W.W.O.R.D. (What Would Our Ray Do?) 10/15/2016 The start of the season is upon and for most of us that means our fantasy hockey drafts are complete and our teams are formed.  So what’s to do besides setting in our weekly, or even daily, lineups?  What I do is as soon as my draft is complete, I scour the free agent wire to see what players that warrant consideration to be starters on a lot of fantasy teams and make a short list on a sheet of scrap paper. This way, if something happens like an injury to a key player like Jonathan Quick, or even a standout who wasn’t even mentioned in draft guides or magazines, I am ready to make a decisive move quickly. Now, many of us are in different types of leagues, like a points-only or a dynasty fantasy league, so everyone’s preferences are determined by the fantasy league criteria.  Another thing to do as soon as the draft is over is to make sure your team has enough depth to withstand an injury, be it a minor one, or a major one in the likes of a Jack Eichel or Jonathan Quick being out of the lineup for a few weeks or more.  On your short list place your desired, or watch list, players into position categories, and then rank them according to what matters in your fantasy league.   The good thing about making this short list is that once the season rolls along you don’t need to do much in editing unless there were players that could possibly contribute to your team in the future or add depth to your team.  A strong bench is always a good thing and stockpiling assets can be beneficial when you need or want to make a trade.  Being that I am in 2 dynasty fantasy leagues and 1 points-only league, I can give you some examples.  So let’s start with the points-only league which the draft was completed Tuesday night.  There were some interesting players left on the waiver wire and some were already picked up.  David Backes was left off a lot of teams draft boards as his age and going to a somewhat lesser offensive team than the St. Louis blues, many considered him more a risk than a necessity.  Well, a 2 G, 1 A, a +5 and 3 SOG in one game was enough for someone to jump on the talented Center.  Now, this was a good move in that Dion Phaneuf, now a depth defenseman in fantasy circles, was expendable and Backes added more depth.  The only concern I have is that Patrice Bergeron was out for the game and may miss another, so his maintaining that type of production is bound to drop off considerably.  Not that he won’t put up fantasy points, but just don’t expect a 2 or 3 point night every time out.  Some other interesting players available are Henrik Zetterberg, a C/LW combination player, Brendan Gallagher RW, and even the suspended Brayden Schenn are free agents.  Then there is Craig Smith of Nashville, a RW, Mark Streit the Philly defenseman, although 38, can still put up the points but whose production will be hampered by the presence of last year’s rookie sensation Shayne Gostibehere.  LA’s Alec Martinez doesn’t get much love when it comes to fantasy hockey but in dynasty leagues, he is a good 5-6 defenseman to have as he puts up some points and gives you good +/- numbers.   Usually the starting goalies get snatched up in the draft and all that is leftover are backups and scraps.  So, what should you do if you haven’t done so in your draft?  Well, first thing is to ensure that you have the backup goalie to your best goalie.  In my case, I made sure to draft Vasilevskiy on Tampa Bay just in case my 3rd round pick of Ben Bishop, doesn’t hurt me too badly if he gets hurt, which he does on occasion.  Look at the Jonathan Quick scenario.  Teams are jumping at the chance to get backup Jeff Zatkoff quickly from the waiver wire because I am sure that almost all teams that drafted Quick didn’t draft his backup.  I would also scour the free agent goalie pool and pick up any backup goalie on any of the top NHL teams if they are still available because you never know when someone will miss time with an injury, be it minor or major. IN dynasty leagues, there are still some valuable players available on the waiver wire, but mostly for depth or fill-ins for injured players.  Three interesting players available on defense are Nathan Beaulieu of Montreal, Nikita Zaitsev of Toronto and Yohann Auvitu of New Jersey.  All seem to be considered by their teams to provide a bit more offense than originally expected.  Beaulieu had always been on my radar but has never even shown a possibility of being fantasy worthy because of his minute production, but Montreal has told him they expect more out of him this season, so keep an eye on this d-man.  Auvitu is an unknown and at 27 is a bit old for a rookie, but he shown in pre0season that he can put up points, so he is another to either take a chance on, or see what ice time he gets and what special team plays he also receives.  Zaitsev is another tricky one and he has the skills and playing with rookie sensation Awesome Auston Matthews just may get points by attrition.  Not many goalies available on the waiver wire in Dynasty leagues except for Zatkoff and other backups.  So even though you think your work is down after drafting your expected Dream Team, it is always good to put in a little bit of extra time post-draft and see what’s available so that you are not scrambling when something goes awry with your team.  There are always players out there that can better your team, you just have to be on the lookout.  Also remember that the rookies seem to tail off or get sent down to the AHL after 9-games so as to not count as a year of free agent eligibility.  A lot to keep in mind, but with your short list handy, you be on top of your team and on the competition from the start. Good luck!