0.52 (P.S.)

1.76 (R.K.)

0.72 (P.S.)

0.76 (R.K.)

2.17 (P.S.)

2.11 (R.K.)

0.25 (P.S.)

0.29 (R.K.)

10.22 (P.S.)

10.23 (R.K.)

2011-12

0.43 (P.S.)

0.72 (R.K.)

0.50 (P.S.)

1.40 (R.K.)

0.62 (P.S.)

0.76 (R.K.)

2.40 (P.S.)

2.88 (R.K.)

0.24 (P.S.)

0.24 (R.K.)

9.98 (P.S.)

9.40 (R.K.)

It's astonishing how close both players had been in FOW and PP Points prior to this season, although each now holds an edge over the other in one of the categories. Kesler dominates in PIM, where he's generally doubled Stastny's output, and Hits, where he's usually been good for two to three times as many as Stastny but this season is besting Stastny's total by tenfold! Blocked Shots and Shots used to be comparable, but Kesler has built leads in both over the past two seasons, particularly Shots, where he's averaged one more per game than Stastny last season and nearly that for 2014-15 as well.

Kesler's multi-cat prowess is no mystery to poolies; however, he seems to be taking things up a notch in Hits and PIM of late. And I'd argue that most fantasy GMs aren't keen to just how much better he's now producing in these areas, especially since they might be too busy lamenting his points decrease from his Vancouver heydey. All in all, Kesler could represent a rare example of a multi-cat bargain.

On the flip side, Stastny was never an elite producer in Hits or Blocked Shots, or Shots; however, after an uptick last season (curiously timed to coincide with his impending UFA status), his production has nosedived in both areas. What's more, his Shots are down for the third straight season. In his case, his comparatively poorer performance might not be fully noticed by poolies, creating the potential for an undesirably higher perceived value than actual value in non-points only leagues.

Luck-Based Metrics

Seeing this data, we can rule out the influence of unsustainable good luck for either player. After all, only once (this season with Stastny) did either have an offensive zone starting % above 50.7%; and Kesler didn't top 49% in any of these seasons. And not only do both players have reasonable career personal shooting percentages (12.7% for Stastny, 11.5% for Kesler), except for one season (Stastny's 16.7% in 2013-14) they were generally close to that average.

And although Stastny twice had a 5×4 IPP above 81.0%, he's below 57% for 2014-15. Kesler had a similar pattern in 5×5 IPP, posting 80.0% once (albeit in only 17 games) while otherwise never exceeding 55.3%, whereas Stastny's 5×5 IPP has been more consistent, and only once above 68.9%. As for PDO, it's varied for both but never fallen outside of the "normal" range of 970-1030.

Overall, these numbers suggest both players have perhaps fallen more toward the slightly unlucky end of the spectrum; however, given the cumulative data it seems like that's simply par for the course, so we can't count on increased luck-based production any time soon.

Value and Injuries

Kesler is C and RW eligible in Yahoo leagues, and was selected on average as the 28th C-eligible player in Yahoo drafts, whereas Stastny is only eligible as a center and was selected 40th on average. Both were selected in 100% of Yahoo drafts. Fast forward to now, and Kesler is still owned in 93% and ranked as the 21st best center, compared to only 62% ownership and 47th ranking for Stastny. Thus, Stastny's actual and perceived value have both dropped, although the latter (100% vs. 62%) more so than the former ( 40th to 47th), while Kesler's perceived value has dropped slightly (100% to 93%) and his actual value has increased somewhat (27th to 21st).

Both players are rightfully listed as Band-Aid Boys. Stastny has played 80+ games twice in his career and missed an average of six games per season over the past five seasons; but on the plus side, he hasn't missed more than 11 games in a single season since 2008-09. In contrast, Kesler is an "all or nothing" injury guy, having played in 77 or more games in seven of nine seasons, but missing 31 and 34 games in his other two. So with Stastny you know you'll get a few missed games here and there, whereas Kesler is less of a risk, but if his number comes up you could be without him for a while.

Who Wins?

In points only leagues, it's Stastny. After all, Kesler's dominance in secondary categories would be of no benefit, and Stastny being owned in a third fewer leagues suggests Stastny would cost you less to draft or trade for while giving you the similar or even more scoring than Kesler. Beyond that, Kesler's more rough and tumble style and SH Ice Time per game raise serious doubts about his ability to produce well both in the short and long term – enough to wipe away his multi-positional eligibility benefit.

For leagues which count other categories beyond points, I had guessed going into writing this piece that Kesler wouldn't be worth the premium you'd have to pay, but he's inconspicuously upped his output in key areas like Hits and PIM. What's more, he did so last year for Vancouver and this year for Anaheim, which suggests he can maintain that pace going forward. Meanwhile, after a likely UFA-related uptick in those categories last season, Stastny has now all but stopped hitting or blocking shots.

Therefore, I think Kesler just might be worth a somewhat inflated cost in multi-cat leagues, making him the choice over Stastny for at least for the time being. But my advice would be to try and trade Kesler in the 2016 offseason, before age and playing style catch up to him and because you should be able to get a solid return at that time, as he'll either be a sought after UFA or have re-upped with Anaheim, both of which will help boost his perceived value.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson vs. Jake Muzzin

Chris Kreider vs. Jonathan Huberdeau

Jonathan Toews vs. Logan Couture