My keeper league auction draft started last weekend. In case you're wondering why it didn't finish in an evening, it is because bids are placed via private forum and must stand for 72 hours before the player can be claimed. I believe this is what the guys over at Keeping Karlsson call a slow draft.

The first player to be claimed was Nathan MacKinnon, who to no surprise cost the owner big money. The second player to be claimed was Pekka Rinne for the minimum bid by me. All I needed was a third goalie (start two goalies), and he seems to fit that role on fantasy teams at this point in his career. I might not be done in the goalie department, as I may also decide to bid on a fourth goalie with whatever spare change I can find in my sofa. My defense has some bigger holes than my goaltending, so that's what I need to concentrate on.

I'm hoping there's still some juice to squeeze from Rinne as he plays out the final year of his contract. New coach John Hynes has already begun the handover of the starting goaltending to Juuse Saros, who started all four of the Preds' play-in games and most games down the stretch as the hot hand. Saros was one of the league's hottest goalies before the season pause (8 GP, 1.68 GAA, .951 SV%), while Rinne allowed eight goals to Edmonton the last time he started (March 2).

Coaching changes matter to goalies. Since Hynes took over as head coach on January 7, Rinne has played 11 games while posting a 3.59 GAA and .895 SV%. Meanwhile, Saros has played 19 regular-season games, posting a 2.13 GAA and .935 SV%. Saros followed up with a 3.22 GAA and .895 SV% during Nashville's four postseason games against low-scoring Arizona, which put a damper on any momentum he built up during the last two months of the regular season.  

Rinne finished the 2019-20 season with some abysmal numbers (3.17 GAA, .895 SV%), but his dropoff was sudden. He was a consistent fantasy option before that, playing in at least 55 games in each of his previous five seasons with no higher than a 2.50 GAA in any of those five seasons. His career accomplishments have been impressive, not the least of which was being named the top fantasy goalie of the past decade by this website (I take responsibility for that).

If this is it for Rinne as far as helping your fantasy team, then the aging curve wasn't graceful to the now-38-year-old goalie – it whacked him suddenly. Saros has never played 50 games in a season at any level dating back to his days playing in Finland, so bet the under on him reaching that number (even if the season isn't shortened much). That should make Rinne one of the busier backups, if you want to call him that. Remember that the tight 2020-21 schedule will be very two-goalie focused, which could give an older goalie like Rinne more time to recover without keeping him cold so that he can't generate a rhythm.

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The third player claimed in this draft? Logan Couture, also for the league minimum. I wrote about Couture back in May when he was one of the top Frozen Tools searches one week. The owner who claimed him was very happy because he believed Couture has a similar value to Sean Monahan, who will end up being sold for a lot more than Couture. At initial glance, I'd be inclined to agree, but let's put that to the test.

2019-20 season

Last 3 seasons

One thing I'll mention right off the bat is that both Couture and Monahan have fallen out of the Top 100 Roto Rankings. 2019-20 was a down season for both players when taking into account not only overall points but also points per game. I was recently asked why Monahan is not in the top 100. This article is the best explanation I can give, although I've since added Monahan back to the wait list as he could be back there with a rebound season.

Couture was held back by both a fractured ankle (missed 18 games) and overall declining production from the Sharks. If you take into account points per game, he was tied with Tomas Hertl for the team lead in points per game (0.75 PTS/GP). That points-per-game total is relatively consistent with what he has produced over the last five seasons. I wouldn't be surprised if with better luck the Sharks bounce back (or improve to some degree) from 2019-20, which Couture would benefit from. At this point in his career, he's a relatively safe option.

Meanwhile, Monahan's 0.69 PTS/GP was his lowest since his rookie season of 2013-14. All of Calgary's primary scoring options (and for that matter, San Jose's as well) fell off in 2019-20 from 2018-19. That undoubtedly had a major effect on Monahan and usual linemate Johnny Gaudreau. After posting back-to-back 30+ goal seasons, Monahan sagged to just 22 in 2019-20. However, with a lower-than-normal 7.1 5-on-5 shooting percentage in 2019-20, Monahan seems like a candidate to rebound in the goal department. Don't draft him assuming the point-per-game production of 2018-19. If Gaudreau doesn't rebound in 2020-21, then chances are that Monahan doesn't either.

Based on the three-year averages, I'll conclude that Monahan is the better player, and at five years younger (26) is the more desirable keeper own. However, I like the value that this owner was able to claim Couture for. The key to auction drafts is determining relative worth. If you can obtain productive players for a low price, then that leaves more money to shoot for the stars.   

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Finally, the Team Canada World Junior selection camp is underway, with the first of three scrimmages on Saturday. Team White beat Team Red by a score of 4-2. Goal scorers included Gage Goncalves, Dylan Cozens, Philip Tomasino and Connor McMichael. However, this might have been your highlight of the night.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, or to reach out to me, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding