Maybe an owner has been shopping a player around for a couple of years. It would be good to know if the asking price has gone down or up. Is he still asking for the exact same deal?

We collectively try to understand and predict what will happen in the NHL but in general we don’t pay enough attention to what is happening within our own leagues. To me, it is an area where you can take advantage.

Is there a particular pattern when owners drop players? In my pool, Ray Whitney, Ray Ferraro and Ray Bourque where dropped quite frequently. There was also Scott Young and Gary Roberts just so you don’t think that it was only because guys named “Ray” got dropped. Good enough to have for one season but then easily discarded when needed. Why trade for them if they’ll likely become available?

How about players most likely to be in a deal? Again using my pool, current players like Radim Vrbata, Mike Fisher, Shane Doan, Jaromir Jagr, Patrick Elias and Daniel Alfredsson get moved a lot. It doesn’t mean that these players are terrible, just that they are either highly sought after or easily parted with.

Do you know how long players have remained on each owner’s roster? There could be owners who get antsy and want to move players after a couple of years because they are tired of having the same guys. Just as possible there could be a hoarder who doesn’t move the majority of their lineup.

The data is right there in front of you. It is ready to be collected and analyzed. All it takes is a little bit of effort and some patience to build your knowledge.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my free Top 50 challenge. You still have time but entries have already started to come in.

P.S.S If you need some help might I suggest taking a look at Dobber’s 2014-15 Fantasy Hockey Guide