While the NHL may take time to change, the world of fantasy hockey has been rapidly evolving. Just a few years ago, it seemed like their only option was a steakhouse-based league, which turned into head-to-heads, auction draws, etc. Recently, I started to get hooked on a new way to play fantasy hockey: Daily Leagues. While it’s not a replacement for the grind, planning, trash talk, and ultimate reward of a season-long league, it offers a great alternative with immediate benefit.

Here’s how it tends to work: You go head-to-head with an opponent, or a room of opponents, and draw up a salary-based roster for one night’s action. At the end of the day, the stats are added up and the winner takes all. That’s all. Instant gratification.

Several sites are popping up that offer Daily Fantasy games. Some are cap based, while others have an automated draft system which I don’t really like. (I don’t like having a computer make random decisions for me.) Fanduel, DraftZone, and FantasySportsLive are some of the more popular ones that have emerged in the last year or so.

Most of these sites offer a few different options for hockey, along with the NFL, NBA, and MLB; not that I care… It’s all hockey to me). Perhaps the best part of sites like Fanduel is that you can win money every night or play for free. When you sign up for a game, you choose what level you want to play and who you want to play against.

daily strategy

As daily fantasy hockey continues to grow in popularity, fantasy players will need to change their thinking a bit when it comes to strategy. With this format, you no longer need to worry about the details, like whether or not Marty Turco will lose his starting job in February. All that matters is that you know who starts tonight and who is likely to heat up.

The first strategy you need to master is to identify the value of the players. With a salary-based budget, it’s critical to identify players who are undervalued so you can free up cap space to spend on a guy like Malkin or Stamkos. In this format, defenders have little relative value, so it’s best to spend the absolute minimum possible at this position. To start the season, guys like John Carlsson and PK Subban were dirt cheap. Its price is starting to rise, so keep an eye out for new, cheaper options popping up. On the front end, some of the Flyer front end will deliver a lot of value for little cost. Guys like Leino, Giroux and Van Riemsdyk are currently underrated.

The lineups for most sites play with 1 goalie and 2 each in LW, RW, C, and D. When setting up your lineup, start in the goalie position. Remember, it is only for 1 night, so it is essential that you identify who starts. Several websites offer information on starting goalkeepers that is quite reliable. For the best information, go to that team’s local sources, as they will often post it on a blogger site, Twitter, or even on the team’s home page. If you can find value in this position, do so. Often times, NHL teams will start a backup against a weaker opponent. Backups tend to be lower in cost, so you can tell if you play nice. For example, in Fanduel, a top goalie like Miller or Luongo can cost 8K of your 55K cap. You can get an initial backup on a good rig for 3 or 4K, which obviously leaves room to add better options on offense.

Next, identify the 2 cheapest defensemen who have any hope of getting you points. In general, defensemen produce half as many points as forwards, so you’re wasting your money putting a mid to high-tier defenseman on your roster. One thing to watch out for on defense is penalty minutes. While D points are hard to predict, penalty minutes are more predictable.

After you fill out your crease and blue line, it’s time to spend your money where it matters most, on offense. Start from the bottom up and identify one or two players that you can tolerate at a lower price. Next, add a pair of spiked strikers to the mix. Finally, play the last spots with what you have left. Once you’ve completed your list, check how much cap space you have left. Take a look at your cheapest options one by one and see how much better you do with what’s left.

The future of daily fantasy sports

While it will never completely replace the traditional full-season fantasy leagues, daily leagues are growing in popularity and offer a completely different approach to the game. If you like the idea of ​​playing for money, I recommend starting in one of the free leagues for a couple of games until you get used to it. You’ll find yourself looking at the out of town marker much more closely once you’re in the daily game.