It's hard to believe, but the last time the mailbag was emptied the NHL had yet to resume play! The return of NHL games doesn't change the mission of the mailbag though, which is to answer your fantasy hockey questions while also giving advice that should be useful to all poolies even if they don't own the specific players being discussed As a reminder, if you want your fantasy hockey question answered in the next mailbag, be sure to check out the end of the column, where I explain the ways to get it to me. The earlier you send a question the more likely it is to be included, and the deeper dive I can provide with my reply.

Question #1 (from Francois)

I'm in an eight-team keeper league (keep 15) with 30 players rostered (+ 2 IR spots) and 12F, 6D, 2G starting each week. For skaters, it's points only, while for goalies it's two points for a win, one for an OTL, and 3 extra for a SO. The wrinkle with our league is each team cannot keep its two top forwards, top defenseman, and top goalie from the prior season, in each case based on fantasy points. With 32 top players up for grabs, the early draft rounds are, accordingly, very important.

 Last year, I traded away most of my assets for drafts picks, with the intention of going all in to win the league this coming season. As such, I currently hold nine picks (3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 19, 22, 27, 30) in the first four rounds of the draft.

After subtracting my four players that I'm forced to toss back into the draft pool, here are those from last year's rosters whom I can keep:

Alex DeBrincat, Cody Glass, Barrett Hayton, Jack Hughes, Nazem Kadri, Dominik Kubalik, Jordan Kyrou, Timo Meier, Martin Necas, Brady Tkachuk, Jakub Vrana, Noah Dobson, Matt Dumba, Matt Grzelcyk, Filip Hronek, Josh Morrissey, Rasmus Ristolainen, Pavel Buchnevich, Evgenii Dadonov, Nikita Gusev, Elias Lindholm, Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Pulock, Cam Atkinson, Jake Guentzel, Juuse Saros, Igor Shesterkin, Tuukka Rask.

Because I'm going all in, I want to take players most likely to help me win next year, even if I might lose ones with longer term upside. In our set up, the hardest position to fill is defenseman so I was leaning toward keeping at least four and drafting two with my nine top picks. For that reason, I was thinking of keeping Pulock, Morrissey, Dumba, Ristolainen. Goalies are so unpredictable these days, I was leaning toward keeping only Rask, who I feel is still rock solid. But Shesterkin is tempting too. In terms of forwards, I feel like my locks are Lindholm, Guentzel, Meier, Vrana, and DeBrincat.

Do you agree with my proposed keepers? What about Shesterkin? Do you keep more or fewer d-men? Which other forwards do you keep?

Let's start with goalies. Not only do I keep Shesterkin, but Saros as well, along with Rask. I think those three should put you in a great position to succeed and it can allow you to focus on rearguards and forwards in those early rounds of the draft. Yes, I realize Shesterkin and Saros are not guaranteed to be full-time starters; however, I think at least one of them will seize that job, with the other being a strong 1B. Plus, by keeping them this year you have the option of doing so next season, even though you'll lose one via your toss back rule. In short, I think retaining these three goalies is consistent with you trying to win this season yet at the same time sets you up well for the future.

I like the idea of loading up on rearguards with your early picks, as there were seven 50+ point d-men this season; and unless two were on the same team in your league, all will be draftable. Of course, other GMs will prioritize taking them; but they might also be worried about goalies, where you'll be all set. If you adopt this strategy, your defensemen keepers become less important. But from your list, I also like keeping Morrissey, who is already solid and I think could gain PP time, plus Hronek too, since someone in Detroit will put up blueline points and you're not penalized for plus-minus. The other three – Pulock, Risto, Dumba – all have the potential to be 50 point guys but also have question marks. Pulock bested the point per every other game mark for the first time and shined in the playoffs; but his OZ% dropped for the third straight season, to below 40%. And for whatever reason, he's not been given the PP1 reins. Risto is not in a great situation if he stays in Buffalo, but could thrive if traded elsewhere. My take is Buffalo won't move him as doing so likely would not be a net positive for the team. As for Dumba, his main issue is Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon looming large. In the end, I probably gamble on Dumba since he's done the most in the past and his ice time didn't waver even as he struggled. If Ristolainen is traded maybe keep him; if not, maybe keep Pulock, but only if you don't have better options at forward.

So that leaves you either eight or – if neither nor Pulock nor Risto is retained – nine forwards to keep. Guentzel is a no-brainer. I also like Debrincat, as last season his shooting percentage was half his career mark; had it been his norm, he'd have tallied over 70 points. Vrana's trajectory suggests he should be kept, as the last forward who, as he did during 2019-20, scored at 0.75+ points per game rate despite playing less than 15:00 per contest was some guy named Nikita Kucherov.

The remaining three or four forward keepers boil down to Hughes, Kadri, Kubalik, Gusev, Yamamoto, Meier, Lindholm, Dadonov and Atkinson. Hughes can be cut given your desire to go for it this season. Kadri is okay but has a definite points ceiling. Meier is on a bad team and points-only is his worst format. Gusev had a strong finish to 2019-20 and there's a chance he really breaks out….or not. Kubalik showed in the playoffs he doesn't seem to be a fluke; and although Yamamoto might not be in the PP1 picture, he likely nailed down an all-important top-six spot. Calgary took a big step back, but they have a solid top six and PP1, and Lindholm will be a big part of both. I worry about a post-UFA Dadonov, but he'll be paid enough to play a ton. Atkinson is better than what we saw last season but at the same time not as good as his 2018-19 numbers. I think Kubalik, Lindholm and Dadonov make the cut as keepers, and I like Yamamoto for the final spot over Pulock or a non-traded Risto, though it's close. Good luck!

Question #2 (from Michael)

How will the impending arrival of Alexis Lafrenière on Broadway affect Kaapo Kakko's fantasy value?

First off, there's a non-zero chance Lafreniere doesn't end up in New York, as he's a left-winger, a position at which New York is amply set between Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider. It could be the Blue Shirts draft another player, or perhaps deal the rights to the #1 pick for help on the blueline or at center. Getting a center might help Kakko, as that could allow the acquired center to be his pivot or enable Filip Chytil to center a third line which presumably would have Kakko on it.

That's assuming, of course, Kakko is in New York for 2020-21. Simply put, thus far he's looked like a boy among men in the NHL. He shed ice time – overall and on the PP – each quarter. He also had either zero or one SOG in 36 of his 66 games and a 4.2% team shooting percentage when he was on the ice at 5×5 (11th worst in among forwards who played 40+ games). There is no sugarcoating it – those are not good numbers for an NHLer, even one who was a just drafted rookie.

Let's not forget too that Kakko has celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. Although those are considered manageable health conditions under normal circumstances, they might limit his ability to play/train during this time of COVID, and in turn, further, stunt his development.

Moreover, New York is a team on the rise; as such, it might opt to let Kakko play overseas or in the AHL in 2020-21 for him to grow and mature or due to COVID or because, simply put, he likely would not be a net positive for the team at this stage of his development. Or to put it another way, after a rookie season like his, New York might be inclined to play the long game with Kakko, rather than have him log another season like 2019-20 and see his confidence sapped while not really helping the team.

So to answer the question directly, I don't think the player whom the Rangers draft #1 overall, or get via trading that pick, will affect Kakko's fantasy value. Instead, I think his fate is in his hands; and with the Rangers becoming a much better team quicker than they'd imagined, they likely will opt to handle Kakko with kid gloves, resulting in Kakko having little to no fantasy value for 2020-21.

Question #3 (from Lincoln)

I'm evaluating three trade offers for my eight-team league, with each team rostering 100 players. Skater scoring is points only, except two points for a defenseman goal, whereas goalies get one point for every eight saves but -1 point for every goal allowed.

My Roster is deep in net and on D, and good enough at the forward spot to have finished in second during the regular season, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Other than those listed in the three trade scenarios, notable players are, in goal, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Samsonov, Frederik Andersen, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Pekka Rinne, and on defense, Morgan Rielly, Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, Keith Yandle, Alex Edler, Nate Schmidt, Esa Lindell, and Mike Matheson plus youngsters like Ty Smith, Scott Perunovich, Ville Heinola, Jusso Valimaki, Victor Mete, Travis Dermott and Timothy Lilgegrin.

Here are the trade offers I'm contemplating:

1) I give up Connor Hellebucyk, Tony DeAngelo, Alex DeBrincat and Kiefer Bellows, getting Jack Eichel, Thomas Chabot, Evan Bouchard and Patrick Hornqvist.

2) I give up two of Matt Dumba, Neil Pionk and Filip Hronek, getting two of Johnny Gaudreau, Nicolaj Ehlers and Kevin Fiala.

3) I give up Drake Batherson, and my 4th and 5th round draft picks for this year, getting Jordan Kyrou and 2nd and 3rd round draft picks for this year.

In terms of the first offer, I view Hellebuyck as the most valuable goalie in fantasy. He's not as great in your format since the Jets give up goals, but he gets tons of saves. DeAngelo's IPP was 56.8%, meaning he's not the player we saw this season, plus there's Adam Fox as the Rangers stud d-man in the making. Still though, at this point, DeAngelo has 50 point downside. As noted above, DeBrincat would've had 70+ points this season had his shooting percentage only been his norm. Bellows could be a top-six forward soon. Eichel's points per game have increased each season and are likely not near his peak, and Chabot is a lot better than what we saw in 2019-20. But Bouchard has Ethan Bear and Oscar Klefbom to contend with, and Hornqvist is fading fast. Overall, your side of the trade is stronger; so don't make the deal.

I'm not a fan of the second offer either, as I like Dumba to rebound, Hronek to improve, and Pionk to still be a key blueliner for offense in Winnipeg. Gaudreau looks like he's lost his motivation for playing, and Ehlers (more on him below) is trapped in second-line purgatory. Fiala would be great to get, but not at this price. For the third deal, I don't like Kyrou's situation in St Louis. Maybe he gets dealt, in which case he could do well; but him plus the slightly better picks package is not enough to land Bouchard, as he has a clear path to becoming a major contributor for Ottawa, who needs all the help they can get.

If I were you, I'd offer Yandle for Fiala. Yandle's season-long totals appear pretty solid, yet he had 32 of his 45 points in his first 42 games and saw his ice time and PP scoring drop each quarter. With the ice time, he was getting at the end of the season, he would have a tough time reaching even 45 points again; and that's if he maintains his stranglehold on the PP1 gig, which he might lose to Aaron Ekblad throughout 2020-21. Yandle also will be 34 when the season starts and has logged a lot of miles due to his consecutive games streak.

Lastly, here are my philosophies about trading in general. If someone comes to me with an offer, my radar goes up. Even if they're rebuilding, them coming to me implies they believe they're winning the trade. Be skeptical and scrutinize the offer from all angles. When do I initiate trade talks? Based on positions or categories more so than on players – that is, I try to fill positional voids or to make deals given where I have category strength or if a category is hopeless, weakness. Good luck!

Question #4 (from John)

I'm in a 10 team, H2H points only league. Each team has 24 rostered players, with ten kept and the rest drafted, and with 4C, 4LW, 4RW, and 4D in the starting line-up. I'm trying to zero in on my keepers. Here are the guys I'm considering, with the weakest players on my roster not listed:

C: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Toews, Brock Nelson, Dylan Larkin, William Karlsson

L: J.T. Miller, Gabriel Landeskog, Victor Olofsson, Jakub Vrana

R: Anthony Mantha, Kevin Fiala, Claude Giroux, Tomas Hertl, Sam Reinhart

D: Rasmus Dahlin, Torey Krug

The six I'd opt not retain are Nelson, Karlsson, Giroux, Hertl, Reinhart, and Krug. Would your six be any different, and if so, why?

First off, Krug is a must keep. He's still only 29; and of the rearguards who played the last four seasons, only five had a better cumulative point per game average than Krug's 0.80. Swap him in for Olofsson. Yes, Olofsson had the best rookie PPGs per game in ages, even better than Alex Ovechkin; but he did this as a 24-year-old rookie and the list of first-year players over the last 30+ years who debuted at that age or later and became very solid NHL players consists of Artemi Panarin and Artemi Panarin alone. I also fear Olofsson will be, at best, a 30+ goal and 20-25 assist guy. He can't make the cut.

Nelson, Karlsson and Hertl I think are correct omissions. Nelson is a great second-line center; but with the Islanders playing a defensive-focused style of game and Nelson's OZ% below 40%, he'll have an uphill battle to score more than 60 points, which doesn't make the cut. Karlsson also is too goal-centric and, like his linemate Jonathan Marchessault, appears to be more like a 55-60 point guy who had a once in a career magical year in 2017-18. Hertl did put together a stretch of 90 points in 93 games in 2017-18 through Q1 of 2018-19; however, I fear that between the injuries he's had and the poor team he's on, the points won't come like they used to.

I'm torn on Giroux. He took a big step back; but he scored 101 points at age 30, which is something only nine other players have done at that age or older since 2000-01. Of the nine, six already played their age 33 season, which is how old Giroux will be for 2020-21, and five of them had at least one season of 87+ points at age 33 or older. So one would think Giroux probably has another fine campaign in him.

Reinhart is a toughie too. He's stapled to Jack Eichel (the two shared the ice for over 90% of Reinhart's even-strength shifts in 2019-20), and, as noted above, Eichel is only getting better. I know it's not ideal to retain a player based on who he has as his center, especially when Reinhart has been separated from Eichel in the past; however, the two look to be joined at the hip now and points only is Reinhart's best format by far.

The question though is who to cut if we want to make room for Giroux and/or Reinhart? I know Toews had 49 points in his last 50 games and was getting more ice time with each passing quarter, but he's an unselfish player and the Hawks have a lot of youngsters to whom he might defer in terms of scoring to best help the team. I could see a case for not keeping him. Mantha has star potential; however, he also is fast becoming a band-aid boy. His tendency to miss chunks of the season might make him a cut too. There's also Larkin, who had a great 2018-19 but faltered in 2019-20. The Wings will improve at some point in the not too distant future. The question is do you want to keep one or even two of them for the time being? As noted above, Vrana just averaged 0.75 points per game despite taking the ice for under 15:00 per contest, a feat that was last done by Nikita Kucherov. But the issue is there are still five forwards contending for only four spots on Washington's PP1. Is the team willing to let Vrana stake out a claim to PP1, over more proven veterans Evgeni Kuznetsov or T.J. Oshie?

Having written all that, I think I'm keeping Giroux but not Reinhart, and choosing one of the Detroit guys to not keep in place of Giroux, probably Larkin since I'm guessing he'd be a cheaper redraft as compared to the now more hyped Mantha. Good luck!

Question #5 (from Curtis)

My league specifics are ten teams, H2H, weekly match-ups. Each team starts 3C, 3LW, 3RW, 4D, and 2G daily. It's multi-cat scoring, with SOG, +/-, PIM, HIT, and BLK counted, but still with an emphasis on Goals (4 points) and Assists (2.5 points).

 For this league, who is the better own between Cody Glass and Owen Tippett over the next two years? My concern with Glass is opportunity. Vegas is stacked up front; and with a guy like Tuch stuck on the third line, one has to wonder if/when Glass will get his chance. In Florida the big question is whether they opt to re-sign one or both of Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov and how that affects Tippett. Also, what should be expected from Miro Heiskanen and Tristan Jarry for 2020-21?

Glass being on Vegas is a good thing, in my opinion. Vegas does not play its top line into the ground. In fact, they had twelve forwards who averaged double-digit ice time per game and played in at least half the team's contests. Plus, even though he was a rookie he was taking the ice for nearly half the team's man-advantage minutes. Yes, it was on what was considered PP2, but PP minutes are PP minutes and often 21-year-old rookies don't' get that type of opportunity. So that means Glass will get a chance to skate meaningful minutes. The issue is even if he shines he won't become a huge focal point player for the team. Even still, I could see him posting point per every other game numbers in 2020-21 and then rising to 45-50+ points in 2021-22, with an outside shot of really exploding.

Tippett's very solid AHL numbers suggest he's ready to make the jump to the NHL. And fortunate for him he's not like a Brett Connolly in that his game really isn't suited for a bottom-six role – that is, if Tippett is coming to Florida, chances are he'd be plugged into the top six. But the problem is he's not the only player who'd be angling for top-six minutes if they become available. There's highly touted Russian prospect Grigori Denisenko, plus Alexei Saarela, who did not look at all out of place during his brief time with Florida after being acquired from Carolina. And let's not overlook Henrik Borgstrom, who was thought to be a sure thing but whose time finally might be now. And let's also not forget Frank Vatrano, whom many feel could become a solid top-six player if only given the opportunity. That's a lot of names for the top six mix – – too many for me to pin my hopes on Tippett. Am I saying that Tippett won't win a spot in the top six and thrive? No. I'm just worried he might be an odd man out.

Tippett does have home run potential, but just that – potential. If you have a tolerance for risk and want to swing for the fences, go with Tippett. Otherwise, go with the safer pick in Glass.

Heiskanen has shown in the Stanley Cup playoffs that even the stifling Dallas system can no longer contain his greatness. The team knows he is a budding superstar and will do whatever it can to let him succeed, a task made easier by the fact that Heiskanen is not a one-dimensional defenseman like some could say about Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Instead, he hits, he blocks shots, and he starts nearly as many shifts in the defensive zone as the offensive one. He looks like the second coming of Roman Josi, except perhaps even better. Even if Dallas doesn't shift its focus to be more up tempo, if Josi can put up a 77 point pace in Nashville, I can't see why Heiskanen wouldn't be able to score at a 60-65 point pace in Dallas, with 70+ point upside. What about the presence of John Klingberg? Dallas would like nothing more than for Klingberg to succeed too; however, Klingberg is no longer the golden goose and he will be pushed aside if need be by the Dallas brass to allow Heiskanen to fully succeed.

In the case of Jarry, the Penguins have a rather dicey situation much like the Blue Jackets did with two RFA netminders but without one being the clear cut starter. Murray is Cam Ward 2.0 in that when the Penguins look at him they see a guy who led them to two Stanley Cups, not the goalie whose stats have declined quite a bit in the last two seasons. Jarry has played better with each passing year; but despite the rumors that Murray might be moved, I see the Pens, whose Stanley Cup window is fast closing, being reluctant to hand over the reins to Jarry, at least not yet. Instead, I think they go into 2020-21 with both Jarry and Murray signed and see if Murray can find his game. If not, they gradually morph Jarry into the 1A goalie, with Murray either traded at the deadline or kept to be a draft target for Seattle. Pencil Jarry in for in the range of 30-40 starts, with good but not great numbers for 2020-21. Good luck!

Question #6 (from Austin)

I'm in a 16 team deep salary cap ($81M) dynasty league with each team getting 23 roster spots (plus 36 spots for prospects), dressing 12F, 6D, 2G, and with scoring categories of G, A, +/-, SOG, PPP, HIT, BLK, PIM, Shifts, GAA, SV, W. My forwards are Elias Pettersson, Clayton Keller, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kyle Connor, Elias Lindholm, Anders Lee, Travis Konecny, and Kevin Labanc. I need 4 more forwards before the start of the season without being tied up in a lot of long term money as I have Andrei Vasilevskiy and Konecny becoming RFAs in 2021-22 and they will be getting significant raises. I have 28.1M in cap space with two RFA contracts that need decisions (Max Domi, asking for 5.2 million, and Andrei Burakovsky, asking for 4.3 million). I also have Morgan Frost and Nicholas Roberston that I could call up on 800k and 500k contracts respectively and Cole Caufield, Philip Tomasino, Samuel Poulin, and Alex Turcotte if they stick with their teams. 

I should be contending for the title for the next three years before my top young forwards reach their RFA contracts, so I am in win-now mode. What should I do for my last four roster spots? Will Domi or Burakovsky produce at a level to justify their contract asks if I sign them? Will Frost and/or Roberston produce more than say a 30 point third-line option I could pick up for cheap through free agency? Should I make an offer sheet for Oliver Bjorkstrand (I can offer up to 4.1 million before the 2nd round pick compensation turns into a 1st and a 3rd)? Thanks for your help!

First off, definitely offer sheet Bjorkstrand. Yes, he didn't shine in the playoffs to the extent many felt he would, but this is a guy who ended the season with 30 points in his last 30 games, averaging more than four SOG per game. And that was on Columbus, a team that finished 27th in goals scored and in PP conversion percentage. At that price he's a must add, if you can.

I also like Burakovsky for his price. Colorado's top line is so dominating that one of two things will occur, the first being they split up the line to balance things out, in which case Burakovsky likely finds himself on the first line, and the second being the first line stays intact but forces the other team to deploy its best defensive players against the superline, leaving Burakovsky and the others on the second line able to produce well, as they did in 2019-20. Either way, Burakovsky emerges in a positive situation. I like him for 55-60 points, with of course a shot at more if he becomes a first liner. Sign him.

Domi is trickier. He was humming along with 32 points in his first 43 games, but then ended poorly, to the tune of 12 points in his last 29 games, finishing the season playing apart from upstart Nick Suzuki. He is not helped by playing under Claude Julien, nor by people hearkening back to his 2018-19 season, where his production was bolstered by not only a higher than normal shooting percentage but also an atypically high IPP. I'd peg Domi as a player with 65 point upside, were he not playing under Julien. At a price tag north of $5M, he's a borderline keeper for the time being.

Of Frost and Robertson, I think Frost has the better chance to make some noise. Let's not forget that for a stretch of last season he played with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny. Also, Philly is deep enough such that being in the top nine is a pretty good spot. I like him at $0.8M with a chance to get you 30+ points. As for the other four who you mentioned, do I think two will stick with their teams? Maybe, but probably not; and even if they do, I'm not sure they'd get 30 points. On a team in win-now mode, you need to have players who will produce, even if the numbers aren't spectacular. As such, I like going with the sure thing in Burakovsky, the likely gainer in Frost, and two cheap free agents. But I can see a case being made to keep Domi if indeed you really believe he'll be a key to help you win and can net you 55 points. On the other hand, the money spent on Domi could be allocated elsewhere, especially with the looming free agency of Konecny and Vas. Go with your gut. Good luck!

Question #7 (from David)

I’m in a nine-team league, where each team keeps 22 players and then there's a 3 round draft. I’m a 4th year expansion team, slowly making my way up, last year finishing 5th. The scoring is points only, plus GWG. The stats of the top 12F, 6D, and 1G count. I am probably 2-3 years away from competing for the title, I hope. I need to drop five of the following players, listed in the order I believe them to be droppable (i.e., the most droppable player first, the least droppable player last). I’m not looking for positional advice, as much as what you think their ceiling would be over the next five years.

Noah Hanifin, Matt Murray (to be replaced by a drafted goalie), Henrik Borgstrom, Casey Middlestadt, Vince Dunn, Sam Steel, Cody Glass, Jesperi Kotkaniemi

I agree for sure about dropping Hanifin. He's still young enough to become a viable player, but the signs simply are not there, and thus he can safely be dropped.

I talked above about Murray. My concern is what kind of goalies you'd be able to draft when 198 players are being kept. You know your league better than me though, so if you think you can get better than Murray via the draft, I don't have reservations about dropping Cam Ward 2.0.

Borgstrom was also mentioned above as one of about a handful of forwards who could be tagged to replace Mike Hoffman and/or Evgeni Dadonov if one or both are not re-signed. But with so many in the mix and my hunch being Florida lets one but not both of the two UFAs go, Borgstrom probably is not one on whom you should pin near term hopes, so I'm okay with him being dropped.

I've not been impressed by Middlestadt; and if Dylan Cozens shows anything, he'll be the new anointed second-line center, leaving Middlestadt to be exposed in the expansion draft. Could Middlestadt do well on a new team? Quite possibly, as he was a former eighth overall pick after all. Plus, he may start to turn things around once your window for competing starts to open. But for him, and Borgstrom as well, you don't want to fall into the trap of keeping prospects simply because you're not in win-now mode. After all, some prospects simply don't make sense to keep, plus you can always opt to redraft them. And it sounds like you're comfortable dropping them, which is something that I can get behind.

The fifth drop is where things get murky. Dunn is very intriguing; however, two things have to occur for him to put up great numbers, namely Alex Pietrangelo signing elsewhere and neither Justin Faulk nor Colton Parayko stepping into Pietrangelo's shoes as the top option for rearguard offense. If I had to guess, I believe Pietrangelo will stay with St. Louis. But even if he doesn't those are some big ifs to have to swallow. Dropping Dunn is a consideration.

Steel looks like he's on a path to be better than Middlestadt; plus, by the time you're getting ready to contend, Anaheim might have dug itself out of the hole it's in now. Glass showed a lot in his rookie season and within three years it should be him and Alex Tuch putting up very nice numbers on the top line in Vegas.

Kotkaniemi did well in the AHL and opened eyes early in the playoffs. Plus, in three years he'll have a more pro games under his belt than most 22-year-olds, and, arguably just as important, Claude Julien should be gone, leaving Montreal free to have a wide-open offense, into which Kotkaniemi should figure in quite prominently.

Long story short, cases could be made for or against keeping Borgstrom, Middlestadt and Dunn as you suggested. Since those were your preferences and I feel there is logic in them, I'm fine with proceeding the way you planned to do so. Good luck!

Question #8 (from Ryan)

How long until Nikolaj Ehlers outscores Blake Wheeler? I can only keep one of the two in a points only league, so who should it be?

I can tell from the results of the voting in my recent poll that it is frustrating to own Ehlers, as he was deemed by Dobberites' votes to be the player who'd do best if traded to another team. I also covered Ehlers in a Goldipucks column in June, where my findings suggested that if anything Ehlers produced better in 2019-20 than he likely will in 2020-21.

In terms of Wheeler, it looks like might be faltering based on his slow start to 2019-20, but then he played point per game hockey. And as I've noted previously, Wheeler having posted 91+ points twice in his 30s puts him among the company of forwards who continued producing at a high level into their mid-30s. Also, one of the things working for Winnipeg is their top line, which they won't disrupt as long as Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are producing gaudy numbers.

Where does that leave Ehlers? Stuck on the second line and PP2. The small consolation is no matter how stacked the top line is in Winnipeg, Ehlers has to play with one of those three, or, if not them, then with Patrik Laine. Still, Winnipeg has struggled to find a second-line center and its priority this offseason likely will be to address its blueline, not its forward ranks. So yet again Ehlers, and his fantasy owners, will be stuck in a suboptimal situation.

Given the choice between those two, and without seeing the rest of your roster, I'm keeping Wheeler. Good luck!

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For those reading this now, it's never too early to start providing me with mailbag questions, which you can do in one of two ways: (1) by emailing them to [email protected] with the words "Roos Mailbag" as the subject line, or (2) by sending them to me via a private message on the DobberHockey Forums, where my username is "rizzeedizzee". Or if you prefer to wait, the time to get me question is right after each Roos Lets Loose Poll, since the mailbag normally runs the following week.

When sending me your questions, remember to provide as much detail about your league/situation as possible, since as you saw above in a couple of the questions there were some omitted details which made it difficult for me to give a truly proper answer. Examples of the types of things I need to know include what type of league you're in (i.e., limited keeper, dynasty, or one-year; roto vs H2H), does the salary cap matter, how many players are rostered (and of those, how many start at each position), what categories are scored and how are they weighted, plus other details if necessary (such as free agents available if you're thinking of dropping a player or rosters of both teams if you're thinking of making a trade). The key is to tell me enough for me to give you a truly proper answer, and for readers of this column to benefit from the answer/advice I provide. When in doubt, err on the side of inclusion. See you next week for Goldipucks and the Three Skaters!