Could I get a rating of the team, and maybe some suggestions on
a) Who's least valuable, and probably a good idea to drop for somebody from FA/WW
b) Who's good trade bait
c) Areas for improvement?

Any suggestions for players that might be a good pickup if available would also be awesome, but I realize this is harder when you don't know who in the league is open. Currently eyeing Cammalleri and dropping Cole or Briere.

The Gritty Details

10 Man league, Keep 7 players, points, dressing 4 C/RW/LW/D and 2 G. Up to 5 and 2 on the bench, 2 IR slots.

Goals (G) 3
Assists (A) 2
Plus/Minus (+/-) 1
Penalty Minutes (PIM) .2
Powerplay Points (PPP) 1
Shorthanded Points (SHP) 1
Game-Winning Goals (GWG) 1
Shots on Goal (SOG) .4
Hits (HIT) .2
Blocks (BLK) .2

Wins (W) 4
Goals Against (GA) -1
Saves (SV) .2
Shutouts (SHO) 2

Current team
C Patrik Elias (NJ - C,LW)
C Saku Koivu (Anh - C)
C Nicklas Backstrom (Was - C)
C Nazem Kadri (Tor - C)
LW Thomas Vanek (Buf - LW)
LW Cory Conacher (TB - C,LW)
LW Alexander Semin (Car - LW,RW)
LW Valtteri Filppula (Det - C,LW)
RW Jeff Carter (LA - C,RW)
RW Corey Perry (Anh - RW)
RW Vladimir Tarasenko (StL - RW)
RW Dustin Brown (LA - LW,RW)
D Dustin Byfuglien (Wpg - RW,D)
D Dan Girardi (NYR - D)
D Shea Weber (Nsh - D)
D Lubomir Visnovsky (NYI - D)
BN Niklas Kronwall (Det - D)
BN Danny Briere (Phi - C,RW)
BN Jaromir Jagr (Dal - RW)
BN Kevin Bieksa (Van - D)
BN Erik Cole (Mon - RW)

G Carey Price (Mon - G)
G Devan Dubnyk (Edm - G)
BN Braden Holtby (Was - G)
BN Ray Emery (Chi - G)


Any other tips or tricks to being a good fantasy player would also be appreciated!

You have a very well structured team, no real weakness. Maybe one could argue that youre lacking an elit scoring forward but who cares when Vanek is in god mode. Vanek is probably a sell high but beware dont undervalue him. Personally I wouldnt take less than a Parise or Kovy like return to move him. Youve got two Kings forwards I would trade them if someone gives you a good return. LA plays a very defence first low scoring kind of hockey (not great for fantasy). Maybe someone in your league overvalue players from the Stanley cup winners?

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8 team keeper league/roto. Keep 12+2 under 200 games played.
G, A, PPP, PIM, FW, SHP, GWG, HITS, SOG, BLS W, SV, SV%

Lw: E.Kane, Benn, Moulson, Neal

C : Plecanec, Tavares, Stamkos, Gagner

Rw: Voracek, Backes, Stewart, Landeskog

D: Burns, Seabrook, Subban, OEL, Voynov, Edler

G: Quick, Crawford, Anderson

Bn:Eriksson, Steen, Skinner
ir: Kesler

General rule in a keep 7 and even more important in a keep 4 or 3. The gm that gets the best player in a trade wins, period. So dont be afraid to "overpay" for top talent. If you want for example Stamkos throw all you got at the other gm, if he wants Vanek and Carter givit to him. Maybe this is old news for you. If so Im sorry, its hard to be specific about these things.

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8 team keeper league/roto. Keep 12+2 under 200 games played.
G, A, PPP, PIM, FW, SHP, GWG, HITS, SOG, BLS W, SV, SV%

Lw: E.Kane, Benn, Moulson, Neal

C : Plecanec, Tavares, Stamkos, Gagner

Rw: Voracek, Backes, Stewart, Landeskog

D: Burns, Seabrook, Subban, OEL, Voynov, Edler

G: Quick, Crawford, Anderson

Bn:Eriksson, Steen, Skinner
ir: Kesler

Im not sure Koviu is fantasy relevant anymore but ride out his hotstreak before you drop him for a waiver player.

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8 team keeper league/roto. Keep 12+2 under 200 games played.
G, A, PPP, PIM, FW, SHP, GWG, HITS, SOG, BLS W, SV, SV%

Lw: E.Kane, Benn, Moulson, Neal

C : Plecanec, Tavares, Stamkos, Gagner

Rw: Voracek, Backes, Stewart, Landeskog

D: Burns, Seabrook, Subban, OEL, Voynov, Edler

G: Quick, Crawford, Anderson

Bn:Eriksson, Steen, Skinner
ir: Kesler

Good advice so far, thanks!

I might be willing to drop Cole, Carter or Briere for somebody riding a hot streak, is that a good idea? What's your opinion of picking up players that are currently hot, good idea or is it better to hold off for long term players?

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10 team - Keep 7 - Points:
C(4)LW(4)RW(4)D(4)G(2)
G,A,PIM,+/-,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,HIT,BLK,Wins,GA,SV,SO

C - Elias, Koivu, Backstrom,Kadri
LW - Vanek,Conacher,Semin,Filppula
RW - Carter,Perry,Tarasenko,Brown
D - Byfuglien,Bieska,Weber,Kronwall
G - Price,Dubnyk,Holtby,Emery
BN - Visnovsky,Briere,Jagr,Giardi,Cole

That, my friend, is the million-dollar question.

Sometimes hot players stay hot and they become perpetual studs. Sometimes players get hot after being called up from the minors just on pure adrenaline, but then they can't maintain the pace. Sometimes they're hot because they get the opportunity to play on a better line, because someone else is injured or in the coach's doghouse.

Accurately figuring out which is which will go a long way to building a contending team.

Just curious, was this a team that you inherited or a team you drafted?

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12 H2H w/ daily changes.
G,A,+/-,PPP,SOG,W,GAA,Sv%.
Keep 6 (5 F/D, 1 D/G) Start 2C, 2LW, 2RW, 3D, 2Util, 2G

C: Getzlaf, Bergeron, Roy, Boyes (RW)
LW: Kovalchuk (RW), Vanek, Lucic
RW: Gaborik, Callahan, C. Stewart, Tarasenko, Chiasson
D: Yandle, Doughty, Goligoski, Carlson
G: Fleury, Varlamov, Markstrom
IR:

I inherited the team at the beginning of last season, right before the draft. I had some very just-ok drafts, but the initial keepers that I inherited were rather poor. I know the league Commish mentioned that when I joined I would easily be the worst right off the bat.

I took last year to try and learn some stuff, finished last in order to get good picks this year.

My keepers from last year were Briere, Carter, Vanek, Cole, Weber, Byfuglin, Price. The other good players were the result of drafting or picking up some FA early in the season. I know I grabbed Conacher when he had a hot start.

Briere is seeming to me to be more of a playoff guy than a regular season fantasy points man. Carter and Cole are not living up to what I expectd them to either.

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10 team - Keep 7 - Points:
C(4)LW(4)RW(4)D(4)G(2)
G,A,PIM,+/-,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,HIT,BLK,Wins,GA,SV,SO

C - Elias, Koivu, Backstrom,Kadri
LW - Vanek,Conacher,Semin,Filppula
RW - Carter,Perry,Tarasenko,Brown
D - Byfuglien,Bieska,Weber,Kronwall
G - Price,Dubnyk,Holtby,Emery
BN - Visnovsky,Briere,Jagr,Giardi,Cole