Who to Draft 2nd Overall in New Multi-Cat Cap League and Overall Strategy?

[rj45lan]

First time doing cap league. 12-team multi-cat league (G, A, SOG, PPP, PIM, HIT, BLK, FOW; W, GAA, SV, SV%). 20-men roster using real NHL contracts. 115% of real NHL salary cap ceiling and floor, so each player averages around $4.7M (which isn't that tight) at the ceiling and $3.5M at the floor. Anyone with a cap hit higher than the ceiling average (i.e., $4.7M) can only be dropped by taking buyout hit (1/3 cap hit but twice as long). I'm pretty sure Kuch will go 1st overall, so who should I draft at 2nd overall?

There are young guys with value ($7M-) contract of medium length:

• MacKinnon $6.3 x 4
• Pasta $6.667 x 4

Young guys with expensive contract ($10M+) of longer length:

• McDavid $12.5 x 7
• Eichel $10 x 7

Young guys with decent value ($7 ~ $10M) contract of longer length:

• Draisaitl $8.5 x 6

Old guys with decent value contract of various lengths:

• Ovechkin $9.538 x 2
• Crosby $8.7 x 6

"Middle age" guys with decent value contract of longer length:

• Seguin $9.85 x 8
• Stamkos $8.5 x 5

I'm leaning towards picking the young guys, i.e., one of Mack, McDavid, Pasta, Draisaitl and Eichel (in that order). Is McDavid going to be too expensive in this format, even though Mack and Pasta's next contracts in 4 years would bring the total price for the next 7 years close to McDavid's anyway? One of my concerns about both Mack and McDavid is that their FOW is bloody terrible. Draisaitl has the advantage of FOW as a C/LW dual-eligible player, but he might be reliant on playing on a line with McDavid, and positional eligibility can change in the future. Mac's main advantage against McDavid is SOG. Eichel is a slightly weaker version of Mac, but he has longer term remaining and is a bit cheaper than McDavid. What should I do here?

Moreover, any pointers to general strategies in a league like this? For example:

• When do you draft goalies and what type of goalies do you target (not that many goalies have 3+ years remaining on their contracts, and the ones with longer terms are expensive and might become a long-term burden if they falter)?
• How do you allocate cap usage between offense and peripherals (do you pay for expensive guys like Evander Kane for peripherals, or do you rely on cheap guys on the waiver wire)?
• How do you choose between players with longer vs. shorter terms?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[chuckcouples]

McDavid is the best player in hockey. You don't win championships by saving money on superstars. If McDavid is available you pick him regardless of when the pick is. You can find bargain later on in the draft if you find yourself close to the salary cap.

Don't overthink this.

[Belexus75]

i think i take macdavid too...but other mac would be good too...dont choose pasta at 2nd pick:P

[golfguy1672]

In a cap league, Mackinnon is the best player to own. He costs half of what mcdavid does. I love mcdavid. But in a salary league Mack needs to be 1st overall imo

[rj45lan]

In a cap league, Mackinnon is the best player to own. He costs half of what mcdavid does. I love mcdavid. But in a salary league Mack needs to be 1st overall imo

Thanks. The main reason I can’t decide between Mack and McDavid is that Mack’s contract only has 4 years remaining. I don’t have to worry about McDavid for 7 years. How important is term actually in cap league?

[golfguy1672]

People make too many mistakes worrying 3+ years down the road.

The most important season in fantasy hockey is the current one.

[j0hn_d0e]

I would go for MacKinnon.

[LawMan]

In a cap league, Mackinnon is the best player to own. He costs half of what mcdavid does. I love mcdavid. But in a salary league Mack needs to be 1st overall imo

100% This. 4 years is an entirety in fantasy hockey. MacKinnon is a great choice here.

[Eskimo Brother]

I would actually go off the board with Pettersson being your best option. However, you may be able to get him in round 2, so for now, MacKinnon is your pick.

Yes I can back this up with numbers, but no they aren't available yet - My cap league rankings should debut in a week.

McDavid isn't a bad pick, but I wouldn't take him in the first round in a new cap league.

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Thanks. The main reason I can’t decide between Mack and McDavid is that Mack’s contract only has 4 years remaining. I don’t have to worry about McDavid for 7 years. How important is term actually in cap league?

Important if it's one year vs 3 years left on a contract. Irrelevant when it's 4 vs 7.

[Pengwin7]

1. McDavid (figure out cap some other way)
2. MacKinnon (great cap hit for production)

[rj45lan]

Thanks for all the responses. The other reason why I can't decide between Mack and McDavid is that I feel McDavid would be a no-doubt 110+ pt player each year if he stays healthy, while other guys like Mack might have more up-and-down years (80 pts one year, 100 pts another year). How do folks feel about the relative "safety" of McDavid?

[rj45lan]

I would actually go off the board with Pettersson being your best option. However, you may be able to get him in round 2, so for now, MacKinnon is your pick.

Pettersson is cheap for the next two years and would be very nice in a points-only league, but in a H2H multi-cat league like this, I worry about his terrible SOG and FOW numbers.

[jshed2]

I go Mackinnon easily. He gets you 80% or more of the production McDavid does, but at half the price, and he is signed for the forseeable future. No point in worrying about what you're team will look like in 5 years, there are too many variables to accurately predict anything that far out.

Too answer your other questions:

• When do you draft goalies and what type of goalies do you target (not that many goalies have 3+ years remaining on their contracts, and the ones with longer terms are expensive and might become a long-term burden if they falter)?

I usually wait to grab a goalie until one of the ones that I consider to be tier one go, then I grab my first and wait a bit on my second. My tier one would probably be Hart (due to cap), Helle, Gibson, Andersen. I wouldn't be afraid to wait on the second and even grab an older guy like Quick either.

• How do you allocate cap usage between offense and peripherals (do you pay for expensive guys like Evander Kane for peripherals, or do you rely on cheap guys on the waiver wire)?

Guys who can put up points and excel for peripherals like Kane and Wilson are great and are easily worth their cap. I'd rather spend my money on someone who has peripherals than pure points every time. If Sharks or Caps have a down year I know I'm still going to get value from them. If someone like Gaudreau only gets 60 points if CGY craps the bed, I'm screwed in comparison.

Though when it comes to players that only get peripherals I'd much rather find those on the waiver wire.

• How do you choose between players with longer vs. shorter terms?

It depends I find on how much of a jump I think their next contract is going. If its a peripheral heavy player, I don't care much if its a shorter term as they're unlikely to jump much in price on their next contract.

Also as a side note, I'd make sure to draft Hronek if possible at some point. Signed for 2 years on his ELC and he should be topping 40 points as early as this year. Probably a top 5 performance to contract player in your league.

[rj45lan]

I went with Mack. McDavid was picked 4th after Vasy.

[tropheus_guy]

Mack