Mike Richards / Jeff Carter Value?

[Blackjackbob]

I'm in a keeper league (categories below) and I will soon be making a decision regarding these two players. Richards I drafted and Carter I picked up in a trade.

It will be coming down to choosing these guys or Koivu (value up with parise?) Pacioretty, Selanne, and Jagr.

It feels as though both these players had off years. With them having a full off season to prepare together do you think their value goes up? What about that rather decent playoff run and their confidence?

[Mike]

Hey Bob - hope you're Summer is going well!

I wrote an article on Mike Richards back in February that I think is relevant to your situation. It discusses the impact his line mates had on his point totals for the 2011-2012 season - and how that could change if he got different line mates for next season.

http://www.leftwinglock.com/articles...-point-totals/

I've also just looked at the projections I have for Richards in our upcoming draft kit and they agree with my conclusion in the article above.

As for Carter, I think you'd be safe assuming a 30/30 season out of him.

Oddly enough, Philadelphia didn't use Carter/Richards on the ice simultaneously very often. So, I'm not sure what LA's plans are for this duo.