With each passing week, more poolies are focusing on their keepers, whether because retentions are due or in looking to next season because their fantasy teams are out of the running. Of course all pick-ups and trades during the season should be made with this at least in the back of one’s mind, but now is when keepers become an even more significant factor.
The biggest key is how many keepers you’re allowed. If you keep all or nearly all players on your roster, things largely can remain business as usual, although unless you’re in a battle to win your league you might start moving away from veterans who figure to be hard pressed to secure an NHL deal next season (ala Marek Zidlicky). Instead, focus on unowned players poised to make an NHL impact soon, like the next undrafted foreigner who could hit the ground running (ala Artemi Panarin) or U.S. college player who’ll latch onto an NHL team as a free agent (ala Torey Krug).
If your league lets you keep only a fraction of your players, then nearly anyone who isn’t helping you win your league this year is potentially expendable, whether by being dropped now (provided they wouldn’t help another team you’re competing with) or dealt in a two-for-one or similar package to upgrade your keepers or draft picks.
From now until the end of the season, most buy low or sell high recommendations appearing in this column will factor in keeper leagues, so be sure to bear that in mind.
Four Buy Low Players
Aaron Ekblad – If you followed my advice and sold high on Ekblad early, chance are you made out well. But, lo and behold, he qualifies as a buy low now, since some of his owners might be getting a bit antsy, especially after only seven points in 21 games in January and February when Florida was red hot. It’s only a matter of time until Ekblad explodes, so if the price is right you probably should deal for him in keepers to make sure he’s on your squad when that happens.
Ondrej Palat – Each of the others “triplets” could lay claim to being a buy low at some point this season. Now it’s Palat’s turn. Whatever was wrong with Palat’s game, or was ailing that line as a whole, looks to be history now. That means a likely return to the form that resulted in 122 points in 156 games for Palat over the past two seasons. If you act quickly, you still stand a chance of getting him for a bit of a bargain compared to his true value.
Ryan McDonagh – With both Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle unlikely to re-sign, that leaves McDonagh as the only Rangers d-man with any semblance of offensive talent. While New York will likely try to bring in a rearguard capable of producing some offence from the blueline, McDonagh still should be able to put up numbers in line with his 2013-14 production, making him a buy low for the moment.
Victor Rask – After 26 points in his first 39 games, Rask had only 11 in his next 25. But four points in three recent contests shows that with Eric Staal traded, Rask stands as the likely beneficiary for the rest of the season and, if Staal doesn’t return, beyond. With GMs either having dropped Rask outright or written him off at least somewhat after he failed to sustain his early momentum, now might be the perfect time to swoop in and acquire him for the long haul.
Four Sell High Players
Nicklas Backstrom – What’s great about Backstrom is you’ve known exactly what he’d do each season, i.e., right around a point per game with tons of assists and PPP. So why is he a sell high? The emergence of Evgeni Kuznetsov and the temptation to pair Kuznetsov with Alex Ovechkin next season. Best to sell high on Backstrom in keepers. You’ll get a solid return and not be latched onto him if his totals begin to slide.
Pekka Rinne – Don’t be fooled by Rinne’s better play of late. Much of that has been due to the team in front of him. Plus, Rinne’s save percentage is easily the lowest of any goalie among the top 16 in wins. And let’s not forget, Rinne had a poor second half of 2014-15 as well, so this is no short-term bump in the road. At age 33, it looks like Rinne is no longer the elite goalie he once was. Fortunately, if you act soon, you should still be able to trade off his name value and get a decent return in a deal.
Carl Hagelin – Some might see Hagelin’s 52-point scoring pace since he arrived in Pittsburgh as a good sign. But in reality, Hagelin’s production is due to Beau Bennett being injured and players like Conor Sheary and Daniel Sprong being not quite ready for prime time. Plus, now his frequent linemate Evgeni Malkin is out for the rest of the regular season. Many fantasy GMs think anyone playing in the Pens’ top six will not only stay in that spot forever, but also produce stellar numbers. Neither will end up being true for Hagelin, so cash in via trade if you have him on your team.
Nick Leddy – If you recall, Leddy was a buy low in this column in December and since then he has posted 27 points in 34 games, including 17 in his past 17. Guess what? Now he’s a sell high, as he can’t keep up this pace and, more importantly, the Islanders will likely bring in a puck moving defenceman this off-season, which figures to morph Leddy back into his old 35-point self. Be sure you unload Leddy beforehand, to bookend your well-timed buy low with a similarly skillful sell high.
