It is crazy to believe but just a couple weeks separates us from the regular season and its end. All that works in season and dynasty leagues comes down to the next couple weeks. The anxiety levels rise and they do in daily fantasy hockey as well. Lineup decisions are painstakingly agonized over and over and over.
There are questions that have been abound on Twitter for days but two stuck out this week and they do need some answering. Forgive us for our brevity here but let's get right down to it!
Fantasy Hockey Mailbag -- Daily/Dynasty Double
What is the greatest unknown with Henrik Lundqvist's impending return for fantasy owners?
This is a great question because note the word unknown here. Lundqvist will back up Cam Talbot on Thursday and then on the weekend, against Boston, he will likely get a start then. The Rangers goalie does often have some problems with Boston but this probably not the same Bruins teams he faced before his injury either. Now once that start happens, then what? This is the thing. No one really knows but certainly Lundqvist should be eased into his normal playing load (about 3/4 of the games). There may be a bit of a platoon that gradually yields to the Rangers all world goalie getting a few starts in a row to assess stamina.
The best thing to do will be to monitor the beat writers daily. Yes that means you are going to get some overload information to the max but it is better than missing out. Now the hardest thing is when one is asked about projecting what Lundqvist could do for your fantasy team. How many starts does he get? What will his stats look like? These are all very legitimate questions but I think we have to see what he looks like in start one and then not jump to too many conclusions. The transition from start one to start two will be a bit more vital. Honestly, Lundqvist will be just fine, put up a few amazing games and then be ready for the playoffs. If you have him, you play him and that is that! Do not fuss over this!
Is Carey Price the most valuable player for your fantasy hockey team?
As I have seen this in so many ways and forms, it was time to answer this. Honestly, Carey Price is the most valuable player on your fantasy hockey team if you are using a standard format for categories. His goalie point share is approaching 15. His Goals Saved Above Average could come close to levels from Dominik Hasek's prime. There are some really incredible comparisons and perspectives as to what the goalie is doing right now. Some of them really are mind blowing.
Using a personal example, I have a money league where Price is more or less my only starting goalie. Sadly one of my starters bit the dust and then lost him to the waiver wire. Having two backups does not make it easy but because Price plays so much, it does ease the pain and boosts rotisserie stats especially. The only category I do not lead in is wins and my winning percentage is superior to every other owner. That 61 out of 64 roto points helps in ways that cannot be underestimated.
If I had another starting goalie in the league, I probably would lose a good 8-12 roto points and that means two maybe three places in the standings. Instead of contending for first place, I would be mired in fifth (still in the money) but not exactly raking it in. Second place is a nice jump in winnings though first is a humangous jump as Ilya Bryzgalov would say.
Price leads in wins, goals against average, saves, and shutouts. That is an ultra rare quartet. He is pretty close to Cory Schneider in saves as well. The Montreal goalie actually has more saves per game however and faces more shots per game. So there you have it. Price can literally make that much of a difference on your fantasy team. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks again for reading and good luck in your playoffs and DFS!