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 Marek)

I'm in a Fantrax, roto, 12-team dynasty league, with skater categories of Forwards Goals, Defensemen Goals, A, SOG, +/-, PIMs, PPG, PPA, GWG, SHP, and goalie categories of W, GAA, SV%, SHO. Rosters consist of 2C, 2LW, 2RW, 3F, 4D, 2G, 3 BN, and 2 IR.

We're allowed 5-7 keepers (2 goalies max), and players must be kept in the round above where they were drafted the previous year. We have an option to ‘freeze’ one player and keep him in the round where he was drafted, but a player can only be frozen once. Players drafted in the first 2 rounds cannot be kept under any circumstances. Draft picks for the two upcoming seasons can be traded (except for 1st and 2nd round picks), and trades can be made during the off-season, with trades happening quite often once training camp approaches.

Year 1 of a prospect’s rookie contract kicks in when they hit the 25 NHL games mark. They do not count against the 5-7 keepers through the end of their RK3 year, after which they must be "qualified" in the 8th round if they're to be kept. Free agent pickups can be kept in round 12, and if you keep more than one then they're kept in successively later rounds, i.e., 13, 14.

I took over a garbage roster last year and have been performing a major overhaul since then. In doing so, I sold off my best players this year and last to accumulate young players, prospects, rookie draft picks, and additional picks in the higher rounds of the main draft. In both 2026 and 2027, I have an additional 3rd and 4th round pick. I feel like I can contend starting next year, and I’m trying to identify my keepers now so I can start to get value out of my non-keepers via trades (future assets, possible keeper upgrades).

My possible keepers, with the rounds they were drafted, are Matthew Tkachuk (4th), Aleksander Barkov (9th), Leo Carlsson (RK3 – I have two 8th round picks so could keep him and Barkov), Trevor Zegras (10th), Juraj Slafkovsky (10th), Travis Konecny (11th, and has been frozen so cannot be frozen again), Nicolaj Ehlers (12th), Karel Vejmelka (13th), Valeri Nichushkin (FA), Brandon Montour (FA), Lukas Dostal (15th), Pavel Dorofeyev (15^th – I have 2x 14th round picks so could keep him and Dostal), and Kirill Marchenko (17th).

I think that freezing Tkachuk in 4 and keeping Barkov in 8 are no-brainers. I’m leaning toward keeping Carlsson in 8 as well. I also think that Dorofeyev and Marchenko are great value in their respective keeper rounds. With defensemen goals being its own category, and with his SOG and PIM rates, I think Montour is enticing for round 12, especially since nearly all Tier 0 and 1 D-men are either kept or scooped up in the draft in rounds 2-4, and Tier 2 and most Tier 3 D-men are generally gone by round 8.

Would you keep Montour? What about either of my two goalies, and if so, which one? Do you agree with keeping Tkachuk, Barkov, and Carlsson?

Respectfully, I disagree that your team has reached a point where it can contend. Even accounting for the 24 "best" players being unkeepable, I am not bullish on Tkachuk or Barkov. You aren't strong in net in a league where two of the four goalie categories are skill-based. My recommendation is continue to try to shape your team more before you focus on trying to win.

Tkachuk and Barkov, to me, are examples of players with name value that exceeds actual value. We don't know if Tkachuk will be damaged goods going forward, and even reach his already diminished level of production of the last two seasons. Barkov has gone from a player who was a great scorer but missed 10-20 games each season, to one who barely eclipsed the point per game mark in 2024-25. I see them as trade chips though, due to their name value. If you have to keep them in order to trade them, then by all means do so; however, I'd be more inclined to trade them before they must be kept.

Carlsson, Slaf, Zegras, and Konecny seem like good value, but I'm not loving the system Rick Tocchett is running in Philly, with the best of the best not getting heaps of PP time or TOI in general. As such, it might not be wise to build around two of their players. Dorofeyev and Marchenko also strike me as reasonable keeps, and Montour is indeed well suited for the categories. As far as in net, maybe you keep both because goalies are in limited supply and perhaps you load up on them via the draft then trade one or more to someone looking for wins. I'd give that strong consideration. Nichushkin seems to have lost his mojo, and I don't see him as a keep; but maybe you can include him as a kicker in one of your trades.

Who would I try to get for Tkachuk and/or Barkov? Jack Eichel would be enticing, as well as Nick Suzuki. Tage Thompson seems solid too. If you focus on defensemen instead, I like Mikhail Sergachev, while if you're looking at goalies I'd eye Dustin Wolf, Spencer Knight or Jet Greaves, who I think are showing signs of becoming future tier one netminders. Good luck!

Question #2 (from Steve)

I'm in a 14 team roto league starting 12F, 6D, 3G, plus 10 reserves. Our draft is auction style, with a total of $240 to spend on our active rosters (reserves are assigned a salary of $5 for the first 5, and $10 for the other 5). Categories are G, A, SOG, and STP as full categories for skaters, and both +/- and Hits&Blocks combined as half-weighted categories. For goalies, Wins, GAA and SV% are 0.75 weighted categories and SOs are 0.25. If a player is assigned to reserves, he has to go through waivers first, unless injured, suspended or in the minors. Up to 12 players can be kept at any position. Keepers can be signed for one year at their current salary, but would then go back into the draft the following season, or signed to a contract that can range from 2-5 years, which must be decided in advance and with their keeper cost increasing by $5 each year they're signed, plus after that contract ends they go back into the draft.

I'm currently in last place and looking to move expiring contracts in return for cheaper, retainable players. I already have Matt Boldy at $28 (ranked as the 8th top F in the league), Alex Debrincat at $15 (ranked 13th) and Bo Horvat at $9 (was in the top 20 prior to injuries) as top keepers, along with Frank Nazar at $3, Matt Coronato at $2, Connor McMichael at $2 and Mackie Samoskevich at $2 as potential young players with upside. I also have Luke Hughes at $9, Brandt Clarke at $2 and Karel Vejmelka at $16 designated as keepers as of now. Players I'm looking to acquire, and their ranking as I write this, are Morgan Geekie at $7 (ranked 41st), Andrei Svechnikov at $13 (ranked 38), Dylan Cozens at $10 (ranked 53), Nicolaj Ehlers $16 (ranked 62) and Gabe Vilardi at $13 (ranked 67). How would you rate these five going into next season? What about my other keeper plans?

With 21 starters, and a $240 budget to cover them, that's over $11 per player, probably to account for retention increases. For auction leagues you usually want a few big names, a good number of mid-tier players, and perhaps up to half your players – not just reserves – consisting of those who cost $1-3. Even though you're in last and unlikely to contend soon, you might look at more expensive options, as my guess is there will be top teams who have too much pricey talent to retain. Of course you have to factor in that they'd cost $10-15+ more by the time you're likely to contend; but I'd at least consider some of those caliber of players, as you can always trade them if you're not in the hunt to win.

Boldy has made nice strides this season, but I worry about his SH% being elevated. He's also starting only 44.8% of his shifts in the offensive zone, plus continues to not play alongside Kirill Kaprizov at even strength. If you were going to contend next season and could sign him for a year to hold his price at $28, I'd be more open to keeping him; however, I think he's overachieving and might cost too much once you are in the mix to contend. Also, you can get much of what Boldy gives you in the form of DeBrincat, but for $13 less. Let's say DeBrincat is a yes, and for now Boldy is a maybe.

Horvat strikes me as a must keep. He has become the driver of offense on Long Island and is shooting the puck a lot. As for the inexpensive guys, the instinct is to keep them since they seem like bargains. But you have to ask yourself if what they've done this season would lead to it costing more to draft them again. For Nazar, the answer for sure is yes, plus he likely will be a building block for Chicago. In terms of the other three, I can't see them going for more next season, since if anything they've done worse than expected. So although they would be bargains to keep, I'd let them go, as you can always redraft them, likely for the same or even less.

As for the others, Hughes seems like an easy keep given the impending exodus of Dougie Hamilton. There is risk though that Quinn Hughes comes to New Jersey as a UFA after next season, in which case it could greatly diminish Luke's value. As a result, I would either sign him to a one-year deal, or max him out at five years, with no in between. Clarke has made nice strides, including to grab the PP1 reins. I'd feel better if he was a bit cheaper, but he is for sure a keep. In fact, of all those listed he might be the one I feel most confident in signing for the maximum of five years. Vejmelka is a wins machine, and even his GAA is improving. His SV% is still iffy, but he is for sure a "the guy" goalie, and they don't come cheap. Yet we know that the only certainty nowadays with goalies is uncertainty, plus he's not a huge bargain at $16. For sure he'd go for considerably more if put back into the draft, so he likely is indeed a keep; but I do not see how he becomes a goalie worth more than $41. So maybe Vejmelka gets inked for three years, or perhaps four?

Looking at your targets, Geekie definitely has lure; however, whoever has him at that price likely will want a lot in return. It might be unrealistic to get him without overpaying. Svech has recovered from what was a terrible start to be a nearly point per game player since then. I'm not wild about his TOI, but he seems to be locked into PP1 and him ascending to new heights in production would not be too far after his 400 game big guy breakout threshold. I like him as a keep, probably for 3+ years. Cozens will certainly go for more if put back in the draft. He is a PPPts and Hits monster, plus shoots a decent amount. I worry though that he won't do much better than he is now. Still, at $10, he could be a reasonable keep for 2-4 years. Ehlers hasn't thrived in Carolina, such that his cost likely would be lower if put back in the draft. I'm not trading for him in your shoes. I'm also not trading for Vilardi. He had one of the best gigs in all of hockey as the third member of a line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, but of late he's been off that line at times, although still on PP1. Even when on the top line, he was outclassed. With his scoring rate holding steady, I'd grab him at the draft, if at all.

Circling back to Boldy, at $28, I believe that's too hefty given your team's trajectory. Rather than let him go though, I'd ink him for one year at the same price, with the intent to ransom him off next season, that is unless you do so now, which I'd also support. As for DeBrincat, given his age and role, plus an attractive price, he's a keeper for no fewer than three years. Horvat is already 30, so he might not be this good for more than a few more years. I think you play it a bit safe with him and sign him for three or four years, not five. I'd lock down Nazar for five. The rest I've already covered. Good luck!

Question #3 (from Mike)

I'm in a cap league with weekly rosters of 3C, 3LW, 3RW, 4D, 1Util, 2G and skater categories of FO% (centers only), FenD, G, A, SOG, PPP, SHP, GWG, BLKS, HITS. Right now I’m carrying J.T. Miller, Dylan Strome and Elias Pettersson for centermen, and Pettersson kills my FO% pretty much every week. I can play him in the SKT slot on my roster to avoid his FOs counting against me, but then I don’t have a C to fill the spot.

I’d need to drop someone of value to make space for another centerman and I’m curious if you think I should drop Sean Durzi or Filip Hronek from my D to pick up a cheap D plus add one of Jonathan Toews, J.G. Pageau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm or someone that has a solid FO% and could still contribute somewhat in other categories. 

For added perspective, I’m currently in a win-now mode and am carrying some younger, less consistent talent like Cole Perfetti, Eeli Tolvanen, Oliver Kapanen. But I'd rather not move them if I can avoid doing so, since I see them as having upside plus they aren't too expensive.

If given the choice between Durzi and Hronek, I'm opting for Hronek without hesitation. Durzi could be an effective offensive defensemen; however, the operative word is could, as not only has he had trouble staying healthy, but as was the case when he was in LA, he is stuck behind a "the guy" defenseman. As such, 40-45 points seems like his realistic ceiling. Since the Quinn Hughes trade, Hronek has scored at a 55 point pace. Although Zeev Buium will be given every chance to step into Hughes' shoes as the source for blueline offense in Vancouver, Hronek should fare better not just this season but perhaps for a couple more until Buium fully hits his stride.

Despite his recent disappointments, EP40 has too much home run potential which still remains, such that I'd indeed drop a D in order to grab a C to let Pettersson slot in as the Utility skater. Of those you list, Pageau and Toews don't merit consideration, as Toews barely scores and Pageau has seen his multicat numbers drop. Monahan's production has cratered, and now is off PP1. With the Blue Jackets having no shortage of young talent it's not clear if he can rise back to anything close to the level of last season, although let's not forget he was written off previously, only to bounce back in a big way, But at 31, chances of that are lower. Lindholm is fortunate in that he is signed to a large deal and the Bs have a shortage of offensive talent, all but assuring he stays in the top six and on PP1. Monahan's peripherals are a bit better, but not by much, and Lindholm seems like the safer bet. I'd drop Durzi for Lindholm, and shift EP40 to the Util spot. Good luck!

Question #4 (from John)

I'm in a 10 team redraft league with weekly categories of G, A, SOG, PIM, HIT; W, SV, SV%, GAA. I'm contemplating a trade where I'd deal my Sebastian Aho for Beckett Sennecke and Will Smith. I have Mikael Granlund and Will Eklund already, so I'm not sure about getting more Sharks, plus Aho is about as consistent as they come. Is this a trade you'd make?

To me, Aho is a perfect player to trade away. He has a high profile, and rose to 94 points recently enough that one of the other GMs in your league might think he's capable of hitting that mark again, or doing even better. But Aho is now 28 and this is his tenth season. His TOI never changes, but his SOG rate is dropping. His OZ% also has crept up, such that it is now 63.0%. It can't realistically go higher; yet despite it being that high, he's still putting up his usual 80-85 point scoring pace.

The other thing to consider is Aho has never – not even once – in his career, had a team SH% in double digits at 5×5. That is very telling to me, and indicative of him not being someone who creates enough offense that would enable him to become more productive than he already is. He also has always had a low secondary assist rate, meaning it's not likely to rise, which adds to reasons why he's unlikely to up his scoring rate. In short, his name value exceeds his actual value, and there is little reason to worry that he will suddenly become a much better player. Again, I feel he's the perfect player to trade away.

I understand that you already have Eklund; but in getting Smith, you're upping your odds of having one or more wings who'd play with Macklin Celebrini, which is shaping up to be as great a gig for the future as it is now to be a winger for Nathan MacKinnon or Connor McDavid. Sennecke is no slouch either, as for Q3 he is at nearly a point per game and averaging over three SOG per contest. This is usually the time when teen rookies start to hit a wall, yet he's picking up steam. The Ducks also have a nice young core, with Granlund only inked for two more seasons, and Sennecke seemingly already entrenched in the top six and now on PP1, where he likely will find a permanent home once Granlund and Chris Kreider are gone, if not sooner. I'm making this deal in your shoes for sure. Good luck!

Question #5 (from Tyler)

I’m in a deep 14 team, 10 player keeper cats league that counts G, A, PPG, PPA, SOG, FW, HIT, BLK; W, GAA, SV%. I'm wondering what the future might hold for Darren Raddysh. I’ve owned over parts of the last two seasons and I picked him up this year in mid-November and haven’t of course been thrilled with what's happened since then. Given his level of success at this stage in his career, is he a one hit wonder, or could he be a late blooming star?

You're not alone in wondering about Raddysh, as there is a very active thread in the Forums about him. Like you, others have wondered whether someone doing what he's doing at age 30 is a fluke, ala what happened with Mark Giordano or Erik Gustafsson, or if, instead, he might be someone who can produce if not at this high a level, then at least at a 50-60+ rate in future seasons.

In the thread I tried to look for player comparables, in this case defensemen who posted 60+ points at age 28 or older in one of their first five seasons. In other words, I looked for late bloomers. Going back to 2000-01, only two met the criteria – Mark Streit and Libomir Visnovsky. But if we lowered the points threshold to 49+ points, that lumped in Nicklas Kronwall, Dick Tarnstrom, Devon Toews, Marek Zidlicky and Dan McGillis. Not many have done what Raddysh is poised to do, but it would not be uncharted territory.

The issue is I'm not sure Raddysh can be likened to Streit, Zidlicky, Tarnstrom or Visnovsky, each of whom wasn't even drafted until age 24, whereas Raddysh, although not drafted, was in the AHL by age 20. Kronwall was not really an offensive defenseman, and mainly scored well because of a rising tide lifting all boats, including his. Toews' scoring rose due to being tethered to Cale Makar, and that's not what's happening to Raddysh. Lastly, there's McGillis, who played college hockey until age 24, but was in the NHL to stay afterwards. In sum, there is no "apples to apples" comparison to Raddysh.

Does this mean he's bound to be a one hit wonder? Maybe not. Victor Hedman is aging, and Tampa likely would want nothing more than to allow Hedman to reduce his minutes, which has occurred, in the form of Raddysh displacing Hedman on PP1. It is true that something similar happened with Mikhail Sergachev a couple of seasons ago, with Hedman gaining back that role and leading to Sergachev being moved to Utah. But Sergachev was heading for a major payday, something which, despite Raddysh being a UFA after this season, is unlikely in view of his lack of track record and age.

What about Raddysh's metrics? The team is shooting a reasonable 10.7% with him on the ice at 5×5 and 50% of his assists have been secondary, which is fine for a d-man. Still his personal shooting percentage is 12.8%, which is quite elevated given his 2.5 SOG per game. His IPPs are very high as well, with his PP IPP being higher than all but a handful of among the most elite offensive rearguard, and his overall IPP higher than all offense-minded rearguards other than Zach Werenski and Shayne Gostisbehere. But let's assume all those metrics come back to earth – maybe that means he's more like a 55-60 point d-man rather than the point per game one he is now.

If you own him, you should at least listen if others inquire about trading for him, or perhaps proactively try to seek takers for him. My guess though is you will find skeptics unwilling to give up anything of value for him out of fear he will be a one hit wonder. But it can't hurt to try. If you don't find a deal that's to your liking, you hold and hope. Good question!

Question #6 (from the DobberHockey Forums)

I'm in Yahoo! 10 Team H2H 1-Win Keep6 league with categories of G, A, SOG, PPP, FOW, H, B, Wins, GAA, SV%, SHO and rosters of 2C, 2RW, 2LW, 1UTIL, 4D, 3G, 6Bench, 2-I/R+, 1NA, and a requirement of four goalie appearances per week. My current roster is:

C: Sam Bennett, Jordan Staal
LW: Leon Draisaitl LW/C, Tim Stutzle LW/C, Kirill Kaprizov, Andrei Svechnikov LW/RW
RW: Jason Robertson RW/LW, Clayton Keller RW/LW, Brandon Hagel RW/LW, Lucas Raymond
D: Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, Nikita Zadorov, Charlie McAvoy
G: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jesper Wallstedt, Jet Greaves, Jake Allen, Alex Lyon

Aside from in season trading with a deadline of February 25th, we also allow trading one week prior to our Keeper deadline, but there are rarely trades made during the season, and even more rarely in the offseason. I had a poor draft, but made timely pick-ups of Brandon Hagel and Andrei Svechnikov. Eight of ten teams make the playoffs. My team started 0-2-1, but I'm now 10-3-2 in second place and have qualified for the playoffs along with the first place team. I haven't been successful in obtaining a trade for a top FOW center and thus have been streaming a center instead. My question is should I continue to roll with the status quo or are there areas to shore up in advance of the trade deadline?

It’s great to hear you were not discouraged by your poor start, and have not only righted your ship but arguably placed yourself in contention to win. Kudos!

Given that Hagel and Svech were dropped, and you were astute enough to pick them up, I'm inclined to think that you will do well in identifying centers to continue to stream for FOW. Some might think you should shed a netminder, but I'm not among them. Hoarding them helps make other teams worse by giving them fewer options to stream. Plus, you have enough top tier talent at skater that you don't need to have many extras there.

Also, your team isn't using any IR spots right now. If that occurs, then you might look to nail down a center. If indeed you try to grab a center to keep on your roster the rest of the way, then if your league has daily starts you should look to snag one who plays off nights, or whose team has more games during what would be your championship week(s). Thinking ahead to things like that might seem presumptive and premature, but this team looks to have what it takes to be in the mix to win, not only given its roster but your results. Plan ahead, and play to win. Good luck!

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To get mailbag questions to me either (1) email them to [email protected] with the words "Roos Mailbag" as the subject line, or (2) send 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.