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Playoff Fantasy Hockey Rules
Overview
Welcome to FantasyPostseason.com - your postseason home for fantasy sports. The most important time of year in any sport is the postseason, and that is our singular focus.
Given the nature of the NHL playoffs, our fantasy leagues require very little time commitment.
However, with a robust set of features, we provide all the tools necessary to help you take home your league's title.
What follows is a detailed listing of our Pro Hockey rules; this includes our default league configuration, options, and scoring.
Types of Drafts
We offer six different types of drafts:
- Live-Draft: In a Live-Draft, each manager selects players in real-time against others. Note: A maximum of 15 managers are permitted.
- Auto-Draft: In an Auto-Draft, our system automatically selects players for each manager. The system selects either the highest-rated player in our default rankings or your pre-draft rankings.
Please note that your pre-draft rankings are vital in many ways, as they will also become your default picks in a Live draft (should you either fail to appear, or fail to make a selection in time).
- Snake-Draft: In a Snake-Draft the last manager to make a selection in a round will be the first manager to make a selection in the next round. Take for instance a
draft with 12 managers:
Round 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Round 2: 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Round 3: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
- Banzai-Draft: In a Banzai-Draft the draft order is similar to a Snake-Draft, but the order of the third round is switched to match the order of the second.
Note: Banzai drafts are gaining in popularity, as they are perceived to be fairer to those managers picking last in the first round.
For example:
Round 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Round 2: 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Round 3: 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- Straight-Draft: In a Straight-Draft the draft order is exactly the same in every round. For example:
Round 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Round 2: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Round 3: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
- Off-line Draft: In an Off-line Draft, the league commissioner loads the league draft results. Results should only be loaded after all league members have
joined.
Every manager gets one selection per round until their roster is full. The draft order is set by the league administrator; the order can either be set manually or randomly selected.
Projected Scoring
To assist with our pre-draft rankings, we include a Projected Score value for each player in the NHL Playoffs.
This value accounts for each player's regular season statistics, category values, round multipliers, and projected games (by team seed).
Default League Configuration
All leagues default to the following configuration:
| Max Managers | 12 |
| League Format | Total Points |
| Reserve Last Game Week for Championship Matchup | No |
| Salary Cap | No |
| Salary Cap Value | $100 |
| Draft Type | Varies by Fantasy Game plan |
| Draft Date and Time | Auto-generated |
| Enable Live Video Sharing for Draft | No |
| Seconds Per Pick | 90 |
| Allow Co-Managed Teams | No |
| Lineup Setting | Daily |
| # of Times a Player Can Be Drafted | 1 |
| Hide Rosters | No |
| Limit Player Starts | No |
| # Starts Allowed | Unlimited |
| Per Player Multipliers | No |
| Allow Free Agency | Yes |
| # Free Agent Moves Per Team | 10 |
| Unlimited Free Agency Before Postseason | Yes |
| Allow Eliminated Players to be Dropped | Yes |
| Waiver Wire | Yes |
| Waiver Period | Post Game |
| Last Day for Free Agency | Last day of the playoffs |
| Allow Trades | Yes |
| Commissioner Reviews All Trades | No |
| Trade Deadline | Last day of the playoffs |
| Players Per Team | Forwards (2) Defensemen (2) Forwards/Defensemen (3) Goalies (1) Bench (0) |
| Count All Games | Yes |
| Scoring | Cumulative Totals |
| Fantasy Scoring | Varies by category; please see the Fantasy Scoring section below for more details. |
| Per Round Multiplers | Round 1: 1 Round 2: 1 Conference Finals: 1 Finals: 1 |
Fantasy Scoring (Defaults)
| Category | Default Value |
| Per Goal | 2.0 |
| Per Shot on Goal | 0.1 |
| Per Assist | 1.0 |
| Per PIM | -0.1 |
| Per +/- | 0.5 |
| Hat Trick | 5.0 |
| Power Play Goal | 0.0 |
| Power Play Assist | 0.0 |
| Short Handed Goal | 0.0 |
| Short Handed Assist | 0.0 |
| Game Winning Goal | 0.0 |
| Hits | 0.0 |
| Faceoffs Won | 0.0 |
| Faceoffs Lost | 0.0 |
| Per Save | 0.1 |
| Per Goal Allowed | -1.0 |
| Per Win | 3.0 |
| Per Loss | -1.0 |
| Shut Out | 1.0 |
| Save % >= .920 | 0.0 |
League Options
Commissioners can customize their leagues in many ways. Please review the 'Settings' option from the league home page for the settings selected by your league commissioner.
| Max Managers | 2-15 Offline/auto-drafts can support up to 500 |
| League Format | Total Points Head-to-Head |
| Reserve Last Game Week for Championship Matchup | Yes No |
| Salary Cap | Yes No |
| Salary Cap Value | $75 $100 $125 $150 $175 $200 |
| Draft Type | Live Draft - Snake Format Live Draft - Banzai Format Live Draft - Straight Format Auto Draft - Snake Format Auto Draft - Banzai Format Auto Draft - Straight Format Off-line Draft |
| Draft Date and Time | TBD |
| Enable Live Video Sharing for Draft | Yes No |
| Seconds Per Pick | 30 60 90 120 180 |
| Allow Co-Managed Teams | Yes No |
| Lineup Setting | Daily |
# of Times a Player Can Be Drafted | 1 2 3 4 5 Unlimited |
| Hide Rosters | Yes No |
| Limit Player Starts | Yes No |
| # Starts Allowed | 1 2 3 4 5 10 15 |
| Per Player Multipliers | Yes No |
| Allow Free Agency | Yes No |
| # Free Agent Moves Per Team | 5 10 15 20 50 Unlimited |
| Unlimited Free Agency Before Postseason | Yes No |
| Allow Eliminated Players to be Dropped | Yes No |
| Waiver Wire | Yes No |
| Waiver Period | Post Game All the Time |
| Last Day for Free Agency | Last day of the playoffs |
| Allow Trades | Yes No |
| Commissioner Reviews All Trades | Yes No |
| Trade Deadline | Last day of the playoffs |
| Players Per Team | Forwards (0-5) Defensemen (0-5) Forwards/Defensemen (0-20) Goalies (0-2) Flex (0-20) Bench (0-6)
Note: The Flex and Bench slots can be used on any position. |
| Count All Games | Yes No |
| Scoring | Cumulative Totals Averages |
| Fantasy Scoring | -20.0 to 20.0 |
| Per Round Multipliers | -20.0 to 20.0 |
Scoring
Fantasy points are awarded based on how well players perform in each of the statistical categories a league is tracking. Players accumulate more points based on how long their team survives in the playoffs. Scoring is
influenced by a number of factors:
- League Format: Commissioners have the option to select between either a 'Total Points' or 'Head-to-Head' league format:
- Total Points: In a Total Points league, points are accumulated round by round. Team managers compete to accumulate the most points by the end of the playoffs.
- Head-to-Head: In a Head-to-Head league, points are accumulated week by week. Team managers compete to accumulate the most points by the end of the week to defeat their opponents and secure the
best record by the end of the playoffs.
- Player Starts: Commissioners have the option to limit the number of times a player can start for a manager. As opposed to an unlimited number of starts, players can be limited to starting only 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 10, or 15 times for a manager during the playoffs. Note: When a manager trades a player to a new manager, the new manager receives the full complement of starts (if they have never owned
that player before). If a manager trades or re-adds a player previously owned, the manager does not receive a full complement of starts - the # of starts utilized from previous ownership counts
against that total.
- Scoring Format: Commissioners have the option to select between either a 'Cumulative Totals' or 'Averages' scoring format:
- Cumulative Totals: With a 'Cumulative Totals' format, player performance is summed (round by round in a Total Points format, or week by week in a Head-to-Head format).
- Averages: With an 'Averages' format, player performance is averaged (round by round in a Total Points format, or week by week in a Head-to-Head format).
Note: Any non-performance does not factor into scoring.
- Count All Games: For 'Total Points' leagues only, commissioners have the option of recognizing fantasy points for all games in a series, or only a player's best 4 of 7 games.
For example, if a series went 4 games in Round 1, the players on these teams would have four games worth of fantasy scores in either setting. However, if the series were to go 6 games, 6 games worth of scores would
accumulate in the 'Count All Games' setting, but only a player's 4 best scores would count in the alternate setting (the other 2 scores would be thrown out). Note: The option is intended to avoid penalizing players on teams
that sweep.
- Per Player Multipliers: Commissioners have the option to implement player scoring adjustments. If they do, a player's performance can be worth more (or less) than other players on a team manager's roster.
For example, this option can be used to provide rookies with a 10% scoring bonus by adjusting the scoring multiplier to 1.1 or it can be used to encourage the selection of players on underdog teams by
increasing their multipliers. Note: The 'Per Player Multipliers' should not be set to zero. A zero means scores for that player do not count.
- Per Round Multipliers: Commissioners have the option to implement round scoring adjustments. For example, a player's performance in the Finals could be worth exponentially more than his performance in
the first round. Note: The 'Per Round Multipliers' should not be set to zero. A zero means scores for that round do not count.
- Category Scoring: Commissioners have the option to change the value of each scoring category from their defaults to a range between 10 and -10. Note: Categories that are set to 0 will not be tracked.
For example, a league may choose to only track Goals, Assists and +/-. Goals are assigned a value of 2.0, Assists a value of 1.0 and +/- a
value of 0.5, while the bonus categories are all set to 0. The Per Round Multiplier is set as follows: Rd 1 (1.0), Rd 2 (1.0), Conference Finals (1.0),
and Finals (2.0). In the below example, player John Doe will accumulate a total of 24 fantasy points:
| Round | Goals | Assists | +/- | Round Value |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Conf Finals | 0 | 0 | -2 | -1 |
| Finals | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
- Value by Round:
- Round 1 = 7 (7 * 1.0)
- Round 2 = 4 (4 * 1.0)
- Conf Finals = -1 (-1 * 1.0)
- Finals = 14 (7 * 2.0)
Important Note:
Shutout points are only awarded if one goalie plays the entire game for his team. If more than one goalie plays for a team and they collectively allow no goals, neither goalie will be credited with a shutout.
Fantasy points are only awarded to players that are on a manager's roster (and not on a manager's bench) prior to a team's scheduled game.
At that time, all players on that team will be locked - the duration of which is dependent upon the league's free agency settings. Please see the
'Free Agency' section below for more details.
Salary Cap
If commissioners choose to enforce a salary cap, managers must select players with salaries that will fit under that cap.
Important Note:
Managers with illegal rosters due to exceeding the salary cap may find players on hold (these players cannot be started or benched). Players can be released from hold by conforming to the salary cap via either free agency or trades.
Benches
If commissioners choose to allow benches, managers can adjust their rosters via the 'My Team' option from the league home page. Select 'Bench' from within the 'Status'
column of the player you would like to bench, and then select 'Starter' from within the 'Status' column of the player you would like to remove from the bench.
Rosters must respect position requirements. For example, if a league allows for a maximum of 1 Goalie, the system will not allow a manager to start a second Goalie (unless a Flex position is available). The total number
of benched players is configurable by the commissioner and team manager.
Important Note:
Managers with illegal rosters due to unbalanced trades may find players on hold (these players cannot be started or benched). Please see the 'Trades' section below for information on clearing the hold.
Lineup Setting
Commissioners have a choice of two lineup setting options:
- Daily: Player status is locked (i.e. starter/bench) from their game's scheduled start time until 12 AM EST. If game scoring occurs after 12 AM EST,
players will remain locked until that time.
- Per Week: Player status is locked (i.e. starter/bench) from their game's scheduled start time until 3 AM EST on the morning following the last day of each
game week. Note: This option is only available with Head-to-Head leagues.
Free Agency
Free agency can be configured with or without a waiver wire:
- Waiver Wire: If a waiver wire is enabled, players are held in a queue during a waiver period which can be configured in one of two ways:
- Post Game: Players are on waivers for only a limited period of time after games complete, otherwise they are unrestricted. The waiver period lasts from the time players are unlocked
until 11 AM EST the next morning. Unrestricted players include all players that are dropped, not
selected during a draft, etc.
- All the Time: All free agents must pass waivers and there is no unrestricted period. All waiver claims are processed each day at 11 AM EST.
When the waiver period ends, the team manager with the best waiver position gets the player. The waiver order is the reverse of the draft order for live and auto-drafts - the waiver order for
offline drafts is set randomly. However, commissioners have the ability to override the waiver order at any time.
- No Waiver Wire: If a waiver wire is not configured, players that are not locked can be acquired on demand.
Managers can add/drop players via the 'Free Agents' option from the league home page. To add a player,
select a player from the free-agent pool, and then select a player to drop from your team.
Single player adds or drops are supported. However, the system will not allow the addition of players beyond a league's roster size limit. Player additions must also respect position requirements.
For example, if a league requires a maximum of 1 Goalie, the system will not allow a manager to add a Goalie to leave their roster with more than 1 (unless Flex or Bench slots are available).
The number of free agent moves allowed and the length of time free agency is permitted are both configurable by the commissioner.
Commissioners have a choice of whether or not to allow players on eliminated teams to be dropped. If the option is set to 'No', transactions with players
on eliminated teams are no longer allowed.
Important Note:
During a team's locked period, no transactions with players on that team are allowed (this includes player adds or drops). Players on eliminated
teams can be dropped (if the option is allowed), but cannot be added.
Trades
If commissioners choose to allow trades, managers can trade players via the 'Trades' option from the league home page. To trade a player, select a
player from the 'My Players' list, select a trading partner, and then select a player you wish to acquire from that manager's team.
Unbalanced trades are supported. However, trades must respect a league's roster size and position requirements.
For example, although a trade of 1 Forward for 3 Goalies is allowed, all 3 Goalies will be placed 'On Hold' (after the trade is approved),
if the trade puts the recipient over either the maximum roster size or maximum number of Goalies allowed.
Players are released from hold once the offending manager adjusts their roster (either via Free Agency or additional trades) to conform to the required limits.
A maximum of 3 players from one team can be traded at a time. Trade offers must be accepted within 48 hours or they are automatically cancelled.
The length of time trades are permitted and whether or not commissioners can review trades is configurable by the commissioner.
Important Note:
During a team's locked period, no trades with players on that team are allowed. Players on eliminated teams cannot be traded.
Scoring Questions/Concerns
For any scoring questions or concerns, please contact Administration with the following details:
- League ID
- Team Name
- Detailed description of the issue
Winning the Game
Winning a Fantasy Postseason league is dependent upon the league format:
- Total Points: In a Total Points league, points are accumulated round by round. The manager with the most points at the end of the playoffs wins the league. In the very unlikely event that
a league should end in a tie, each manager will get a share of the title.
- Head-to-Head: In a Head-to-Head league, points are accumulated over seven game weeks - with Week 6 and Week 7 spanning a longer period of calendar days (for a listing of actual dates, review the 'Weekly Schedule' from the
'Scoring' menu). A manager wins a game week by scoring more points than their opponent during that week. The manager that wins the title week, or has the best record at the end of the playoffs wins the league. Total points
serve as tie-breaker - in the very unlikely event a league remains dead-locked, each manager will get a share of the title.
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