I have decided to spice things up a bit this week while Dobber is off enjoying a few cervezas in sunny and warm Mexico. Each day this week, I will be auditing a different fantasy hockey team submitted to me by DobberHockey members and readers. Wondering what your plan of attack should be this summer? Preparing for a draft? Wondering about some trades you made in the past? I'll weigh in on the interesting and important issues with my thoughts.

Today I’ll take a look at tml4ever, submitted to me by AJ (known as hockey4ever on the message boards).

The League

H2H 23-team league

18 teams

Current salary cap of $51 million, rising to match the real salary cap this summer

Scoring categories:

G

A

P

+/-

PIM

PPG

GWG

SHG

SOG

W

L

Saves

Shutouts

Start 3 Centers, 3 LW, 3 RW, 4 D, 2 UTIL (any position)

Two pick-ups a week is allowed, and the waiver time is two days (to prevent streaming players in and out)

The Roster

Forwards

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Prospects

The trades

AJ informed me of a few recent trades he made:

Outgoing: Jamie Langenbrunner, Ray Whitney

Incoming: Marian Hossa

This is a fantastic trade for AJ. He got the best player in the deal and didn't have to give up much depth to do it. Both Whitney and Langenbrunner are over 35, and I'd expect to see declining offense from both of them starting in 2010-11.

Outgoing: Marc-Andre Bergeron

Incoming: 3^rd round draft pick

This is a decent trade, and was a necessity for AJ as he needed to clear some cap space to make room for Mike Ribeiro, who was returning from injury. I don't have a ton of experience in salary cap leagues, but it adds another element in terms of trade value (mimicking the NHL, as salary cap space becomes an asset).

Outgoing: Marty Turco

Incoming: Alex Goligoski, Arron Asham

Decent trade, but as you said it now leaves you with only Jonathan Quick and Jonas Gusvatsson as your goalies. You have some very good goaltending prospects (especially Schneider), though.

The Breakdown

AJ asked me a few questions pertaining to his future plans for this fantasy squad.

Should one of Gaborik, Hossa, Elias, or Havlat (plus a mid-level forward like Steen) be traded to get Bryzgalov and the second waiver pick?

AJ believes he can nab the returning Jiri Hudler with that pick. The four forwards you listed are not equal, but I would unequivocally move Elias/Steen or Havlat/Steen for Bryzgalov and Hudler. I'd try and find a way to keep Steen though, as he is trending in the right direction offensively. Unless your trading partner specifically asks for him, try and include Joffrey Lupul instead. I also wouldn't be opposed to moving Havlat and Elias for Bryzgalov and Hudler. You have the offensive depth to make such a move, and your goaltending is a huge question mark.

What prospects should be targeted in the draft?

AJ has four picks in the three-round prospect draft, and informed me of a few of the better prospects he is interested in – Jacob Markstrom, Martin Jones, Jan Mursak, Linus Omark, Tomas Tatar, and Gustav Nyqvist. Of that list, obviously Markstrom is the best prospect to get, and he makes a ton of sense with your lack of goaltending. Find a way to draft Markstrom with your first pick. AJ also mentioned to me about how there are a lot of prospects available that he likes, so it sounds like this prospect draft will be a great way for him to add some quality young players with each pick. Of those forwards, I like Tatar the most. He has the skill to play in NHL, but more importantly he also possesses the desire to make it in North America. The Red Wings take time developing offensive prospects, but they have a pretty decent track record with it.

Recommendations

1)  Pull the trigger on the Bryzgalov deal. If you can, try and move one of Havlat or Elias and Lupul. If that isn't enough (which is likely), package up Havlat and Elias for Bryzgalov and the waiver pick. Hudler isn't far behind those two, and Bryzgalov is a fantastic goalie, and he fills a huge need for you.

2) Get some defense! Your forwards are fantastic, especially for such a deep league. However, there isn't much on the back end. Think about moving a forward or two for some defensive help. Vishnevskiy is decent prospect but Atlanta is very deep on the back end. He will be in tough to make the roster there in 2010-11.

3) Do your research with the prospect draft. From what you have told me during our correspondences, it sounds like this draft will be a great opportunity for you to add four quality young players. Picking up Dobber's 2010 Prospect Report would be a fantastic way to get the down low on many of the available prospects.