NHL Thursday: DraftStreet High-Priced Players to Avoid

by landsharkhockey Last Updated 2011-12-01 18:36:50

With as tough as it is to piece together a full quality roster on Draftstreet hockey, the one thing you absolutely cannot afford to do is burn a bunch of cap space on high priced player who fails to deliver. Draftstreet does an excellent job of pricing players according to their current performance; however, that’s not always a solid indicator of future success. You have to be able to spot when the bubble is about to burst, or when the system just doesn’t reflect reality. In some cases, you can expect these players to continue to produce, but not at a clip that justifies the high price tag.

Goalies: Avoid on DraftStreet

We’ll start with the most important position, and the one position where you tie up the most of your roster cap. There’s a huge drop off from the top three pricetags, down to #4. Tim Thomas, Mike Smith and Henrik Lundqvist all top $26k. Niklas Backstrom slides into fourth at 23.7k.

Mike Smith (PHO) – $27k

It’s hard to argue with Thomas or Lundqvist at the high price, as they’re certainly proven commodities. Thomas in particular is back to inhuman form this month. The one name of the three I question is Mike Smith. No doubt, he’s had a stellar start to the season, but can you trust 1/4 of your cap hit to him on a given night? Not me. Smith has been a spotty starter at best through his first two NHL stops. The Phoenix system and defense in front of him is helping him to excel, but I just don’t see it enduring. Look for a (much) cheaper in net.

After the big three, I count 13 goalies over 20k. This includes star options, such as: Fleury, Howard, and Rinne, all worth the price of admission. However, a couple of the guys in this range stand out as overpriced:

Antti Niemi (SJ) – $23k

Of the goalies in 20k+ range, Niemi is by far the lowest in terms of FPPG at 7.3. The Sharks have been up and down this season, and the same can be said for Niemi. He’s been rather hot lately, which probably accounts for his exaggerated salary. Until he puts together another couple weeks of solid play, I’m not prepared to invest that much in him.

Nikolai Khabibulin (EDM) – $21.4k

After last season’s train wreck, and his subpar stint in Chicago, it’s going to take a whole season for me to be convinced that Khabibulin is once again the real deal. The Oilers are erratic, and aren’t built to be a defensive powerhouse. What’s happened so far this season defies explanation. Proceed with caution.

Defense: Avoid on DraftStreet

Pretty much any defenseman over 6k is overpriced in my book, when you compare the value you get versus investing that cap in forwards. Here are a few in the upper tier that are particularly out of whack:

Dan Garardi (NYR) – 10k

No knock on the outstanding season that Garardi is putting together at this point, but if you compare him to the names around him in the 10k club, he hasn’t quite earned those stripes. If I have 10k to spend at this position, I’m springing for Duncan Keith, Dan Boyle, Keith Yandle, or Alex Edler.

Mark Giordano (CGY) – 9.6k

Under 3 FPPG and playing for the Flames. Need any more reason to avoid this roster selection?

Luke Schenn (TOR) – 8k

Highest price defenseman earning less than 2 FPPG. Can do much, much better for less.

Centers: Avoid on DraftStreet

The center position is always tricky to manage. On one hand, you can find some of the biggest stud performers at the top of the list. On the other hand, there are so many quality players in the middle ranges, that you’re tempted to plug them in there. That’s why 90% of the time, I’m filling the flex spot up with a center. Here are a few that I’m struggling to justify on my roster:

Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) – 13.6k

I truly believe that Getzlaf is one of the best all-around centers in the game, but he just never seems to make it happen in fantasy points the way you would expect. This season has been particularly rough for him and most of the Ducks. Yet, there he sits as the 7th highest priced center option. Save some cap and scroll down to Backstrom, H. Sedin, or Kesler.

Tyler Bozak (TOR) – 12.6k

Bozak has been generating offense at fine pace lately, but I’m not ready to hand him the keys just yet. With Seguin, Jordan Staal, and Skinner all significantly cheaper, I’m taking a pass on the budding Leaf.

Brian Boyle (NYR) – $8.6k

Boyle gets the award for highest priced forward averaging under 2 FPPG. Not a ton of talent at this price level, but you can do better than Boyle.

Left Wing: Avoid on DraftStreet

Joffrey Lupul (TOR) – $17.4k

A bit of an overreaction by the salary calculator here. Is Lupul really the best left wing in the NHL today? Not only that, but there’s a huge drop off down to Evander Kane at $15.9k, who is also overpriced. For my money, I’m turning to Neal, D. Sedin, or Benn if I want to spend big at this position.

Pavel Datsyuk (DET) – $13.8k

Datsyuk is priced high, because, well, he’s Pavel Datsyuk. However, the numbers this season just aren’t there to back it up. He’s top 10 in cost at LW, but there are a host of wingers giving better value right now.

Right Wing: Avoid on DraftStreet

If I’m building an NHL team, two guys I wouldn’t mind in my system are Ryan Callahan ($16.2k) and Cal Clutterbuck ($15.7k). Quality players, both of them. However, I can’t understand capping them higher than superstars like Giroux and Kessel, clearly the elite players at right wing. Here are two others that won’t make my roster this week:

Derek Dorsett (CLS) – $11k

5 points on the season with a -4 rating. The only thing keeping him afloat is his enormous penalty minute total. A closer look, however, shows that most of his PIMs came in four games. That left him virtually useless in the other 20.

David Clarkson (NJ) – $11.2k

Clarkson is another forward relying on his time in the box to over-inflate his value. You can do much better for less, with options like: Williams, St. Louis, Ryder, Voracek, Heatley, etc.

My Roster for Tonight on Draftstreet

You won’t find any of the above names tying up precious cap on my roster tonight. Looking at the schedule, the game to focus on tonight has to be Pittsburgh @ Washington. With Dale Hunter behind the bench, and the game’s biggest rivalry on showcase, I’m expecting plenty of rough play and a few fights. All said and done, I expect the Pens to score a bunch and embarrass the Caps. To fit Sid on my roster, I went flea market on defense and picked two of the top shot-blockers with virtually no cap hit.

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About the Writer: ‘Chewy’ aka Gary Wilson, operates LandShark Hockey, and has been helping others dominate Fantasy Hockey Leagues for almost 20 years now. Landshark Hockey provides fantasy hockey fans with daily news, updates, and draft strategy including the LandShark Hockey War Room for Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Help.