Looking to get your podcast fix? Look no further than Dobber Hockey! You can check out our new podcast page, which now includes not one, not two, not three, but four podcasts:

Dobber Prospects Radio

Dobber's DraftCast

Keeping Karlsson

Steve Laidlaw Podcast

FOUR kickass #FantasyHockey podcasts. One hub.

Check them out!https://t.co/kybGH3n8ic@DPR_show @DobberDraftCast @keepingkarlsson @SteveLaidlaw

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) November 28, 2020

Those of you who were big fans of Steve's will be happy to know he is back on the Dobber site in a new capacity. So far only one episode is on the Dobber site, but you can check out his other episodes on his podcast's Apple Podcasts page. I've been invited onto several of his previous episodes, either to discuss the Vancouver Canucks or previous entry drafts (I don't like to listen to myself talk, but you certainly can). Other Dobber personalities have also appeared on the podcast, so find a topic you're interested in and give it a listen.

You'll also find widgets for recent episodes of all the podcasts along the side of many different pages on the site. As well, all of these podcasts are also over at Dobber Prospects.

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Here are the top Frozen Tools searches from the past week:

(2/2) This week's most popular #fantasyhockey profile pages:

6) Leon Draisaitl https://t.co/hCAHdoFV7M
7) Rasmus Andersson https://t.co/h3AlX0hZSE
8) Damon Severson https://t.co/zeHSLpgTJG
9) Alex Debrincat https://t.co/ag8bHukCrc
10) Cale Makar https://t.co/nFaKjOhwbU

— Frozen Tools (@FrozenTools) November 26, 2020

I'll feature two players from this list that will at the top of the list in just about every keeper league. However, I'll start with one player you might already be wondering why is on this list, which are the kinds of questions I like to investigate during a long offseason.

Rasmus Andersson

Right off the bat, many of the clicks on Andersson's name likely originated from Mike's November 19 Ramblings, where he discussed the probability of Andersson gaining first-unit power-play minutes. Mark Giordano's first-unit power-play minutes had declined as the 2019-20 season went on, although the steepest decline coincided with the addition of rental Erik Gustafsson (since signed with Philly).

As valued a contributor as Giordano has been for the past decade, he is now 37 years old. If you own him on your keeper league, you shouldn't be making plans to retain him long-term. It's also worth having discussion about a succession plan for the Calgary power play. Mike mentioned Andersson or Noah Hanifin as possibilities in the near term, while top defensive prospect Juuso Valimaki could eventually make his way there.

Something that's not up for debate is a top-4 role for Andersson. Although he averaged just under 20 minutes in 2019-20, his second-half icetime and postseason icetime were over 20 minutes. Although the Flames grabbed attention by bringing in numerous pieces from Vancouver's roster like Chris Tanev, there was a net loss in experience on defense with TJ Brodie signing with Toronto and Travis Hamonic not returning. One preview that I read from a Flames beat writer even has Andersson projected for the top pair at even strength with Giordano.

With icetime will come opportunities to collect stats, and not just of the scoring variety. Andersson finished second on the Flames with 57 penalty minutes, so there's some value in bangers leagues. His hits and blocked shots totals haven't been especially high, but those should stand to increase with more icetime.

Cale Makar

If you were to sort defensemen in terms of projected scoring for the upcoming season, you might start with John Carlson at the top, which I discussed last week. Then Roman Josi and Victor Hedman would probably be in the top 5 somewhere. Dougie Hamilton might also be in the conversation, as I'm totally on board with Cam's take on Hamilton in the Wednesday Ramblings (just not on Cam's cilantro takes). After that, where do the two super rookies Makar and Quinn Hughes fit in? Hughes was a top-5 d-man in total points in 2019-20, while Makar would have been had he not missed 12 games with injury.

In pure scoring leagues, it wouldn't be a reach to suggest that Makar should be one of the top 5 defensemen off the board. The sophomore slump might end up being a thing for one of either Makar or Hughes, but both were top prospects entering the league. Their early success hardly seems like a fluke and more like a sign of things to come.

In multicategory leagues, though, you may not want to be so quick to draft either young defenseman. Both have the potential to be elite power-play contributors, but neither was a top-30 defenseman when it came to shots on goal in 2019-20. That number could certainly increase through more experience, but neither playmaking d-man appears to be trending toward Brent Burns in that category. As well, both youngsters are low in bangers categories – only seven hits for Hughes and 12 penalty minutes for Makar in 2019-20. Simply put, they might not be helping you in roto as much as you think.

Top 100 Roto Rankings – November 2020

I know this section isn't completely about Makar. However, Hughes compares very closely to Makar in many categories. Because they were rookies at the same time (and were the two favorites for the Calder Trophy), the comparisons should continue for a long time. Even more so if Vancouver and Colorado develop any kind of rivalry as Western Conference playoff teams.

Leon Draisaitl

I knew I wanted to discuss whether Draisaitl should be the top pick in a pure scoring league (or a multicategory league, for that matter). I didn't know where to start the discussion, so I decided to reach the masses with a good ol' Twitter poll.

Poll time. Pure scoring non-keeper fantasy hockey league, you have the first overall pick. Who are you taking? (Reply if you would pick someone not on this list.)

— Ian Gooding (@Ian_Gooding) November 27, 2020

I thought McDavid would win, mainly because I would also pick him myself in that spot. However, I was surprised at how he easily ran away with this poll. Even though Draisaitl was the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy winner in 2019-20, there's still the feeling that McDavid is still the guy on the Oilers. Even though Draisaitl was 13 points clear of McDavid in scoring, their points-per-game averages were much closer than that (1.55 to 1.52 for Draisaitl). So there's no argument from me that McDavid should be the first overall pick in pure scoring leagues.  

Yet is there a case that Draisaitl is underappreciated? In terms of goals, he has outscored McDavid over the past two seasons (93 goals to 75 goals). If goals carry more weight in your fantasy league than assists, you may want to give this one some more thought. Grab a Fantasy Guide (if you haven't already), download the spreadsheet, then create a formula based on your scoring system (eg. G = 3 pts, A = 2 pts) and Dobber's projections. Then you'll have a better idea.

Draisaitl has been shooting at an unworldly 20 percent over those past two seasons, which far surpasses the 13-17% that he shot over his previous three seasons. Regression could have a major impact on his goal totals, but it also appears that he has developed better spots to shoot as he has become a more seasoned NHLer. Or with Draisaitl and McDavid more often than not on different lines (at least later in the season), Draisaitl doesn't always have to face the tougher matchups.

Oh, I almost forgot! Draisaitl was your leader in Draisaitl Hat Tricks in the 2019-20 regular season. In case you’re not in the know, a player needs at least one goal, one assist, and a minus-1 for a DHT.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, or to reach out to me, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding