hey everyone, I have a question to which I could use some helpful answers.
I'm in a 12 team keeper league where we protect 11 from last season and I have the first pick in the upcoming draft, which is on wednesday. I was thinking about taking Tavares with it to get some keeper upside but now I'm not so sure.
Right now I'm thinking about taking Hemsky or Loui Eriksson, who are unprotected, or taking a 3rd goalie like Bryzgalov or Emery since my only two goalies are Lundqvist and Price and the goalie pickings will be very slim once the draft comes back to me.
So, basically, since this is a keeper, does Tavares have the long-term upside to take him first overall or should I let him go to someone else while I fill more pressing needs elsewhere to make my team stronger in the short-term?
yeah I'd probably take Tavares too. I don't know though. Hemsky is a very good option as well. I wouldn't worry about a goalie just yet. You have a solid top 2 and I'm sure you'll be able to find a nice sleeper for your 3rd. Jimmy Howard maybe?
Kind of tough to say without providing a full list of unprotected players. But if you are planning on being in the league for a number of years, I don't think you can go wrong with tavares.
11 players * 12 teams = 132 players are protected from one year to the next? If that's the case, Tavares is probably an excellent candidate for #1 overall. Heck, I'm considering him and I'm in a 5 players * 12 teams = 60 players situation. How the heck would Hemsky still be available? Is there seriously a team with 11 players better than Ales Hemksy?
It all comes down to the scoring emphasis - G/A emphasis for skaters, and what the skaters/goaltenders emphasis is like.
This season, I expect more production from Hemsky, and Hemsky is more of a proven asset. However, Tavares has way more upside, and because you can protect so many players from one year to the next, he would be the guy you want. He seems to be the overwhelming favourite among fantasy hockey writers anyway.
However, if there is some reasonable emphasis on goaltending, Emery could possibly be my preference. You may not need a goalie of his calibre as your #3, but it's likely someone will be interested in him as a #2 (or even a #1 on a team with weak goaltending).
The thing I forgot to mention is that we carry 3 of the 11 as a 'farm' team. This means we get to keep them as a 'farm' player for three seasons, a season being counted as a 24 game played minimum each year IIRC. This probably makes someone as Tavares even more valuable, especially since this is the last season Price will be considered a 'farm' player.
11 players * 12 teams = 132 players are protected from one year to the next? If that's the case, Tavares is probably an excellent candidate for #1 overall. Heck, I'm considering him and I'm in a 5 players * 12 teams = 60 players situation. How the heck would Hemsky still be available? Is there seriously a team with 11 players better than Ales Hemksy?
It all comes down to the scoring emphasis - G/A emphasis for skaters, and what the skaters/goaltenders emphasis is like.
This season, I expect more production from Hemsky, and Hemsky is more of a proven asset. However, Tavares has way more upside, and because you can protect so many players from one year to the next, he would be the guy you want. He seems to be the overwhelming favourite among fantasy hockey writers anyway.
However, if there is some reasonable emphasis on goaltending, Emery could possibly be my preference. You may not need a goalie of his calibre as your #3, but it's likely someone will be interested in him as a #2 (or even a #1 on a team with weak goaltending).
Haha, I don't know if I really helped at all.
Hemsky is always sickeningly undervalued. I've been grabbing him in the mid rounds of several drafts and I'm mightily pleased so far. Would love to grab him in this league as well
And regarding the goaltending... Well, I guess I want another goalie behind those two because Price really screwed me last season. Maybe I should hope he bounces back and a solid 3rd goalie won't be such a big need, but I'm still not sold on Price.
Neither am I sold on all my other options. There's Bryz, Emery, Smith, Quick... I like them all a bit but I don't think they are worth the pick I'm holding, no?
Hemsky is always sickeningly undervalued. I've been grabbing him in the mid rounds of several drafts and I'm mightily pleased so far. Would love to grab him in this league as well
I strongly disagree. Post-lockout, he's averaged (yearly):
He doesn't have a great supporting cast and he's not good enough to do it all on his own. If he was in Pittsburgh he would be a fantasy monster but Edmonton just hasn't had (and won't have this year) the right pieces to make him a viable #1 or #2 fantasy option.
Hemsky is picked on average at 132nd overall, 26th of all RWs. Assuming a standard 12 teams and 2 RWs, that means in most leagues, he's one of the best players you can have on the bench and that's right about where I'd rate him - reliable enough to slot in, in case of injury, but not someone you want to count on.
In answer to the OP, I would take Tavares 1st. That's a lot of players that are retained yearly, and he's definitely one you want to keep.
