2020 Fantasy Hockey Tiers: Right Wings (6-9)
Breaking the Dailyfaceoff Top-300 down into Tiers continues with the Right Wingers.
Previous Tiers Posts:
Tier 6
@Travis Konecny
While he just missed out on being included in our fifth tier, Konecny is a clear-cut above the wingers in tiers seven through nine. He is an obvious breakout candidate heading into the 2019-20 season. Konecny compiled 24 goals and 25 assists with an ATOI of 15:16 last season. With a contract now in place, he’s set to reclaim his spot-on Philadelphia’s top line alongside @Sean Couturier and @Claude Giroux. Konecny offers great upside and could easily flirt with a 30-30 season if he gets the uptick in usage that his play warrants. I am a serious buyer at his current ADP of 168.4.
@Andrei Svechnikov
Like Konecny listed above him, Svechnikov has the talent to be placed in a tier or two above this, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be rewarded with the appropriate amount of ice-time. Coming into his second season, Svechnikov could be on the verge of a breakout campaign. The 19-year-old phenom scored 20 goals with 17 assists across a full 82 games while playing just 14:39 a game. At the very least, Svechnikov should be moved into Carolina’s top-six this season, and he could easily end up on the top line with @Sebastian Aho and @Nino Niederreiter. You’re getting terrific value at his current ADP of 133.1.
Tier 7
@T.J. Oshie
Oshie should continue to be heavily utilized in all situations for the Capitals this season. He recorded 25 goals and 29 assists last season while playing just 69 games. His on-ice SH% was a reasonable 10.8% but his personal SH% was a tad high at 17.5%, though it’s worth noting Oshie has been an above-average shooter throughout his career. His role atop Washington’s dynamic power-play gives him a solid floor with 30-30 upside.
@Kevin Labanc
Always productive in a limited role, Labanc is an intriguing sleeper heading into draft day. He registered 56 points last year despite only playing 14 minutes a night. Labanc’s SH% and on-ice SH% were both well within reason, suggesting his production could easily improve with an uptick in usage. With @Joe Pavelski gone, there are plenty of minutes up for grabs in the San Jose’s top-six. Labanc projects to be a key contributor in this Sharks offence and should see time on the top power-play unit as well. He proved to be an effective playmaker on the man advantage last season, recording 18 power-play apples. I love the value you’re getting at Labanc’s current ADP of 157.3.
@Brendan Gallagher
Gallagher has a knack for getting the puck on goal, and he was able to flaunt that talent on the Habs’ top line last season. He took full advantage of the increased role, scoring 33 goals on 302 shots. The assists are underwhelming, but with that sort of shot volume, 30 goals should really be considered the floor for Gallagher. It’s worth noting the balanced nature of Montreal’s roster kept Gallagher’s ice-time relatively low last year. There’s plenty of room for his ATOI of 16:24 to increase in 2019-20.
@Alex Tuch
Tuch’s production took a step forward last season, and he should continue to improve in 2019-20. He registered 20 goals, 32 assists, and 180 shots on goal in 74 games last season. He could easily surpass 60 points if he can stay healthy, with room for even more upside if his ATOI of 16:44 gets a bump. That’s far from a guarantee with @Mark Stone and @Reilly Smith on the roster, but I still love the value you’re getting out of his current ADP of 171.4.
Tier 8
@Ondrej Kase
Kase was a popular breakout candidate last season but missed a whopping 52 games due to injury. His production in the 30 games he did play extrapolates to 30 goals and 25 assists over an 82-game pace. Kase is a very underrated play driver at 5v5, posting a 56.6 CF% and a +10.2 CF% rel last season. He could top 250 shots if he can stay healthy this season. Injuries delayed Kase’s breakout last season, and they’re the only threat to his fantasy relevance again in 2019-20.
@Mats Zuccarello
Zuccarello has evolved into one of the more consistent playmakers off the wing. He is a logical fit alongside @Eric Staal and @Jason Zucker on Minnesota’s first line. Injuries limited to Zuccarello to just two regular-season games following his deadline move to Dallas, but he had a great run in the postseason. His production will be very assist-heavy, but he still has 60-point upside in his new role.
Reilly Smith
Unsurprisingly, Smith’s production came back down to earth last season, but he still finished with a respectable 19 goals and 34 assists in 74 games. If Smith continues to be trotted out on the Golden Knights’ top-line, then he’s a safe bet for 60 points health-willing. The problem is Vegas has an influx of talent on the right-wing. Stone and Tuch could take a significant bite out of Smith’s ice-time this season. He’s still worth rostering, but I wouldn’t consider taking him until the final couple of rounds in standard leagues.
@Josh Bailey
In predictable fashion, Bailey saw a significant dip in production following the departure of @John Tavares. Still, it can’t be overlooked that Bailey proved himself to be an elite playmaker again last season, recording his third-straight 40-assist season. Bailey still possesses 60-point upside, but his career-high of 18 goals leaves a lot to be desired. He loses a lot of value in points leagues that favour goals over assists.
Tier 9
@Jordan Eberle
Eberle experienced some of the worst puck luck in the NHL last season, suffering through a 7.7 on-ice SH%. It led to a career-worst 37-point campaign for the nine-year veteran. There still isn’t a lot of upside here, but Eberle should be able to get back around 50 points this season if he can maintain his spot on @Mathew Barzal’s right-wing.
@Dominik Kahun
Kahun is projected to start the season on the Penguins’ top line alongside @Sidney Crosby and @Jake Guentzel. From a fantasy perspective, there really isn’t a better place to be. He’ll be worth rostering in standard leagues for however long he’s on that top line, and he’s worthy of a late-round pick as a result. We’ve seen players with a lot less offensive upside than Kahun become fantasy relevant after playing with Crosby. The 24-year-old Kahun scored 13 goals and added 24 assists as a rookie in Chicago last season while averaging just over 14 minutes a game.
@Josh Anderson
Like many Blue Jackets, Anderson enjoyed a career-year in 2018-19. He picked up 27 goals to go along with 20 helpers across a full 82 games. He did most of that playing away from @Artemi Panarin, so I wouldn’t be worried about a drop-off in his peripheral rates. Anderson could easily flirt with 30 goals again this year if he’s promoted to the top line. His underwhelming assist totals leave him on the fringe of fantasy relevance in standard formats, but he’s a must-own in “banger” leagues.
@Dustin Brown
Brown revived his dormant career in 2018-19, averaging 25 goals, 31 assists and 170 hits over the last two seasons. Considering he’s already playing over 20 minutes a game, Brown’s upside is capped, but he has healthy shot volume and gets a considerable boost in value in “banger” leagues. Usage is the key to Brown’s fantasy value, so you’ll want to make sure he’s still being featured on the top line towards the end of the pre-season. Over the last two seasons, a remarkable 88.4% of Brown’s 5v5 ice-time has come alongside @Anze Kopitar.
@Pavel Buchnevich
Clearly a talented player, Buchnevich’s fantasy value depends solely on where head coach David Quinn elects to slot him in the Rangers lineup. As we saw last year, he could end up anywhere from the top line with @Mika Zibanejad and Panarin to the press box. Buchnevich has always been an above-average play driver at 5v5 but has never been rewarded with the appropriate usage. You’ll want to check in on the Rangers lines towards the end of the pre-season because Buchnevich won’t be worth rostering if he’s not on that top line.
@Kevin Fiala
Fiala’s shot volume made him a popular sleeper pick heading into the 2018-19 season, but his usage and production unfortunately stalled. Fiala fell out of favour after a slow start in Nashville and was ultimately dealt to Minnesota in exchange for @Mikael Granlund. Fiala finally saw the increase in usage we were hoping for with the Wild, but he endured a comically low 3.4 on-ice SH%. He recorded a measly seven points in 19 games with Minnesota despite playing over 17 minutes a night. His shot volume remained strong, suggesting some friendlier puck luck should be enough to move Fiala back into fantasy relevance in standard leagues. He is a terrific post-hype candidate heading into 2019-20.
@Jakob Silfverberg
Silfvergberg is a model of consistency, but his upside appears to be capped. He’s registered between 39 and 49 points in each of the last five seasons. His usage keeps his floor stable at around 20 goals and 20 assists, but he offers minimal power-play production. I wouldn’t bother burning a draft pick in standard leagues on someone with such limited upside.
@David Perron
Perron was productive when healthy last season, registering 46 points in 57 regular-season games, but don’t expect that pace to continue into 2019-20. He scored 23 times on just 112 shots last season. That 20.5 SH% is due to regress, and Perron could have trouble topping last season’s goal total across a full 82 games. You love the dual-wing eligibility, but Perron is buried behind @Vladimir Tarasenko on the Blues depth chart. In standard fantasy leagues, I’d categorize Perron as more of an early-season streaming target than a late-round flier.
@Tyler Toffoli
After enjoying a career-year in 2015-16, Toffoli has averaged just 19 goals and 22 assists per 82-games over the last three seasons. A dreadful SH% is responsible for the drastic drop-off in goals, so Toffoli could bounce back somewhat with some friendlier puck luck. With very little competition for ice-time, the 27-year-old could seemingly push for a 25-25 season.
@Kasperi Kapanen
Kapanen has evolved into a solid two-way player, capable of playing in all situations for the Maple Leafs. He makes it into this final tier because of his early-season fantasy value. With @Zach Hyman expected out until early November, Kapanen will start the season with @John Tavares and @Mitch Marner. He’ll be worth rostering so long as he’s on that line, but it’s hard to imagine him staying fantasy relevant after Hyman returns and Kapanen is relegated to the third line. Given his limited shelf life, I’d be wary of investing too highly in him on draft day.