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Old 12-10-2012, 05:53 AM
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Dobber Sports Master
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bowlercoaster View Post
We start 2C, 2LW 2RW, 3 F, 4 D, 2G

Categories: G, A, +/-, P, PIM, Special Teams Points, SOG
W, GAA, Sv%, Shut Outs

My team:

C: Toews, Krejci, Skinner (LW), Ennis
LW: Lupul, Moulson, J. Jokinen
RW: Neal, Kessel, Burrows, Havlat, C. Stewart, Gionta
D: Weber, Keith, Carlson, Whitney, Gardiner, Faulk
G: Miller, Rask, Anderson, Neuvirth

I picked 5th and took Neal - I'm hoping he's good for 90 points, 90 PIMs, 300+ shots while going plus and being a STP maven with Crosby, Malkin and Tanger.

I'm a little nervous about my 4th D, but I'm hoping one of Whitney, Gardiner and Faulk will pan out and be reliable. No one wanted to touch Christ Stewart but I thought he was a late draft steal if he can do 55 points and 140 PIMs.

Would love to hear what other people think, I'm hoping I'll get to put this team in to action at least.
Neal at 90 points and 5th overall might be a bit ambitious but you stuck with your strategy so hope it pays off for you. I feel you are a bit light on offense. It may work out for you, but I feel you will have to rely on a lot to go right (repeat career seasons, good health, breakouts etc) for that to happen. But in a H2H league it's not about totals it's rather consistent production of your entire squad, including guys stepping up when others slump, and peak in the stretch run and playoffs. Also, and possibly most importantly, is how you adjust when things go wrong. Can you pick up the right guys off FA/the waiver wire? Can you evaluate players well enough to identify your needs and give you a boost when you need it, even small ones that might help you win an additional one or two categories every so often? If so, then that could give you an edge over some of your competitors. By the way, is this a H2H category based league, that is, you win a week e.g. 7-4, 6-5, rather than 1-0?

I don't have a problem with getting one top goalie early when your categories essentially focus more on the quality (GAA,SV%) over quantity (W), since shutouts are few and far between and not often a factor on a weekly basis. Sure, as Pengwin suggested, all it takes is a bad week in the playoffs by your goalies and you're done. So, the same can be said about your offense, but of course you have more guys that contribute so if a few slump then others can back them up. But it's also about getting goalies that will actually help you get to the playoffs, and if getting guys that should be better, then the piece of mind is worth it.

Though in a relatively shallow league (well more medium sized) I would probably have picked one top goalie and then waited a bit for a second and focused on my offense in between. But that's my strategy, and there are plenty of other strategies that work, so I'm not going to say you are wrong and nobody can say that. Miller/Rask can be money for you when it counts and you could win a title - who knows. That's the excitement and randomness of H2H - we just don't know.

Just curious, when you did you pick up your 4th starting D vs picking up your last starting and bench forwards?

Stewart late is not a bad pickup, but he needs a lot better ice time for him to get close to those projections. Backes led the team with 54 points last season, so even if the team scores a bit better overall, I wouldn't be expecting much more than 40 for Stewart unless his ice time/PP time improves. But still, as a late flier, little harm done.

Overall, you have a decent team. I'm not going to rate it as it's all about context, fluctuations during the season, different evaluations etc. But it can be competitive if you avoid too many injuries and slumps, and get some nice breakouts. There is risk, but it could pay off and keep you competitive throughout the season. By the way, how many make the playoffs?

Last edited by horrorfan; 12-10-2012 at 06:00 AM.
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