Keeper League Madness

So it's the dog days of summer. How can you possibly be thinking about your hockey pool? Well, if you're in a keeper league this could be the best time of year to set yourself up for a successful run.

Many poolies were probably already burning up the phone and email lines in advance of the July 1 UFA signing period starting, as they were trying to secure some players that were going to be on the move. In some cases (like if you traded for Scott Gomez) you could be doing quite well. And if you secured the services of Michael Nylander (soon to be Alex Ovechkin's set-up man) you're probably very pleased with yourself.

All that being said, if you haven't made any moves yet, all is not lost. There are two things that you can do. First, if one of your players recently signed you can take advantage of the hype and try and move him for someone who could be a little more productive who is flying under the radar. For example, Todd Bertuzzi signing with Anaheim could increase interest in the mercurial power forward...take advantage of that and see if you can get a guy like Patrik Elias (selling your potential suitor on the fact that Elias lost his center in Scott Gomez). You will almost certainly have to sweeten the pot, but the point is that Bertuzzi has more value now than he did a month ago.

The second thing you can do is speculate on the second tier free agents. Some of these folks could really make an impact depending on the circumstance and they could be had at bargain basement prices. Here are the top 5 UFAs who could be had cheap:

• Alexei Yashin - depending on where he goes, he could be a steal. His buyout from the Islanders could leave a sour taste in some mouths. Take advantage of this.
• Brendan Shanahan - the signing of Drury with the Rangers could muddy the waters when it comes to where he'll play next season. Use this as your negotiating tactic.
• Sheldon Souray - the fact that teams have bypassed Souray and picked up Timonen, Rafalski, Schneider and Poti could worry some owners. No matter where he signs he'll be on the top PP unit, remember that and go get him.
• Teemu Selanne - call us crazy, but you could do worse than speculating on Teemu. You could probably get him for a song and what happens if he does come back?
• Peter Forsberg - this is a stickier situation, because there's some chance that he may never come back. But there is even a worse case scenario...he comes back in December or January. Still if you can pick him up cheap, he could be a deep sleeper.

Big Bucks vs. The Right Fit

It's very possible that in the flurry of $$$ flying around that many teams forgot about chemistry and instead focused on the big fish of the day. Look at the following comparison between two teams:

New York Rangers - They had Michael Nylander and Brendan Shanahan. They signed Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. In many respects Gomez and Nylander are a wash, but the contract to Gomez averages out at about $2 million per year more than Nylander. When you also take into account the incredible chemstry between Jagr and Nylander, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. The Drury situation is equally as puzzling. Yes, he has proven himself to be a great leader, but he has never had more than 70 points in a season. It all comes down to how much you pay for leadership and at this stage I'd probably have leaned towards re-upping Shanny at $2 or $3 million and letting someone else plunk down over $7 million per season for the former Sabres co-captain. Sorry Ranger fans but this signing harkens back to another "big signing" by your squad in the 90s. Anyone remember Bobby Holik? One thing to remember...it is possible that the Rangers could still re-sign Shanahan. And if they do, it will just re-emphasize the fact that they overpaid for Drury. From a fantasy perspective, Gomez should do well, but don't expect anything more than Nylander-like numbers. As for Drury...who knows? It seems unlikely that a move to the Big Apple with more pressure will all of a sudden push him over the 70 point mark.

Washington Capitals - On the flipside there are teams that needed free agency to fill gaping holes. This is exactly what the Caps did over the weekend. After witnessing what Michael Nylander did on the first line in New York, how could they not sign him at a veritable bargain basement price of less than $5 million per year in order to give Alex Ovechkin the bona fide center that he needs. Fantasy-wise, I don't see his numbers dipping. And if they truly connect, he could push 90 points. As for Ovechkin, the sky is the limit. Assuming he stays healthy he could challenge for the Art Ross trophy. The money they didn't spend going after Drury, Briere or Gomez meant they could also sign Viktor Kozlov to increase their overall depth at forward. A brilliant move. This could also do wonders for Alex Semin who will have a quality forward to play with giving the Caps a decent 2nd line. Toss in the signing of Tom Poti and the Caps addressed three major needs for less than $12 million per season. A great deal.

Two teams, two different philosophies.

UFA Flurry

Wow...one day and there are a ton of signings, so let's get to them. Briere to Philly - from a Fantasy perspective this is awesome. Briere is a PP machine and 5 on 5 he's pretty deadly as well. With the young guys the Flyers have amassed there, this team stands to be a marked improvement over last years'.... Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to the Rangers are two very good signings for the Rangers as well. Both Gomez and Drury are very responsible defensively, which should be a marked improvement for the Rangers down the middle. Gomez is even a better play-maker than Nylander, so expect Jagr to really enjoy the soft passes. Drury's signing likely means that Brendan Shanahan will will have to take less to stay - but I think he does to get a chance to play with either of those two guys at center. Still no defence help, which is a concern....With Drury and Gomez in New York, reports had Michael Nylander originally signing with the Oilers. But that appears to be premature as he has now confirmed signing with the Washington Capitals. Poolies can only dream about the results from a Ovechkin-Nylander combo. If they can come close to the Jagr-Nylander combo that would be most impressive. An opportunity to play with Ales Hemsky is tantalizing, but the Oilers still need a sniper to play with those two guys and right now, there's not one on the team....Ryan Smyth to the Avalanche is a solid signing for the Avs. Captain Canada will get the chance to play with either Joe Sakic of super-sophomore Paul Stastny, which will mean a solid return to 30+ goals for Smyth....Mathieu Schneider's signing in Anaheim is further evidence that the Ducks expect that Scott Niedermayer will announce his retirement before the beginning of next season. As is, the Ducks may have one of the best top 4 defence corp ever assembled with Pronger, Schneider, Beauchemein and potentially Niedermayer. Schneider won't replace Niedermayer if he does retire, but he's a nice substitute nonetheless....with Schneider in Anaheim, the Red Wings wasted little time in landing Deerborn, MI native Brian Rafalski for a long-term deal. Rafalski gives the Red Wings an excellent tandem of Lidstrom and Rafalski to man the PP points. Poolies should see a rise in his point totals from playing with the offensively challnged Devils....the Blues signed Keith Tkachuk, just prior to UFA opening, and then landed Paul Kariya. Kariya's becoming less of an offensive impact, but perhaps this move to the Blues and the chance to play potentially with Doug Weight may rekindle more offense. Kariya was deadly on the PP last year, and the Blues will welcome that. Just don't over-pay for his services though....