Darryl's Dispatch: Draft Day Strategy

This article is part of our Darryl's Dispatch series.

Draft Day Strategy

It is NHL Fantasy draft time again where all you think you know gets tested to the max. Here is how I prepare for this all-important exercise.

The very first step you must take before you enter your draft or auction is to create your very own cheat sheets with "Tiers of Players." You should have one for goalies, forwards, defensemen, and one that combines all of the above. Once your draft or auction begins, you will be placed under a great deal of stress and, with the clock ticking, you don't want to waste time with a lot of self-doubt or false impressions.

Always track the full draft on your cheat sheets and cross out any players who have already been taken as you go. This is crucial to having a successful draft.

Most leagues are 10-12 teams. If you are picking early in the first round, snag an elite forward first. If you're picking late in the first round, you might want to snag your number one goalie or an elite defender such as  P.K. Subban or Erik Karlsson (and you do want them – see below).

In 2014-15, if you choose to pick a goalie in your first round, your options are Henrik Lundqvist, Tuukka Rask, Carey Price or Jonathan Quick. Picking one of these elite goalies will allow you more time when it comes to drafting their backups (see "goalie third look" below).

Drafting Goalies

You will need three goalies.

First look: Draft your number one goalie from the first tier "green" or second tier "yellow" in the chart below. As long as you get one of the top eleven goalies, it really doesn't matter which one.

Second look: Your second goalie pick should come from the second tier "yellow" or the third tier "blue" and will become your number two goalie.

Third look: Draft the backup for your number one goalie who will then become your number three goalie. You have to be disciplined about this. It will feel wrong but it is very right. How long you wait to make sure you can do this, will depend on the backup goalie's placement on the tiers. The higher up he is, the sooner you will have to pull the trigger. If somebody else snags him, keep a watch on the waivers for him to be dropped. Otherwise you should try to trade for him.

If your number one goalie gets injured during the season you can relax. You already have his backup. All you need to do now is go to the waiver wire and get the backup for your number two goalie for insurance. Most of the time, that's where you will find him.

Drafting Forwards

As already noted, in the first round you can either pick an elite forward or an elite goalie. If you choose a forward, it should be from the likes of Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, John Tavares, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, or Corey Perry.

Total number of forwards is eight or nine (depending on your league standard). How these get divided between left, right and centers depends on your league rules. The more specific your league is, the harder it is to draft and play. Bear in mind, there are 300 forwards as opposed to 75 defensemen; almost 3-to-one viable options.

First look: The first power play squad from playoff contenders.
Second look: First power unit from a non-playoff team.
Third look: Secondary power play unit from playoff teams.

Drafting Defensemen

You will need five or six defensemen on your roster and you want as many of these from the top two tiers as possible.

First look: In 2013-14, two players are unique and their abilities can make a huge difference in your season. They are P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson. Don't wait too late to get them in the draft. At this position, you need two-way talent and they are the best. If you miss these two, Shea Weber is your fall back. Remember playing time and plus/minus stats are critical in making this selection.

Second look: You want your second defenseman to come from the following group: Kris Letang, Dustin Byfuglien (if he qualifies in your league), Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Keith Yandle and Victor Hedman. You will need to spend a fifth or sixth rounder to get one of these guys. Remember, availability of two-way talent at the back end is scarce these days.

Third look: Second power play units on playoff teams.

Draft Day Wrap-up

As soon as your draft ends, you should look at the remaining players in your league's pool and identify 13 players – one goalie (he's your messiah) and 12 disciples. Rest assured that some of your disciples are also on your opponents' lists and you will not be able to get all of these. There are always folks with draft day jitters who jump into the waiver wire as soon as it's available. From all the players who had been drafted and have since been cut loose, take the best of them to replace your disciples. This is a process you will repeat during the entire season and it is important that you maintain this list of 13 backup players. During the course of the season, there will be 500 players on the waiver wire at any given time. Focus on your 13 and you've made managing your team infinitely less complicated.

Goalie Chart

The following is a list of 80 goalies, most have fixed roles already assigned by their coaches but many do not. To help you make your best choices on draft day I have color-coded the chart. Tier I is green. Tier II is yellow, Tier III is blue and Tier IV is red. To help you find your first goalie's backup a little quicker you will find that all backups share the same color as their team's starter. (For example, since Rask is green all other Boston goalies will be green as well.) As a special bonus to RotoWire readers, I have included my projections for each of these 80 goalies. The key to these projections is as follows:

EST. GS = The number of games I feel each goalie might start. WINS = Wins. SO= Shutouts. 1W+2SO = is a simple formula of 1 point for a win and 2 points for each shutout.

One final note of caution, there are a number of brand name goalies without actual NHL jobs at the moment. Please do not try to outwit me and draft these goalies. If you do, you will be playing with fire. Last year in a very competitive expert league hosted by ESPN, one expert loaded up on forwards and drafted two goalies without actual NHL jobs. This "overthinking" cost his team dearly.