Expert topic, come drop your two cents

[lusshouse]

Last year's thread : https://forums.dobbersports.com/show...ly-long-thread

Long post ahead, if you feel like skipping, here's a shortened version. Others who like reading, see below.


TLDR :

Rank
Faulk 5.85
Fowler 4.75
Slavin 5.5
Skjei 5.4
Spurgeon 6.0
Grzelcyk 4.25

Rank
PL Dubois, C, 6M
Viktor Arvidsson, RW-LW, 4.25M
Travis Konecny, RW-LW, 5.75
Kadri (C, 7M)
Kreider (LW, 6M)
Hartman (C-RW, 2M)
Hischier (C, 4.5M)
Wheeler (C-RW, 6.5M)
Malkin (C, 8M)
E Kane (RW-LW, 6.25M)


1st team in sig.


Salary cap league, we use salaries, which means McDavid costs only 12M to his own this year.
Weekly starts 3C, 3LW, 3RW, 6D (!!) and 2G.
Must comply with the cap at all times, and own between 24 and 30 players.
A point = a point. A win = 2, a SO = 1pt.
Total points win!
14 teams, top-4 earn $.


I've been a bottom team for 4 years, but other rebuilding teams have finished lower than me this past year, and are starting a rebuilding cycle, going down deeper than I am now.

I owned 29 players, so will need to drop a few if I want to draft a few.

I think this team won't be able to finish bottom-3 even if I try hard. But it's hard to predict how high I can finish since MOST teams are waaaaaay above the cap and will need to cut some pieces. Which isn't my case.



GOALIES

Think I'm set : keep Markstrom, Petersen and Gustafsson. Along with Primeau as a future asset. Drop Ullmark (think he's losing his job to Swayman, team will go through a tough OCT/NOV).

DEFENSE

Burns, Liljegren, Forsling, Brannstrom are easy keeps as starters. Here's hoping Perunovich is a starter too from Day 1. Addison, Merkley and PO Joseph are among the highest prospects on Dobber's list and I'm happy with them on my bench.

Clague and Kalynuk are easy drops.


FORWARDS

Eichel, Larkin, Tarasenko, Pastrnak, Marchessault at 3.5M and Terry are 6 easy starters.

Kakko or Hagel ideally would be my 10th forward in case of injuries.

Pinto, Rossi, Holtz are future assets / not reliable enough yet, but I'm very happy to have them on my bench in case.


That's 23 keepers locked in.


QUESTION #1

Keep or drop

PL Dubois, C, 6M
Viktor Arvidsson, RW-LW, 4.25M for two more years
Travis Konecny, RW-LW, 5.75 then 6.0 and then 7.0M


You have to understand that these are my 7th to 9th starters. If I drop them, it's because I think I can draft somebody better, or similar with a better salary.

Among players not owned, Kadri (C, 7M), Kreider (LW, 6M), Hartman (C-RW, 2M), Hischier (C, 4.5M), Wheeler (C-RW, 6.5M), Malkin (C, 8M), E Kane (RW-LW, 6.25M).

I expect GMs stuck over the cap to drop players like Palat, Barzal (C, 10M), Cirelli (7.2M), Jaden Schwartz just to name a few.


KEEP IN MIND, I must drop guys if I want to draft guys. And so far, I'm droping Ullmark (G), Clague & Kalynuk (D) and I'll need to draft at least 2 D to replace them. So if I want to draft an improvement, I must drop first.



QUESTION #2

What to do with Matt Grzelcyk?!

He's getting 4.25M for two more years. McAvoy has clearly gotten the PP1 role. And while McAvoy will be injured, so will Grzelcyk be too!

So, except one COVID season, he's been a 70-game, 20-point dude for 4.25M.

But, since I'm cutting two D, I'm already short.

Options will include :
Faulk 5.85, Fowler 4.75, Slavin 5.5, Skjei 5.4, Spurgeon 6.0 and Giordano 0.8.

Other available guys include 10+ Trouba, Doughty, Karlsson and OEL.

Likely drops from other teams will include 10+ Nurse and Wereski, which I both traded for two years ago, and traded back for picks last off-season.


Many kids will be available, but just like Liljegren and Brannstrom, I expect them to take forever to become relevent : Power, Edvinsson, Sanderson, Nemec, Jiricek, Korchinski... and Zellweger, Pickering and Blankenburg. Don't fool yourself, most of these guys will be drafted in the first round.




As I own Tarasenko, Terry, Pastrnak, Marchessault, Forsling and Larkin all on a final year of a contract or on very friendly contracts, it feels like if I can find one or two extra pieces I could compete. Also, as noticed in the past 4 years in the basement, nobody wants to pay premium picks/contracts to acquire one-year good contracts.



ANY HELP/HINT/TIP IS APPRECIATED. WILL REP ANY NEW HELPER, AS I ALREADY REPPED THE USUAL SUSPECTS !


Bonus

Should I try to convince the team who's in a REAL TROUBLE with his cap to trade me Adam Fox? My prediction is he'll be shopping Torey Krug. And I too would rather have 70 point Fox for 11M than 50 point 8M Krug.

[lusshouse]

PS : If I drop only Ullmark, Clague and Kalnyuk, I can draft 4 players max (0 min) and will have more or less 8M to do so, and a desperate need for 2 D if none of Perunovich, Merkley, Addison or Joseph makes the opening night roster.