Welcome back to another edition of the Roos Lets Loose monthly mailbag, where I answer your fantasy hockey questions by giving advice that should be useful to all poolies even if they don't own the specific players being discussed. As a reminder, if you want your fantasy hockey question(s) answered in the next mailbag, check out the end of the column, where I explain the ways to get it/them to me as well as the details you should provide when sending. The earlier you send a question the more likely it is to be included in the mailbag, and the deeper dive I can provide with my reply.

Question #1 (from Joe)

I'm in a keeper with G, A, PIM, PPP, SHP, SOG, FW, HIT, BLK as categories. I have several questions. First, I must keep two Carolina defensemen. Who would you choose between Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker, K'Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin and Shayne Gostisbehere? Second, what do you see happening with Matty Beniers and Martin Necas this season? Lastly, do you think it is right to bet on Anthony Stolarz, or do you think the real starter in Toronto will be Joseph Woll?

I'll tackle the last question first. Stolarz seemed to be emerging as if not the #1 in Toronto, then the 1A, but he got hurt and was put into a time share upon returning. Could he have remained in the driver's seat if he didn't get hurt? Unclear, as this is a 31-year-old whose 34 games played last season was a career high, and he'd only once appeared in even a third of his team's games. If he plays superbly, he could rise to 40-50 games, à la Jack Campbell for Toronto in 2021-22; but if I'm the Leafs, I know whereas in 2021-22 there were no other reasonable options, Woll seems to be ready, and will have two more years under contract, whereas Stolarz is a UFA next summer. So, for 2025-26, I'd say barring injury the odds of Woll or Stolarz starting 50 games is nearly zero, and it's not even clear either will log 45 starts.

Beniers is going to get a fresh look from a new coach. Although he didn't give poolies much reason to be hopeful, failing to reach two SOG per game in either of the past two seasons and barely having a cumulative every-other-game point-scoring rate, he's just turning 23 and is a former 2nd overall pick. Also, Seattle doesn't seem to have any threats to elbow him out of the top six or off PP1. And that's another key, which is Seattle ran two equal PP units, but did not find success. I think it is all but assured those on PP1 will a far greater share of PP minutes. Let's also not forget Beniers is just past his 200-game breakout threshold, so improvement in the normal course is within reason. Still though, his IPPs and team 5×5 SH% have been weak, but he didn't even start 50% of his 2024-25 shifts in the offensive zone, and his secondary assist rate was below 40% for the second straight season, which is definitely low for a center. So, I like Beniers for roughly 55 points, with a better shot at 60+ than under 50.

Necas is a UFA to be, providing extra motivation to succeed. And Colorado should put him in a position to do so, given what they gave to get him. Also, while he didn't ignite upon arrival, and now Gabriel Landeskog might be in the mix, I still like Necas for point-per-game downside, and 90+ realistic potential.

As for the Carolina d-men, Walker is not in the conversation, and Slavin's value is tied far more to real life, as he rose to a 44-point pace in 2021-22 and not come close to replicating that success. In fact, he has seen his TOI fall and, with that, his SOG and scoring rate. So, which two of Ghost, Miller and Nikishin is it? No question Nikishin was a solid producer in the KHL, and comes to the Hurricanes at age 24, meaning with more experience under his belt than typical rookie d-men. Ghost is inked for two more seasons, and I see no one threatening him as the source for blueline offense. If I'd bank on one of Miller or Nikishin to get PP2 minutes, plus better offensive deployment, it's Nikishin, as Carolina likely sees in Miller someone they can use in tough situation and might chip in for some scoring, but not an offensive focal point. You keep Ghost for the here and now, and Nikishin for the future. Good luck!

Question #2 (from Scott)

I'm in a 12 Team, weekly H2H categories (G, A, P, +/-, PPP, SOG, Hits, Blocks, Wins, GAA, SV%, SO) league with rosters of 3C, 2RW, 2LW, 2W, 4D, 2U, 2G, 5 Bench, 2 IR. Each team can keep up to three players for up to three years after being drafted. To keep a player the first time, the team must forfeit a draft pick in the round prior to where the player was drafted, and second and third times by halving the prior keeper round. So if a player was drafted in the 15th round, he can be kept a first time by forfeiting a 14th round pick; but to keep him again the cost would be a 7th round pick. If a player is kept in an odd numbered round, then you have to keep him in the earlier round the next year. For example, to keep that same player a third year would cost a team a 3rd round pick, not a 4th. We can trade players for picks. Also, for perspective, I'd say about 4-10 goalies are kept each year.

Last year I won the league without trading too much away at the deadline and think my keepers can set me up for another successful run. Here is who I can keep, along with the "forfeit" round it would cost me for each. Clayton Keller (4th), Matt Boldy (4th), Filip Forsberg (4th), Nick Suzuki (6), Wyatt Johnston (7th), Seth Jarvis (7th), Robert Thomas (8th), Jordan Binnington (10th), Sean Monahan (11th), Gabriel Vilardi (13th), Adam Fantilli (15th), Lane Hutson (15th), Valeri Nichushkin (20th), and Dustin Wolf (20th). I’m currently leaning towards retaining Wolf, Nichushkin, and Hutson, but would love to hear your thoughts on who to keep and the best options to trade.

Interesting keeper rules for sure. I will say I'm a bit surprised to hear you say you think your keepers can set you up for a repeat, as with only up to three players being keepable and 17 starters, I find it difficult to envision a situation where keepers will be huge enough difference makers. Of course they can be helpful, and give a team a leg up; however, I feel like a well drafted team, especially when only 36 players are kept, should beat a less well drafted team even if that team had stellar keepers. Though I don't think by any means you were suggesting you wouldn't emphasize the draft, I'd be careful not to go into the season thinking your keepers are putting you at a huge advantage, since I just don't see a scenario where that would be the case.

In fact, there is a universe where I could see teams opting not keeping three players, since with only 36 being kept there will be a lot of talent in the draft, meaning for someone to be kept they would need to be a safe bet to well exceed the round where they'd be kept. As for trading, I'm a bit surprised to hear that trades happen. By all means if you can trade anyone you won't retain and get something for what would otherwise be nothing, then explore it, since there is little risk that in doing so, you'd make another team so much better as to have it come back and bite you.

I also wouldn't have guessed, given the reality of so few goalies being "sure things," that teams would use a keeper spot on a netminder. I'm not certain I can think of more than a select few goalies who, in this system, would be both inexpensive and also reliable enough to be kept; however, that is for sure a good thing to know in advising you on your decisions, especially since you might want to keep Wolf.

As for your proposed keepers, I cannot advocate Nichushkin. I get that you have a number of bench and IR spots to stash him if/when he gets hurt; but with him you also have other off ice issues which may arise. Plus, it's no longer the case that when he plays he's amazing. Add to that the wrinkles of Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog competing for PP1 time, and I cannot endorse keeping Nich despite the round bargain he is. In fact, if you were able to draft him in round 21 last season, ask yourself what did he do in 2024-25 that would cause him to be taken earlier if thrown back into the draft? He basically got worse across the board. So, he's not a keep.

Otherwise, your main issue is you have scorers who don't stuff the stat sheet in other areas, with the exception being Forsberg, and I think he is a keeper. Consider he was nearly a point per game player for Nashville despite the trainwreck they were, plus he shoots, hits, and is a top line fixture at ES and on the PP. For sure he's a better keep in that round than Boldy or Keller, even though they likely will outpoint him and are both younger. I realize Dallas will be under a new coaching regime which figures to reap more TOI, at ES and on the PP, on Johnston than occurred under Pete DeBoer. Also, Thomas was scorching as 2024-25 was ending, to the tune of 45 points in his last 30 games, although he has injury issues and is glaringly weak in peripherals. As for Suzuki, all he's done is improve his scoring rate every season he's been in the NHL. Whereas the Habs have more than their fair share of wingers, his status at the top line center, with heaps of ice time, will be uncontested.  He's my second keep.

Monahan and Villardi are likely to be decent value keeps, but not so great as to make them better than Wyatt, Thomas, Suzuki or Forsberg all things considered. Hutson looks like he's poised to be the next member of the point per game defensemen club, although it wasn't long ago that defensemen made big splashes, only to regress as sophomores, plus Hutson too is quite lousy when it comes to peripherals. Still, there is no question he's a round bargain. So too is Wolf; however, I'm not certain he is the real deal, or at least not yet, nor whether Calgary as a team will help elevate him.  But Hutson at 15 is a chance you must take.

In the end, I feel Forsberg, Suzuki and Hutson are my choices. Johnston and Thomas are close calls, but just aren't quite up to par versus these three. So by all means try to trade them if you can, plus Wolf and any others you were contemplating keeping. Good luck!

Question #3 (from Benoit)

I'm in a 14 team, 20 players per team, keep 9, H2H keeper league using the total NHL salary cap, with a league cap of $97M next season. We can make up to 4 free agent moves per week.

Categories vary per position but G, A, PIM, SOG, and HIT are counted for all skaters. PPPts and FOW count for centers, PPG and PPA count separately for wings, and defensemen have PPPts and BLK counted for them. Goalie categories are W, GAA, SV, SV%, SHO. All this results in a total of 33 categories per matchup, and whichever team wins the most categories get 2 points in the standings. Line-ups can be changed daily with 3C, 3LW, 3RW, 4D, 2G starting each night, and a minimum of 3 goalie appearance per week

I've been doing relatively well the last few years, making the cut for the playoffs and I lost in the finals last year. But my main issue is many of my key players are now earning more, making it more difficult to decide on keepers. Here's my player list, with their 2025-26 salaries denoted in parentheses:

F: Alexis Lafreniere ($10M), Jason Robertson ($9.3M), Wyatt Johnston ($8.4M), Claude Giroux ($2M),

Leon Draisaitl ($16.5M), Jake Neighbours ($3.75M), Quinton Byfield ($7M), Tomas Hertl ($10M), Shane Wright ($0.855M), Eeli Tolvanen ($3.475M), Clayton Keller ($7M), Mackie Samoskevich ($0.775M)

D: Cale Makar ($9.3M), Simon Edvinsson ($0.8325M), Brandt Clarke ($0.8325M), Alexander Romanov ($6.25M), Luke Schenn ($2.75M)

G: Igor Shesterkin ($15.825M), Darcy Kuemper ($4.5M), Fredrik Andersen ($2.75M)

I'll be picking 13th at the draft, and most often low salary players are taken in the first round to give cap flexibility, so a lot of young players won't make it to me at 13. I'll need to balance high and low salary to try to keep competitive again.

Here's who I thought I would keep this year for my nine: Robertson, Johnston, Draisaitl, Keller, Wright, Makar, Edvinsson, Clarke, Shesterkin. That would give me a little under $29M for my 11 draftees, and I think that would be manageable. What would you do in my shoes?

I looked at your roster for a while, and I'm not sure I see a path to victory if you're forced to find a way to fill 11 other spots with under $29M. As you said, bargain players are drafted early, so you will have a hard time landing on many who will be decent contributors. As such, I think you need to walk away from Shesterkin or Draisaitl, and to me it's clearly Shesterkin.

Shesterkin was arguably the best goalie on the planet a couple of seasons ago; however, since then his GAA has risen, and his SV% and QS% have both fallen, every season. And more than one of every four of his 2024-25 starts were Really Bad Starts, which, to put things in perspective, is a rate exceeded by only three goalies who played in at least half their teams' games: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Samuel Ersson, and Alexander Georgiev. Ouch! I realize the Rags did not do Shesterkin any favors last season but, on paper they did not get better, and in fact lost K'Andre Miller, weakening their defense corps, plus Artemi Panarin likely will be gone after this season. So, I cannot see a universe where Igor can be kept at that price, not just in general but due to ripple effects it would have on options for the rest of your line-up. You can keep Kuemper, who I realize is 35 and on an LA team that also saw its defense corps weakened this offseason, but is over $10M cheaper. Andersen is also an option, although Carolina likely will want to do all it can to ensure he'll be healthy come playoffs, meaning 40-45 regular season starts or fewer, and that's if – BIG if – he doesn't get hurt. Still, I prefer either over Igor, but Kuemper slightly more.

The question is whether the rest of your keepers look good if Igor is not kept. If Giroux is center eligible, he's enticing, as he still takes a lot of faceoffs plus gets PPPts. Neighbours seems to have found a home alongside Robert Thomas, who, as noted, had 45 points in his last 30 regular season games and could elevate Neighbours. But I don't love that Neighbours' TOI barely rose overall, and he saw less than 50% of his team's available PP minutes yet again. So, I think the only change to consider is indeed Giroux.

If Giroux is kept, who'd not be? I'd say probably Edvinsson. He is seemingly starting to come into his own, and a former early draft pick, plus chips in with decent hits and blocks. But I'm not a fan of his OZ% remaining under 50% yet again last season, making it seem like the Wings have him earmarked for deployment that will not help pad his fantasy numbers. Clarke slowed big time after a red-hot start, but he is the heir apparent to Drew Doughty, who I think will be played less this season not just due to his age in general, but also the fact he's likely going to be part of team Canada in the Olympics. So, I feel like Clarke will see more – and better – minutes, making him a keep to me over Edvinsson if indeed you opt to keep Giroux. And as for Andersen or Kuemper instead of Igor, give me Kuemper, as Carolina will be singularly focused on Andersen being healthy and not overutilized come playoff time. Good luck!

Question #4 (from DB)

I'm in a points-only league and fully in the midst of a rebuild. I'm looking to add to my defensemen core though the multiple picks I have in the upcoming draft. With that as background, what is your outlook on these defensemen long term: Cole Hutson, Sam Rinzel, Luca Cagnoni, Scott Morrow, Mason Lohrei, Radim Mrtka, Jackson Smith, Kashawn Aitcheson, Cameron Reid.

That is a pretty long list. To keep things manageable, I'll cover each briefly and give my best guess as to what their scoring upside might be. I'll also touch upon how long I think it will take for them to be able to produce be a true contributor, noting that might be sooner than their peak.

Hutson had a great NCAA season; and although he's not large framed, he racks up PIM, suggesting he can be a more physical contributor than big brother Lane, which I think will only help expedite his path to the NHL. And although Jakub Chychrun inked a deal that poises him to be Washington's "the guy" rearguard once John Carlson fades, Chychrun has not really been a PP1 fixture before, and could falter if put into that role. So, I like Hutson both as a player and given his situation. I could see him contributing as soon as he decides he done with college hockey, and his scoring upside could be in the 60s, with a shot at even more if he's the true PP1 d-man and the younger Cap players continue to make strides.

Rinzel is getting a lot of offseason buzz after posting five points in nine games for 2024-25 and seeing lots of PP time in those contests. He has first round pedigree; however, one cannot overlook that it was not long ago that Kevin Korchinski was seen as a sure thing and coveted by poolies. Fast forward to now though, and Korchinski has disappointed, although he's actually the same age as Rinzel and was picked earlier in the same draft. And then of course there is also Artyom Levshunov, the second overall pick from 2024. I am not a fan of cloudy pictures like this. Though Rinzel could indeed run with things and push Korchinski and Levshunov aside as the top option for blueline offense in Chicago, the three-headed monster factor will continue to loom unless Rinzel absolutely explodes. If all goes right, Rinzel could be a 50- to 60-point d-man and make an impact as soon as this season, but who's to say he won't get elbowed aside by Korchinski, Levshunov, or maybe even Alex Vlasic?

Cagnoni, like Rinzel, opened eyes with decent play in only a few games. But there is no Korchinski and Levshunov factor for Cagnoni, as veteran John Klingberg is a short-term solution, if any solution at all as he is far removed from any semblance of productivity. Dmitry Orlov is not the answer either, and Shakir Mukhamadullin seems like he won't be looked upon for offense. Though I do believe San Jose will give Klingberg the PP1 gig to start, his cheap contract will not make it difficult for him to be pushed aside in favor of Cagnoni. And with San Jose having the makings of a superb team down the road, Cagnoni could be a major beneficiary. It might take a couple of seasons for impact, but once in place he should be able to thrive right away, with 70-point upside.

Morrow comes to New York with a great shot to make the team on the third pairing. What he is able to contribute is less certain. Given his size, I can see him being used similarly to the departed K'Andre Miller, in which case points might be tough to come by. And Morrow had a solid but not superb campaign in his one AHL season. Of those covered so far, I think his ceiling is lowest, most likely in the 50s. But he offsets this somewhat by very likely being a full-time contributor this season.

Speaking of full time contributors, Lohrei, thanks to the Bs not having great blueline depth and what he showed when Charlie McAvoy was hurt, is all but assured to be with the Bs from Game 1. And he might even maintain the PP1 gig, as he did well in the role and McAvoy has never really thrived there, plus the Bs figure to be a lower-tier team, giving them reason to see what Lohrei can bring to the table. So Lohrei gets very high marks for near-term contribution, and is likely to be quite decent, but it is less clear whether he will be a major long term success. So, his upside range is tougher to predict, with it maybe stalling in the 40s, but also perhaps being possible to go as high as the 50s.

Mrtka's size and draft slot suggest the Sabres view him as a cornerstone defensemen. The issue is, as we've seen already via Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin is the unquestioned source for blueline offense, and I envision no chance of that changing. It might well be that Mrtka becomes a Colton Parayko-type, who has the tools to do well, but real life importance that limits his upside. So, chances are he doesn't arrive for a while, and his upside might not be more than the 50s, if even that.

Smith is another 2025 draftee and brings with him size and seemingly offensive potential. But he is someone I can just as easily see being deployed in a manner that will not help his numbers, as one that will. He is the toughest one for me to judge, so I'm saying most likely he's 2-3 years from being able to make any impact and best to bank on a peak of the 40s or 50s, i.e. below several of these other guys.

Aitcheson was selected right after Smith, and like Smith he does not scream offensive star in the making. Instead, he seems to project as someone who will use his size in ways that will benefit his team more than it would his fantasy owners, at least in points-only leagues. With the Isles not in great shape he could either be fast tracked to the NHL, or, with them having little to play for, given time to mature. But either way, I don't see him as someone likely to be much better than a point per every other gamer.

Reid was picked after Aitchesan, and, like the other 2025 draftees, has a difficult future to predict. He has the size to take on a more defensive posture, but also some offensive flair. And it is worth noting he's on Nashville, who will need an heir apparent to Roman Josi and don't have anyone in the pipeline who looks to be poised to be an elite offensive weapon. So, I'm more optimistic about the chances of Reid both to make a sooner impact, and to be able to rise to the 60s at his peak.

Those are my takes, realizing that prospects are not my normal domain. Do yourself a favor and get the DobberHockey Prospects Report, plus follow the top 50 defensemen prospect rankings. Good luck!

Question #5 (from Patrick)

I'm in a 10-team dynasty bangers category league. Since we switched to dynasty three years ago, I've been walking a tightrope between competing while also adding good future pieces to contend down the road. But going into this season I feel I've shifted from someone who was looking to stockpile assets for the future to a team that wants to improve for the Here and Now. The wrinkle is I was just offered Kyle Connor, Tij Iginla and Beckett Sennecke for my Kirill Kaprizov. I am leery of trading of trading Kaprizov, but this seems like a lot of great pieces. Would you take the deal?

Sennecke's stock has been skyrocketing, and Iginla not only has superstar talent in his blood but seems poised to actually meet or even surpass lofty expectations. And Connor looks to have finally made the leap from a player who had season to season ups and downs to a point-per-game-downside forward who should be poised to have a handful of additional 90+ seasons before all is said and done. Still, Kaprizov is shaping up to be truly special. Consider that between the second half of 2023-24 and before he got hurt in 2024-25, he had 112 points in 74 games. And he did this without an elite center nor a top-tier PP1 QB. Admittedly he's as weak in banger stats as Connor though, and Connor could give a team perhaps 75% or more of what Kaprizov does, and with less injury risk. And although Connor has played nearly twice as many career games, he and Kaprizov are almost the same age.

When trading, the side that wins usually is whoever gets the best player in the deal. That would tilt the scales toward Kaprizov. And normally a 3-for-1 trade would be iffy since you'd have to make room in your roster for the added players; but in this case both Iginla and Sennecke might not need to be plugged in right away. And if even just one of them delivers, that'd seemingly be enough for this be a win. Still, more "can't miss" prospects miss than don't, even ones as well regarded as those two.

This is quite close, and normally when that's the case I subscribe to not making a deal, as I'd rather stand pat and be disappointed than make a trade which turns out worse for me. But on paper I believe the offer is fair and would not fault you for accepting. Good luck!

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As noted in the title of the column, this is part 1 of my mailbag, with part 2 set to run next week. I can likely answer a couple more questions in part 2, or, if I receive several more, I can even do a part 3. You can get your questions in one of two ways: (1) by emailing them to [email protected] with the words "Roos Mailbag" as the subject line, or (2) by sending them to me via a private message on the DobberHockey Forums, where my username is "rizzeedizzee".

When sending me your questions, remember to provide as much detail about your league/situation as possible. Examples of things I need to know include what type of league you're in (i.e., limited keeper, dynasty, or one-year; roto vs. H2H; auction – if so, what the budget is – or non-auction), how many teams are in the league, does the salary cap matter, how many players are rostered (and of those, how many start at each position as well as how many bench and/or IR spots there are), what categories are scored and how are they weighted, plus other details if pertinent. If your question involves whether to pick up or drop a player, give me a list of top free agents available and let me know if the number of pick-ups is limited or if there is a priority system for pick-ups. If you're thinking of making a trade, it would be good to know not only the roster of the other team you might trade with but also where you stand in your categories. If your question involves keepers, in addition to giving me the options for who to keep, let me know if offseason trading is allowed and to what extent it is a viable option given your league. In sum, the key is to tell me enough for me to give you a truly proper answer, and for readers of this column to benefit from the answer/advice I provide. When in doubt, it's best to err on the side of inclusion since I can always omit or disregard things that don't matter.