Final Keepers...

[Smurf54]

With the playoffs over, I am doing some planning for the offseason, and looking for input on my final keeper spots. It's a keep 15 league, full details in signature. In general, I have one of the better young teams in the league. I made the playoffs this year, but unfortunately lost in the quarter final by a single block. As my players continue to develop, I expect my team to be pretty competitive for the next few years.

The following guys I consider sure things: Matthews, Pettersson, Hughes, Pastrnak, Rantanen, Svechnikov, Kaprizov, Hamilton, Rielly, Chabot, Dahlin, Shesterkin.

My D are pretty well set. But there is some uncertainty with my forwards and goaltending. Assuming the list above is correct, this leaves me with 3 spots left for the following guys:

1) Fiala - After his first half, there was no way I was keeping him. But he's been a stud in the second half and has sucked me back in haha.

2) Malkin - Feels weird to have him here. He's a beast in our format when healthy, but he misses at at least 10-20 games per year, which really hurt me down the stretch this year. In general, I don't expect his health to improve. I may shop him in the offseason, although I expect many GM's will be looking for a bargain, given his age and results this year.

3) Meier - Another disappointing year. If he can get back to 30 goals, he is a great fit for my team/league. But he's had two down years, and while I like Meier a lot, I have very little faith in the Sharks moving forward.

4) Kakko - While his numbers weren't stellar again this year, by the eye test, he was much improved over last year. Overall, I love everything happening in New York. And would hate to miss out on him developing into a stud winger on a stacked offensive team with Panarin/Zibanejad/Lafreniere/Buchnevich.

5) Sorokin - I'm a big believer in Sorokin, and his rookie performance this year has done nothing to convince me he won't be a stud in the near future. And a goalie playing on a Trotz team is a pretty safe bet as far as goalies go. The obvious challenge is Varlamov. I think Sorokin is 1-2 years away from being a starter, and in a league that favours volume starts, his value takes a hit in the near term.

6) Hart - I like Hart a lot, and very much expect him to bounce back after a tough year. But long term, not sure I can say I believe he will be a better goalie than Sorokin. And despite a tough year, I can likely get a better trade return for Hart than if I were to shop Sorokin.

So that's it! Did I nail my "sure thing" keepers? And of the 6 guys mentioned, who should I keep with my final 3 spots?

[Chewbert]

Let me start by saying I am far from an expert haha.

I agree with your locked in keepers 100%. If it were me I would go with the following 3 to fill out my keepers: Fiala, Sorokin, and Kakko. I am excited to see what develops of Kakko and the NYR going forward. Big Malkin fan but with his age and injuries makes it hard to trust him as a keeper. Fantasy is all about fun so always good to take some chances, playing it safe is overrated anyways lol.

[zaz2712]

I also agree with your sure keepers.

Personally, I would keep Fiala, Sorokin and I am torn between Meier and Kakko.

For me Sorokin is ahead of Hart, sure he has to compete with Varlamov for maybe the next two seasons and Hart is better than what he showed this season and doesn't really have anyone ahead of him. You might lose a bit of SV without a volume goalie, but Sorokin will and Shesterkin will likely bring you lower SV%, more SHO and W might be a wash most weeks. Also, I prefer both NY teams to Philly for the next few years. I am in similar situation in my keeper league where I have Rask and Lehner and it turned out quite well for me. I think you are better set with Shesterkin and Sorokin than with Hart.

Another option is to trade Sorokin if you think he can fetch a much better return than Hart or package with either Meier or Kakko.

I'd probably keep Meier over Kakko. He bring SOG and Hits. Your keeper are pretty light on Hits and I am not sure Kakko gets burried in the NYR lineup soon.

[Right handed shot]

Fiala, Sorokin and Kaako

[Bubba55]

I too like your keepers. I too, think Sorokin needs to stay on your roster. Then it gets a bit tougher. You have analyzed these guys well I think there is the good and the bad associated with all of them. Not sure how your league works and when you need to declare your final 15, but I would shop all of these guys and see what kind of return you can get. Consider packaging some of them for an upgrade on your squad. If I have to pick those final two, I am going with Meire and Kaako. Fiala's inconsistency makes me a bit nervous, he has yet to put a start to finish solid season behind him and he remains an injury risk. Gino, well, that's a risky drop but I'm doing that to get a bit younger and that's Kaako. Malkin's injury woes are legendary and he is not getting any younger and that trend is not likely to change and could in fact get worse. My 2 cents (:

[Blues_fan1000]

like everyone else, i think sorokin should be kept. Then i probably go Fiala. I had him on a few of my teams this year and like you, was fed up over the first half of the season but found myself grabbing him off waivers again for the final push. I'd like to see what happens with Rossi gets healthy there too.

i actually like Bennett in FLA for your last one. Seems like he has clicked with Hubby and is getting top pp deployment. Looks to be a solid fit there.

i'd trade Malkin and Hart for some picks in your offseason if you can too, you'll likely at least be able to grab some upgraded picks, even if you are taking a discount for Malkin

[Eli26]

like everyone else, i think sorokin should be kept. Then i probably go Fiala. I had him on a few of my teams this year and like you, was fed up over the first half of the season but found myself grabbing him off waivers again for the final push. I'd like to see what happens with Rossi gets healthy there too.

i actually like Bennett in FLA for your last one. Seems like he has clicked with Hubby and is getting top pp deployment. Looks to be a solid fit there.

i'd trade Malkin and Hart for some picks in your offseason if you can too, you'll likely at least be able to grab some upgraded picks, even if you are taking a discount for Malkin

In your protection list, I would protect Saros over Andersen. Better goalie. 6 years younger and had a much bigger season. I am going with you didn't update it and you would protect Juuse over Freddy.

[Smurf54]

i actually like Bennett in FLA for your last one. Seems like he has clicked with Hubby and is getting top pp deployment. Looks to be a solid fit there.

Interesting that you mention Bennett. I've been thinking about him since I made this post. I just have no idea where to slot him. I obviously don't expect him to be a 1.5ppg player, like he has been since joining Florida. But I really have no idea what's realistic. If he can be a 50pt+ player, who contributes to HIT/PIM/BLK, then he could be a keeper. But I'm also reluctant to get caught up in the hype since his trade. And prior to this 10-game run, his career high 82 game scoring pace is 38pts, which he set back in 2015/16. So who knows what he will do next year?

[Blues_fan1000]

Interesting that you mention Bennett. I've been thinking about him since I made this post. I just have no idea where to slot him. I obviously don't expect him to be a 1.5ppg player, like he has been since joining Florida. But I really have no idea what's realistic. If he can be a 50pt+ player, who contributes to HIT/PIM/BLK, then he could be a keeper. But I'm also reluctant to get caught up in the hype since his trade. And prior to this 10-game run, his career high 82 game scoring pace is 38pts, which he set back in 2015/16. So who knows what he will do next year?

you can look at his deployment in calgary vs actually being given a fair shot at top 6 min/pp in florida. i agree, he's not likely the 1.5 ppg player he was to round out the year, but i think he has the highest ceiling of the players you have remaining.