Keep which 5 - a few locks, lots of options

[pmorrow]

Not for the league in my sig, but very similar categories and settings except: only 1 goalie can be kept, slightly more emphasis on points, and FOW is a category. It's an 18 team league with 1 G max kept so I expect at least 15 goalies to be kept.

It's a keep 5. Keeper deadline isn't for a long while but thought I'd gather some preliminary thoughts ahead of summer trading.


The locks:
Connor McDavid
Roman Josi

Others in contention for the other 3 spots:
Jacob Markstrom
Mark Scheifele
Timo Meier
Mark Stone
Kevin Fiala
Robert Thomas
Nazem Kadri
Moritz Seider

Also have as longshots:
Alexis Lafreniere (probably too much of a long play in a keep 5)
Tristan Jarry (basically no chance I keep him since can't keep 2 G and he's below Markstrom)
Ryan OReilly
Bryan Rust
Elvis Merzlikins

My initial thought was:
McDavid, Josi, Markstrom, Scheifele, Stone
but with Stone's injury issues that spot is back in the mix. Thoughts? Will rep.

[Grapes]

McDavid, Josi, Markstrom, Scheifele.
I like Meier as your 5th. He ticks all the boxes G, A, Pts, Shots, Hits, Blocks, Pims, a few Face off wins. I think his +/- was around 0 this year.

[Belexus75]

Seeing what is happening with goalies I would keep 5 skaters myself

Josi
Mdavid
Schefiele
Meier
Fiala (could make case for Seidel but that could be risky)

[RizzeeDizzee]

Keep those two, plus Fiala, Meier, and Markstrom

[Feenom]

McDavid, Josi, Markstrom, Scheiflele and Meier. Good luck.

[Bubba55]

As much as I don't like the idea of keeping a goalie in a keep 5 I don't think you have much choice given the circumstances of the league and Markstrom is a decent option, you just hope he has another good year and doesn't blow up on you. I also like Meier here in your format. The last keep is tougher, arguments could be made for Scheifele, Stone and Fiala. However, I'm thinking that Stone has the bandaid boy factor happening here and I'm going to move away from that. I like Fiala although Scheifele is fairly close but he's decent in the face off circle. It boils down to how important a scoring cat FOW are for you. Personally, I'm going with Fiala and bolstering FOW at the draft table, there should be lots of C's to choose from.

McDavid
Josi
Markstrom
Fiala
Meier

[Locke]

I'd go McDavid, Josi, Markstrom, Meier, and probably Fiala.

I'm disinclined to keep both McDavid and Scheifele in a FOW league, as both are below average FOW wise. Fiala gets a boost in H2H as he's been consistently elite at the end of the season. If Fiala moves on, it'll depend though on where he goes.

[Smurf54]

I'm generally not a fan of keeping a goalie in a keep 5, unless they are an absolute stud. To me, that list only includes Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin, and Hellebuyck. Maybe Saros at this point (with Sorokin possibly in the conversation after next season). There's just too much risk with goalies. In a keep 5, any "miss" can pretty much sink your season. So while I understand the temptation to keep Markstrom, based on a fantastic season in 2021/22, his previous seasons tend to bring expectations back down to earth. I think he's a very good goalie, just not sure he's keep-5 worthy.

Having said that, McDavid and Josi are definitely locks. After that, I am keeping 3 of Scheifele, Meier, Fiala, and Stone. Scheifele is pretty much a lock to score a point per game, so I think he's in. Meier is also in, because I think he's a great fit for your league categories, and is pretty much "the guy" now in San Jose. My choice comes down to Fiala and Stone. Normally Stone is a great fit for your league setup, but the back surgery is concerning, and his injury history overall pretty much guarantees he misses time each year. Fiala, on the other hand, had his big breakout this year and will give you great coverage across G/A/PPP/SOG. I'd wait to see where Fiala lands, if possible, before making a final decision between those two.

Seider is also worthy of consideration, but given that you have Josi, I don't think you need him in your 5 keepers.

[bbfl1987]

Not for the league in my sig, but very similar categories and settings except: only 1 goalie can be kept, slightly more emphasis on points, and FOW is a category. It's an 18 team league with 1 G max kept so I expect at least 15 goalies to be kept.

It's a keep 5. Keeper deadline isn't for a long while but thought I'd gather some preliminary thoughts ahead of summer trading.


The locks:
Connor McDavid
Roman Josi

Others in contention for the other 3 spots:
Jacob Markstrom
Mark Scheifele
Timo Meier
Mark Stone
Kevin Fiala
Robert Thomas
Nazem Kadri
Moritz Seider

Also have as longshots:
Alexis Lafreniere (probably too much of a long play in a keep 5)
Tristan Jarry (basically no chance I keep him since can't keep 2 G and he's below Markstrom)
Ryan OReilly
Bryan Rust
Elvis Merzlikins

My initial thought was:
McDavid, Josi, Markstrom, Scheifele, Stone
but with Stone's injury issues that spot is back in the mix. Thoughts? Will rep.

Markstrom, Fiala, Thomas

[This Guy]

Yeah I'd add Markstrom, Meier, and Schiefele. It's tempting to keep Stone rather than Meier, but he's been picking up the injuries.

[finnys_fanatsy]

Schieff Meier and Fiala

[jman]

Meier, Markstrom and Seider.

[SmittyT]

Meier, Seider and Markstrom/Scheifele

[JEMS]

Seeing how many teams are in your league,
I would go with a goalie.
McDavid
Josi
Meier
Fiala
Markstrom

[2014olympicgold]

Because of the league size, I agree Markstrom is a keep.

McDavid, Josi, Markstrom are the 3 I'm 'locking' in today. The final 2 are based on NHL transactions:
Scheifele - Maybe he gets moved to another team that isn't ideal.
Fiala - 99% chance he's on a new team. Is he attractive on Ottawa? Maybe
Meier - SJS is in a weird spot, but he ticks boxes for sure
Kadri - FA. He had a great yr, but I don't know if he replicates this on a new team. Maybe he stays though?
Seider/Laf - 2 top young prospects, but they don't fit your teams age and window. But are potential keepers on other teams
Stone - Injury risk, but he's a keeper if you know he's playing 82games
ROR - You know you're getting 60pt floor, blocks, low hits, solid +/-, low PIM. Without FW as a cat, he's not even a thought for a keep.

So I think as of today it's this:
Locks - Josi, McDavid, Markstrom
75+% Lock - Scheifele, Meier
FA Dependent - Kadri, Fiala
Injury Risk - Stone. Could jump up the rankings if you know he's 100%
If you want to go young - Laf and Seider. I wouldn't but you aren't likely to get either back in this upcoming draft.