Team Structures

Given a roster of 20 where the only constraint is that scoring is limited to nine forwards, four defencemen and one goalie, any number of team structures are possible. What foundations were laid in the first year of the KL?

13 forwards, 5 defencemen, 2 goalies
This was the most common approach, with the majority of GMs (eight out of fifteen) loading up on forwards and wanting a backup goalie just in case. This effectively means you have four spare forwards and only one spare defenceman.

12 forwards, 6 defencemen, 2 goalies
Four GMs opted for an extra defenceman. It's certainly not inconceivable that you might experience two significant injuries among your defence, and if that happens, G-Phil, Lia, Teehan and K-Blat will be laughing at the forward-heavy majority.

13/6 or 14/5 and 1 goalie
Given that the goalie position has the potential to be worth more than any other player, taking only one goalie is a gamble. You have to be pretty confident in your pick, and that's why DC used his first round (13th overall) pick to secure Martin Brodeur. The other first-round goalie went to Mo, who is waiting for Luongo to pick up his game because Schneider is giving AV (and Canucks fans) second thoughts. Meanwhile, Roos is frustrated (I know because he emailed me) with his third-round pick, Tukka Rask, who sits with zero wins and only one start to date.