New Keeper Strategy

[Mgoy]

Hi guys,

I'm starting a Keeper league for the next season and I want some advice on the strategy i should use in the initial draft. Here's the league details (might be some change i'm open to advice on that too). We follow almost all the rules of the NHL (salary, trade deadline, annual draft, etc).

8 Teams (23 Players by team)

In the line up each week:

9 Forwards
6 Defenseman
1 Goalie

On the bench:

3 F
2 D
1 G
(2 extra player whatever the position)

**6 teams make the playoff and the biggest price go to the stanley cup winner of course (also for the top team in regular season). I'm wondering what should I target first and what kind of strategy would be optimal for as long as possible? (I'm thinking to go with great and young player with good contract but in team that should start to look as real contender in the next few year's...) Also should I target defenseman early or should I go all in with my offense?**

Thanks for your help! (Sorry my syntax&english is pretty bad)

[Eskimo Brother]

Welcome to the forums! A lot to digest here.

This is your league that you're starting as the commissioner? If so:
What is your salary cap number going to be, and what are all of the rules associated with that?
Are you open to starting two goalies? With only one starting in an 8 team league I think they would be very devalued.
I also think defence are going to be a lot tougher to find than forwards on numbers alone, but then add in that it's a cap league and very few defencemen are underpaid, and that would be the road to a championship.
What is your buy-in fee, and how are you spreading that out? (Or did you mean something else by "biggest price"?)
When is your draft, just so we know how much time we have.

Let's sort those out and then get into strategy.

[Mgoy]

Points: Forwards&Defenseman: 1G=1P, 1A=1P
Goalies: 1W=2P

Hi guys,

I'm starting a Keeper league for the next season and I want some advice on the strategy i should use in the initial draft. Here's the league details (might be some change i'm open to advice on that too).

We follow almost all the rules of the NHL (salary, trade deadline, annual draft, etc).

8 Teams (23 Players by team)

In the line up each week:

9 Forwards
6 Defenseman
1 Goalie

On the bench:

3 F
2 D
1 G
(2 extra player whatever the position)

**6 teams make the playoff and the biggest price go to the stanley cup winner of course (also for the top team in regular season). I'm wondering what should I target first and what kind of strategy would be optimal for as long as possible? (I'm thinking to go with great and young player with good contract but in team that should start to look as real contender in the next few year's...) Also should I target defenseman early or should I go all in with my offense?**

Thanks for your help! (Sorry my syntax&english is pretty bad)

[Mgoy]

- Yes that's my league (for now the rules came from one of my friend Keeper league and I try to make some little change)
- The salary cap will be exactly the same as the NHL (around 83M next year)
- Yes i've already consider starting 2 goalies for the same reason you mentioned so you can considered it done
- I was thinking of guys like Seth Jones, Klingberg, Rieilly as underpaid Defenceman (but the real question is when should I go after them)
- For the moment the buy-in fee is 50$ and the spreading would go: Stanley cup: 50% // Finalist: 30% // 1st place regular season: 20% (also open for suggestion)
- The draft will take place the last Sunday of September

Thanks for your help!

[Eskimo Brother]

Okay, biggest issue I see is that with an 83M salary cap, there will be a lot of higher end players unowned. Up to you if you want that or not, no right or wrong answer there, it just comes as a surprise to some people who haven't thought the numbers through.
What are you add/drop rules like, and how are you keeping track of salaries?
Also have you thought through things like salary vs AAV, and things like that?
I would definitely be looking at guys like Rielly, Kling, Jones, Ghost, etc around pick 25, so getting into round 3-4 of your draft.
I expect guys like Svech, Dahlin, Hughes, Kakko, Pettersson, and the rest of the guys still on their rookie deals to go early.

[Mgoy]

I know about the higher end players and maybe I'll just drop the number of player by team instead of increasing the salary cap
Salary base on capfriendly so AVV (Price will cost 10.5M next year not 15M)
10 moves by team each season (add=1 move, drop= 1 move)
My problem with young gunz is that when they are going to re sign most of them will hit 10M+... Let's say I have a guy like Mcdavid I cannot take 2 other 10M contract+ the 12.5M of Mcdavid... and guys like Pettersson and Kakko (assuming he's the choice of the NYR) are in full rebuild mode team's it will take times to see them during the playoff.. but I gotta say Dahlin and Makar are very interesting! What do you think off older (30+) playoff guy's in playoff team such as Bergeron, Wheeler, etc should I target them? When?

[Eskimo Brother]

Wheeler at 8M would be tough to own in your league unless you really dropped the number of players per team. Guys like MacKinnon, Gaudreau, Scheifele, Marchand, Pasternak, and even Bergeron a couple rounds later, would be the go-tos.

[Mgoy]

Totally forgot about his new contract... let's say I'm ready to drop the number of player by team, what are you suggesting? I was thinking of this number because with only 8 teams we will always have some interesting free agent and it will make decision tougher. Also, player like Cirelli, Coyle, Ekholm, etc will have more value because of their team and contract.. but I see the other way too guys like Doughty, Kopitar, Zibanejad will see their value drop a lot for the same reason...

[Eskimo Brother]

Zibs has a solid contract, don't discount that.
The problem you have is you're trying to fit the best players under an NHL cap with only 8 teams. You either need a lot more teams, or a higher cap. You probably don't want to have only 15 players each on 8 teams. The league just becomes way too shallow at that point.

[jtloveshack]

The problem you have is you're trying to fit the best players under an NHL cap with only 8 teams. You either need a lot more teams, or a higher cap. You probably don't want to have only 15 players each on 8 teams. The league just becomes way too shallow at that point.

This. You need a way higher cap. Most people want to have the best team possible with the best players possible, which is why it's "fantasy" hockey. You don't want people deciding that if they take Crosby, for example, they need to fill out their roster with a Sammy Blais type player while a Gaudreau type player is still available. But that's just my thoughts.