Bubble Keeper Week starts today! In case you're not familiar with it, our writers will share players that are on their bubble to be kept on their various keeper teams. Rules in each league will vary, but many keeper leagues operate on either a) keeping a fixed number of players, or b) keeping as many players as desired and discarding the rest, which resembles more of a dynasty format. For the sake of inclusion, we'll consider both types as under the umbrella for Bubble Keeper Week.  

I'll start with a league of mine where the second order of offseason business (after the entry draft) is choosing players that very much resemble bubble keepers. How it works is that players who fell under a certain scoring threshold the previous season can be kept if their contracts expire. Before I go any further, this league is an auction league and not a true salary cap league, so I'm not referring to real-life contracts here. Along with bid amounts, managers will select (depending on certain rules) 1-5-year contracts for each player at the time they are added through preseason or in-season bidding. A formula based on the previous season's performance and the player's last contract will determine what amount the player will have to be kept for.

If this doesn't make a lot of sense, don't worry. I'm not going to get too involved with the league rules in my writeup, and I'll try to keep any rules I discuss fairly simple to understand. However, my keeper decisions aren't just based on whether a player will reach X number of points or whether player A will outscore player B. A critical factor is what that player's salary from the formula will be relative to future returns and how much the player would cost if they were left for the league auction. Like any keepers, players that appear to be on the upswing make ideal keepers.

I have my bubble keepers for this team in two parts. Today's players will be forwards and defensemen. Friday's Ramblings will be exclusively on goalies. On Saturday I'll discuss players in a salary cap league whose values have changed because of new contracts.

Jonatan Berggren

I added the 24-year-old Berggren two years ago after reading one of Dobber's Monday Ramblings where he recommended adding him shortly after Berggren made his NHL debut early in 2022-23. Berggren got off to a fine start with nine points in 13 games, but he cooled off after that with 19 points in his last 54 games. He then spent most of 2023-24 in the AHL, where he scored at a point-per-game pace (56 points in 53 games).

The fact that Berggren didn't have to clear waivers had much to do with why he was in the AHL in his second NHL season when he had spent most of his first season in the NHL. In 2024-25, he will need to clear waivers to be sent down. The departures of veterans David Perron, Daniel Sprong, and Robby Fabbri should clear a roster spot for Berggren. However, the Red Wings have Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, and newly signed Vladimir Tarasenko on the wings, which means that Berggren might be used in a Sprong-type role: bottom-6 minutes, but a second power-play role.

Although his possible deployment will prevent a massive breakout this season, Berggren could still finish with around 40 points based on previous production and icetime, including power-play time. Berggren could take on more of a firm top-6 role in the coming seasons, as Kane is signed for only one year and Tarasenko is signed for two years. Because of Berggren's inexpensive contract in this league and solid upside, I will likely keep him on my team. Worry about giving up on a player too soon shouldn't be the main reason for keeping a player, but patience could legitimately pay off here.   

You can read about Dobber's analysis of Berggren in the Fantasy Guide. Readers voted him as the one Detroit player for Dobber to write about in his lowdown section.

Jake DeBrusk

Like Berggren, DeBrusk was selected for Dobber's lowdown in the Fantasy Guide, this time as Vancouver's representative. Of course, the main question here is whether DeBrusk has a next level now that he has signed a long-term deal with the Canucks. A top-6 role seems inevitable given the Canucks' commitment of seven years with a $5.5 million AAV. Yet how high should we go?

I've seen one DeBrusk projection showing 65 points. I'd agree with Dobber in that number being too aggressive, since DeBrusk's career high in seven NHL seasons has been 50 points. I get that he'll have either J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson centering him, but he's also had some fairly strong linemates in Boston such as Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron. DeBrusk hasn't always been happy in Boston, asking for a trade at one point. However, the Canucks have to hope that he can deliver on that contract and be the top-6 winger they felt like they were missing last season.

For now, I'd treat DeBrusk as a typical second-line winger and not like a top-line player that will have someone in your league reaching for him. I tend to subscribe to the "I'll believe it when I see it" theory, particularly when it comes to players who are beyond the prospect stage of their careers (Debrusk is now 27). For the record, I think DeBrusk will reach his career high in Vancouver, and it could happen this coming season.

His contract in my league will be expensive relative to wingers with similar production, so I think I'll be better off letting him go to free agency. I'll try to add him at a more reasonable cost there. Another league rule that works to my advantage if I want to keep DeBrusk is that I can match any offer if I last rostered the player, but anyone else must outbid me by at least 10 percent.

Thomas Chabot

Chabot was listed as a potential sleeper in the Fantasy Guide. If you're wondering why that would be if Jake Sanderson has more scoring and power-play upside, our one-time Eastern Edge writer (and now associate editor) Brennan DeSouza provides a fairly decent argument in that the Senators have a deep enough forward attack to have two strong power-play units. Assuming Chabot plays on the second unit, he could be on a power-play unit that includes Claude Giroux, David Perron, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig.

However, I'm still leery about Chabot. I say this even though I'm loyal to him in that he's been on my team since he was a rookie. Chabot has not played 70 games in a season over the past three seasons with an average of 59 games played over each of the past three seasons. He's been reliable over that time and even before, ranging between a 48-point pace and a 53-point pace per season. However, he's only reached the 40-point mark once over the past three seasons.

On top of that, I paid a premium for Chabot on his last contract. Defensemen receive bonus points for goals and assists in this league, so bidding tends to go higher on those d-men that can score relative to forwards of similar value. As much as I'd hate to lose a player I've rostered for a long time, I would be better off trying to add him through free agency at a lower price. If someone wants to outbid me, let them pay too much.

Jordan Spence

I added Spence from the waiver wire this past season, as I remember Journey writer Ben Gehrels mentioning multiple times to keep an eye on him once he reaches the NHL level. In his first full NHL season, Spence fared reasonably well, scoring 24 points in 71 games while regularly playing on the Kings' second-unit power play.

Even though Spence should be a full-time NHLer this coming season (no longer waiver exempt), things aren't about to get easier for him. Drew Doughty continues to be a fixture on the Kings' top power play. As well, 2021 eighth overall pick Brandt Clarke looks like he'll also be on the Kings full time in 2024-25 (read more about Clarke in this week's Journey). In his one AHL season, Clarke put up 46 points in 50 games, which are similar numbers to Spence's AHL totals. The two could end up sharing time on the second power play, but only if the Kings find only three forwards to use on that unit. The edge probably has to be given to Clarke given how high the Kings drafted him.

When I ran my Fantasy Hockey Geek calculations based on Spence's scoring and other categories, he projected to be just above zero value in this league. That's not rock bottom – it's more rosterable as a sixth defenseman, when a maximum of five can start per day. His new salary based on the formula jumps up a fair bit, so I'll have a decision on my hands. I probably won't keep him, but I'll try to win him on a bid that is less than what I would have had to keep him for. Unfortunately, that strategy hasn't turned out well for me in the past, as I've lost the likes of Devon Toews and Sean Durzi that way.

Daniil Miromanov

I added Miromanov shortly after his trade to Calgary from Vegas in the Noah Hanifin deal because he was immediately handed a top power-play role with his new team. The Flames were out of the race and into their rebuild by then, so there was no harm in them giving Miromanov an audition there. He finished with seven points in 20 games with the Flames. Only two of those points were on the power play, so I'm not sure he made the most of that opportunity.

The undrafted Miromanov should make the Flames, but how much overall playing time and power-play time he receives is uncertain. Miromanov will need to battle the more NHL-experienced Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson for power-play time, while newly added Jake Bean also has some power-play experience. Moreover, Miromanov has been an injury risk, having played just 29 games split between the NHL and AHL in 2023-24. On top of that, he is also 27 years of age, so he doesn't have a lot of runway left to make something happen.

The question I have is whether Miromanov deserves to be rostered on a 35-player team in a 12-team league. In my league, his salary will be cheaper than Spence's, although his points projection is also less than that of Spence's in the Fantasy Guide. As mentioned in the guide writeup for Calgary, he is a potential dark horse. However, I'd consider him more of a possible waiver-wire add than a player that should be drafted in standard-sized leagues. I'm more interested in filling up more critical players on my roster before adding depth pieces.

For more on Miromanov, check out this Forum thread regarding an offer on him for Henry Thrun.

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