Capped: Team-by-Team Buy and Sell – Part 5

Logan Doyle

2021-10-21

Welcome back for the fifth and final part of the team by beam buy and sell series. This week we cover seven teams starting with the St. Louis Blues.

You can find the previous parts to this series here.

In case you are jumping in without having read the first four parts I'll reiterate that I have excluded entry level contracts as well as obvious superstars on great deals (IE: Brad Marchand, Nathan MacKinnon).

Now the preamble is done, let's check out the final seven teams:

St. Louis Blues

BUY: Jordan Kyrou (RW) $2.8M, 2 years

I almost picked Pavel Buchnevich as the 'buy' option. It is the second power play assignment to start the year that made skip him and choose Kyrou. I would much rather pay Kyrou $2.8M on the second power play than I would Buchnevich at $5.8. It is also very possible point totals between the two end up similar. If you can get close to the same production for just under half the cost, you have to take it.  Is it really worth an extra $3M in salary for ten points and 40 extra hits?

Take the cheap option and use the money to fill out a weak spot on your roster. Kyrou should build on a strong rookie season and break 50-points easily.

SELL: Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) $7.5m, 2 YEARS

Word is his shoulder is completely healed. That's great, I hope it is. At this price-tag though, I'm not convinced him at his best warrants allocating this kind of money on him. There's an everlasting allure to the name Tarasenko that keeps trade value alive even with injuries.

Previously, in 2016-17, a healthy Tarasenko topped out with a career high 75 points. Sure there is a few really good years of production left in 'Tank's' tank. He's one of those players where their ceiling taps them out at 10-points per million in salary with little room for upside beyond that. Take advantage of the incoming hot-streak, his name value and cash in.

Tampa Bay Lightning

BUY: Nikita Kucherov (RW) $9.5M, 6 years

Yep, I am aware he is out long-term, well six to ten weeks. Two years in a row Kucherov will have missed significant regular season action. Contending teams that held onto him last year may be frustrated, if not beyond.

 Not all owners will be willing to sell him, let alone sell him at a discounted value. Yet, there will be opportunities out there. Kucherov is still 28 years old. The difference with Kucherov and Tarasenko above is the potential return when he does come back – he can give you 15 points per million, or more, on that $9.5M contract. 

This is a long-term suggestion – for dynasty owners. This will be the cheapest Kucherov will be to acquire for the remainder of this contract.

SELL: Ryan McDonagh (D) $6.25M, 5 years

I'm pointing out the obvious, I know. The reality is, there aren't really poor contracts on this roster beyond McDonagh, who in real life is a pretty good defenceman. He just doesn't do much to help the fellow fantasy-GM. You can't pay six million for blocks. Even in deeper pools, 16 teams, he is waiver-fodder. If you haven't cut bait, do so.

Toronto Maple Leafs

BUY: William Nylander (RW) $6.96M, 3 years

His ceiling is still climbing. He's becoming more aggressive in the offensive zone and no longer shying away from contact along the boards. His willingness to grind out loose pucks and get to the dirty areas more often is going to lift Nylander over the point-per-game threshold.

The playoffs may have been a disappointment for the Maple Leafs but it was a coming out party for Nylander. Early into 2021-22 Nylander is building on his impressive performance against Montreal.

SELL: John Tavares (C) $11M, 4 years

Is there a more expensive 75-point player in the league? He will have a stretch where he puts up over a point-per-game and then fade, again. This is when you need to move. His absolute ceiling is going to tap him out around 90-points. Only in multi-cat leagues where you count face-offs or face-off percentage can you create a case that he is worth this much.

He will get hot and this is when you need to shop.

Read on and you'll find a replacement millions cheaper and with higher probability to produce over a point per game.

Vancouver Canucks

BUY: Conor Garland (LW) $4.95M, 5 years

I'll start by saying I love this contract. He's small, he's feisty, shifty, skilled and can shoot. There is 35-goal, 70-point upside here. It likely will not all come together in 2021-22 for Garland but sticking in the Canucks top six he should give 60 points a real run.

For someone 5'9" he hits a bit more than you might expect. In the AHL he pushed a hit per game. There is a bit of multi-cat value to go along with the offensive upside. Even in a down year I fully expect Garland to eclipse 50 points a year. That alone makes him even money. 

SELL: Tanner Pearson (LW) $3.25m, 3 years

To say Pearson looked slow in the pre-season is an understatement. I thought this deal was decent when he first signed it. Slightly overpriced, but he would have gotten this much as an unrestricted free agent elsewhere.

The Canucks have four legitimate top-six wingers ahead of Pearson now in Brock Boeser, JT Miller, Nils Hoglander and Garland. This puts Pearson on the third line where he is best suited. It has been years since Vancouver had a third line that could consistently score. That is unlikely to change for 2021-22. Do not be surprised if Pearson struggles to reach 35-points.

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Vegas Golden Knights

BUY: Shea Theodore (D) $5.2, 4 years

Seth Jones, Zack Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, nothing more needs to be said. Theodore has higher offensive upside than any of them and yet, here he is, locked in for four more years and forty percent cheaper. 

He could average over 55-points a year on this contract which is over 10-points per million in salary. When the players above are struggling to give you more than 6-points per million you know you've got a player to hang onto. Or try to tear away from an owner however you can.

SELL: William Karlsson (C) $5.9M, 6 years

The one area Vegas needed to upgrade this off-season was at center. They did not do that. They added Nolan Patrick, which in the short term, changes nothing.

Jack Eichel trade rumours and trade packages are swirling down the Vegas strip. If they acquire a center with a big contract mid-season one would suspect that Karlsson would be salary going back. Karlsson is a really strong two-way center so if Vegas kept him he would be pushed to the third line into more of a checking role. This is not ideal either.

He has been hard pressed to come close to repeating his first year in Vegas. At best he gives you a couple more 60-point seasons but I doubt we ever see him come close to 40-goals and 70-points again.

Washington Capitals

BUY: Tom Wilson (RW) $5.16M, 3 years

In multi-cat pools, this is a no-brainer. He puts up peripheral stats of a stud forth liner and yet has the skill to run with first line talent. He crosses the line on the ice once or twice a year and the suspensions are getting longer. There will be games missed as a result, but that's the cost-reward of owning Wilson.

The list of players that can provide 60 points, 200-plus hits, 100-plus penalty minutes and 150-plus shots on goal a year is a very short one consisting of Tom Wilson and Brady Tkachuk. Enough said.

SELL: Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) $7.8M, 4 years

While Nicklas Backstrom remains sidelined with injury, Kuznetsov's value will be at its peak. Once Backstrom returns Kuznetsov will lose his plum assignment alongside Alex Ovechkin. Four straight years we have watched his points per game total drop. From a career high of 1.05 per game down to .71 last year. He may rebound slightly this year but it won't be enough.

Kuznetsov doesn't bring a lot of extra's to the scoresheet. If he doesn't produce points, he will leave you empty handed in multi-cat pools. I know some folks are bigger Kuznetsov fans than I am and that's fine. At $7.8M I will happily trade him for someone like Nylander.

Winnipeg Jets

BUY: Mark Scheifele (C) $6.125M, 3 years

I feel like some of the excitement has faded from Scheifele over the last couple of years. It wasn't that long ago there were heated debates on the Dobber Forums whether to trade Scheifele straight up for Sidney Crosby. Sounds crazy, but it was 50-50 for-and-against.

We're looking at a point-per-game or better player making just a touch over six million. He produces better than Kuznetsov for $1.7M less and better than Tavares for $4.9M less. The Jets are still a dangerous offensive team even after losing Patrick Laine, Jack Roslovic and Mason Appleton.

It's hard to find better value than this from a first line center.

SELL: Blake Wheeler (LW) $8.25M, 3 years

This one is for the non-contenders this year. Talk about consistency. He has averaged over .9 points per game for the last six seasons. At age 35, father time is creeping in. I suspect he will produce another 75-ish point season this year which is why he is a hard one to include in the sell category.

Wheeler was chosen because you need to manage assets. I believe there are times when you have to sell ahead of the player's decline to maximize your return. If Father-Time hits, it could hit hard. At 35, the decline could be steep and fast. It's inevitable.  

*If you're gunning for a title you'll need someone like Blake Wheeler in your line up to win a title. If that's you, hold.

That's it for this week and the series. I will hit you with something fresh next week.

Thanks for reading.

(all stats from frozentools.com and all salary info from capfriendly.com)

Give me a follow on twitter @doylelb4 for more hockey & random thoughts.

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