Look for the Roto Rankings to be released today with some major changes. I will have full details then. As a spoiler, I'm going to be receiving some assistance and insight that I think will make the rankings even better. Another spoiler: There will be changes to some of the categories used to rank players.

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Matthew Tkachuk is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, as per NHL.com. You may remember that Tkachuk missed the final game of the Stanley Cup Final with a broken sternum, which is an injury that can take months to heal and where pain can linger. Tkachuk has recorded 100 points in back-to-back seasons, and only McDavid and Draisaitl have more points over the last two seasons. He's a top-5 pick in single-season drafts. With that recent point production, you could even make the argument that he could go as high as #3 behind the two Oilers.

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The injury news might not be so positive for Torey Krug, however. Krug is dealing with an injured foot from training and will be re-evaluated on October 1. He may not necessarily miss time, since the season starts about a week and a half after that. However, he will at the very least need more time to get up to speed.

A Krug injury might help Scott Perunovich, particularly when it comes to power-play time. However, Perunovich has experienced injury issues of his own, having been held to just 22 AHL games and no NHL games last season due to shoulder surgery. The Blues reportedly tried to trade Krug during the summer, so they may still be ready to move on from Krug anyway if they can figure out a way for a team to take on part or all of his $6.5 million cap hit for four more seasons. Also keep an eye on how this situation could help Justin Faulk, although he's not as productive on the power play as Krug is.

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The Ottawa Senators have signed Josh Bailey to a PTO. Bailey seemed like he would stay with the Islanders forever, but earlier in the offseason he was traded to Chicago and then promptly bought out. He has played over 1000 NHL games, all with the Islanders. Despite recording over 500 points in his career, Bailey never reached 20 goals in a season. Also, his 0.39 PTS/GP (25 PTS in 64 GP) in 2022-23 was the lowest production of his NHL career.

In related news, RFA Shane Pinto still remains unsigned. Bailey could be a backup plan for the Senators if the Pinto situation remains unresolved heading into the regular season.

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A signing that flew under the radar but may have fantasy implications is the Devils signing Keith Kinkaid to a one-year, two-way contract. It seems like the door is open for Kinkaid to make the Devils this season as a seldom-used backup to Vitek Vanecek, with Kinkaid possibly playing on the now-unaffiliated Chicago Wolves if he plays in the AHL. The Devils fans that I know have told me they thought that they would try to trade for a veteran goalie. At first, that would be a goalie on the block like Connor Hellebuyck, but now it's a possible backup so that Akira Schmid could get playing time, even if it's in the AHL.

With expectations being higher for the Devils this season, I'd expect Vanecek to be on a short leash. Schmid is still a sleeper to me, which I explained earlier. Kinkaid has played only three NHL games total over the past two seasons – all with three separate teams. That's why I still think Schmid has a better than 50/50 chance of making the Devils, but like a lot of things it's not 100%.

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According to Frank Seravalli, the Avalanche are researching available goalie options because Pavel Francouz may not be ready to start the season. I'm surprised Francouz isn't a Band-Aid Boy, given the fact that he played just 16 games last season and has missed time due to injuries previously. Alexandar Georgiev should receive enough starts and wins to be worth consideration of drafting as a top-5 goalie, since he likely won't have significant competition for the starter's job. 23-year-old Justus Annunen is currently the third goalie on the Avalanche depth chart.

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Another reason that Devon Levi won’t start the most games among Sabres goalies this season:

#LetsGoBuffalo Sabres fans: I'm excited about Devon Levi, too.

BUT.

Per #NHLStats, there has only been ONE GOALIE IN NHL HISTORY that played in the NHL the season immediately after he played in the NCAA and did not play any games in the minors.

Gary Laskoski. 1982-83 (1/2)

— Mike McKenna (@MikeMcKenna56) September 14, 2023

If you’re not old enough to remember Gary Laskoski, he was the Kings’ starter for about a season and then he disappeared after that.

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Based on my personal experience in both resolving disputes and hearing both sides of a story, the best take on the Mike Babcock "phone" situation is this: The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Usually teams bring in an experienced coach for the stability that they provide, yet the Babcock hire seems to be accomplishing the opposite for Columbus. The Blue Jackets couldn't have had worse luck last season, particularly with injuries, so there's only one way they can go in the standings. The Babcock experiment in Columbus is either a rousing success or it fails miserably – no middle ground. But didn't we say that about Torts?

I’m even wondering if the Babcock era in Columbus is over before it even gets off the ground, based on the fact that the NHL and NHLPA are discussing this incident and “some of the younger Blue Jackets were uncomfortable” with the request, as per Elliotte Friedman.

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We (and by we, I mean me) discuss plenty of single-season scenarios through mock drafts. However, there are a considerable number of questions that inquire about which player or players to retain in a limited keeper format. With that in mind, I'll take you through my decision-making process for this.

First, I allow for my initial (gut) reaction. We as humans can be quick to judge, and I'll lean on that to start. I'll have experiences with these players on my roster, whether they be good, bad, or indifferent. When making a decision, I'll need more than intuition to back up my choice, which I'll get into. At this point it's worthwhile to ask myself what I do know about the players and what I don't know, and I'll admit that I don't know everything.

It’s important that I understand my league's scoring system. Not all leagues are created the same, which means that one player might not always be a better choice than the other. If the league uses a typical scoring system, I can rely on conventional wisdom. If the scoring system is significantly different, then I may need to make a bold choice or two.

Look at both the season player projections and the Upside/3YP projections from the Fantasy Guide (purchase yours if you haven't already). Decisions should involve the short term and the long term. If comparing different positions, then consider position scarcity. How difficult would it be to replace the production of each player in your draft? If you decide not to keep a certain player, would they have enough value to trade to another team for them to keep?

Speaking of the short term, this doesn't receive enough emphasis in my opinion. Dobber gets it, particularly with his goalie projections. What's the point of keeping a goalie who will be a star five years from now at the expense of a less-pedigreed goalie who can help you win today? The fewer players you're allowed to keep, the more this holds true. Blue-chip prospects don't always turn out to be prospects. Consider opportunity cost, or holding cost if you prefer to call it that.  

To expand on that last point, I once played in a league where I could keep four players, and my keeper strategy was ALWAYS year-to-year. You don't know if this league will still be around in five years, and if you will still be playing in it then. I say this because this particular league is no longer active – the commissioner stepped down, and no one else stepped up to keep the league active. This nearly happened in another one of my leagues, so I volunteered to be commissioner because no one else would. That's why I have trouble getting on board with long rebuilds. Live for the moment.

Don't get me wrong – age does matter. If you have a blue-chip prospect, keep them as long as you can as long as it doesn't compromise your current team's success. Also, if you have a 35-year-old player and a 25-year-old player with similar production, you'll probably want to lean toward the 25-year-old player. Especially if the 25-year-old has a rising trajectory with higher upside, while the 35-year-old is on the downside, even if their production hasn't declined significantly yet. However, the 35-year-old might provide better value than you think from a year-to-year basis.

ADP is also something to consider. I know, it shouldn't be the "be all and end all" of these decisions, since it relies on aggregate data for leagues that might be different from your own. Yet ADP often affects rankings for players that are thrown back into the pile, so to speak. Knowing where you will draft might also be key, although that might not be revealed until right before the draft, which will be after your keeper deadline. Also keep in mind that drafts are unpredictable and may not play out the way you think they do. On top of that, you might not know which players your opponents are retaining. Just estimate and plan with as much information as you have.

Finally, if you're still stuck, you can post a question on the Forum and usually get a fairly quick answer. Just remember to list your league settings as well. If you add your settings to your signature in your profile, you won't have to keep adding it every time you ask a question there. Of course, Twitter is also an option if you spend more time on there.

I might be missing something here, so let me know below if there's anything else that you normally consider when making keeping decisions.

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