It's a massive mailbag this week, with lots of questions about buying low on Eric Staal, Daniel Carcillo on his best behaviour, Steve Mason's poor play and other goaltending concerns including Jonas Gustavsson, Cam Ward and Ilya Bryzgalov.
Okay, last week's Fantasy Puck Mail unleashed a firestorm, which I'm all too happy to addresss again this week. Given the size of the fantasy mailbag, I'll offer a suggestion, going forward, that will make it easier to have your questions answered:
Please, keep it as brief as possible. It's not that I don't appreciate knowing your entire roster, but to go that depth on each and every question just isn't feasible. So, stick to the relevant players involved and keep the question focused on that topic and I'll do my level best to get to as many of them as possible.
Many thanks to all who continue to write in, watch the daily ProLine Fantasy Hockey Report as well as the ProLine Fantasy Hockey Updates, NHL Power Rankings and NHL Player Rankings every week. When the inbox gets overwhelming, it's always gratifying to know that there are so many of you out there looking for hockey information.
So, let's get to it. This week's installment of Fantasy Puck Mail.
Scott, The guy I'm concerned about is Justin Williams. If he plays with Anze Kopitar the rest of the season, and we assume (and rightfully so) that Kopitar slows down at some point, can Williams still continue at a point per game? I currently have offered Williams for Bobby Ryan, and I hope that the guy accepts this trade, but if he doesn't, should I feel comfortable with having Williams for the rest of the season? Also, I'm wondering about your opinion on James Wisniewski's long-term value in Anaheim. I can reasonably see him getting 50-60 points if he continues getting solid power play time, but as his owner, I may be somewhat biased here. What do you think about that? And there is also Pavol Demitra. When he comes back, will he be a factor? I'm not sure where he'd fit in on Vancouver, but I would guess that Vancouver would try him between the Sedins at first. In goal, I'm now sitting on Jonas Gustavsson, Cam Ward and Chris Mason. I'm wondering if I should be happy with this trio. Gustavsson figures to have a solid season of maybe 40-50 starts, unless Toskala completely blows it and Gustavsson shows he can handle a ton of games. I'm more worried about Carolina. Will they tank? And Chris Mason. I'm wondering if he's really established himself as a true number 1 goalie now, or is this just a great hot streak he's on? Thanks! - Jaroslaw
Jaroslaw, I like Williams for as long as he stays on Kopitar's wing, which he presumably will be the rest of the season. However, liking him and expecting a point-per-game is still optimistic, in my opinion. If he finishes with 60-plus points, that's a success.
When it comes to Wisniewski, I've been touting him for some time and it's great to see his production with Anaheim (21 points in 32 games since the trade deadline last season), so I could see him as a 50-point defenceman at some point; it will just be a matter of staying healthy and continuing to get power play time.
While Demitra has returned to the ice, he's still recovering from shoulder surgery and there is a long list of players who have trouble producing immediately after shoulder troubles. If Demitra gets a shot with the Sedins, then sure, he's worth adding, but otherwise, I'd probably take a wait-and-see approach with him.
Your goaltending trio is obviously in a little trouble as long as Ward is injured, but could be okay if the 'Canes are turning around when Ward returns. Mason isn't an elite starter, but he's probably established himself as a starting-calibre goaltender and just needs some offensive support to be a real fantasy threat. Gustavsson is a wildcard, but certainly worth holding as your third option between the pipes. - SC
Scott: I'm in a 12 team yahoo rotisserie league, looking pretty strong at 4 positions, weak on defense and pitiful on PIM. My weakness is D where I have Nicklas Lidstrom, Dennis Wideman, Brent Seabrook, plus Sergei Gonchar. I'm doing okay (at least average) in most categories except PIM, and I could really use another D.
Three questions
1 - Who should I drop when I activate Gonchar out of Brad Boyes, Chris Mason, Kristian Huselius or Tomas Fleischmann - I'm leaning towards Boyes since Fleischmann is eligible for either RW or LW.
2 - Should I try and trade Anderson and is he worth a top 2 defenseman? Or just get whatever I can for Steve Mason?
3 - Should I give up on getting PIM points and just focus on the other stats? I'm currently 2nd overall (fluctuates daily!), but in 12th spot with PIM. Thanks, NS, Vancouver
NS, I'd be inclined to drop Fleischmann, but expect that over the rest of the season, he won't quite have the same kind of benefit that he's going to enjoy now while Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble are out and Boyes is going to be a primary factor in the Blues' offence, however effective or ineffective it may be. Anderson should be worth a quality defenceman, but that's all going to depend on a team's goaltending needs. Given who you have on the blueline, you'd probably have to move Wideman if you were going to attempt to bolster your PIMs. It can be done (I'd be willing to buy low in Wideman in the right deal), but you're not going to give up Lidstrom or Gonchar unless it's a blockbuster. - SC
Hey Scott, I'm in an 11-team keeper league, We have 18 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders. A couple of questions: 1. Should I trade Patrick Marleau while he is worth some value or will he keep performing all year with these numbers and for years to come? 2. I am debating between benching Jack Johnson and replacing him with Marc-Edouard Vlasic as well as benching Christopher Higgins or even a disapointing Jason Pominville to play T.J. Oshie, or Artem Anisimov. Thank you, Brent
Brent, I do think Marleau can continue as a point-per-game player, or close to it, this season. He's a free agent next summer, so there is plenty of motivation to put up huge numbers and he's a very good player on a very good team. However, if you can get value for him in a trade, perhaps addressing another weakness, then Marleau's value is at or near its high point.
As long as Jack Johnson is a minus machine, I'd feel safer with Vlasic in his place. I like Oshie (five points in his last six games) to pick up his production, so get him in for Higgins. - SC
Hi Scott, I have Steven Mason in my hockey pool and unfortunately his play lately hasn't helped my team at all. Do you think I should try and trade Mason, or keep him as he might turn around his season and play like he did last year. My pool is a rather deep pool so almost every starter is taken. I have Luongo and picked up Pavelec to help with goaltending, but I have the worst goalie stats in the league. My next question is Do you think Rich Peverley will continue his amazing year, and if not should I attempt a trade to secure another goalie. - Darren From New Westminster
Darren, I don't know if you could get anything of value for Mason right now, so you're probably best to sit and wait with him. Of course, if you could afford to move Peverley, he ought to bring a more significant return. I doubt Peverley will keep his current pace (23 points in 18 games works out to 104 points over 82 games), but he does have 58 points in 57 games with the Thrashers since he was acquired on waivers last year. Even if he falls short of being a point-per-game player, there should be some trade value if you're willing to move a centre of that calibre. - SC
Hey Scott, I would like to know your opinion on the Atlanta Goalie situation. Kari Lehtonen is injured and isn't coming back for awhile. Johan Hedberg isn't capable of being consistent. Is Ondrej Pavelec the real deal? Or do you expect Atlanta to get the trade rumors rumbling with a possible trade? - Brent
Brent, Since Lehtonen's injury is long-term, he is effectively out of the equation. Hedberg is riding a little hot streak now, but the last time he had a save percentage better than .900 was in 2001-2002 (.904), when he was a 28-year-old rookie with the Penguins. He's established his level as a backup goaltender and that's not going to change when he's 36-years-old. That leaves Pavelec, who appears to be ready for the job. I don't know if he can handle a 60-game workload, but I'd expect good numbers if Pavelec gets 40-50 starts. How the Thrashers handle the rest -- whether with a healthy Lehtonen or possibly overachieving Hedberg -- will determine whether they need to make a trade, with the realization that trading for another goaltender would likely poison the organization for Lehtonen and Pavelec, who both want to be starter. - SC
Hi Scott, I am in a points only league (1 G/A = 1 pt) that requires 11 forwards, three defencemen and one goalie and I've been tempted to make a straight up trade of Patrick Marleau for Marc Savard. When owners make a trade we keep all of the points generated from the player up to that point. I'm pretty sure Savard will be averaging a point per game when he gets back but can I depend on Marleau to keep up his current pace if I turn it down?
Also, Marian Hossa is currently a free agent in our league (amazingly) I was wondering which of the following guys, who have had slow starts, I should drop to pick up Hossa if any? Brad Boyes, Eric Staal, Teemu Selanne or Thomas Vanek. Thanks, Richard
Richard, A Marleau-for-Savard deal should be worthwhile when Savard returns (or at least close to it) and he's back on the ice now. As you say, Savard figures to be a safer point producer, considering that he's been better than a point-per-game for five seasons running. Absolutely, grab Hossa -- he's due back next week -- and I'd likely take him in place of Teemu Selanne who, at his age, may hold a greater injury risk than Boyes or Vanek. Staal is also due to get back in the lineup soon, so I'd give him a chance to prove he's better than he was before getting hurt. - SC
Hey Scott, I am in a 14 team Yahoo! league and I have been patient with Paul Kariya, Patrik Berglund and Steve Sullivan. Since there are very little quality options left, I have kept them all hoping they will start producing...but how long is too long? When should I get rid of these guys? Thanks - Yvan
Yvan, In a 14-team league, definitely hold onto Sullivan. He's starting to produce (four points in the last three games). You may be able to dump both Kariya (no points in 11 games) and Berglund (one point in 12). Obviously, they aren't as bad as they've been lately, but I wouldn't expect either one of them to suddenly go on a tear and finish with 65 points or something like that. - SC
Hi Scott, I'm in a 10-team, keeper league on yahoo and I've got Marian Hossa on my IR. At the end of this month when he returns to play I'll need to dump someone. I've been holding on to four goalies, partly because none of them have really shined, and there isn't much else in my league available. I've got Niklas Backstrom, Jose Theodore, Jon Quick and Jonas Gustavsson. Our goalie categories are wins, GAA, SV% and shutouts. If I had to drop a skater I would look at one of my weaker defense man like Ian White or Tobias Enstrom, but I feel three goalies is enough. Who would you suggest I drop? Thanks, Rob
Rob, If you're going to drop one of those goaltenders, I'd be more inclined to try and trade Jose Theodore, rather than losing him for nothing. If you're in contention this year, you probably have to hang onto Theodore until it becomes clear that Semyon Varlamov is going to be the full-time starter in Washington, which probably means dropping Jonas Gustavsson. In a keeper league, there should also be a trade market for him. While you wait for the Caps goaltending situation to play out, you could get away with dropping Ian White in order to add Hossa. - SC
Hi Scott, I drafted Daniel Carcillo, as I have for the last two years, because his fights and tantrums almost singlehandedly win the PIM category in my yahoo rotisserie league. However, with the addition of Ian Laperriere, Carcillo is fighting far less than previous years and he is not producing points as some had hoped. He still plays regularly so I feel that the fighting has to pick up, but I'm getting tired of putting him in my lineup with no results. I also have David Clarkson and Alex Burrows, should I drop Carcillo? Thanks, - B
B, Considering you already have Clarkson and Burrows, you can probably afford to drop Carcillo. I have him on my Experts' League team and I'm waiting him out, itching for the day that he rolls up 27 minutes in penalties and I can realize that my investment in him at the draft was worth it. Of course, I see the game he had on November 6th at Buffalo (two goals, plus-3, seven shots on goal) and think that there is more scoring ability there, just waiting to be unleashed. As of now, I agree that it requires extra patience, or a very deep league, to hold onto Carcillo. - SC
Hey Scott, I'm in a 14 team head-to-head style league that includes PIM. For the last two seasons, I've had Daniel Carcillo on my roster and I was almost guaranteed to win the PIM category each week. This season, he hasn't been putting up great penalty minutes so I've dropped him to waivers for Colton Orr - who hasn't been doing much penalty-wise lately. Any other suggestions for some guys that will rack up the penalty minutes for me? I should point out that I'm also a Habs fan, and it pains me to have any Maple Leaf on my roster so any advice would be most appreciated! - Derek
Derek, If you only need PIMs and nothing else, Tampa Bay's Zenon Konopka is doing more than a little pot-stirring with 76 PIM in 19 games. B.J. Crombeen (St. Louis), Brandon Prust (Calgary) and Derek Dorsett (Columbus) are also pretty good for penalty minutes, it not necessarily much else. - SC
Scott, I must keep one rookie, and I recently dropped Jason Demers in favor of Evander Kane. In a league where power play points and shorthanded points count, do you have any suggestions? Should I just wait and see how they do? Also, Alex Goligoski seems to be slowing down and is now hurt and Andy Greene, who is hot right now, has a chance of slowing down once Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin return. Which of them is the better long-term option? Thanks, Jarvis
Jarvis, If power play points count, you might be better off with Jason Demers. His production has slowed, but he is still getting time on the PP, which can't be said for Kane, who is playing great 5-on-5. When he returns from injury, I like Goligoski more because of his time on the Pittsburgh power play. Greene has become a useful fantasy player by quarterbacking the Devils' power play effectively, to the point that he probably shouldn't get automatically shuffled aside when Martin returns. - SC
Scott my man, I've got a goalie question for you. I'd like to think my goaltending is strong. I've been rotating Ryan Miller with Ilya Bryzgalov and Jon Quick. I'm starting to worry about Quick though. Do you see him shaping up or should I wait for him to get hot and pursue a trade for someone more stable? The 'Yotes and the Kings have been winning, and we count wins (along with SV% and GAA), but we don't score shutouts. Unfortunately my league decided it would be better to count losses than shutouts, so I'm wary about what these two goalies might cost me. Do you think I should keep the faith in Los Angeles and Phoenix? Thanks for your help! - Alex
P.S. when will Derek Boogaard score his next goal?
Alex, I'm much more apt to count on the Kings and therefore Quick as a second goaltending option. The Coyotes have overachieved to this point, due in large part to Bryzgalov, but with injuries piling up on their blueline, Phoenix is walking a tightrope. Just be prepared, if Quick falters, for Jonathan Bernier to make a move -- he's playing very well (7-4-2, 1.59 GAA, .953 SVPCT) in the AHL right now. As for Boogaard, I'm going to go with nine more shots from now, which would make it 50 shots since his last goal, January 7, 2006. He's getting a lot more shots on goal this year (six in 13 games), so I'm going to peg Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010, at home against Vancouver, as the next goal for Derek Boogaard. - SC
I have a team that relies heavily on its netminders (Evgeni Nabokov, Craig Anderson, and Antii Niemi). I was just offered Bryzgalov and Mike Cammalleri for Anderson. Should I take it? The Avs and the Coyotes are both playing at the top of their games right now, but the Coyotes have a lot further to fall. Bryzgalov is great, but he isn't getting much help out there and he can't carry the load all season. My LW position is pretty solid (Scott Hartnell, Vaclav Prospal, Alexander Frolov, Alex Burrows) however I am a little thin at RW and weak at C. This guy doesn't have much to offer at these positions, but I could use a LW as trade bait in the future. - Erik Ljung
Erik, I agree completely, that Anderson is a safer option than Bryzgalov, which is obviously why Cammalleri is being included in the deal. If you can use that stockpile of left wing talent -- it is a thin position -- to upgrade elsewhere, or possibly even in goal (I'm wondering what could Bryzgalov and Prospal get you?), then it may work out in the long run; it will just take some wheeling and dealing, but the value makes it worthwhile. - SC
Mike Fisher, Tim Connolly, David Perron, Nicklas Bergfors or Rich Peverley? I'm thinking of only adding one or two of them, what's the best move to do? - Phillip
Phillip, Until he slows down, I suppose Rich Peverley has to be at the top of that list. I'm actually amazed at how many leagues Tim Connolly is available in -- more than I would expect for a guy who has 63 points in 66 games since the start of last season. - SC
Scott Cullen: I am completely stumped on if I should make this move. I usually do not trade in fantasy hockey because I feel I have drafted and done free agency to make my team the best that it could be and thus do not want to make moves. I was offered Eric Staal for Rick Peverley. I am in a points league that is overall points, and NOT a keeper league. So far Peverley has proven himself since coming to Atlanta, and Eric Staal is slumping big time. Staal is a proven sniper, but is the shortcoming from the 'Canes too much for him? Would you trade Peverley for Staal? Thanks for your help! - Michael Jacquin
Michael, I probably would trade Peverley for Staal, just based on track record, but do so knowing that one is at his peak in value and one is at his lowest point. - SC
Hi Scott, I'm in a H2H !Yahoo league that counts G, A, +/-, PIMs, and PPPs. There are 16 teams in my league, so the pool runs pretty deep, although I lucked out by drafting Vaclav Prospal and Craig Anderson with my 9th and 11th picks, respectively. However, I also drafted Teemu Selanne, who has not turned out as well as I'd hoped and is underperforming along with the rest of the Ducks. My question is, what are the chances that Vaclav Prospal will stay hot (having recently cooled down a bit) and end the season with 80pts, and that Selanne will turn it around and get somewhere in the 30-30-60 range? I'm thinking about packaging the two of them along with Ryan O'Reilly for Vincent Lecavalier and Patrik Elias. I figure that Lecavalier is a good buy low candidate, but I'm worried that by the time he turns it around it'll be very late in the season, if at all. Elias is also a bit of a gamble, but he had a good season last year, and is playing on a pretty hot Devils team. What do you think of this trade? - Cheers, Jerry
I'd try the same thing, Jerry. Prospal may be a sell-high candidate for as long as Marian Gaborik stays healthy, but that link is risky enough to make me want to find someone more reliable. Selanne may score 30, but I'm not sure he's going to be able to get 30 assists, given the lack of production from linemates Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul. Lecavalier may not be more than a 75-80 point player right now, but that's still pretty good and Elias was great last year (78 points in 77 games). It may just take him a little while to get up to speed following his preseason groin surgery. - SC
Scott, I can't help but notice the great week that Maxim Afinogenov of the Thrashers are having. What do you think his value will be long-term? I'm in an 8-team Head-to-Head league and am considering him as an option on the right wing. I currently have Bobby Ryan, Patrick Sharp and Justin Williams. Should I stick with what I have or am I wise to gamble on Max? Thanks Scott. Cheers, Andrew
Andrew, Afinogenov is definitely a gamble, but he's playing great with Ilya Kovalchuk. I'd consider him as a high-risk, high-reward pickup in place of someone like Sharp, who does have just one goal (and, admittedly, eight assists) in the last 14 games. - SC
Hi Scott, I have Erik Cole, Eric Staal and Manny Legace on my team. I just got offered Patrick Sharp for Eric Staal. Should I do this trade or wait it out and hope Carolina as a team turns around? I think I would consider it if i didnt have 2 other carolina players. Your advice would be great. Regards, Derek
So it appears, Derek, we've reached the point at which everyone is trying to get hold of Eric Staal as a buy-low option. Since Staal's return is imminent, I wouldn't deal him for Sharp. I also wouldn't let Manny Legace affect any of my trade plans. - SC
Hi Scott, So while I'm pumped that Sheldon Souray is back, I'm at something of a loss for who to cut/deal in order to bring him back in from IR. My defence currently consists of Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, Lubomir Visnovsky (initially added to replace Souray), Tobias Enstrom, and Jason Demers. I was initially going to send Tobias Enstom or Jason Demers packing, but I'm concerned I'm going to see a drop in Lubo's PP time and overall production with Souray's return to Edmonton. My league counts goals, assists, +/-, PPP, and SHP, no PIMs. Any tips? - James
James, Especially with Denis Grebeshkov out, I wouldn't anticipate Visnovsky losing PP time just because Souray is returning. Given the strong D you already have, a rookie like Demers is most expendable. - SC
Hi Scott, I am in a 16 team head to head league and own Martin Havlat and Pascal Leclaire. For skaters we count G,A,Pts,PPP,SHP,+/-, SOG's, and PIMs. For goalies we count W's,GAA, SV% and SHO. My goalies are Pekka Rinne, Jonas Gustavsson and Pascal Leclaire. Brian Elliot is available on waivers right now and I can swing a trade for Steve Mason but it will probably cost me a mid level winger (probably Ryane Clowe or David Perron). What would you do if you were in my shoes? I was thinking about making the trade to get Mason and dropping the Monster for Elliot until Leclaire comes around (if he comes around). My forwards and Dmen are pretty stacked so my goalies thus far are my Achilles heel. Due to the amount of teams in the league, the waiver wire is very very thin.
As for Havlat, I keep reading that he's getting ample PP time and he's a regular on the 2nd line but he's not really producing anything like he was last year on a more offensive Chicago team. Please share your thoughts! Cheers, Billy
Billy, I'd give the Steve Mason a deal a try, in the hopes that he's not totally stuck in a sophomore jinx. Three of his last four starts have been good ones; it's just the one that wasn't was the 9-1 drubbing by Detroit. For a midlevel winger, the upside of Mason is worth it. Between Elliott and Gustavsson, I'd lean towards Gustavsson because he gets more regular starts. However, if you want to handcuff Elliott to Leclaire, that's a reasonable strategy. In that case, considering it's a 16-team league, you should be able to get something for Gustavsson in a trade.
Havlat is getting the ice time (he played nearly 21 minutes against Phoenix Wednesday night), but it's just not working for him right now. He doesn't create enough chances and he's getting minuses all over the place. Given the size of your league, you may as well stash him on the bench and hope he figures it out. - SC
Hi Scott, I am in a twelve team yahoo pool and currently have Alex Tanguay. I am getting really sick of waiting for him to pick it up, and am wondering if he is worth keeping around. The teams have a 19 man roster size so the FA pool is usually picked over. One option I have been looking at is Evander Kane as a possible replacement. Would this be a good idea? Thanks, Jon
Jon, As much as I like the promise Kane has shown as a rookie, don't give up on Tanguay. He has ten points and is a plus-7 in his last ten games and as long as he's getting power play time and/or time on one of the top two lines in Tampa, he'll have plenty of chances to produce. - SC
Hi Scott, With the recent news that Nikita Filatov is headed back to Russia for this season, what are your suggestions on him? I am in the first year of a 12-team keeper league in which I don't even plan on contending until at least next year. With that in mind, I plan to keep him around...but what do you think the chances are of him not coming back? Thanks, Dave Poleck
Dave, My impression is that Filatov wants to play in the NHL, but presumably he wants to do it for more than seven minutes a game and I won't be surprised if he needs assurances that he won't be watching from the press box if he's going to join the Blue Jackets next season. It's not easy, either, since the Blue Jackets already have six "top-six" forwards -- Rick Nash, Kristian Huselius, R.J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette, Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek -- under contract for next season. If Filatov shows enough, perhaps they would feel okay moving Umberger down the depth chart, but it looks like a more difficult lineup to crack for a rookie than it might have looked a year ago. - SC
Hey Scott, Who would you rather have, Patrick O'Sullivan who is a top six forward in Edmonton or Mason Raymond who is playing on a line with Henrik Sedin on the power play and Ryan Kesler at even strength? Also would you rather have Ondrej Palavec from the Thrashers or Nikolai Khabibulin from Edmonton? Thanks, Rick
Rick, I'd go with O'Sullivan, largely because I don't know what Raymond's role will be when Daniel Sedin returns (supposedly this weekend). Tough call on the goaltender. Khabibulin is probably a little safer in that he won't lose the job, though being 36 might also make him a little more of an injury risk than Pavelec. I'd go with Khabibulin and hope. - SC
Hey scott, So I really need your advice on this, I sent this trade to someone in my league the other day, 12 man, H2H all normal stats. I have Dustin Penner, who has a suprising 23 points so far this year. I also have Anze Kopitar, who I actually think can keep up the pace, but looking at Penner, will he? I picked up Maxim Afinogenov the other day off waivers. So I offered a guy these two for Hossa. Do you think its worth it? To me, it's just giving up Penner for Hossa. He said he liked the trade, it's fair, but he has to mull it over. Do you think I should keep on this horse? I know its Hossa we're talking about, but Penner has been that surprise I'm thinking of selling high. Any advice? Thanks! - Ian
Ian, Your offer is fair, particularly if the other team needs depth on the wing, but I completely agree with the decision to deal Penner at a high point in his value. Check out this week's Fantasy Hockey Report! - SC
Hello, I have a trade offer of my Alex Kovalev for Kris Versteeg. Kovalev is an all star but he is really starting to worry me. Should I pass him off for a younger more entertaining Versteeg? Thank you. KJW
KJW, I wouldn't worry much about the level of entertainment being provided, but I'd be inclined to hold onto Kovalev. He's only four points behind Versteeg right now (after Versteeg's two goals Thursday night) and that's after what would universally be considered a disappointing first quarter of the season. - SC
Hello Scott, Another owner offered me Eric Staal and David Backes for Doan. And I am leaning towards making the deal since I need a centre and Staal is a good buy-low candidate now and has keeper value. What do you think about this deal? - Pete
Pete, Certainly, Staal is a very good buy-low option right now, but I'd like to see more from David Backes than one goal in 19 games to consider him as a kind of sweetener on the deal. - SC
SC, I have a couple questions for you. I have a Duck playing like he is wounded -- Ryan Whitney. I have tried to offload Whitney in several deals because his +/- is killing me and he isn't putting up any points. I have packaged him with Phil Kessel in an attempt to land guys like Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty, among others, but no one is biting. He was supposed to be a top end D-man. What is going on with him? Should I stick with him or trade him for a lesser player? Secondly, I have a bit of a situation in net. I have 4 goalies and only 2 can start. I drafted Semyon Varlamov and Jonas Hiller in late rounds and picked up Jonathan Quick and Cam Ward off the waiver wire. Varlamov appears to be securing the #1 job in Washington and I'm leaning towards keeping him as a regular in my lineup. Quick and Hiller have both been spotty and it's pretty much hit or miss week-by-week. I'm stashing Cam Ward until he is healthy. Which goalies should I start and would you reccomend waiving or trading any of them? - Mitch
Mitch, Whitney is plus-1, so that's not the end of the world, but I understand that some might expect more than the nine points in 20 games he has this season (though he had 10 points in 20 games with the Ducks after the trade last year). Whitney leads the Ducks in power play time, so he simply ought to be more productive. I'm surprised packaging him with Kessel wouldn't get you an upgrade, but if that's the case, hold onto Whitney and see what happens.
That's a nice quartet of goaltenders, without having an elite guy. There's upside to all of them, which also means there should be trade value should you decide that, for example, the Ducks aren't going to turn it around and it's time to let Hiller go. - SC
Hi Scott, In a straight up points race from here on in, Brenden Morrow or Chris Kunitz? Regards, GG
GG, Take Morrow. He's slumped lately, but is a big part of Dallas' offensive gameplan. - SC
Dear Scott, I have been offered Marian Gaborik for Anze Kopitar straight up. Do you think Kopitar can keep up the pace? Will Gaborik remain healthy? Thanks, - Thomas Averill
Thomas, Given the choice between Kopitar keeping his pace, or close to it, and Gaborik staying healthy, or close to it, I have to take Kopitar. Gaborik has missed at least 17 games in five of the last six seasons, so I just can't trust him to stay healthy. When he does, he's obviously a first-rate talent. - SC
Hey Scott, So here's my dilemma. My team is in a straight up points league, and currently I have 3 goalies: Cristobal Huet, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Vesa Toskala. Huet is definitely picking up his play as of late and the Hawks are riding him to some wins. I feel like Toskala and Giguere are kind of in similar situations. Toskala just came back from an injury and while he has been having an awful season with not a single win yet, I feel like if he gets a few good starts he can earn the starting job over Jonas Gustavsson. Giguere, also just came back from an injury, and I feel like he is dying to get his shot out there. Not that Hiller is playing terribly, but with the Ducks in the situation they are, I can imagine them riding the hot goalie, which could potentially be Giguere...especially after what he said about not wanting to be a backup (maybe more of a moral incentive to perform). So my question for you is should I keep all 3 and just bank that both will get consistent backup time and/or steal the starting job back? Or if not, should I drop Giguere or Toskala? Thanks, Scott. - Mitch
Mitch, I'd be inclined to drop Toskala, who has yet to give up fewer than three goals against in a start and doesn't have much of a team in front of him. Giguere has only been slightly better, and has a more proven competitor, but he also has a better track record. Comb the waiver wire and pick up someone like Antero Niittymaki (only owned in half of Yahoo! leagues), Tuukka Rask, Jimmy Howard or Mathieu Garon, as they should have more upside than Toskala. - SC
By the way, technical issues/availability mean that there will not be any Fantasy Hockey Updates next week. Check out the Fantasy Hockey Report Facebook Group and fire me e-mails and we'll keep up to speed until the following week.
Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@ctv.ca