Happy New Year! We are going to stray from the normal format and focus on fantasy hockey New Year resolutions. These are strategies owners should follow as we hit the second half of the hockey season. Remember, playoffs are a little over two months away. The moves you do and don’t make now will impact your chances in March.
Don’t sweat the standings. Most hockey leagues are head-to-head leagues with the playoffs beginning mid/early March. You get a fresh start once the playoffs begin. Sure the first place team should probably continue to do well, but that isn’t always the case. Don’t sweat the standings if you’re in a playoff spot, all that matters is that you get there. Plan accordingly; players returning in March are just as valuable as if they had been there all year. Players like Sergei Gonchar and Teemu Selanne fit this perfectly. They are impact players that can be had cheap because of their injuries, but will be valuable during the playoffs.
Don’t be afraid to cut veterans loose. A lot of owners are hesitant to cut veteran players off to slow starts, and rightfully so. However, if a veteran hasn’t hit his stride at this point, chances are he won’t at all. It happens, some guys just have off years. There is no rhyme or reason. The smart fantasy owner will accept this and move on. You don’t want dead weight come March. Instead, invest in a player with upside on winning hockey teams.
Don’t fall in love with hot starts from unproven players. Too many times I have seen solid fantasy teams start to struggle because owners don’t want to accept a hot streak for what it is. Chances are if an unproven player begins to struggle, he has hit a wall. Don’t convince yourself that a player is the second coming of Gretzky or Lemieux. Young players should almost always be traded at some point; the odds are that they will hit a wall and struggle. Strike while the iron is hot. I saw Phil Kessel traded for Zetterberg. You will find owners willing to make those types of moves.
Examine your strengths and weaknesses and deal with them. If you can’t get any PIM then suck it up and grab a Carcillo type player. If you struggle with wins, pick up an extra goaltender. However, be realistic. If PIM is a lost cause, boot the category and strive to lock up other categories. Last season, I struggled in PIM all season long; my only PIM guy was Avery and I rarely won the category. Rather than trying to find someone to compliment him, I traded him for help in goals and +/-. It proved to be a successful move. You don’t always have to fix a problem to make your team better. Just don’t boot multiple categories; most that try to do it end up on the outside looking in.
Don’t start players just to start players. If you only have 3 good defensemen and you can start 4, don’t force yourself to start a defenseman that won’t really help. Instead, grab an extra forward or goaltender. It may give you the depth to make a trade to better handle your situation or it may just outright improve your team. The same goes for other positions. If you can’t find RW help, go pick up the best player and help your team that way. I have seen many teams do this with great success. I look at roster formats more as suggestions than requirements.
I hope you have a happy and safe New Year’s Day. Best wishes in 2009 and don’t forget to watch the Winter Classic. Feel free to leave a comment or question. Until next week, The Puck Stops Here.
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