Capped: Fresh Bargains

Eric Daoust

2014-11-20

SethGriffith

Five of the latest cap bargains to emerge in the league.

The start of a new NHL season brings on so much excitement for fantasy owners. Our preseason drafts finally get put in action, the long keeper-league offseason finally ends and as fans we get to sit down and enjoy some games. Of course, everyone has to freak out whenever their preseason projections are not panning out in the first few weeks before most production rates correct themselves and everyone collectively chills out.

Adding to the fun of a new campaign is the emergence of new NHL players. Some are known commodities that are simply performing as expected but others can come from out of nowhere and make an impact. Many of these previously-unknown talents become important fantasy players but are not owned at the start of the season and in some cases may still sit on your waiver wire.

In cap leagues these new sensations have the added bonus of usually being on cheap contracts. Not only will they help you but they will also give your team some additional cap space to play with. If you have aspirations for a championship, finding such producers is a must as you will have to allocate a lot of cap dollars to keep your stars in the fold.

Today we will look at some newcomers to fantasy relevance in points-only and other offense-heavy formats that cost less than $1 million. These players were not the radar in most leagues prior to the start of the season but have made great strides and cannot be ignored any longer. Also included will be a look into their contract situations and what their cap league outlook is moving forward.

Seth Griffith (BOS) – $925,000 / RFA 2016

Griffith took advantage of the Bruins' tough cap situation to secure a spot on the team's top line. He has always been seen as a good prospect but the fact that he has made the jump this quickly only adds to his keeper-league value. So far he has responded with respectable offensive numbers.

However, there could be a problem down the road. The Bruins may opt to trade for a more established veteran winger to take Griffith's spot on the scoring line. Should this happen, it will hurt his value in the short-term and force him to earn his spot at the top of the roster once again next fall. But at such a low price the risk of owning him is minimal.

Mike Hoffman (OTT) – $750,000 / RFA 2015

Hoffman has certainly built upon the momentum he built last year in a monster AHL campaign. As of right now he sits second on the Senators with seven goals and leads the squad with a plus-8 rating. While continued success at this rate is not guaranteed, he is doing everything he can so far to make a good impression heading into this summer when his current deal expires.

While he will certainly get a raise after this season, expect the contract to remain reasonable. After all, he is still a support player that is playing his rookie year. This will help him maintain good cap value in fantasy leagues over the next couple years.

John Klingberg (DAL) – $870,000 / RFA 2015

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