When it comes to NHL fantasy hockey, managers are always trying to make their teams better. If the scenario arises where the missing pieces are not available in the free agent pool, then it becomes time to make a trade to improve your team. There is one important rule to making trades when it comes to fantasy hockey that should always be considered, and it begins with the value of the players.

One of the biggest mistakes that sports betting fantasy hockey managers make when the time comes along to make a move is that they manage the value of a player based on reputation more than performance, which is a crucial mistakes. Unlike in the NHL where teams have the ability to move players around in their lineups in order to get the most of them, fantasy managers can only base their decisions on the performance of the player on a given night. For example, while many NHL teams might prefer to have Alex Ovechkin on their team over Kris Versteeg both in the short and long term, Ovechkin’s 31 points are eight less than Versteeg at this point, therefore Versteeg has to be considered the better fantasy option. Trading Versteeg and a player like James Neal for Alex Ovechkin might give you the better player overall, but the point production that you are buying is less than half of what you are selling, which amounts to a bad numbers deal for your team that could be determined by any pay head bookie. Making trades is a crucial part of building a successful fantasy team, just don’t make the mistake of giving players away.