Help me lock up a championship with some tweaks? (will gladly rep!)

[kbro]

Hey guys, roster & settings in signature (second team). I'm looking to make some small FA moves, or make some tiny deals, to help me lock up the league for this year. I'm not in #1 yet as my guys have choked a couple weeks, but I'm #1 overall in fantasy points. I like my chances to win it all. I think I need tweaks though, especially at D and C.

Defense:
I think my weak link is defense (Girard). He's hot right now, but I have him on a short leash. Lindell and Fox are available, but both are in pretty crowded situations on their teams. Dumba and Byfuglien are out there too, who could be interesting if things change. I like Girard just fine for now though.

What do you do with the blueline if you're me?

Center:
Staal is ice cold. I want to grab Couture and stash him in my IR as soon as Kuemper comes back - I think he could come in handy down the stretch. Stepan (C only), Hyman (C/LW), Thomas (C/RW), and Larkin (C only) are available.

Any suggested tweaks at C?

Wing:
I'm holding Gusev in a streaming spot, but given our scoring setup he takes a bit of a hit on +/-. And my LW (Huberdeau, Marchand) and RW (Wilson, Rust) spots are both currently my strongest areas. As mentioned above for center players, there's a few guys with multi-position eligibility available. Dual position eligibility is most useful.

What moves do you like here, if any?

Goal:
Goalie wise I think I'm pretty set, but I'm actively trying to trade Kuemper to open a streamer spot for FA goalie add/drops in weekly matchups. With 5 points per win and 3 moves per week, I think that's the move. I can't get proper value out of Kuemper given I have Vasilevskiy already, who I expect to be a horse down the stretch. I'm trying to deal him for a center and/or defense upgrade.

I'll gladly rep all your responses. Thanks for reading!

[insertnamehere]

D: Klingberg is the guy in Dallas, so I wouldn't go for Lindell. Maybe Fox? Girard is useful for now but you're right, it's a hot streak. There's no way COL keeps their current PP setup for the rest of the season, they always shuffle and go back to stacking PP1 and Makar will get his spot back. When that happens and Girard cools down, I would go for Fox--unless you have a cushy lead to take a wait-and-see approach with Dumba.

F: In the short term, I like Larkin over Staal (Larkin is finally starting to heat up, even if DET is trash--your plus minus will take a hit). Keep Gusev, as he's finally figuring it out and has a great track record from the KHL. I like him more than any of the other wingers listed. If you have the opportunity to stash Couture, absolutely do it.

I don't know how to help you on the goalie front, not knowing what's available. You'd be selling low on Kuemper anyways while he's injured.

Is this a keeper? If not, drop Tarasenko and grab Couture right away.

[kbro]

D: Klingberg is the guy in Dallas, so I wouldn't go for Lindell. Maybe Fox? Girard is useful for now but you're right, it's a hot streak. There's no way COL keeps their current PP setup for the rest of the season, they always shuffle and go back to stacking PP1 and Makar will get his spot back. When that happens and Girard cools down, I would go for Fox--unless you have a cushy lead to take a wait-and-see approach with Dumba.

F: In the short term, I like Larkin over Staal (Larkin is finally starting to heat up, even if DET is trash--your plus minus will take a hit). Keep Gusev, as he's finally figuring it out and has a great track record from the KHL. I like him more than any of the other wingers listed. If you have the opportunity to stash Couture, absolutely do it.

I don't know how to help you on the goalie front, not knowing what's available. You'd be selling low on Kuemper anyways while he's injured.

Is this a keeper? If not, drop Tarasenko and grab Couture right away.

Thanks for the feedback! Repped!

I like Fox, but I feel like his situation with NYR is just as crowded as Girard's. With DeAngelo and Trouba there, I just don't feel overly confident about anyone's production being sustainable. It seems like DeAngelo has the edge so far. Given the firepower in Colorado, I feel like Girard's top pairing minutes may expose him to more points 5-on-5, and he'll also have an edge in +/-. Overall it feels like a bit of a coin flip though.

Goalie wise, I'm thinking about streaming in #1B/#2 goalies based on GoaliePost starting goalie data, and grabbing whoever is starting on Vasilevskiy's off nights that has the highest odds of getting a win. In my mind, given 3 moves/week, that will get just as much value out of my bench spot as someone like Kuemper. Kuemper is going to be returning soon, too, while I will be selling a little low, I think there will be teams out there that like how he will help them in H2H playoffs. That said, I would be taking a bit of a risk by doing that. Kuemper is a nice insurance policy if something happens to Vasilevskiy.

It's a non-keeper, so maybe you're onto something... drop Tarasenko for Couture now. Thanks for the suggestion!

[insertnamehere]

Thanks for the feedback! Repped!

I like Fox, but I feel like his situation with NYR is just as crowded as Girard's. With DeAngelo and Trouba there, I just don't feel overly confident about anyone's production being sustainable. It seems like DeAngelo has the edge so far. Given the firepower in Colorado, I feel like Girard's top pairing minutes may expose him to more points 5-on-5, and he'll also have an edge in +/-. Overall it feels like a bit of a coin flip though.

Goalie wise, I'm thinking about streaming in #1B/#2 goalies based on GoaliePost starting goalie data, and grabbing whoever is starting on Vasilevskiy's off nights that has the highest odds of getting a win. In my mind, given 3 moves/week, that will get just as much value out of my bench spot as someone like Kuemper. Kuemper is going to be returning soon, too, while I will be selling a little low, I think there will be teams out there that like how he will help them in H2H playoffs. That said, I would be taking a bit of a risk by doing that. Kuemper is a nice insurance policy if something happens to Vasilevskiy.

It's a non-keeper, so maybe you're onto something... drop Tarasenko for Couture now. Thanks for the suggestion!

You're right, maybe Fox isn't a safe bet--if anything they look like the same player, with Girard taking the advantage due to a better chance of good deployment. Might as well ride out the hot hand with Girard, and check in on Dumba periodically.

As for the goalie, I don't know what you could trade him for, and with the way he's playing and Arizona's system, he might be better to keep. Goalies are voodoo, but Kuemper is consistent. Do you have unlimited moves?

[kbro]

You're right, maybe Fox isn't a safe bet--if anything they look like the same player, with Girard taking the advantage due to a better chance of good deployment. Might as well ride out the hot hand with Girard, and check in on Dumba periodically.

As for the goalie, I don't know what you could trade him for, and with the way he's playing and Arizona's system, he might be better to keep. Goalies are voodoo, but Kuemper is consistent. Do you have unlimited moves?

Unlimited moves on the season, but a max of 3 moves per week. Thanks for the thoughtful feedback!

[kbro]

One important note I forgot to mention - this league has a rule that you're only allowed to carry a max of 2 active goalies at any given time. Furthermore, there's only 1 bench spot. Given that, and given 5 points for a win, I think the bench spot is best served for streaming in and out 1B/2 goalies starting on Vasi's off nights that have high odds of getting a win (as described above).

This is why I'm keen on trading Kuemper for an upgrade at D, C, or RW. I won't get any real value out of Kuemper on Thursdays and Saturdays most weeks. I haven't compared TB and AZ schedules down the stretch, but I expect there will be a lot of overlap.