ASK SLAM!
By CHRIS NICHOLS -- SLAM! Sports
Chris just wanted to let you know that your fantasy freakness is right on. I noticed that most of the teams in my pool are less active and I was just handed Kipper. Is he worth picking up? I also have Aebischer and Roloson I start two for weekly avg and total points. Can you tell me anything about Pierre Dagenais? Thanks to you I am in first. Thanks to the tools I get from your column, I dominate!
Jesse
Thanks. Honestly, with Aebischer and Roloson, you probably don't need Kipper. If you have an open IR slot, he's worth a gamble though.
Dagenais has played for Florida and New Jersey and is obviously having some success in Montreal now. He was a goal scorer in the QMJHL (43, 41 and 66 goals) and he also scored 34 and 35 goals in the AHL. He's been scoring goals at a nice clip since mid-December and while he probably isn't a great long term pick for this season; he does have some short-term value.
Hi: Hasek: Done? Coming back? Worth keeping? My other goalies are Aebischer, Osgood and Manny Fernandez who was a recent pick up, but has cooled since. Thanks a lot.
Sincerely, Gary
Since you have Aebischer and Osgood, you can afford to wait for Hasek to come back and it won't hurt your team. He's too valuable to drop outright, so I'd just keep him on the IR or bench right now.
Hi Chris, I would just like to say that I wish I had come across your articles a bit sooner. It certainly would have saved me from a lot of headache. My question is regarding Alexei Zhamnov. Do you think he would be of any value if I added him to my fantasy team, especially considering that there are talks of him going to Detroit, Vancouver or the Devils?
Thank you, Pratik
Zhamnov can definitely contribute points, there's no question about that. He's not a guy I like to have on my teams, but with the possibility of a trade and the fact that he's producing regardless, go ahead and add him.
Hey Chris! ESPN.com roto league...I could use some D-man help and I have forwards to burn (Guerin, Kovalchuk, Sakic, Thornton, Nash, Kariya, Gaborik, Tkachuk, and Simon as my everyday 9). Should I trade away Kariya, Koivu, and Kim Johnsson for Sergei Zubov and Miro Satan or am I giving away too much?? Would Wade Redden or Jovo instead of Zubov be more fair??
Thanks, Josh
Let me give you some advice from someone who has had teams stacked on offense with no D and vice versa: Only deal for a D-man if it will make the difference in the DEF category. Aside from Gaborik, you have guys that are producing (Albeit Simon with mostly PIM's) and you should have pretty good offensive stats. If getting a stud D-man will help, then do a one-for-one deal? I'm guessing you're first or close to first in the goals category, so maybe you can deal Nash to get Jovo or something like that.
Thanks for all of the great advice in the past. Now that Samsonov has been reunited with Thornton and Murray, would you rather have Samsonov or Satan?
Satan is the safer play, because he'll score no matter who he plays with. Sammy seems to be dependent on Thornton now. I'd personally rather have Samsonov, but Satan is a safer pick.
Hey Chris Do you think its wise of me to offer Jagr and Zhamnov for Weight and St. Louis? St. Louis price is off the chart this month... your thoughts?
It would depend on your team needs and your trading philosophy. You give up the best player in the deal in Jagr, but both Weight and St. Louis are significantly closer to the "top" than Zhamnov. I personally won't give up the best player in the deal like that, but your team will not be hurt by making this deal.
Chris: how's it going? My centers are: Thornton, Lecavalier, Forsberg, and Modano. How would you rank each for the rest of the season in acquiring only points?
Thanks, Dan
With all four healthy: Forsberg, Thornton, Modano and Lecavalier. Forsberg is off the charts when healthy; Thornton and Modano will have a strong second half and Lecavalier... well, he's a question mark right now.
Hi Chris: Should I trade Pronger, Osgood, and Morrison for Bertuzzi & Brodeur? I am thinking of proposing this one. After that, I'll need a new defenseman and can pick up Sopel, Timonen or Klee. Should I go for it?
Thanks, Greg
I don't think the other guy will go for it, but it's worth proposing. You'd be getting the best goalie and the best forward in the deal, but also giving up a stud in Pronger. I like your end of it.
Hey, Chris I really enjoyed your Column on Fri. I think that the most important lesson learned from the column is that patience is a virtue, as has it been with owners owning Sundin and Iginla. After watching Sat game with Philly, I am weary of Belfour and the defense, Should I trade Belfour, Nash and Rafalski for Lalime, Nagy and Schneider (me getting this side)??
THANKS SEB, Vancouver
That trade is fine for both teams, but I don't think you need to panic with Belfour. In fact, the weekend games pretty much proved several points of my column from Friday: 1) Philly was going to shape up (Back-to-back solid wins over Toronto with only one goal allowed in two total games) and 2) Just because Belfour and the Leafs didn't look great in those same games does not mean you should panic and look elsewhere.
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