Welcome to the third edition of the DailyFaceoff.com fantasy hockey Keeper Rankings. This will be the last edition of the season, so get ready for an updated version in the off-season based on free-agent moves and trades. I know every league is different, and a manager’s attitude towards keepers changes based on whether the team is contending this year or building for the future. Considering these rankings as a trading cheat sheet for a hypothetical team that wants to compete this year but doesn’t want to mortgage the future. There is a good balance of present and future on this list.
These rankings are determined based on a long-term league (at least five years) with standard Yahoo! Scoring. And of course, position matters. All stats and comments are up to date as of March 13th.
Off The Board: John Tavares (31, oops), Semyon Varlamov (41), Mikko Koivu (44), Vincent Lecavalier (45), Kyle Okposo (46), Marc Savard (49)
Market Movers: Steven Stamkos (18 to 7), Henrik Sedin (40 to 19), Eric Staal (39 to 25), Drew Doughty (42 to 28), Cam Ward (50 to 30)
Free Fallin’: Marc-Andre Fleury (22 to 44), Rick Nash (15 to 32), Jarome Iginla (16 to 26), Pavel Datsyuk (21 to 36), Henrik Lundqvist (23 to 38)
| Rnk. | Player | Prvs. | |
| 1 | Alex Ovechkin | I don’t think I even need to make a comment | - |
| 2 | Sidney Crosby | Has already set a career high with 45 goals | 3 |
| 3 | Evgeni Malkin | I’m more concerned with the -6 rating than his point totals | 2 |
| 4 | Nicklas Backstrom | I’m pretty sure Derek Boogaard would be in the top 10 on this list if he was centering Ovechkin | 10 |
| 5 | Zach Parise | Pencil him in for 40 goals, 40 assists and a +25 rating for the next decade | 4 |
| 6 | Mike Green | Over a point per game for the last two seasons although the PPP took a nose dive this year | 7 |
| 7 | Steven Stamkos | Absolute sniper on the PP, trails only Ovechkin and Crosby in goals | 18 |
| 8 | Ryan Getzlaf | Not a great season for Getz but he will still put up 85 points | 5 |
| 9 | Corey Perry | One of few players capable of 75 points and 100 PIMS | 6 |
| 10 | Roberto Luongo | A slow start hurts his final numbers but he is the best goalie in the league | 8 |
| 11 | Dany Heatley | On pace for his fifth straight season of at least 39 goals | 9 |
| 12 | Patrick Kane | Will break 80 points for the first time this year | 13 |
| 13 | Ilya Kovalchuk | He has played well for New Jersey but who knows where he’ll end up next year | 11 |
| 14 | Alexander Semin | It looks like he’ll play 70 games in a season for only the second time in five years | 12 |
| 15 | Joe Thornton | Hasn’t broken the 30 goal plateau since 02-03 but that’s ok when he puts up 70 assists | 17 |
| 16 | Jeff Carter | His star has dimmed a bit since last year but he is still a 40 goal threat | 26 |
| 17 | Mike Richards | His +/- was weak this year but he can usually be counted on to contribute in every category | 14 |
| 18 | Daniel Sedin | Was the second best per game fantasy producer in the league this year after Ovechkin | 20 |
| 19 | Henrik Sedin | Don’t expect him to replicate this season again | 40 |
| 20 | Ryan Miller | Turns 30 this summer but has only played in 321 NHL games so his knees are young | 30 |
| 21 | Bobby Ryan | It tells you something about Anaheim’s secondary scoring considering they have 3 players in my top 21 | 27 |
| 22 | Marian Gaborik | Ok.. So he played one full season… I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid yet | 29 |
| 23 | Marian Hossa | Gelling in Chicago, should be a frontline producer for a few more years | 19 |
| 24 | Jonathan Toews | Broke out this year with 55 points, +21 rating and a gold medal | 33 |
| 25 | Eric Staal | What early season struggles? 47 points in 40 games since Nov 30 | 39 |
| 26 | Jarome Iginla | On pace for his lowest assist total since 05-06 | 16 |
| 27 | Patrick Marleau | Must be nice playing with Heatley and Thornton, at least in the regular season | 32 |
| 28 | Drew Doughty | He and the palyer drafted right before him, Stamkos, will be two of the best players in the NHL for the next decade | 42 |
| 29 | Duncan Keith | A bit of a late bloomer at 26 but is on pace for a 70 point season | 35 |
| 30 | Cam Ward | Was playing well before a back injury | 50 |
| 31 | Mike Cammalleri | A knee injury took a good chunk out of his season but he’ll be back enxt year ready to pot 40 | 24 |
| 32 | Rick Nash | I’ve been saying it for years. Nash is not an elite fantasy performer | 15 |
| 33 | Martin St. Louis | Foudn the Fountain of Youth this year but it won’t last forever | NR |
| 34 | Anze Kopitar | Hopefully this year was the real Kopitar | - |
| 35 | Henrik Zetterberg | It feels like the end of an era in Detroit… Too bad he’s signed until 2021 | 25 |
| 36 | Pavel Datsyuk | I have a feeling he’ll bounce back after a poor showing this year | 21 |
| 37 | Phil Kessel | 25 goals in 56 games is nice; hope he was worth Taylor Hall of Tyler Seguin | 36 |
| 38 | Henrik Lundqvist | Great goalie but the Rangers leave much to be desired | 23 |
| 39 | Martin Brodeur | He could make me looks silly if he retires this year but I think he has something to prove after a dissapointing Olympics | 37 |
| 40 | Evgeni Nabokov | He’s no spring chicken but a .926 SV% is the best of his career | 38 |
| 41 | Paul Stastny | Might fall out of the top 50 is Duchene supplants him as the Avs go-to guy | 28 |
| 42 | Ilya Bryzgalov | The star of a rising Phoenix team | NR |
| 43 | Tomas Vokoun | The Panthers stink but he’ll give you a great SV% and some shutouts | NR |
| 44 | Marc-Andre Fleury | Pretty much the opposite of Vokoun; wins while putting up pedestrain numbers | 22 |
| 45 | Miikka Kiprusoff | Calgary is no longer a power in the West but he is putting up his best peripherals since 05-06 | 48 |
| 46 | Shea Weber | A weak season but there is no reason he can’t regain his 50 points, 80 PIMS form | 43 |
| 47 | Ryan Kesler | 75 points and 75 PIMS should be a guarantee from here on out | NR |
| 48 | Andrei Markov | One of the older players on the board but his style of play screams longevity | NR |
| 49 | Chris Pronger | He isn’t getting any younger but it’s hard to aruge with another 50 point season | NR |
| 50 | Dan Boyle | Ditto | 47 |
Just Missed The Cut: Simon Gagne, Johan Franzen, Brad Richards, Travis Zajac, Patrick Sharp, Nathan Horton, Renee Bourque, Alex Burrows,
January 13th, 2010 at 10:30 am
A tough list to create and be accurate.
I like that Wards on there, he’s a top 5 goalie talent wise IMO.
I agree with Daniel Sedin being ranked higher than Henrik due to Daniel scoring more goals, not sure if the gap between them should be that big.
Okposo is a little high, I see his roof at 70 points, lower if not playing with JT, I think eventually the Islanders will find a better winger to play along side Johnny.
I’d rather Heatley over Perry any day in fantasy hockey, but my league has no PIMs.
Good job though buddy, keep it up.
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March 14th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Do you watch the games? Was wondering because of the #4 comment.
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March 14th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
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March 14th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Dan – Just a joke buddy. Backstrom is very talented but he certainly benefits from playing with Ovechkin.
Shawn – Don`t get me wrong I love Kesler but center is just such a common commodity that I couldn`t put him any higher. This is also his first really solid fantasy year so there`s no guarantee he continues to do so.
With regards to Lundqvist and the Sedin`s. This is a keeper list for long term years. Yeah sure Vokoun and Bryzgalov are outperforming Lundqvist right now, but in five years Vokoun will be retired and Bryzgalov will be pretty old as well. On natural talent alone, Lundqvist is a top 5 goalie in the league, so in three years he might be playing for a good team or the Rangers may have turned it around.
The Sedin`s turn 30 this year. Getz and Perry turn 25. In a keeper league it would be ridiculously short-sighted to think that just because of one year that the Sedin`s are better. Go back in time one year and Perry and Getzlaf are 2 of the top 5 players in fantasy hockey. Over the last ten years the Sedin`s have proven that they are very solid fantasy players, but not stars.
Funny you should comment about NYC, I am actually from Edmonton but living in NYC. And I compile the list on my own but I send it to my colleagues to critque.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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March 15th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Ryan,
Thank you for the clarification. I did not completely understand where your list was coming from. Now with better understanding, I agree with you a more. I still have some slight issues but hey, thats why we read and write these columns. I “know” Kesler wil be good for many seasons to come. He has the drive, talent, the tools… He’s awesome… Offensively he goes till he can’t go any more even if the play is completly broke. He’s the same when defending. Keep doing what your doing! Let me know if I can help you in any form of writing, or any thing like that.
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March 15th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Ryan,
Sorry but I have one thing to ask… I have Jay Bouwmeester, and Anton Stralman. I’m second in my league, and want to stay there. Dennis Seidenberg is out there as well as Jack Johnson. Should I stay with the two I have or switch out for either D.S. or J.J? I have wanted to drop Bouwmeester for a month now. Please advise my friend…
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March 15th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Hmm though call. Jaybo doesn’t really, but he also doesn’t hurt you either. If you combine Stralman and JJ, that would absolutely tank your +/-. If I were you I would probably just stand pat, there is a reason Seidenberg is only 5% owned.
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March 15th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Shawn,
You are in second and want to stay there. Gotchya. What type of league is your league? I ask only because many Fantasy Hockey sites, with the NHL Regular Season winding down, are beginning their playoffs. So often times winning includes assessing your team’s strengths and weaknesses, and then determining how to improve on your squad. I suggest you check out my Daily Faceoff blog, The Value 25 at http://www.dailyfaceoff.com/16403/the-value-25. Not sure how deep your league is. In regards to Bouwmeester, he has 2 assists and is -8 in his last 10. The Flames even won 6 of those games! Stralman has 1 goal and 2 assists in his last 10 and is -6. To date, Stalman’s production has been much more consistent and impressive than Bouwmeester’s. After the Flames moved Dion Phaneuf, there was speculation Bouwmeester’s numbers would improve. As you can see, they have not.
Personally, I would dump Bouwmeester (at the very least) and pick up Jack Johnson. Seidenburg is also a good call playing with Chara, although without Savard it remains to be seen how the Bruins will fare. With that said, after Brian Campbell went down (thanks, Ovie) I was forced to scramble. Johnson is a quality filler and the Kings aren’t going anywhere but up this season.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
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March 16th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Guessing on his “wanting to stay in second place” comment, it sounds like a Roto league. If you have a healthy lead in +/-, I would probably agree with Fantasy Snipes and go with Johnson, but otherwise, I would stand pat.
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Ok, if I do pick up J.J. whom do I let go? Bouwmeester or Stralman? Stralman to me is a better player this year. The only thing is Calgary is pushing to make it in the playoffs. So, their guys “might” turn it up a notch. Columbus is completely out, so their guys might slack towards the end? Even though last night they where hot. Oh, I’m playing in a Head.to.head Yahoo league.
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:38 am
I would probably drop Jaybo. You’ve already pretty much given up the +/- category so might as well load up on points.
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