if healthy, will provide good stats.
Anderson - Could be a nice late addition if he slips due to the team he plays for. Lehner is motivated and that could be scary for Anderson owners.
Steve Mason - I think he'll have a good year with the improvements in Columbus but may have a short leash.
Schneider - If traded early on, he's a beast in waiting.
Rask - Nice compliment to Thomas and could steal the job but unlikely without injury.

Defenseman:

Some nice D left to pick from but looking at the D you already have, I think you can skip them for a few rounds and leave these guys there. It says D Pts in your sig but I'm not sure what that means for weight.

D. Boyle
J. Carlson
T. Myers
K. Shattenkirk
A. Pietrangelo


Centers:

You're good at Center so I'd leave it alone for now.

LWs:

I like Lucic and Benn and think JVR could be a semi-sleeper this year for 65-70points and decent peripherals. Neal will do better with Sid but that may not be until mid season so I'd wait on him.

M. Lucic
J. Benn
J. van Riemsdyk
J. Neal

RWs:

You have no RW's and that can become a problem. Looking at this list and your cats, I think Brown is a nice sleeper at RW and I wouldn't wait too long to grab him. Hossa could have a huge bounce back year now that he says he's healthy.

T. Selanne - Who knows with him, last year was fantastic but can he stay healthy for another year and keep up that pace?
M. Havlat - I've never liked him but with new (and elite) linemates, he could shine.
M. Hossa - See above
D. Brown - See above
R. Callahan - I guess
N. Horton - Again, if he's healthy, could be a beast in multiple categories for you.
A. Hemsky - Not with a ten foot pole (or very late steal).
M. Grabner - ??? Is he the guy who was waived or the 30+ goal guy from last year.

In the end, I would probably try to land a goalie first if one of Crawford, Mason or Anderson are still there. Then target one of Havlat/Hossa/Brown with your next pick and I'd lean towards Brown there. After that, you'll have to see what's left as far as bpa goes.

Sorry for the long winded answer, I hope it helps a bit.

[tgraveline]

It does help. By defensive points there's a categories for just points from d-men total. So it gives d-men their own scoring category.