Welcome back to another edition of the Roos Lets Loose monthly mailbag, where I answer your fantasy hockey questions by 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(s) answered in the next mailbag, check out the end of the column, where I explain the ways to get it/them to me as well as the details you should provide when sending. The earlier you send a question the more likely it is to be included in the mailbag, and the deeper dive I can provide with my reply.

Question #1 (from Kyle)

I’m in a 10 team, keep 15 league with rosters of 3C, 3LW, 3RW, 1F, 5D, 3 Utility, 2G, plus 7 bench spots. The categories are G, A, Pts, PIMs, PPPts, SHP, SOG, Hits for skaters and W, GAA, SV%, SHO for goalies. I've put together a nice run in this league, but I don't want to let that get to my head and cloud my judgment, so I'm hoping you can provide an objective viewpoint.

My current 15 keepers are Nikita Kucherov, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Alex DeBrincat, Trevor Zegras, Johnny Gaudreau, Dylan Larkin, Roope Hintz, Matt Boldy, Dylan Cozens, Alexis Lafreniere, Cale Makar, Rasmus Dahlin, Ilya Sorokin and Jake Oettinger. Here’s where it gets interesting. I’ve sent a package deal – involving Hintz – to the holder of the #2 overall draft pick so I can draft Fantilli/Carlsson. I’ve been told on good authority it will be accepted. My question is, since I’ll most likely be injecting another youngster into my keeper list, and my patience for Lafreniere is dwindling, do I swap him out for one of my other guys? Other options over Laffy are Casey Mittlestadt, Artturi Lehkonen, Jared McCann, Nick Schmaltz, J.T. Compher, Jason Zucker, Jakub Vrana, Blake Wheeler, Vince Dunn, Mikhail Sergachev, Samuel Girard, and Joonas Korpisalo. This coaching change in New York makes me want to lean towards keeping Laffy, but he’s truthfully never passed my own personal eye test. Any help would be appreciated.

First off, I like Hintz….a lot. I think it would be a net negative for you to trade him, even if you were to get the chance to own Fantilli or Carlsson. But it sounds like you've done well in your league; so if this is your instinct, I'll say that the trade is not so lopsided that I can't get behind it.

With Hintz gone that'd leave you with 14 keepers, if you hang onto Laffy. Looking at your other options, for sure a spot needs to be made for Sergachev. Yes, Victor Hedman wasn't playing at 100% last season; but Tampa has shown it's willing to get behind Sergachev as "the guy" and let's not forget he'll actually be earning more than Hedman starting next season. Plus, Tampa likely will want Hedman in good shape for the playoffs. Given that in 2023-24 Hedman is not only turning 33 but also entering his 15th season, which, when coupled with 159 career playoff contests, means he's put in a lot of miles. All this spells more minutes, in all situations, for Sergachev. He's a must keep.

As for Laffy, with Peter Laviolette now at the helm in New York, I'm not optimistic that Laffy will get any better chances than he's already had. Let's not forget – he's had them. Yes, he's barely past his 200 game breakout threshold and, technically, he's seen his scoring rate improve each season; but he's yet to average even a point per every other game in three seasons. Still, if we go back to 1990-91 and look at forwards who played 55+ games in each of their first three seasons by age 21 while not averaging either a point per every other game or 2.0 SOG in any of those seasons, we get some forgettable players like Patrik Stefan and James Sheppard, but we also land on Josh Bailey, Tom Wilson, Marco Sturm, and Dainius Zubrus, all of whom did pan out, although in each case not until age 27, and even then not to the degree that was hoped. Given this data and your other choices, I'm not keeping Laffy.

Who to keep instead? I think it's one of Dunn, McCann or Schmaltz. Dunn was someone who poolies had always envisioned could succeed if given the chance to do so, and boy did he. And the thing is that none of his metrics scream unsustainable, and he's now being paid like a "the guy" d-man. McCann fared better as the season unfolded, with a Q4 that saw him post 22 points in 20 games with 78 SOG. And he seems like he's set to be back on the top line in Seattle. Schmaltz produces….when he's in the line-up, such that he has the highest floor, but also comes with the greatest risk. Looking at active players, most teams will start five defensemen and 12 forwards, making it so, in theory, 30% of keepers should be defensemen. In your case you have 13 skater keepers, making it so four should be d-man, and you currently have two. To me that makes the case for Dunn in Laffy's spot. Good luck!

Question #2 (from Sean)

I'm planning my keepers for the coming season, and wondering which 15 you'd choose. For context, I won the league in 2021-22, and finished 2nd this year after an unfortunate stretch of injuries. I have all of my draft picks, and am looking to keep my core intact and remain competitive for the coming season. Here are the league details and keeper options.

12 Teams, 23 Players (max 4 goalies), H2H, Keep 15 (max 2 goalies)

2C, 2RW, 2LW, 3F, 4D, 2G, 8 Bench, 2 IR+

G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, HIT, BLK, W, SV, SV%, SHO

C – Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes (LW), Elias Pettersson (LW), Mathew Barzal

LW – Kirill Kaprizov, Andrei Svechnikov, Jake Guentzel, Jamie Benn (C)

RW – Mitch Marner, Timo Meier (LW), Kevin Fiala (LW), Patrik Laine (LW)

D – Rasmus Dahlin, Thomas Chabot, Jakub Chychrun, Rasmus Ristolainen, Dmitri Orlov, Eric Cernak

G – Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, Pheonix Copley 

I count 23 players, meaning only eight drops need to be found. Let's get the easy ones out of the way, those being Varlamov, Copley, Cernak and Ristolainen. After that it does get much tougher, which I suppose is the price you pay for having such a strong team.

Have you considered trading from a position of strength? If I was you, I'd package Meier in a deal, as his SOG rate was down a full shot and he only scored 14 points in 21 games with New Jersey. I can't see a shoot first winger like him being paired with a shoot first center like Jack Hughes; and sure enough, Meier spent most of his shifts with Nico Hischier, which is problematic since Hischier is a two-way center and won't get the OZ% rate that Meier needs to thrive. I'm certain one or more GMs in your league are salivating over what they think Meier can do in New Jersey. Capitalize on that and pair him with the Ottawa d-man of their choosing to get a top tier d-man in return, like Miro Heiskanen, Dougie Hamilton, or Charlie McAvoy.

But don't stop there – I think you package Eichel with the other Ottawa d-man. Why am I so down on the Ottawa rearguards? Let's not forget that in the 11 games during which Chabot, Chychrun and Jake Sanderson played together, Sanderson had seven points and logged more PP minutes and I think he will get great deployment while they have tougher minutes. As for Eichel, Vegas plays a system with balanced lines at ES and on the PP. Although past results don't guarantee future outcomes, no one in the history of the Vegas franchise has scored at a point per game or better pace while playing in 60+ games. Turn Eichel and the other Ottawa d-man into either another d-man or a solid forward.

With those two for one trades, that eliminates two more players, meaning only two more cuts have to be made. Next on the chopping block is Benn. If you want a reason, look no further than Dustin Brown, who as we all know played a similar style as Benn. Lo and behold Brown had a nice bounce back at age 33, which is how old Benn was last season, before a downward spiral. Benn might defy the odds and stay productive; however, on paper he can't be a keep given the other options.

The last cut – from where I sit – has to be one of Barzal, Svechnikov, Guentzel or Laine. Probably Svech is a keep even though he'd be a lot more valuable if SOG was a category. I think he won't ever live up to the hype, but his deployment and team translate to 70-point downside, which, with his peripherals, is likely good enough to be kept in this league. Barzal is so talented; but he's basically been neutered by virtue of playing for The Islanders, and he also didn't show any semblance of chemistry with Bo Horvat. Laine has arguably the most raw talent of all four, and is still young plus could be centered by Adam Fantilli, so that might be enough to elevate him. Guentzel was covered in my most recent Goldipucks column, where I highlighted that he seemingly has become less explosive and never really did well on the PP, meaning he should be looked upon more so as a 70ish point scorer than the point per game or better player he was until recently. So in the end I think the drop is either Barzal or Guentzel, and with Pittsburgh gearing up for one more Cup run this season, and Guentzel a UFA in 2024, I'm keeping Guentzel and not Barzal.

So in sum, my drops are Barzal, Benn, Ristolainen, Cernak, Varlamov, and Copley. The other two will be by virtue of two for one deals involving Meier and Chabot or Chychrun and another with Eichel and the other of Chabot and Chychrun. Good luck!

Question #3 (from DobberHockey Forums)

I’m in 10 team roto league, keep 10 plus a 4-player farm system, making it a 24 player total roster. As long as they’re added to the farm with under 35 NHL games played, a prospect can stay on the farm for as long as we want. Categories are G, A, +/-, PPP, GWG, HITS, SOG | W, SV%, GAA, SO.

I retooled this season and finished out of the money but with a lot of picks in the middle rounds. I have a competitive keeper set and, with the picks, I’m looking to compete. Part of my retool effort was to hold the best odds at drafting Bedard but the lottery played out that I’m picking 4th overall instead. I have Andrei Kuzmenko on my farm and will bring him onto my main roster on day one, so I will have a slot on my farm if I draft a prospect. The rest of my farm is solid but not ready to contribute.

I assume Bedard and Fantilli will go 1 & 2 in our draft and I’m not sure who'll get picked 3rd, and if it will be a 2023 draft pick or a "best player available." My question is, given my situation should I draft Carlsson/Michkov with the 4th pick or the BPA? For reference some of the early 1st round picks for 2022-23 were Jordan Kyrou, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Buchnevich, Nicolaj Ehlers, and Jacob Trouba. The farm system is in year 2 within our league and last year’s crop of newly-drafted rookies was hit or miss, so I don’t know how my draft will react to a draft crop that seemingly has more high end talent.

I think if Michkov is available I draft him; but I worry that Carlsson isn’t high end enough to warrant passing on the BPA at 4 to help with a run for the title. For reference I also have the 10th pick and then plenty of picks in rounds 3+. If Michkov’s gone I could take BPA for the first few picks and then add a Will Smith-type with a 3rd round pick.

What makes a big difference here is you have the 10th overall pick. I do think you gamble on one of Michkov or Carlsson at pick four, although I'll admit that I worry about Carlsson because of pressure to live up to being selected before Fantilli, so I'd hope for Michkov, even though it might end up being a Kirill Kaprizov type of wait to get him on your team. But if Michkov does go third, I still probably take Carlsson fourth given you're picking again six spots later.

With the names of the guys who were draftable as BPAs last season, you should get an asset at 10th. I think Smith in San Jose has the potential to pay off big in a couple of seasons so I like the idea of taking him too, just not tenth overall. But I think you are probably right that after Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, and Michkov, it could be a while before another 2023 draft pick's name is called in your draft. So I like the idea of Smith, and round three – as you suggested – might be the right time to pull the trigger.

Here’s a bit of a curveball – try to move Kuzmenko and the 4th overall pick for 2nd overall pick, allowing you to take Fantilli, who I think will be great from day one. Why move Kuzmenko, who played so well last season and many are pegging as the next Artemi Panarin? There are so many metrics (low SOG, low PPSOG, high SH%, so many Tip In goals, high Secondary Assist percentage) suggesting Kuzmenko substantially overachieved that I’m telling anyone who’ll listen the time is now to get rid of him, as I have genuine concerns he might not even score at a 55 point pace next season. If you can’t move him to get the 2nd overall pick, then move him for whatever you can. Could I be wrong? Yes, but I can say that in my 11 years of writing fantasy hockey columns I’ve never seen as much objective evidence that a player unsustainably overachieved as I do with Kuzmenko for 2022-23. Good luck!

Question #4 (from Joseph)

I'm in a ten team single season, weekly H2H league where rosters are locked for each week. I was curious on how this format would affect my draft strategy for the upcoming year. Even though I'm partial to the ZeroG and similar "Fade Goalies" strategies due to goaltending prowess varying from year to year, because I can't take advantage of Back-to-Back or light day schedules, I'm not sure how aggressively I should be following those strategies or if I should buck the traditional wisdom and go after the top tier goalies (good, healthy, high-volume goaltenders) in the early rounds. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Here are the league details:

Rosters: 2C, 2LW, 2RW, 5D, 2G, 5BN, 2 IR
Scoring: G (6), A (4), PIM (1), PPPt (1), SHG (2), SHA (1), GWG (1), SOG (0.5), FW (.25), HIT (.5), BLK (1), Win (5), Loss (-1), GA (-1.5), SV (.5), Shutout (5)

Your strategy should first and foremost take into account the relative value of goalies based on your league's scoring system. What's key is workhorse goalies are indeed of huge value, as every goalie in the league other than Linus Ullmark was in the negative after factoring in W, L, GA and SO, making saves the key metric. As crazy as it might seem, according to my math last season John Gibson, who finished third in saves but had terrible stats in every other category, would've netted a team almost exactly as many fantasy points than the Vezina winner Ullmark (702 vs. 706)!

While that proves the worth of workhorse goalies, let's keep in mind it would not even take point per game scoring from a skater to top that mark. In fact, I'm guessing at least a couple of dozen who are in the 50-60 point range would be able to pass that mark if strong in multicat. Although workhorse goalies are huge, goalies in general are less so than they might seem.

On the other hand, goalies comprise two of 13 active line-ups spots. That is a higher percentage than in most leagues. Although the majority of skaters in all ten teams' active line-ups will outscore the goalies, the fact that goalies represent 15% of active line-up spots does matter.

My approach would be to not look at all at the top goalies, as their peripherals don't make much of a difference. Guys I might try to target are Karel Vejmelka, Jordan Binnington, Carter Hart, Ville Husso, Elvis Merzlikins, and, if he stays in Anaheim, Gibson, as there is a good chance each starts 60+ games, and if they do they will face a lot of rubber. Once the first of them gets picked, I'd be prepared to pounce to take two or more of them. You also want to see how things are looking for teams like San Jose, Chicago and Montreal, as those also could be teams where goalies will go late but face a lot of shots, although it's less clear if one netminder will be "the guy" for any of those teams. Let the other teams reach for the best of the best or take risks you don't want to take on teams where the goalie picture is unclear, like Edmonton, New Jersey, Vegas, and LA. That's my advice – good luck!

Question #5 (from Dave)

With all the highly touted 2023 draft picks, plus others that are eligible, who are your projected top 10 point producing rookies for 2023-24?

Those who read my columns know two things – one, that rookies and prospects are not my strong point, and second that I'm not a shill for the site. But I'd be remiss if I didn't plug the Fantasy Prospects Report and Fantasy Guide, both of which are invaluable resources for answering this type of question.

For starters, don't be fooled into thinking the list should include only forwards, as in each of the past two seasons a rearguard has made the list, with two being in the top 11 in 2022-23. Put me down as having Luke Hughes cracking the top ten, as I think he's going to get sheltered minutes on a very good team, such that he should score 45 or so points, which should be enough to land in the top ten. And I'm not stopping there, as I think Scott Perunovich, who a year ago was the top defense prospect according to this very site, should be plenty NHL ready and not only have a spot in the top four waiting for him but also a good shot at running PP1.

What about 2023 draft picks? Of course I have to put Connor Bedard on the list; however, my hot take is there's about the same likelihood he gets under 55 points or over 90. In other words, I think he will be feast or famine for 2023-24. Adam Fantilli may have slid to third overall, but that likely improved his near term scoring potential. He's on the list too. Beyond those two though, I'm not confident any will crack the top ten. So that leaves seven more spots for players drafted prior to 2023. Want to know a player who most would consider a lock but I don't have on my list?  Marco Rossi. I think he's going to be a "AAAA" type player – that is, too good for the AHL but not equipped to succeed in the NHL.

Back to who I do like now, and Shane Wright is one, as although I think he won't be great due to the balanced ice time model of the Kraken, that same model should allow him to do at least as well as the now departed Daniel Sprong. Although I'm not as high on him as most, it's hard not to put Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato on the list, as the Flames should be a better offensive team and both ought to factor into the mix. Newly signed Logan Cooley oozes talent; and although he could be shipped to the AHL I think Arizona will do what they can to pave the way for his success. Bobby Brink also strikes me as offering a nice mix of talent and opportunity, so I'd give him my vote.

After that it gets less certain, but I liked what I saw from Pavel Dorofeyev in 2022-23; and Vegas should slot him in the top nine, which would put him in a similar spot as Wright, namely to do well but not outstanding. For my last pick, given where he is in his development, plus the ages and injury history records of Caps forwards, and the exodus of youth-unfriendly Peter Laviolette, I like Hendrix Lapierre. My asterisk is if William Nylander gets traded, then Matthew Knies makes the list over Lapierre.

So that's my top ten. Do I expect to get even half right? Probably not; however, that's why, as I noted, everyone reading this needs to buy the Prospects Report and Fantasy Guide to help them answer this question using their own insight and intuition. Good question!

Question #6 (from Uwe)

I'm in an 8 team weekly H2H league. Rosters are 4C, 4LW, 4RW, 6D, 3G, 3IR, 2IR+ (no bench). We can keep up to 21 players, making it a full keeper. Skater categories are weighted as follows: G(3), A(2), +/-(1), PPG(1), PPA(1), SHG(2), SHA(2), SOG(0.1), HIT(0.2), BLK(0.2) while goalie categories consist of W(4), L(-2), GA(-1), SV(0.2), SO(4).

Last year we had 3 bench spots; but this year we're eliminating the bench and introducing a "minor league" that we are calling the taxi squad. Each team will be allowed to draft and keep 3 players on the taxi squad. Players on the taxi squad must either be on (or eligible for) an Entry Level Contract (ELC). The draft of ELC players will be done at the same time as the draft for roster players (i.e. a team can choose to fill a roster spot if they keep less than 21 players or they can draft a taxi squad player).

Players on the taxi squad can be called up at any time to the roster and replaced on the squad with other ELC-eligible players. Once a player is called up though, they cannot be sent down but can be traded to another team’s taxi squad or released on waivers, then re-picked up to the taxi squad. 

Looking at the rosters around the league, I expect these ELC players will not be available to be drafted: Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Jake Sanderson, Matty Beniers, Owen Power, Juraj Slafkovsky, Mason McTavish, and Dawson Mercer. I plan on keeping the following ELC players on my main roster: Seth Jarvis, Quinton Byfield, Cole Perfetti, Anton Lundell, plus Jack Quinn, who I will likely trade to another team’s taxi squad as he is the only player on this list with two years of ELC eligibility and with him starting the year on Injured Reserve I should have time to make a deal.

I have the 4th and 5th picks in our draft, then late second and late third-round picks. In the draft, Bedard will go first overall but I am not sure who will be taken second and third. I think almost all the picks in the first and second rounds of our draft will be ELC players. 

For my team, I will have one roster spot open and 3 ELC players to draft. What strategy would you suggest for me to use in the draft? I suspect some others in my league will read this as well, do you have any general advice for them for our draft?

Understandably, ELC players hold added value, as you can wait for them to hit their stride before you add them to your main roster. But I think it would be short sighted to fixate on them too much, as to me the change from 3IR and 2IR+ to just 2IR+ is important. That means if you have even three of your players hurt at the same time, you're stuck with an injured player in your starting line-up. I bet you think that means I'm going to tell you to avoid injury-prone players. Yes, but also no.

I believe that GMs in your league will fixate as much, if not more, on injury concerns than proven abilities, such that certain players who have a track record of getting hurt will have lower value than they should. To me, I'd try to trade for Nathan MacKinnon, who does seemingly get hurt every year but is otherwise so good that he's worth the "pain/risk". Same thing for Aleksander Barkov. And I suspect that a guy like Max Pacioretty will be draftable, and if it's me I'm taking a risk on him, as worst case scenario you end up having to drop him, which won't be so painful since fewer than 200 players will be owned at any given time.

So rather than avoid Band-Aid Boys, I'd seek some out at the draft, as yes they might give you headaches; but if they miss fewer games than expected then you could hit a home run. Otherwise, as I said with respect to Pacioretty, you can just drop them and pick up another likely comparable player.

As for which ELC players to focus upon, I like Arthur Kaliyev a lot. His SOG/60 last season was in the top 30 among all forwards, and LA's trade of Gabe Villardi and Alex Iafallo likely paves the way for Kaliyev to make an impact this season. I also think Nashville will do what they can to have Phillip Tomasino be in a top six role, where, if his play at the end of the season was any indication, he should fare well. And to hedge your bets, you could grab Luke Evangelista too, as if Tomasino doesn't pan out he should. The other name that calls out to me is Dylan Guenther, as I believe the Coyotes will be an improved team and already last season he was producing at nearly a point per every other game. Last but certainly not least is William Eklund, who looked quite comfortable in the NHL last season in terms of ice time and SOG, but likely was sent down just to give him a little more seasoning plus due to what we now know was a nagging shoulder issue. For 2023-24 though, I think San Jose takes his training wheels off.

In terms of defensemen, I like gambling on Brandt Clarke, as the Kings jettisoning Sean Durzi means they see Clarke making an impact this season. We saw what Durzi could do, and Clarke, although still quite young, has fared great at every stage of his development. As noted above I'm also fond of Luke Hughes, who has Dougie Hamilton as an impediment but is offensively gifted and should get his fair share of points due to New Jersey probably being a top ten NHL offense this season. And Thomas Harley was doing good things for Dallas toward the end of this season and they too are a high scoring team.

For netminders, it's slim pickings, as other than Akira Schmidt and Demon Levi there isn't anyone who likely will make an impact, and I think both of them will be taken very early, so I'd ignore that position. The one exception might be Dustin Wolf, who is very talented but whose path to the NHL is far from set in stone. Good luck!

Question #7 (from Nancy)

I'm in a 12 team, keep 10 (plus, for as free keeps, any "rookies" who have not played in 25+ NHL games), points only league. The scoring is 1 point for a goal or assist, 1 point each for a SHG or a GWG 3 points for a hat trick, and, for goalies, 2 points for a win and 3 points extra for a shutout. Each week we must set a lineup consisting of 6F, 3D, 1G. My current roster is:

F – Jack Hughes, Nick Suzuki, Mika Zabanejad, Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov, Clayton Keller, Jason Robertson, Mikael Granlund, Seth Jarvis, Anton Lundell, Elias Lindholm

D – Vince Dunn, Shea Theodore, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, Sean Durzi

G – Pheonix Copley, Thatcher Demko, Ville Husso, Vitek Vanecek.

Rookies – Marco Rossi, Mathew Savoie, Luke Hughes, Kevin Korchinski, Akira Schmid

Last year I came in a very close second, and I won the league in 2021-22. The keepers I'm leaning toward as of now are J. Hughes, Suzuki, Zibanejad, Fiala, Kaprizov, Keller, Robertson, Fox, Q. Hughes and either Theodore or Dunn. So my question is who would you keep between Theodore or Dunn? Also, would you make any changes to the nine I've listed?

First off, I'm in favor of not keeping a goalie, especially since you – as a 2022-23 runner up and 2021-22 champion – came to that conclusion yourself. The reality is with this scoring system it's not important to hold a goalie. Not only does only one start per week, but there are just ten teams, meaning plenty of quality goalies available to draft.

Perhaps most importantly, no goalie in the entire league amassed even 100 points under your scoring system, whereas more than a dozen skaters did so. On top of all that, the goalies whom you could retain are far from top tier, meaning in order to keep a goalie you would have to trade to get one; and while your team has some very good players it won't be keeping, the talent that you'll have to throw back is not so amazing as to create a need to make a trade, whether in furtherance of getting a goalie or otherwise.

We can focus on the best ten skaters as your keepers. Do I agree with the nine you listed? I'd say yes, as Lindholm might be poised to rebound; however, on paper he's not a better keep than any of those you listed. I do feel Fiala's ceiling is limited in LA; however, I think his talent makes it so his floor is 75 points, which Lindholm didn't exceed by much even when the trio of him, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were arguably the best line in hockey in 2021-22. I think tossing Lindholm back into the draft pool is the right decision.

As for the last keeper, it's probably correct to narrow it to Theodore or Dunn. Personally I think that Durzi could produce comparable numbers to both of them, since, as I noted in my most recent Forum Buzz column, Durzi ranked 29th in cumulative PPPts over the last two seasons, which put him ahead of the likes of Seth Jones, John Klingberg, Alex Pietrangelo, and, coincidentally, Theodore, and this was despite Durzi having taken the ice for only the 37th most PP minutes. Plus when looking at overall scoring, an even better picture is painted, as Durzi’s cumulative TOI ranked him 109th among all d-men, yet his point per game was a much better 46th Still though, his name value is low enough as to make him a redraft.

Looking at Dunn's metrics, the story largely checks out. He even has realistic room for more PPPts, as he didn't really assume the role of PP1 QB until after the first third of the season. As for Theodore, he teases every campaign with hot stretches; however, the two seasons that saw him score above a 55-point rate were ones in which he didn't reach the 60 game mark. Also, Alex Pietrangelo is still very much within the picture in Vegas, such that Theodore has not logged even 60% of his team's PP minutes in any of the prior three seasons. Now of course at some point Pietrangelo will slow; however, whether that will come soon enough to benefit Theodore, and if Theodore can stay healthy enough to do well, are questions that merit asking.

Who's the pick for the last spot among Dunn and Theodore? The team already has Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox, who are rock solid. Given that, I think the "safe" play would be to opt to keep Theodore, who likely has a higher floor than Dunn. But given Dunn's solid IPPs and offensive zone starting percentage, plus Seattle being a team likely to do at least as well as it did last season and them signing him to a big contract, I'd gamble on Dunn. Good luck!

Question #8 (from Andrew)

I'm in a 12 team, H2H, 25 player league, with active line-ups of 12F, 6D, 2G, plus 5 bench and no IR. Categories are G, A, BLK, HIT, PIM, +/-, PPPts, W, SO, GAA, SV%, with the goals category worth twice the others, so 12 points available per week. Only one goalie can be kept, and the number of players a team can keep is based on where they finished, with first place being able to keep eight and last place being able to keep 12. I can keep ten. The draft is in reverse order of finish each round, i.e., not a snake format, except the first round, which is a lottery. No offseason trading is allowed. My roster is as follows:

F – Nathan MacKinnon, Kyle Connor, Jason Robertson, Sebastian Aho, Tom Wilson, Matt Boldy, Tommy Novak, Dylan Cozens, Robert Thomas, Joel Eriksson-Ek, Max Pacioretty, Jaden Schwartz, Dylan Strome, Marcus Foligno

D – Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour, Simon Edvinsson, Radko Gudas, Filip Kronek, Arber Xhekaj, Torey Krug

G – Tristan Jarry, Jacob Markstrom, Filip Gustavsson, Joonas Korpisalo

My presumed keepers are MacKinnon, Connor, Robertson, Aho, Wilson, Ekblad, Montour, and Jarry. Do you agree with Jarry? If you agree with the other seven, who would you choose as the last two? I was thinking of Novak, Boldy, Cozens, Thomas, or Eriksson-Ek.

Each team having 80% of its players in its active line-up is a big deal, as I suspect injuries will be an issue. But just as I said when answering question #6, I think that will "spook" GMs too much, such that risky owns will be quite heavily discounted. Don't take too many of them, but don't ignore them entirely, as there is value to be had in owning some.

In looking at your team, I'll be frank – I think you will have a keeper core that puts you in the bottom-half of the league, and that's even factoring in teams who finished ahead of you keeping up to two fewer players than you. My view is you should plan on not winning this season, and help shape your team for next season and beyond. Step one is trading Wilson, who is on a team that's seen its goals per game total drop for three straight seasons, plus Wilson is at that age where "rough and tumble" players tend to have a very steep drop in production. But he's a big name who I think can fetch you a nice return. I'd trade him with Jarry or Markstrom, with the plan to keep Gustavsson, who is poised to be "the guy" on a Wild team which will escape from cap hell in two seasons.

I wouldn't stop there. I think Aho is a great player to trade because he's a big name but the way things are run in Carolina no one can really shine. Still, I think there are many who will see him as more valuable that he really is, especially after him signing his new deal. Trade him and Ekblad, as I believe Montour has relegated Ekblad, who is an all-around type of defensemen and can play tougher minutes, to a backseat offensively. Plus, I don't like that Ekblad is turning into a band-aid boy.

Your cornerstone keepers are MacKinnon, Robertson, Connor, Montour, and Gustavsson. I'd also hold onto Cozens, who should still do well even if not the top line center for the Sabres, as he seems to have cemented a PP1 spot on a very potent Buffalo team. Plus Cozens still has not yet even hit his breakout threshold, meaning he likely has another gear. I could also see a universe in which Eriksson-Ek, who's scoring rate has risen five straight seasons and now is centering the second line and on PP1, is a keeper as well. That's a total of six keepers, or seven with Eriksson-Ek. Combine them with the players – either three or four – you'll get in return for Willson plus one of Jarry and Markstrom and then Aho plus Ekblad, and there's your ten. 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.