Early Keeper Decisons

[Referee3083]

This is for the league in my signature. It’s normally a keep 9, but coming off the league championship, I am only allowed to keep 8 going into next season. I can get back to keeping 9 via trade (I.e. I can only keep a 9th player if that player is acquired via trade). But that’s a topic for another day and some off-season maneuvering.

Absent any trades, are the guys I’ve bolded below the 8 that you would recommend keeping? I’m torn between Laine, Rielly, Radulov, Grubauer and Lindholm for the last 2 spots.

[Eskimo Brother]

I think you have the right guys bolded.

That being said, I think you could trade Hedman (I think his name value is too high like Doughty/Pietrangelo) and maybe add someone like Radulov, to get one guy that you can keep in the 9th slot, while putting Lindholm in as a keeper in place of Hedman.

[4T2]

I think you've got a good handle on it, although it's tough to lose Lindholm for nothing. I'd definitely be trying to swing a trade to open up a keeper spot for him if I were you.

[SeaDawg]

In a 12 team league, I think you need to protect two goalies.

C - Seguin
LW - Ovechkin
RW - Kucherov
D - Hedman, Josi, Rielly
G - Vasilevskiy, Grubauer

It sucks to lose two good players in Lindholm and Laine.

I know this is a goal-heavy league, but I'm not all that convinced that Laine is a keeper here. Personally I'd be looking to deal him so that you can keep an extra player.

[ericdaoust]

I think you have the right idea. I'd be pushing hard for a trade to get a ninth keeper even if I lose the trade. Better to get something back than nothing. Keep an open mind. You should be looking for the best trade scenario instead of focusing just on one player to dump.

[Referee3083]

In a 12 team league, I think you need to protect two goalies.

C - Seguin
LW - Ovechkin
RW - Kucherov
D - Hedman, Josi, Rielly
G - Vasilevskiy, Grubauer

It sucks to lose two good players in Lindholm and Laine.

I know this is a goal-heavy league, but I'm not all that convinced that Laine is a keeper here. Personally I'd be looking to deal him so that you can keep an extra player.

I'm waiting to see what Colorado does with Varlamov this off-season. Based on Grubauer's play and if he's given the keys to the #1 spot in COL, he'll make my decision much harder. I picked him up as a FA the final week of the season for this very reason though...to use him as trade bait if I couldn't / didn't want to keep him.

Laine is really interesting. I'm in the camp that's very worried about this past year being an indicator of the player we're going to see (i.e not a keeper). But in that regard, I see him and Rielly as comparables. Rielly is coming off an incredible season, and just about every metric of his screams regressing next year (especially his shooting %...it's higher than E Karlsson's career average). If Rielly is going to come back to Earth it might be better to take the change that Laine rebounds vs. the risk of Rielly not being one of the top (offensive) D-men in the league.

Lindholm was a sure fire keeper for me, up until the final quarter of the season when he was invisible. I'm thinking next year for him is going to be the same a William Karlsson this year (a down year after a career year.

[ericdaoust]

Pretty sure Colorado will be going with Grubauer and Francouz next year. Makes too much sense. They can use the extra cash to improve their scoring depth.

[Eskimo Brother]

I still would keep Laine over Grubauer though because I think in November you could still deal Laine for Grubauer+.

[penak]

Following!this seems like a very interesting thread

[SeaDawg]

I still would keep Laine over Grubauer though because I think in November you could still deal Laine for Grubauer+.

This is likely true...but also why I'd probably keep Grubauer (who is the guaranteed starter in Colorado next year, imo) and I'd trade Laine to get the extra keeper spot. Laine still has fairly significant trade value; however, if he has another stinker next year, then his value will plummet. I watched a lot of Winnipeg games and Laine seemed lost all year and despite having a terrific shot, he doesn't do much else to generate offensive production. He is a below average skater and passer and I get the sense that teams have started to figure him out a bit and can overplay him to shoot the puck knowing he won't pass, or if he does it won't be a great pass. He is, imo, too one-dimensional and predictable.

Of course I could be wrong, but if I owned him I'd personally be shopping him. In this particular league, the OP could perhaps deal Laine and in a sense get two keepers for one. That's a deal worth exploring, I think.

[Eskimo Brother]

I 100% agree with shopping the guys that are close to the keeper line, and seeing who gets you the best value, then great. I'm going based on the assumption that will be done, and if nothing else changes on his trade front, then I keep Laine over Grubauer. I also much prefer keeping a skater over a goalie, and Laine's upside is a top 20 fantasy player - Grubauer's is not. Add to that the fact Laine was playing through a back injury most of the season, and I'm not as worried about him as others

[Referee3083]

I think you have the right idea. I'd be pushing hard for a trade to get a ninth keeper even if I lose the trade. Better to get something back than nothing. Keep an open mind. You should be looking for the best trade scenario instead of focusing just on one player to dump.

I definitely agree. Goal #1 is to try for a reasonable trade to earn back a 9th keeper spot. The tough part will be that every GM knows I'm over a barrel, so it likely will require an overpayment like you said. Lindholm, Radulov, Grubauer, and Couture are all keepers quality players that I'll be trying to pair with one of my keepers in a trade. Other than Kucherov, Vasi, and maybe Hedman & Josi, I'm open to moving anyone.