With some fantasy teams preparing for their playoff push, and others looking to rebuild, questions abound. The good news is the Mailbag is here to provide answers 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, check out the end of the column, where I explain the ways to get it to me and as well as the details you should provide. 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 Forum Reader)

I'm in a 16 team dynasty league where we keep 21 players every year. It's roto style, with a few added categories: G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, SOG, SH%, FW; GS, W, L, GAA, SV%, SHO. Lineup is 3C, 2LW, 2RW, 1W, 1UTIL, 4D, 2G, plus 6 bench spots, 3 IR, and 1 NA. No line-up spot can have a total number of games played more than the total number of games in the season.

My Team looks like this:
C – Connor McDavid, Nazem Kadri, Kevin Hayes
LW – Brad Marchand, Teuvo Teravainen
RW – Brayden Schenn, Patric Hornqvist
W – Jakub Voracek
D – John Klingberg, Seth Jones, Matt Dumba, Erik Karlsson
UT – Chandler Stephenson
G – Connor Hellebuyck, Philipp Grubauer
BN/IR/NA – Anthony Mantha, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alexander Radulov, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Ellis, Jacob Markstrom, Robin Lehner, Thatcher Demko, Elvis Merzlikins

As I send this question to you, I’m tied for first place, in the top 5 in every category except +/-, PIM, FW, SHP, and L. Losses is a foregone conclusion with how many goalies I have. SHPs are random. So I’m trying to focus on improving FW and +/-, and Stephenson was my most recent pickup with those categories in mind.

My team is in win-now mode, so any moves I make during this season or the offseason have to not affect my ability to compete for the title. But I’m also trying to avoid winning and then having to embark on a rebuild soon – that is, I don't want to win now while at the same time mortgaging my team's future. Clearly, I have too many goalies for a league this size, although that's not necessarily a bad problem to have. Still, I’ve been looking at trading away a goalie, maybe for a top younger center. The guys I put on a possible list to acquire are Scheifele, Aho and Lindholm. I did have Zibanejad on that list, but someone beat me to the buy low punch. I'm not sure which goalie I should be looking to trade; I was leaning towards Grubauer. Thoughts?

Do any other players come to mind that I should be looking to acquire who can help now but also be part of my future core?

Note that there is a team actively looking to rebuild and has Nicklas Backstrom, Chris Kreider, Bryan Rust, Kris Letang, Jeff Petry and Dougie Hamilton. The GM wants young players, draft picks (we do a two-round draft before each season of unowned players) and/or goalies. Do you see a good fit for an offer there?

Let's start with what that other GM has available. Backstrom started this season ablaze but has slowed, and he's not getting any younger. Yet with the type of game he plays and Evgeny Kuznetsov not having become the major star many envisioned, he should remain the top pivot in Washington, which means 70-point downside. That being said, he's a below average when it comes to FW for pure centers with comparable ice time, so there's that to consider.

Kreider is again on track to finish in the 55 to 60-point range, which is a bit of a disappointment to those who thought he'd turned a corner by tallying 32 points in his last 35 games in 2019-20. The reality might just be he runs too hot and cold to be more than a 60-point player, especially since, at 29, he's around the age when more physical players like him are at ever increasing risk of seeing their production crater.

In terms of the Pens, Rust, after his scorching start to 2019-20, has since scored at a 60 to 65-point pace, which is probably his realistic output. Plus, the Penguins seem like they no longer are the offensive juggernaut they once were, which means the rising tide that lifted all boats is rising less, hurting Rust in the process. With respect to Letang, for all the rightful concern about his health, his scoring also has quietly started to slow, whether due to the cumulative effects of those injuries, his advancing age, or the aforementioned less potent Penguins offense. While if everything lines up Letang could still produce at a 60-65+ point pace, that's if – a big if – he stays healthy and doesn't lose a step.

Petry is among the league's most underrated d-men, but what we're seeing from him for this season is an aberration given his SH% and IPP on the PP. Still, he's taken over Shea Weber's spot as top option for blueline offense in Montreal, and that's on a team now freed from Claude Julien's stifling system.

Hamilton's 2019-20 was so amazing in terms of SOG and scoring rate that the only comparisons were peak Brent Burns, Ray Bourque and Al MacInnis. He was producing and shooting less this season; but he's really picked things up and his SH% is still unsustainably low. If you're going to trade for someone from this group, he'd be my pick. Yes, there's a risk in that he's a guy who not one but two teams gave up on; but the risk when it comes to Hamilton is not so high as to ignore the reward. Chances are the price will be a goalie plus. For goalies I'd start with Merzilikins and offer, also as part of the package, a draft pick or two, as you don't really have much in the way of young players to dangle. If you have to add a player, perhaps Dumba would be one to try, as he's not young but not too old.

I would not make a play for Scheifele, as while he was a point per game player for four straight seasons, his production spike this season at age 27 seems unsustainable and in fact he's already started to slow. I also worry that Aho hasn't made the leap as yet; and more and more it seems he could just be a point per game guy, ala Scheifele. Lindholm is great to have in a multi-cat; but I'm not sure he's worth the price of a goalie. If it came down to acquiring Lindholm or Hamilton, I like Hamilton more. One option though would be to dangle a guy like Markstrom in a deal for Lindholm (assuming Markstrom isn't needed in order to get Hamilton), as Markstrom seems to have contracted the same post-UFA disease afflicting Sergei Bobrovsky; if you can trade Markstrom and get Lindlholm plus something else in return then perhaps you make that deal in addition or in lieu of one to get Hamilton.

Selling Hornqvist also is a viable option, although the ideal time to do so has already passed. I don't have any trust in him, as if he was going to be even a 60-point player we'd have seen more from him while he was in Pittsburgh, playing alongside Evgeni Malkin and/or Sidney Crosby and getting heaps of PP1 time. He's also as fragile as Letang on his best day, plus, at 34, he's far more likely to break down with each passing campaign.

This offseason I'd also give strong consideration to moving Marchand. He's great for your categories and still playing at an elite level; but how much longer can that last? At best he'll likely keep doing what he's doing for a season or two more. He'd also command top value, so your team doesn't suffer in the near term. Try to use him to land Artemi Panarin or Andrei Svechnikov in return. Good luck!

Question #2 (from Travis)

I'm in a 12 Team Keep 4 H2H Banger Cats League (G/A/(+/-)/PIM/PPP/SHP/SOG/FOW/Hits/Blocks

Wins/GAA/SV%/SHO) starting 2C, 2LW, 2RW, 3D, 1Util, 2G, plus 4 Bench and 4 IR. As of now, my envisioned keepers for next year are Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Mark Scheifele, and Jonathan Huberdeau. I'd like to upgrade one or more of them and was wondering who are the best targets? 

I was thinking of switching Panarin and Huberdeau for Brady Tkachukand Andrei Svechnikov if I can. Good idea? And was looking to upgrade Scheifele for either Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel or Connor McDavid if I can swing it. Kucherov for David Pastrnak is also a consideration. I can't obtain Leon Draisaitl or Andrei Vasilevskiy, as their owners won't even entertain offers. What do you think? And are there any other elite players you might target whom I haven't mentioned?

I mentioned Scheifele above as overachieving. As such, I advocate trading him ASAP. However, I worry a shrewd GM would likely be wise to his outlying stats, plus failure to previously produce at an 82-game scoring rate better than 85 points, and thus be hesitant to buy at his current value. Still, it never hurts to try. Yes, he's on fire of late, but I'd still see about perhaps trying to obtain Mika Zibanejad. What we saw from Zibs in 2019-20 might be tough to replicate; but he'll easily best Scheifele in SOG, Hits and PIM every season, such that if their scoring is close to comparable Zibs will be worth a lot more. If not Zibs, then maybe Brayden Point (more on him below).

Kucherov is a toughie. GMs have a "what have you done for me lately" mentality, such that Kuch not having played this season will diminish his value, even though he fared so well in the playoffs and in 2018-19. I'd be wary of unloading him, as if he returns to anything close to form he'll be very valuable.

I covered Huberdeau in my last mailbag, where, in short, I said it looks like his floor is 90 points but he might not be a 100 point guy, especially if not playing alongside Aleksander Barkov and with a SOG rate this low. He's someone I'd say is "safe" to trade in that there is little risk to you that he'd explode or his production will fall off a cliff. But then again, locked in downside production, including heaps of PPPts, is pretty nice to have.

Panarin is a guy who is not ideal to own in a banger league, but given his style of play, even at age 29 he should have several more top-quality seasons. Getting elite multi-cat guys is great, but don't overlook top tier scoring, which Panarin gives you.

In all honesty, I'd make the Scheifele move and probably stand pat on the other three, who, when combined in an 82-game season, should give you upwards of 300 points and lots of PPPts. Yes, they don't hit a lot nor do they give you a ton of PIM, but you can try to fill out your roster with banger defensemen. Even if you fall short in PIM and Hits, these three give you G, A, and PPPts, which you need just as much in order to win. As for the elite centers you mentioned as targets, no GM is going to even entertain trading them to you for one of your guys, except perhaps the Eichel owner, and I think what you have is better than what Eichel would give you. Good luck!

Question #3 (from Julien)

I’m in a 5-team points-only keeper where each squad has a MAJORS team (12F-6D-2G) and a MINORS team (also 12F-6D-2G). No salary cap, and all players are rostered. Each player can be called up from the MINORS once for free every season to replace a player from the MAJORS; otherwise, teams are required to use one of five call-ups per season for a player to be brought to the MAJORS. Each team also has five free agent moves per year from among the remaining free agent pool. During the season, trading between teams has to be position-specific (e.g., F for F, G+D for G+D), but that restriction does not apply during the offseason. At the end of every season, teams are free to decide how many players to drop before the draft and the draft the order goes from last-place finisher to first-place every round.

After sitting in third place for years, I elected to go into a full rebuild for the last two seasons. I’m still sitting in 3rd/4th right somehow, but definitely playing for the future. My current team is:

MAJORS

Nikita Kucherov, Mark Scheifele, Jack Eichel, David Pastrnak, Auston Matthews, Alex DeBrincat, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas,Anthony Mantha, Strome (Note: not specified if Dylan or Ryan), Jesse Puljujarvi, Nico Hischier, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Shea Theodore, Filip Hronek, Ty Smith, Juuso Valimaki, Connor Hellebuyck, Carter Hart

MINORS

Trevor Zegras, Kirby Dach, Quinton Byfield, Jordan Kyrou, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Alex Newhook, Dylan Cozens, Nick Robertson, Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, Alexander Holtz, Bowen Byram, Erik Brannstrom, Evan Bouchard, Rasmus Sandin, Ryan Merkeley, Jacob Markstrom, Ilya Samsonov

I recently traded away Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel for Perfetti, Bouchard and a 2022 1st rounder. Part of me now feels as though I want to start building around the prospect pool I’ve assembled and not go too far into acquiring too many more prospects going forward. 

The roster of the team I’m considering trading with is:

MAJORS

Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Elias Pettersson, Mikko Rantanen, Andrei Svechnikov, Brock Boeser, Anthony Cirelli, Johnny Gaudreau, Kirill Kaprizov, Travis Konecny, Anze Kopitar, Samuel Girard, John Carlson, Thomas Chabot, Morgan Rielly, Ivan Provorov, Zach Werenski, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Semyon Varlamov.

MINORS

Cole Caufield, Clayton Keller, Conor Garland, William Nylander, Brady Tkachuk, Nick Suzuki, Tim Stutzle, Lucas Raymond, Seth Jarvis, Vasili Podkolzin, Dylan Larkin, Esa Lindell, Aaron Ekblad, Shea Weber, Jamie Drysdale, Moritz Seider, Cameron York, Jeff Petry, Yaroslav Askarov, Igor Shesterkin

This GM has offered me Kaprizov for Scheifele. At times, they’ve considered countering by subbing in Stutzle for Kaprizov, but the GM seems pretty firm on Kaprizov. My concern is I feel I’d like to keep some "veteran" stars (like Scheifele, Pastrnak) to continue to support the youth on my team as my team can’t just be less proven players with upside. I also think my window is 2-3 years into the future, so maybe I shouldn’t be hanging onto Schiefele. By potentially making this trade, not only might I be improving my youth, but also beneficially depleting the future of probably the next-best (or better) youth-based team. What do you think I should do, specifically and in general?

From my answers above you know I'm a big believer in trading Scheifele, and I'd do it ASAP, as it's not realistic for someone to do what he's doing for the first time in his eighth full season at age 27 and averaging only about two SOG per game. Need proof? Since 2000-01, there have only been a total of five instances of a player averaging 1.1 points per game (i.e., a 90-point full season pace, which is below where Scheifele is now) despite being age 27 or older and firing 2.2 SOG per game (which is above Scheifele's pace). Two were by Joe Thornton, one was Henrik Sedin, and the fourth was Pavel Datsyuk. Only Sedin had a breakout as late or later than the one Scheifele is seemingly having now, and no one is going to confuse Henrik Sedin with Mark Scheifele. Even if they were somehow comparable, that's just one instance, making it less likely to occur again. In other words, Scheifele's production is inflated, and he's a poster boy for selling high.

In fact, the closest comparison to Scheifele seems to be Nicklas Backstrom, who, although successful over his career by most measures, is the only other player since 2000-21 to have three or more seasons, by age 26, of a points-per-game rate between 1.0 and 1.1 while averaging 2.5 SOG per game or less. Looking at what Backstrom has done since turning 27 shows five seasons of point scoring rates in the 70s, and a mere one above a point per game.

You might be able to convince this GM that Scheifele is breaking out, and should aim high in terms of what you ask for in return via trade. Try for Marner or Svechnikov – the worst the GM can say is no or ask for a sweetener. If you can't get a deal done for one of them, I'm fine with the idea of nabbing Kaprizov, although Boeser could be a consideration as well. Either way, however, you should be able to get more in return for Scheifele than just Boeser or Kaprizov, so try to add players to the deal, like you getting Stutzle and throwing in Hischier.

As for a general strategy, that's tough in a five-team league since everyone's roster is going to be full of talent. You need to focus on having the best prospects, especially since your MINORS roster is as large as your MAJORS. If you win the prospects battle you'll be poised to dominate. I might also consider trading Kyle Connor, whom I covered in my most recent Goldipucks column and am afraid might be a point per game guy and whose goal-scoring ability doesn't benefit you in a point-only league. And in my last mailbag I did some digging on Hronek and came away convinced he's Cam Fowler 2.0, or, if not that, then Nick Leddy or Alex Edler 2.0. He's still well regarded enough that you probably can find a team to give you better value for him. That should be enough dealing for the offseason, although of course you keep your ears open and look for opportunities to buy low or upgrade. Good luck!

Question #4 (from Jeremy)

I'm in a keeper league counting Pts, Hits, Blocks, PPPt, SHP and GWG as skater categories. I need to drop one of the following defensemen: Rasmus Andersson, Adam Boqvist, Rasmus Dahlin, Matt Dumba, Roman Josi, Ryan Pulock, Jacob Trouba. Of relevance is the fact that we have three-year contracts for players and Dahlin's contract is up, so he can't be kept for next year. I thought Trouba, would be the drop; however, with Tony DeAngelo out of the picture I figure he should be able to add points to his already great multi-cat stats.

Although you're correct to reconsider Trouba in view of changed circumstances in the Big Apple, he's still the "safest" drop. Either that or try to trade Dahlin for a draft pick, although I think he could flourish under a new coach.

Why Trouba? Even with DeAngelo MIA, Trouba is barely taking the ice for a quarter of NY's PP minutes. And while that does actually amount to 1:42 of PPTOI per game, ranking him 59th among NHL d-men who've played 15+ games, he has zero PPPts to show for it, with no rearguards who've received more total PPTOI in 15+ games this season also having zero PPPts. Also, Trouba's scoring hasn't improved despite being on track to have one of the highest offensive zone starting percentages of his career. And while he piles on hits and blocks, Dumba and Pulock are no slouches in that area and at least chip in which some scoring. That all having been said, Dumba and Pulock haven't fared very well with the man advantage (two PPPts and one PPPt) despite receiving better PP deployment, so if you truly believe in Trouba and think he has it in him to ramp up his production, and you either can't or don't want to trade Dahlin, then either Dumba or Pulock could be a candidate for you to drop instead. Good luck!

Question #5 (from Sean)

I'm in a 12 team, H2H, keep 15 (maximum 2 goalies) league where 2C, 2RW, 2LW, 3F, 4D, 2G start and there are 8 Bench spots and 2 IR spots. Categories are G, A, +/-, PPP, HIT, BLK, W, SV, SV%, SHO. My question is about Max Comtois (who has RW/LW eligibility in my league). Is he the real deal?

I had him on my watch list dating back to last season, with the expectation that he could be a decent power forward sometime in the future. He had an okay start to the season, so I grabbed him off waivers, and then he was scorching before slumping of late. Given the NHL's new divisional structure, I haven't been able to watch him play. Is he a potential multi-cat stud, or did he just catch lightning in a bottle for a few weeks? In my league, scoring power forwards are golden (i.e., Brady Tkachuk is one of the most valuable players). Is Comtois a sell, or could he even be a keeper for me?

For reference, here is my current roster:

C – Auston Matthews, Elias Pettersson, Evgeni Malkin, Jack Hughes(LW), Nazem Kadri
LW – Andrei Svechnikov (RW), Kirill Kaprizov (RW), Comtois (RW), Barclay Goodrow (C)
RW – David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen, Timo Meier (RW), Kevin Fiala (LW)
D – Dougie Hamilton, Morgan Rielly, Thomas Chabot, Rasmus Dahlin, Brenden Dillon, Jani Hakanpaa, Brayden McNabb (IR)
G – Carey Price, Igor Shesterkin (IR), Petr Mrazek, Ilya Sorokin

One small point to start – your roster has 24 players but in your question it indicates there are 25 on each team. That's relevant in terms of keepers, since if it's 24 then one fewer player enters into the keeper conversation.

Either way, this is a league where 108 forwards are in active line-ups, versus just 36 defensemen. One key is although hits and blocks constitute two of just six skater categories, PIM are not counted and forwards – even those with heaps of Hits – tend not to amass a lot of blocks. In fact, although the top 50 forwards in hits for 2019-20 all had between 123 and 316, meaning most had near or above two per game, a grand total of two of them averaged even one block per game, with 32 not averaging a block per every two contests. In contrast, looking at the top 50 in hits among defensemen from 2019-20, the range in the top 50 was 101 to 203, so not quite as many as the top forwards; however, nine had more blocks than hits and a mere five didn't average one block per game. In sum, although the best of the best forwards will give a team more hits than the best of the best defensemen, it's the best of the best rearguards whose hits plus blocks usually are more impactful.

As of now, Comtois is averaging about two hits per game and two blocks per every three contests, which is very solid, especially when coupled with his scoring. Looking at your keeper possibilities, are there 15 who make more sense than Comtois? Your locks are Matthews, Pettersson, Svechnikov, Kaprizov, Pasta, Rantanen, Hamilton, Rielly, Chabot, Dahlin, and either two of your goalies. That makes 12 in total, meaning Comtois would have to be a better option than two of Malkin, Hughes, Kadri, Meier or Fiala. Is he though?

One key to Comtois' recent success was increasing PP time, although that has since been dialed back as he's slumped and didn't fare too well on the PP. Still, they were willing to give him a shot. And although his ice time still is up and down, over the past month he's had as many games with 16:30+ in TOI as ones below that threshold. His shooting percentage seems elevated; however, it's similar to his career rate, he doesn't shoot a ton, and he has more shots from 16-30 feet than from 31+ and more from 0-15 feet than from 16-30, so his SH% might just run high.

Comtois' IPPs are through the roof, most likely too much so to be sustainable at 90.9% overall and 75.0% with the man advantage. Chances are Comtois comes back to earth; but this shows he has a nose for scoring. He really could be the new Tom Wilson; and in his case, the Ducks need all the help in the top six they can get so like Wilson he could be staking out a spot there, in which case his ice times should climb in future seasons.

Even still, I probably can't see keeping him over two of those five, since, as noted, Hits, while valuable, still aren't as key as scoring. Also, if you don't keep him, you can always redraft him, yet in that case he'd be available to any team, so you could lose out. The last option would be to try and capitalize on his earlier hot play and sell. I could see a case being made to do so, perhaps to help try and upgrade your goalie situation, which seems like your team's weak spot. Long story short, trade him or wait and see how he fares over the remainder of the season and reassess from there. Good luck!

Question #6 (from Cameron)

I'm in a 14-team, points only, dynasty cap league where we are allowed to dress 9F, 4D, 1G each week. Roster size is capped at 30. We are also allowed to keep up to 5 prospects whose salary doesn’t count against the cap (until they play 25 games). Each team also has an “anytime waiver” they are entitled to use (or trade) throughout the season, provided they remain cap compliant.

My current defensemen are Josh Morrissey, Rasmus Dahlin,Thomas Chabot, Miro Heiskanen, and Nicolas Hague. I also have Jake Bean stashed among my prospects, and he is fast approaching 25 games. My question is about Morrissey, and whether I should do one of the following: (1) drop him and use my “anytime waiver” pick on Mackenzie Weegar (whose salary is basically half of Morrissey’s but offers similar, if not better, production), (2) drop him and pick up Nick Leddy with my waiver pick, (3) drop or trade him and just go with Bean or Hague and save my waiver pick?

I'm against the cap and have two players whose salaries will begin counting in Jason Robertson and Bean; I will therefore need to move players to stay under. Is there hope Morrissey’s production will improve over the 2nd half? Do the advanced stats suggest this? Should I look at moving other assets so as to keep Morrissey? I’m currently sitting in 3rd place, and I desperately want to finish in the top 3 this year. Any help would be much appreciated.

I don't think it makes sense to spend your waiver pick on Weegar or Leddy when you already have Bean and Hague as viable options. Are Weegar or Leddy "worth" a roster spot in a league that has 420 players owned? Yes; but not when faced with a cap crunch, in points-only format, and given how unsustainable their production likely is. Also, the fact that both were still available strongly suggests you should be able to find players as good or even better between now and the end of season – that is, your waiver pick is probably worth more in your pocket than being spent on either of these guys, as not only are they overachieving in view of their deployment and expectations, but they both also have non-nominal cap hits, while Bean and Hague are on ELCs and thus cap bargains. Best to hold the pick and take Weegar and Leddy off your radar.

[Editor’s Note: The article was submitted before Aaron Ekblad’s injury, and with the likely extra deployment coming for Weegar, he at least jumps up into the conversation now.]

As for Morrissey, he has somehow been able to keep his hold on PP1. Don't get me wrong – he's done decent, with the 22nd most PP TOI of any defensemen and tied for 24th in PPPts. However, compare that to Pionk whose 25 PPPts ranked him tied for third among all defensemen last season despite his PPTOI only putting him 15th and who this season ranks tied for 19th in PPPts despite taking the ice for the 57st most PP minutes among rearguards who've played in 15+ games. At some point Winnipeg will likely hand the PP reins back to Pionk, at which time Morrissey's scoring could crater.

Advanced stats also don't suggest Morrissey is more than a 35 to 40-point defenseman. His OZ% is stable and his IPP overall is only slightly down. His PP IPP, which was stratospheric at 92.3% last season and likely is what earned him the PP1 QB role this season, is at 50%, which isn't bad but which lags below Pionk's 66.7%. Morrissey also again has a secondary assist rate above 50% and his shooting percentage, though low, was never really a strong point for him. Essentially, Morrissey has been given every chance to become a top producing defenseman, but thus far he has not. If you can trade him now, do so. If not, drop him and solve your cap problems without a likely hit in production by running with Bean or Hague, and also keep your waiver pick-up in your back pocket for someone with higher upside. Good luck!

Question #7 (from Eytan)

I'm in a 14 Team league. Categories are G, A, Pts, +/-, PIM, GWG, HIT+BLK, STP, W, SO, GAA, SV%. Starters are 3 C, 3 LW, 3 RW, 5 D, 2G. Each team is guaranteed 4 keepers, but you get an extra one for every playoff round you win, with the champion getting 7 keepers. My keepers for this season were Sidney Crosby, Mark Stone, John Carlson, and Patrik Laine, whom I since traded, with a 5th round pick, for Tim Stutzle and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Please let me know who your top 7 Keepers would be out of these 14: Crosby, Stone, Carlson, Kris Letang, Nikolaj Ehlers, Vladimir Tarasenko, Tim Stutzle, Jordan Kyrou, Conor Garland, Alex Killorn, Nazem Kadri, Petr Mrazek, Anton Khudobin, Jake Oettinger. Also, would you trade Crosby for Point straight up? I feel like the Crosby's regression could start as soon as next year depending on what happens with the Penguins in the offseason, in which case now would be the time to capitalize on his value, not to mention Point's output likely being lower than normal due to Nikita Kucherov's absence. My other thought is that if I trade Crosby and keep Letang, I can "hedge" Crosby's success in a way by still keeping a vital piece of the Penguins offense. Thoughts on that plan?

For starters, great job on the Laine trade. A case could be made that Stutzle or Tarasenko each has as much value as Laine on his own, especially with SOG not counting; to get them both is superb, well done. As for your keepers, I'll give you four sure things, then rank the next three in order since you'd only get to keep seven if you win the league, and let's not get ahead of ourselves…

I think it might serve you well to try and trade for a top tier goalie. Each team starts two, for a total of 28 in a 14-team league, and their categories count for 33% of the standings even though they comprise only 12.5% of each team's starting line-up. Honestly, I think that although Pittsburgh has shown signs of being revitalized of late, they have definitely peaked and it is likely only downhill from here. As such, I'd not only pull the trigger on the Crosby for Point trade (more on that in the next paragraph), but I'd also try to leverage Letang to see about getting Carter Hart, Jordan Binnington, Thatcher Demko, or Kaapo Kahkonen. Probably you'd have to add a sweetener – I'd offer Kyrou, whom I think is solid but was benefitting from Tarasenko being out and Mike Hoffman not having gotten his feet wet but whose season-long stats are still good enough to make him look enticing.

Why trade Crosby? Yes, he's never finished a season at below a point per game pace; however, going back to 1990-91 the player with the second most point per game seasons was Joe Sakic, who had seasons of 87 points at age 36 and 100 at age 37. However, those were for Colorado teams which averaged 3.45 and 3.3 goals per game in those two seasons respectively, finishing in the top five in that area both seasons, or a good bit above where the Pens figure to finish this season and will likely end up in seasons to come as their core ages. Also, without SOG and with no separate category for just PPPts, these setting are not the best for Crosby.

As for Point, during the 2020 playoffs he became just the second forward since 2000-01 to play in 20 + playoff games and finish with a 1.4+ points per game rate while age 24 or younger, with the other being Evgeni Malkin. Also, Point's 30 points thus far this season have come in 22 games, meaning he's been a consistent but not explosive scorer. As such, he's showing he can produce without Kucherov; but when Kucherov and him are once again paired, he'll likely score in as many games but have more multipoint efforts. Additionally, when Point has played either with just Kucherov, as he did in the 2020 playoffs, or with Kucherov and Steven Stamkos in 2018-19, it's been magic. With that set to be the case again starting next season, big things could be on the horizon – big enough to stomach the loss of Crosby. On top of all that, Point has never logged even 19:00 per game in a season, meaning he can realistically get more ice time and, in turn, more points, as he has IPPs that have room for organic growth.

My four keepers would start with the goalie you acquire, plus Point, Carlson, and Stone. After that I've got Tarasenko, then Ehlers. The seventh keeper is where it would get tough, although in that case you would have won the league and I think you swing for the fences with Stutzle. Kadri is tempting given the categories and Garland is an up and comer, Stutzle has the best chance to be special enough to make it as a top four keeper for 2022-23, so I think you'd roll the dice with him. Good luck!

Question #8 (from Michael)

I'm in an 11 team, keep 8 auction league. Starting line-ups are 9F, 4D, 1 ‘utility’, plus each team gets 5 bench spots and there are three goalie slots, with an added element that no team can keep more than one goalie. We can only roster 3 goalies and keep no more than 1. There is also a Maximum Games Limit, so you cannot roll every player every night. Categories and weighting are: G(3, except goals by defensemen, which are 3.5), A(2, except assists by defensemen, which are 2.5), PIM(0.5), PPG(1), PPA(1), SHA(1), SHG(2), GWG(1), HAT TRICKS(3 each), SOG(0.25), HIT(0.25), BLK(0.25); W(5), GA(-0.75), SV(0.25), SO(4), OTL(2). 

My team had won the championship 3 straight seasons, prior to landing 7th place for 2019-20. As I send this, I'm in 3rd place with an outside shot at making a run at the top. I'm looking to make an acquisition or two ahead of the trade deadline but finding a way to do so without sacrificing any of my core. I know, sounds impossible.

For skaters, I see my core as Elias Pettersson, Mikko Rantanen, Brady Tkachuk and Shea Theodore. My "tier 2" players I see as Kevin Fiala, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Miro Heiskanen. The guys I put into "tier 3" are Anthony Mantha and Eeli Tolvanen. Tyson Barrie is the wild card, as his tier depends on if he stays in Edmonton. As for goalies, I will have to keep either Carter Hart or Kaapo Kahkonen. For 2020-21, my seven keepers were Pettersson, Rantanen, Tkachuk, Theodore, Fiala, Konecny and Farabee, with Heiskanen landing on my team due to being inexplicably dropped. My first question is whether Heiskanen is a keeper over any of the seven I kept for this season? If so, who's not kept? My instinct tells me to keep Fiala due to the categories and in hopes he gets to play with Kirill Kaprizovin 2021-22. So that leaves Farabee and Konecny. Is Farabee the real deal? Could he be Kyle Conner 2.0? Also, do you see Mantha as someone too risky to not keep, as he's a monster when he's on his game, especially given the categories. In terms of goalies, Hart has the pedigree but Kahkonen may be better due to his system/situation. Am I crazy to consider letting Hart go in favor of Kahkonen?

First off, you talked in the question about making an acquisition, but then your questions were solely about keepers. As it so happens, I think your team is ripe for making deals. Notwithstanding his poor season, Hart should be alluring to someone in your league. You cannot just opt not to keep him and lose him for nothing. If you want to go with Kahkonen, you have to trade Hart.

Is Kahkonen likely to pan out long term though? Since 2000-01, five goalies were age 24+ rookies who played 25+ games as a rookie while posting a GAA below 2.30 and a SV% of .920+, all of which Kahkonen seems assured to meet. They were Jimmy Howard, Jordan Binnington, Frederik Andersen, Marty Turco, and Cory Schneider. Recent performance aside, Howard and Schneider were very good goalies in their day, especially Schneider. Turco was also a fine netminder for several years. If we go by comparison, things bode well for Kahkonen, as does the fact he plays in a goalie-friendly system and also seems to have been given the reins despite Cam Talbot signing as an offseason UFA.

As for Hart, he's the only goalie in NHL history to have won 40+ games with a cumulative .915+ SV% by age 21. That's definitely impressive, but the lack of bases for comparison don't necessarily mean he's going to do things never seen before. After all, dating back to 1990-91, four goalies had more wins through their age 21 season than Hart's 40, namely Steve Mason, Jim Carey, Jocelyn Thibeault, and Carey Price. Three guys who flamed out and one who was a top goalie for years. So early success doesn't always translate to sustained success. Looking at all the data, I'd feel comfortable trading Hart as part of a way to upgrade keepers.

I'm also of the opinion Heiskanen deserves a spot among your skater keepers. After all, no defensemen in NHL history has had a higher points-per-game average in 25+ playoff games this his 0.98 in 2020, with the next highest four being Victor Hedman, John Klingberg, Alex Pietrangelo, and Brian Rafalski, i.e., some great comparables. Mantha is undervalued, but he's a redraft. How to make room for Heiskanen? One way is to not retain one of Fiala, Konecny and Farabee. The other is to do a two for one deal. One guy to consider trading is Elias Pettersson. I know many see him as having huge potential; but his stats from his first two seasons don't draw great comparisons, as twice by age 21 he had 8+ PPGs, 0.9 points per game, 27+ goals and 38+ assists while taking 2.4 or fewer SOG per game. Dating back to 2000-01 the only other player to meet those criteria even once by age 21 was Paul Stastny, who as we all know went on to disappoint. Yes, Pettersson is below his 200-game breakout threshold, so dealing him comes with a risk, as does his status as a true #1 center with great OZ% and PP time. However, I feel like he should have been doing better this season, not worse. The Stastny comparison is also concerning.

In your shoes I might deal Hart and Pettersson for a player like Andrei Svechnikov, Mitch Marner, or David Pastrnak, and perhaps even for the likes of Aleksander Barkov or Jonathan Huberdeau, who, although older, seem like they have a higher floor.

If you don't want to make that deal, then still try and trade Hart, as it would be regrettable to have to lose him for nothing. If you don't trade Pettersson then it's a tough call on who to lose, as Fiala has the highest upside, but only if he ends up playing with talented linemates, and that is an if. Farabee has high SH% and IPPs, although perhaps he could just be a talented player making his splash. One thing I really like about Farabee is his 33% Secondary Assists percentage, meaning if he's not scoring goals he's setting them up, suggesting he's not being carried. Konecny's deployment is worse than last season yet he's still managing to score, although his secondary assist % is nearly double that of Farabee. It could be Konecny who's the odd man out, but only if you believe Fiala will be rescued from playing with the likes of Ryan Hartman, Jordan Greenway, and Nick Bonino any time soon. Good luck!

Question #8 (from The Duke)

Three quick hitters:

1) What are your thoughts about San Jose's goaltending, particularly as pertains to Alexei Melnichuk’s short- and long-term future. Could he be the back-up next season and the #1 by the end of 2022-23?

2) Between Gabriel Vilardi, Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte, who do you foresee has having the best long-term potential? Who becomes a full-time, productive King first – Byfield or Turcotte?

3) What are your thoughts on Vladislav Kotkov?

For Melnichuk, what a difference nine minutes can make. I'm referring to the nine minutes of relief he logged in February. It seemingly signified he's the heir apparent in terms of the Sharks crease, which is important as Devan Dubnyk is a UFA after this season and all but assured not to be re-signed, and Martin Jones is on track for his GAA to rise for the seventh straight season. That having been said, Melnichuk has looked shaky in the AHL, and San Jose is poised to be a poor team for the foreseeable future. The Sharks have essentially nothing to lose by giving Melnichuk a shot as back-up or 1B next season. With San Jose already having been willing to sign Dubnyk for 2020-21, it's clear they have no qualms about letting someone else push Jones aside if that someone plays well enough. Long story short, it's a great situation for Melnichuk to insert himself into the goaltending picture, but a bad situation in terms of what we've seen so far with respect to his acclimation to US hockey as well as the Sharks the team that will be in front of him.

As I noted in my last mailbag, Anze Kopitar is signed through 2024-25 and stands a good chance of remaining productive long enough such that none of the LA centers in waiting will push him out of the top six. As it stands, Kopitar is more than capable of handling "two-way" duties, so I think the guy who has the most offensive talent is likely to stand the best chance of centering the other top six line; and to me, that's Byfield. Both him and Turcotte are already in the AHL, and of the two Byfield seems like he's more "ready" for the NHL despite being a year younger. Villardi likely gets moved to wing or lands on the third line. Turcotte could even be shifted to wing until Kopitar retires. Both could actually benefit short term. As far as long-term potential, I'm going with Byfield too, as like our old chum Cam Robinson I think there was a case to be made for taking Byfield first overall in 2020. He oozes with elite talent, whereas Turcotte seems more like he could be a solid but less spectacular player.

With Kotkov, the good news is he too is on San Jose, which can use all the offensive help if can get. The bad news is he's a big guy in the power forward mold, which the Sharks have covered in Evander Kane (signed through 2024-25) and Timo Meier, who's a key piece of their future; so there isn't a "need" for his size and skill set. Expect Kotkov to be brought along slowly until/unless he forces the issue, which, based on his play in juniors, isn't likely to occur. In all, I'd say he's a mediocre prospect. 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".

When sending me your questions, remember to provide as much detail about your league/situation as possible. Examples 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; auction – if so, what the budget is – or non-auction), how many teams are in the league, does the salary cap matter, how many players are rostered (and of those, how many start at each position as well as how many bench and/or IR spots there are), what categories are scored and how are they weighted, plus other details if pertinent. If your question involves whether to pick up or drop a player, give me a list of top free agents available and let me know if the number of pick-ups is limited or if there is a priority system for pick-ups. If you're thinking of making a trade, it would be good to know not only the roster of the other team you might trade with but also where you stand in your categories. If your question involves keepers, in addition to giving me the options for who to keep, let me know if offseason trading is allowed and to what extent it is a viable option given your league. In sum, 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, it's best to err on the side of inclusion since I can always omit or disregard things that don't matter.