Capped: Five Bargain Forwards to Avoid

Eric Daoust

2014-09-04

MatthewLombardi

These five forwards seem like cap bargains but probably aren’t worth your time anyhow.

One of the most important parts in winning a cap league is finding underpaid talent to fill roster spots. Obviously, the team that gets the best overall bang for the buck wins so finding players that produce well above their price tag is essential. Additionally, their reduced salaries help make it possible to keep more expensive star talent at the top of the roster without breaking your league's salary cap rules.

Even though many of these cap-friendly players will occupy depth positions on your roster, it can be very damaging if they do not produce enough. In order to win a championship you will need contributions from your entire roster. Acquiring the wrong bargains can prove costly.

Today we will look at five forwards that own a very reasonable cap hit and may have some appeal in one format or another but should probably be avoided. The examples used come from the crop of players that signed new contracts this summer.

Lance Bouma (CGY)

Bouma is probably the most appealing player in this list due to his outstanding totals in hits and blocked shots, both of which rank close to the top among forwards. Beyond that, however, his contributions are very limited. Overall, his appeal is limited to deep leagues and even in those formats there are many strong depth bargains ahead of him on the value scale.

Instead, try to acquire PIM-heavy depth guys. Last year, only 27 forwards eclipsed 100 PIM which makes this a much rarer commodity. Think Zac Rinaldo or Rich Clune. Meanwhile, hits are much more in abundance and your defensemen will be the heavy-hitters in the shot-blocking department.

This is not to say that Bouma is terrible and should not be owned. It is more a matter of better options being out there. He will not have much trade value unless you have a homer in your league looking to acquire Flames' players.

Justin Fontaine (MIN)

After four years of college hockey and two full seasons in the AHL, the undersized Fontaine finally made the jump to the NHL. Unfortunately, he played a very limited role and failed to produce much offensively or in the peripheral categories.

Despite posting excellent numbers at the lower levels, there is not much hope for improvement in Fontaine's numbers. The Wild already have most of their roster spots set and have a lot of solid young talent that will be prioritized. Even if he does manage to earn a greater role it will take a lot for him to become relevant in any format.

Jimmy Hayes (FLA)

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