ASK SLAM!

By CHRIS NICHOLS -- SLAM! Sports


Hey Chris. I just started following your column, and I love it. It's not easy to find good hockey news in Atlanta, but you're an oasis in this veritable desert of hockey. Anyway, I joined a keeper league (H2H) that my cousins in Maine started, and since my team is new, it's not very good, but I've loaded up on young talent, so hopefully my team will be pretty strong in a year or two. I'm trying to decide whether to make a trade that would require me to drop a forward, and I'm hoping that you will give me some brief insight into what you believe the potential of the following guys to be, as well as some guidance as to which one of these guys I should drop: Zetterberg, Nash, Hunter, Zherdev, Antropov or Marleau. Thanks.

Matt Sours

Thanks Matt. My answer depends on how many you keep each year, but I promise that you will not want to ever drop or trade Rick Nash. He is the real deal and in any league that counts PIM's, he's the next great power forward. Zetterberg is tremendous. Zherdev will be an impact player in the next few years. Marleau is pretty consistent and although he hasn't broken out to be an 80-point player, it will happen within the next few years. Antropov's injury concerns worry me, but he has lots of talent. Hunter could win the Calder this year, so he's obviously worth looking at for most teams.

Hey Chris: I've just discovered your column and your advice so far seems to be most accurate. I have Forsberg, Datsyuk, Demitra, Sakic, and York at C with Iginla, Bertuzzi, O'Neill' Kovalev, and Gaborik at RW. I'm getting tired of having so little production from RW and I'd like to trade for Alfredsson. Would you deal Demitra for Alfie? Our categories for skaters are G, A, PPP, SHP, +/-, SOG, and PIM. The rest of my team is pretty stacked and I'm in first place but I am getting impatient waiting for Gaborik to get it going.

John

You have the depth to do that deal and it's even, so go for it. Gaborik's points will come, but this is still defensive Minnesota we're talking about here.

Thanks for the previous advice. I have two quick questions.

What do u think of my Shanahan for Sakic??? And who do u think I should drop or trade from my goalies. My goalies are Boucher, Esche, Vokoun, snow, Lalime, Nabokov, Thibault on (IR) and Cechmanek on (IR)

Danny from Vancouver B.C.

Are there any goalies you don't own? Boucher and Snow are two guys that could be dealt while they're hot. I'd rather have Sakic than Shanny for points, but if your league counts PIM's - Shanny is a great player to have.

Love the advice. I just don't follow it enough (Last in 10 team H2H). I need some advice on this one. I am building for next year in my keeper league so I traded Kapanen and A Markov for Lindros and Heatley. My league counts just about everything but PIM's.

First-was that a good deal or did I make another mistake.

Second- I have Potvin, Kolzig, Esche, Joseph, and Dunham. I can only start 2 goalies weekly and due to injuries, some of which are coming back now, (Kariya, MacInnis, Lemieux, Visnovsky(LA),and Allison), I need to pick up at least 1 D-man or forward. I have players available but I'm not sure who to release of that goaltending group.

Last-I have an offer of Iginla for Lemieux out there and I want to take it since he's a wash this year-but will he be back??? I hate to trade the best player in hockey (when healthy) for Iginla but I almost cant pass it up, especially since I'm looking long term right now. What do ya think?

Thanks again,

JJ in St Louis

First things first - take the deal to get Iginla immediately. Mario has a max of one season left and even that is questionable with his injury problems.

The Lindros/ Heatley deal... if you got those, great deal for you. If not, you wuz robbed.

And I'd drop Potvin from that goaltending group and I would never start Kolzig until he gets traded to a better team.

Happy New Year Chris, I am in a head to head Yahoo league, and am stocked at goaltending, I have Khabibulin, Turco, and the Philly tandem. I want to move one of them and am curious what kind of return to expect. I would like to grab Shanahan or Sundin, straight up. If I deal the tandem, again what can I expect in return? Could you run off a few names of the ilk of players I can ask for?

Cheers, Todd

If you deal the Philly tandem, you should be getting a Bertuzzi/ Naslund type of player in return. Owners in your league can run their mouths all they want about having to play two goalies, but those guys will get you top stats in net. Settle for nothing less.

Hello Chris! I turn to you for some sound advice once more. I'm in a 28 man roster keeper league where we count goals & assists as one point, goalie wins as two points and a shutout is worth three points. With rumors that Sean Burke is on his way out of Phoenix and that Brian Boucher just registered 4 shutouts in a row, would it be a wise move to pick him up as a Free Agent? Will he finally emerge as Numero Uno in Phoenix or is he simply another Flavor Of The Month? Players that I can drop to make place for Boucher; Scott Young, Josef Vasicek, Steve Konowalchuk and Andrew Ference.

Thanks in advance!

- Brian (Highrollers GM)

Grab Boucher and drop Young. Phoenix will deal Burke if the right deal comes along, but they won't deal him just to make a deal. It's a worthwhile investment to grab Boucher, just in case.

Hi Chris: Thanks for the advice you give out. I find it especially useful here in Florida as there are not that many people around who want to talk hockey.

Somebody is offering me Rick Nash for Rob Blake. I'm in first place in this standard Yahoo league, about 10 points ahead of the person making the offer. I know I'll take a hit in the +/- category and the assists. Will I make up for it in the goals and power play points? Would you make the deal?

Thanks,

Joe Mooney

Orlando, FL

It depends on the rest of your team. If you're close with others in the goals category, then it may be a good deal. What you see is what you get with both players for the rest of the season. Nash will be goal-weighted and Blake will have a nice distribution and a better +/- on a powerhouse Colorado team. If your defense is weak after Blake, don't make the deal. If you can survive without him and need the goals, go for it.

Still taking into consideration how to improve my team but I did want to ask you if you believe that this is a good time to trade Lang or Stillman. I suspect that these 2 are now over their streaks and the second half will not be kind.

Thanks

Frank

If you can get a powerhouse forward for Lang, go for it. Stillman should have decent second half stats, assuming Tampa can right the ship. I think their team is too good to struggle forever and Stillman can be a key part of the offense.

Hey Chris. I'm in a Yahoo points league, and I need to make room with Kariya healthy again. I've been trying to avoid dropping anyone by swinging a 2-for-1 deal, but with no luck. My roster is Sakic, Forsberg, Weight, Modano, Lecavalier, Nash, Satan, Tkachuk, Iginla, Selanne, Guerin, Kariya, Blake, Pronger, Zidlicky, Visnovsky, Aebischer, Cloutier, Brodeur, Osgood, and Turco. I've been trying to package a goalie (Cloutier or Turco) with a skater for a stud with no luck. What kind of package should I look to put together, and with no luck in that department who should I drop?

Good grief. I hope you're in first place with that amazing lineup. You pretty much have to drop Lecavalier or Satan, depending on your preference.

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Have a fantasy hockey question? Drop me a line at chris_nichols@canoemail.com. I do my best to answer all questions within 24 hours, depending on the volume of emails. Please keep the questions short. Your fantasy questions may be answered in our Ask Slam! section.

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