Hey guys I am on the fence for which guy to keep in my last keeper spot. I know most people are higher on Semin but I love Stastny and I don't really have any faith in Semin at all. Then again Semin has a better supporting cast and situation and does seem to have the potential to put up 90+ points. I really can't decide which guy to keep, please lend me ur opinions.

I think it depends on whether or not you care about positions...

Stastny is definitely in the top 10 if not top 5 for Cs for fantasy hockey purposes...

Career .964 point-per-game average and 2.34 SOG/game numbers for a C is pretty decent numbers...

The only problem with Semin is that he'll be choked behind Ovy and Backstrom this year... when was the last time you saw a team with 3 90-point players? It'd probably go back towards the Oilers Dynasty days...

Also Semin is UFA at the end of this year, and there's a high possibility that he won't re-sign with the Caps next season cause there just isn't any cap room available... If he goes to another team his fantasy value could plummet.

With that said Semin does have a "bigger name" so he does possess more trade value if you were to offload him during the season.

But if you're just looking at keeping the player for the long term and taking care of your own end, then Stastny is the way to go.

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Dobber Expert Pool Champion 2011-12

Crosby, Malkin, Backstrom, Getzlaf, Stamkos, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kopitar, H.Sedin, E.Staal, Spezza, Lecavalier, M.Richards, B.Richards, M.Koivu, Carter, Toews, Tavares...

I can't see how Stastny is definately in the top-10 amongst Cs for fantasy hockey purposes. And he most definately is not in the top-5.

Ottawa had three 90+ points players as recent as 2006 (Heatley, Alfy, Spezza)
Pittsburgh had three in '96 (Lemieux, Jagr, Francis), and had FOUR in '93 with Stevens.
Detroit and Colorado both came pretty close as well in the early 2000's.

...interesting question to research.

Looking at the numbers...

A lot of those Cs you've listed are good but in terms of SOG, PPP and PPG stats Stastny is definitely comparable... Granted he's been a bit of a band aid boy early in his career, so you have to take that account too, if you are to drop him down because of that fact that's fair enough, but you can't drop him down due to people out statting him...

Stastny 0.96 PPG, 2.34 SOG and 0.35 PPP

Crosby 1.36 PPG, 3.33 SOG, 0.56 PPP
Malkin (dunno if you can consider him a true C if you take away the FOW...) 1.23 PPG, 3.47 SOG, 0.48 PPP
Backstrom 1.05 PPG, 2.23 SOG, 0.42 PPP
Getzlaf 0.93 PPG, 2.42 SOG, 0.41 PPP
Stamkos 0.88 PPG, 2.97 SOG, 0.36 PPP
Datsyuk 0.98 PPG , 2.25 SOG, 0.36 PPP
Zet 0.94 PPG, 3.44 SOG, 0.34 PPP
Kops 0.90 PPG, 2.79 SOG, 0.39 PPP
Sedin 0.79 PPG, 1.44 SOG, 0.27 PPP

won't do the rest, but the numbers do line up to the players you listed above, the good thing about that is no one knows about it.

I would almost guarantee you that all of the players you listed above would go way before Stastny in this year's draft, but if you were a smart poolie, you'd wait and draft a different position, and scoop up Statsny a few rounds later and still get the same production.

Statsny is under-rated, but the thing is he's pretty consistent, so you kinda know what numbers you're gonna get from him. Pretty much point-per-game, 40 PIMs, 25 PPP, and around 190 SOG... You don't get a lot of the fluctuations that you get with a lot of the centers listed above.

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Dobber Expert Pool Champion 2011-12

Stastny is definately in the same group with a lot of those guys I listed (M.Koivu, Lecavalier etc.) but my point was that he isn't definately a top-10 C. That's way too bold statement in regards to Paul Stastny.

Great research, the problem is that year the Sens didn't have depth, after the big three, Schaefer was the next highest player with 50 points, then Redden at 50 also and Smolinski 48...

The Caps have Ovy, Backstrom, Semin... then possibly a 70 point Green... Laich, Fleischmann, and Knuble, so they actually have more depth than the Sens had...

My article this week covers the Caps and highlights some of the numbers that the put up and how it's unsustainable. A lot of the numbers are already at peak levels and I don't know if there is much more room to improve to be honest...

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Dobber Expert Pool Champion 2011-12

Semin in a lazy year (which is typical most years) gets 80-85 pts, no problem. This is a contract year which is exactly why I think he gets 90-93 pts.

The only thing you have to worry about with regard to Semin is what happens to him next year.

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Four out of three people have difficulty with fractions

Commish - Twisted Wrister Fantasy Hockey League

12 team, $$$, 24 players, Weekly, H2H, limited keeper (8), multi-cat (G, A, PIMs, Hits, SOG, HT/ W, GA, SV%, SO)

Start: 2C, 2RW, 2LW, 4D, 2G

Well I dunno depends on what your interpretations of top-10 is right?

Cause if you look at his numbers they are comparable to Getzlaf, would you consider him a top 10?

Datsyuk?

Before last season Sedin was largely considered outta the top-10, but after last year he is, if you compare Stastny's numbers to Sedin's numbers prior to last season, it woulda blown them outta the water (0.71 PPG, 1.37 SOG, 0.26 PPP)...

What I'm saying is that no one in the fantasy world treats him as a top-10 C, and many people do share the same sentiment as you. But if you break down the numbers, he's very much comparable to a Getzlaf, Datsyuk, Kopitar, and probably even Backstrom... and if those guys are top-10 why not Stastny?

But don't get me wrong... if those guys were available at the draft table I'm not going to draft Stastny ahead of those guys, but if I happen to miss out on the C that you listed above, and I land Stastny I'm not crying at all...

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Dobber Expert Pool Champion 2011-12

As far as Semin goes, it is a bit of a gamble. I think there's a good chance he stays in WSH. I knnow that they need to figure out their G sitaution, as both Neuvirth and Varly are FA next year and at least one most likely needs to be locked up. Just doing some research though, I found a few contracts they might be rid of/not re-sign next year.
Poti is at 3.5, Fleischman is 2.6, Knuble 2.8, and it looks like they are still on the hook for Nylander's 4.875 cap hit? (I may very well be wrong about Nylander though as I'm not 100% sure on how this works). If true, that's almost 14 million (or almost 9million without Nylander) freed up there. If I were the caps and it came down to either Semin or Knuble and Flash, I personally would choose Semin and they could maybe lock him up to a long term type deal.
Their lines could then look like:
Ovie-Backstrom-Fehr
Laich-Perrault-Semin
Johansson-Gordon-Chimera
4th line

I feel they'd still be set offensively, especially with their D, and this might give them more balance by bringing in some role players that are more defensively responsible.

Looking at it a different way, Semin could be traded at the deadline etc to a team where he could be the top G scorer and could really use his abilities (i.e NYI, Kings, Leafs, etc)

There is also the chance he flees to the KHL as well, but I don't think that is likely unless he wants ridiculous money.

All in all, I still think you keep Semin because he has a higher upside, scores more G's, is in a better situation right now and is a W.