Larsson.

[PR Parrots]

So he has been taken off the PP by the coach for him to work on 5on5. Hes very young. Now they acquire Foster who will get PP time and likely less of a chance Larsson gets more PP back. Is this kid worth hanging on to on his first year? I play on a keeper league, H2H, 12GMs.

G A P +/- PIM PPG PPA PPP SHP
W GAA SV SV% SHO

My DMEN:
Markov
Goligoski
Visnovsky
Kaberle
Zidlicky
Nikitin
Larsson
I. White

We get to keep 3 Dmen. I picked up Larsson for A) he was on that 5 game point streak and B) out of fear about Markov needing more surgery and Kaberle playing so poorly. I know ill keep Visnovsky and Goligoski (even though they are both disapointing). But the third keeper position gets a little more obscure. Is Larsson worth keeping around to perhaps keep if Markov and Kaberle dont pan out?

Thanks.

[dbrzrk]

As a Larsson owner this news upsets me greatly, but i would stress patience with him. He is a rookie and very young. These things happen , especially to d men. Nj is not very deep in the back so i would expect that this situation could change very fast. ie larsson improving his play, injuries or poor play from weak dmen ahead of him.

At the very least i would give larsson a few more weeks to see how this situation plays out.

[fungchen3]

The short answer is: YES. Based on your list of D-Men, Larsson should definitely be one of your 3 keepers after this season. I would go with Larsson, Goligoski and Visnovsky personally. Larsson is way too good to bail on because he's been bumped from PP1 duty by a band-aid solution like Foster. Larsson is an excellent puckmover but needs to use his shot more...and that will come. He'll be a very special player in 2-3 years. Let's not forget Drew Doughty put up 27 points in 81GP his rookie year then followed it up with a breakout 59 the next year. Larsson is on pace for a respectable 28 points this season as a rookie (playing in a different continent as an 18 year old to boot) and will improve a ton. Don't worry, Larsson will deliver the goods.

[PR Parrots]

The short answer is: YES. Based on your list of D-Men, Larsson should definitely be one of your 3 keepers after this season. I would go with Larsson, Goligoski and Visnovsky personally. Larsson is way too good to bail on because he's been bumped from PP1 duty by a band-aid solution like Foster. Larsson is an excellent puckmover but needs to use his shot more...and that will come. He'll be a very special player in 2-3 years. Let's not forget Drew Doughty put up 27 points in 81GP his rookie year then followed it up with a breakout 59 the next year. Larsson is on pace for a respectable 28 points this season as a rookie (playing in a different continent as an 18 year old to boot) and will improve a ton. Don't worry, Larsson will deliver the goods.

Very interesting.. Now, if I were to do this.. Who do I drop once Visnovsky returns (which indications are pointing towards tomorrow)? Zidlicky will be back soon too, so who do I drop? Ill have too many dmen. Markov will remain in IR for a several more weeks. But I will have 7 active dmen once Visnovsky and Zidlicky return. That is WAYYY too many, especially since I usually like to ride with 5. Should I drop Nikitin instead of Larsson? Other guys that may get drop considerations would be Horcoff, Antropov, Downie. Any of those deserve to be dropped over Larsson/Nikitin?

[dbrzrk]

i would drop markov. I have held him for two years and i absolutely hate the guy. He is a waste of space.... The guy gets injured if it is a windy day. I would get rid of him because i dont see him coming back soon and when he does he will get hurt the first time he goes into the corner just like last year

[PR Parrots]

i would drop markov. I have held him for two years and i absolutely hate the guy. He is a waste of space.... The guy gets injured if it is a windy day. I would get rid of him because i dont see him coming back soon and when he does he will get hurt the first time he goes into the corner just like last year

Dont really have to. Hes on IR, not causing me any problems at the moment. I am willing to give him another shot at it. Who else if not Markov?

[wendelclark17]

I would drop Nikitin and Markov (once healthy) before dropping Larsson in a keeper. remember for a long time Larsson was in the discussion to go first overall in last year's draft so he has the pedigree. The kid is going to be awesome as early as next season. The coach is putting on the kid gloves with hime lately by taking him off the PP to focus on even strength but make no mistake he could be special.

from his profile on thehockeynews

ASSETS: Plays the game with exceptional poise. Has a great point shot and a very projectable frame. Oozes all-around upside.

FLAWS: Needs to become more assertive, especially when it comes to the utilization of his 6-3 frame. Must also tighten up his defensive-zone coverage.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Mega-talented defenseman with huge upside.

[PR Parrots]

I would drop Nikitin and Markov (once healthy) before dropping Larsson in a keeper. remember for a long time Larsson was in the discussion to go first overall in last year's draft so he has the pedigree. The kid is going to be awesome as early as next season. The coach is putting on the kid gloves with hime lately by taking him off the PP to focus on even strength but make no mistake he could be special.

from his profile on thehockeynews

ASSETS: Plays the game with exceptional poise. Has a great point shot and a very projectable frame. Oozes all-around upside.

FLAWS: Needs to become more assertive, especially when it comes to the utilization of his 6-3 frame. Must also tighten up his defensive-zone coverage.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Mega-talented defenseman with huge upside.

Yep. Certainly, thats why I picked him up. But I also have to say, Ive seen a fellow GM in my league who kept Hedman since the first year he started playing and has really not had anything significant to show for. You guys think Larsson will be any different from Hedman? Especially Larsson playing on a more Dminded team like NJ?

[wendelclark17]

Yep thats the risk with prospects, nothing is for sure. Still I would "gamble" on Larsson any day of the week.

[PR Parrots]

Any more thoughts on this guys?

[GrinningBuddha]

Here's his situation: He has PP competition with both Taormina and now Foster being added to the roster. One of two things is going to happen:

1) Larsson spends the year working on his 5 on 5 game and does not assert himself in a PP role by being more aggressive and shooting more. This (bad) outcome could also happen if Foster or Taormina clicks on PP1 and Larsson is not able to regain his spot.

2) Larsson works with the coaches and opens up his aggression and curbs the turnovers on the PP. Neither Taormina or Foster claims the PP1 spot and Larsson takes over as PP QB.

I see option 2 being slightly more likely, but frankly it's all going to come down to whether Larsson shows the coaches what they want to see in the PP time that he gets, and Taormina and Foster don't trump what he brings to the table.

[PR Parrots]

Here's his situation: He has PP competition with both Taormina and now Foster being added to the roster. One of two things is going to happen:

1) Larsson spends the year working on his 5 on 5 game and does not assert himself in a PP role by being more aggressive and shooting more. This (bad) outcome could also happen if Foster or Taormina clicks on PP1 and Larsson is not able to regain his spot.

2) Larsson works with the coaches and opens up his aggression and curbs the turnovers on the PP. Neither Taormina or Foster claims the PP1 spot and Larsson takes over as PP QB.

I see option 2 being slightly more likely, but frankly it's all going to come down to whether Larsson shows the coaches what they want to see in the PP time that he gets, and Taormina and Foster don't trump what he brings to the table.

Thanks for your comments. I hope #2 is correct. However, its going to be hard for him to show what he can do on the PP if they give him 4 seconds a night on it. Right now hes getting 0PP and Foster got almost 6min worth of PP last night. Pretty evident discrepancy. Its going to be a long year of very little production from this guy if he keeps getting 0PP. I hope he is worth the wait and the keep....

[fungchen3]

PR

This is going to come down to how patient you are willing to be. I wouldn't expect any 18 year old defenseman to come into the league and be a big fantasy contributor without at least a year or 2 of earning his chops - expecting otherwise is just setting yourself up to be disappointed.

Fowler may have done it last year but the list of players who haven't is lengthy - Doughty, Subban, Karlsson, Carlson, Hedman, E.Johnson, J.Johnson, Bogosian, Edler, Letang, Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk, Ekman-Larsson, etc.

What I'm confused about is the "keeper" aspect of this league. It's obviously a keeper, but if you had to define the relation between keeper and immediate value, what would it be? 50/50? 75/25 immediate? It seems to me that you may have drafted Larsson with hefty expectations for THIS YEAR.

This year, I wouldn't expect anything more than the pace he's performed at, and if you get anything more consider it pure gravy. If that isn't feasible for your league, you may need to bail on him - but judging by your keepers, I would love to own Larsson long-term, but that's just me.

[PR Parrots]

Well, I didnt draft Larsson. I picked him up as a FA when my Dmen started to get injured (Goligoski, Visnovsky and Zidlicky) or were already injured (Markov) because at the time he was on a 5 game point streak and he was also getting PP and PPP. Now all three of those Dmen are about to come back or already back. To tell you the truth, I am pretty sure that if I were to drop Larsson I would be able to easily draft him next year. Our league has 3 dman keepers only and most teams fill those positions up easily with proven talent that will give them guaranteed points. We have 6 total D positions and 3 of those are kept, there are no restrictions as to who you can keep. Cam Fowler was not kept last year and he was drafted on Round 11th this year. So, thats my main dilemma. Is it worth holding on to this kid on the first year where he will likely do nothing fantasy worthy and then keeping him where he is not assured to do anything fantasy worthy on his second year either..? When I could very likely draft him next year? I dont know... Thats why I made this thread

[fungchen3]

Well, I didnt draft Larsson. I picked him up as a FA when my Dmen started to get injured (Goligoski, Visnovsky and Zidlicky) or were already injured (Markov) because at the time he was on a 5 game point streak and he was also getting PP and PPP. Now all three of those Dmen are about to come back or already back. To tell you the truth, I am pretty sure that if I were to drop Larsson I would be able to easily draft him next year. Our league has 3 dman keepers only and most teams fill those positions up easily with proven talent that will give them guaranteed points. We have 6 total D positions and 3 of those are kept, there are no restrictions as to who you can keep. So, thats my main dilemma. Is it worth holding on to this kid on the first year where he will likely do nothing fantasy worthy and then keeping him where he is not assured to do anything fantasy worthy on his second year either..? When I could very likely draft him next year? I dont know... Thats why I made this thread

In that case, it is probably in your best interest to go with a more proven asset. Larsson WILL be great but you make a good case of why you need it NOW. I wouldn't expect Larsson to break 30 points this year - I project him between 24-28.