With the fantasy hockey season winding down, managers in keeper leagues need to start considering players to bring over to the 2009-2010 season. This is the fourth segment in a multi-part series exploring keeper options for keeper leagues.
Ray Whitney | Carolina Hurricanes
Ray Whitney is still proving his worth to the Carolina Hurricane organization as he rapidly approaches his 20th NHL season. He notched 77 points this season and finished with a positive rating in the +/- column. Those numbers are certainly worthy of consideration in most keeper leagues, however, owners should aware that next year will be Whitney’s last season in Carolina under contract. He is still an intricate part of the ‘Cane offense and very well could play the “year-to-year” contract game until he decides to hang ‘em up for good. If he decides to call it a career, it handcuffs keeper league managers using him at a somewhat shallow left wing position. Owners will get one more year out of Whitney, so managers relying on his keeper services should consider investing in a second keepable left wing in the upcoming season. While we stress not over-emphasizing youth in keeper leagues, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Pavol Demitra | Vancouver Canucks
2009-2010 will be a contract year for Demitra and with several seasons left in him, he should be on top of his game for Vancouver if he wants to get paid. He had a solid first season with the Canucks and should continue to provide a veteran anchor for a relatively young, up and coming team. Managers in moderate to deep keeper leagues could certainly consider Demitra as a keeper, however, be prepared to draft a backup left winger that could be used as a keeper as a precautionary in case he doesn’t pan out next season.
Chris Kunitz | Pittsburgh Penguins
While Kunitz is certainly a serviceable option at left wing for moderate to deep keeper leagues, he is certainly a player that benefits from his line combination. Kunitz put up decent numbers in Anaheim but has proven to be extremely streaky at times. Managers considering Kunitz may want to have or acquire a bubble keeper next season at left wing in case Kunitz shows his streaky side in his first full season with the Penguins.
Slava Kozlov | Atlanta Thrashers
It would be best to treat Slava Kozlov exactly like Ray Whitney. Managers using Kozlov as a keeper have a year left in him until he is due for a new contract in Atlanta. Kozlov isn’t getting any younger, however, he is in a young Atlanta system that is showing some improvements in its game. He landed himself 76 points this season and should factor heavily into the Thrasher power play once again next season. Beyond next year, Kozlov’s value remains up in the air, so managers keeping Kozlov for next year should invest in an insurance policy at left wing at some point in case he decides to hang ‘em up at the end of the season.
Patrick Sharp | Chicago Blackhawks
Sharp will be a staple in the Blackhawk offense for the next several years, however, managers considering using him as a keeper at left wing should know that he is still coming into his own. We saw a solid performance from Sharp 2 seasons ago, a mediocre showing from him last season and a great bounce back year in 2008-2009. He’s developing into a goal scorer in an up-tempo Chicago system but should only be of consideration in moderate to deep keeper leagues until we see one more season of steady production. If you decide to wait to the draft or if the owner decides to pass on Sharp, be sure to jump on him within the first two rounds of the draft.
Saucerpass is currently running a keeper league series uncovering different levels of players at all 5 positions. We have already looked at goaltenders and their keepability and will continue to breakdown every position until we’ve covered most options for next season:
Keeper Left Wingers for 2009-2010
Top Tier Left Wingers
Solid Left Wingers
Serviceable Left Wingers (Part 1)
Keeper Goaltenders for 2009-2010
Top Tier Goaltenders
Solid Goaltenders
Servicable Goaltenders
Questionable Goaltenders (Part 1)
Questionable Goaltenders (Part 2)
Subscribe to our RSS feed!
Loading ...
2 comments
Carl says:
2009/04/22 at 2:33 pm (UTC -4)
There is no question that Sharp is going to improve next season in my opinion. Now in terms of when to pick him up in leagues, I agree with your assessment. He put up 26 goals last season but there is a question mark there possibly. I think he will improve next year up to 30 goals. Should be interesting…
Schrembs says:
2009/04/22 at 4:36 pm (UTC -4)
You’re right, Carl. It should be very interesting. Not only is he in good company, but he has the talent to do it without Kane or Toews if need be. I can recall a number of games this year where he was centering the 2nd line and Andrew Ladd was in that top line left wing position. Also, don’t forget that Sharp missed some time this season with an injury, so 30 goals is certainly attainable. The ‘Hawks should be as good as this year in ’09-’10, so maybe go so far as to say 35-40 goals for Sharp next season?