In many circles I am known as something of a riverboat gambler when it comes to transactions in fantasy sports. There is nothing that gets my world of make believe more awesome than facilitating what I like to call an ULTRA MEGA BLOCKBUSTER, which I then forward via text or email to all relevant parties in my league(s).

It can be high risk and high reward if you can manage to pull off a deal on a hunch or make a trade with someone who may or may not be as well informed as you. We all have our favorite players, guys who don’t necessarily play for our favorite team, but may have made an impression on us before.

Try not to assign additional value to someone like Eric Christensen just because he has some sick shootout moves. Additionally, I love watching the silky moves of Lars Eller, but I’m not trading Mike Richards for him. It’s always fun to hear Jay Onrait of TSN yell “BOBROVSKY!!!! You’re a disgrace to the force, you’re off the case!!!!” when the young goalie gets beaten for a goal. That doesn’t make the Russian Bob-cat a top pick for your goalie lineup.

The biggest part of the wheeling and dealing that I had difficulty with was peddling for and with players on teams that I hate. As a Detroit Red Wings’ fan, I have a hard time dealing with rivals of my beloved Hockeytown. When you have a rooting interest for a player who can light up your favorite team, it can be very conflicting and troubling.

Finding the best of both worlds is the answer that has worked the best for me. I don’t rack up a roster full of Red Wings, because for one, they aren’t that good, and two, it’s just stupid. I have made great strides in my maturity and tolerance for having an enemy on my roster. Just because I snagged Sid Crosby off of waivers last February, doesn’t mean I’m going out to get any Penguin’s gear.

Of course there is the sell high, buy low theory that works in every sport. Sam Gagner was probably only on 25% of all rosters the night he dropped eight points on Chicago last season. Does anyone really think that’s normal production for a second or third-line player? Of course not, but there’s a sucker in every league that will hope that lightning will strike twice.

Finally the best piece of advice I can give to all you young Sparkys out there is to be patient. A great player rarely just falls off the map. Martin Brodeur was washed up last season, and struggling with injury before getting his groove back and leading the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. Recognize the players on other rosters that may be struggling and you can make the deals that can lead your team to the promised land of make believe glory!