Matt Larkin’s fantasy hockey top 300 player rankings for 2022-23
OCT. 11 UPDATE: This is it. The LAST UPDATE, timed for NHL teams finalizing their opening 2022-23 rosters. If you’re playing the last-minute game with your draft and chose to ignore the Global Series games, I have your back today. Good luck with your season. I’ll be back with a mid-season top 300 during the All-Star break!
If you’re not familiar with the process and ground rules of my fantasy rankings: let’s start there. Make sure you read these disclaimers before diving into the list.
(a) The rankings are a working list that evolves over time and will be updated with increasing frequency as the season approaches. As training camp and the pre-season arrive, Versions 3 and beyond will reflect injuries, positional battles, prospects making or not making their teams, line deployments and so on. By October, a.k.a fantasy draft season, you can expect daily updates leading up to the soft start of the NHL season on Oct. 7 and true start on Oct. 11.
(b) The rankings are for redraft leagues and based on the following stat categories: goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, goals-against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts. Players who offer production across a variety of categories, such as Brady Tkachuk and MacKenzie Weegar, get major boosts. So do goaltenders who log heavy workloads and can compile beefy counting stats, such as Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros.
(c) Real-life value does not always translate to fantasy value, and I always use Mark Stone as a prime example. He’s a tremendous real-life player. In fantasy? Mildly overrated. He doesn’t score many goals, doesn’t shoot the puck much and doesn’t throw many hits. So you’ll see some inferior real-life players ranked ahead of him in fantasy.
(d) Upside is everything, especially in early editions of these rankings. I am notoriously harsh on the boring veteran types who get 40 to 50 points a year in their sleep, such as Reilly Smith. You’ll see some rookies who aren’t even guaranteed to make their teams ranked higher than the Smith types. Why? Because the boring vets can be found on the waiver wire at any time unless you play in a 32-team league. Use your late-round picks on upside plays. That might have landed you Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider last season.
(e) During the lengthy process of reviewing rosters, ranking players, writing bios and constantly cutting and pasting names, I sometimes accidentally delete or omit a prominent player. If I do, hit me up on Twitter @MLarkinHockey and let me know.
Now that the rules are established? Let’s begin.
1. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers: Connor McDavid has the best points upside in the NHL. Auston Matthews has the best goals upside. Draisaitl combines both those ceilings. That’s why he’s the No. 1 player on my board. Over the past four seasons, he’s second in the league in goals and points.
2. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers: Now square in his peak prime, McDavid remains a near-lock to lead the NHL in scoring for a fifth time if healthy, and now he’s diversifying his fantasy portfolio by shooting the puck at his highest rate ever and even averaging roughly a hit per game. His god-mode playoff performance reminds us that an all-time banner season in the 150-point range still feels possible. If any player this generation can do it, it’s McJesus.
3. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs: The haters can finally stop calling Matthews ‘On Pace.’ He finally went off for a true ceiling season in 2021-22, becoming the third player this millennium to score 60 goals and averaging the most goals per game of any player since 1995-96. At this point, 55 goals feels like the floor. In goals-heavy leagues, you have my blessing to pick him first overall.
4. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche: Have I ever ranked a defenseman in the top four? I feel confident in doing so. Makar is a cheat code at his position. If he plays 82 games, he’s a lock for 90 points and at least 200 shots, 100 hits and 100 blocks. Let it sink in that I’m telling you that’s the floor for a 23-year-old defenseman. The ceiling is the best fantasy season by a blueliner since Paul Coffey.
5. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild: Followed a Calder Trophy season by obliterating the Wild’s franchise records with a 46-61-108 line. Because his KHL career made him a late NHL arrival, he’s already 25, so he may be at his peak. But it’s a fantastic peak. He has made it back to Minnesota safely, by the way, so there’s no concern about him being detained in Russia.
6. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche: MacKinnon belongs in the God Tier of fantasy with Draisaitl, McDavid and Matthews. MacKinnon’s per-game production remains jaw-droppingly awesome. But he plays the game at such a furious pace that he’s missed 25 games over the past two seasons. Is he at risk of settling into an Evgeni Malkin existence, always elite but regularly missing a dozen games a year? That tiny seed of doubt makes me feel less safe about MacKinnon than I am about the guys ranked above him. It applies to Matthews too, of course, but he’s three years younger.
7. Mitch Marner, RW, Maple Leafs: Easily eclipsing a 100-point pace over his past couple seasons, but one was shortened by COVID-19 and the other by injury. Time for him to finally break through to the century club in 2022-23 as Matthews’ perma-linemate.
8. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Avalanche: Deserves to be heralded as a superstar. He’s one of the game’s best passers and playmakers but his goal-scoring touch is no joke, either. Very similar fantasy profile to Marner’s.
9. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals: He’s still almost unfair to own in fantasy, blending 50-goal seasons with massive shot and hit totals. It’s entirely possible he produces top-five fantasy value again. I just have to price in the fact he’ll be 37 when next season starts, so I’m ranking him conservatively. But how amazing is it that a conservative rank still puts him in the top 10? He’s a unicorn.
10. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames: Huberdeau could regress by 15-20 points from his epic 2021-22 and still be one of the safest first-round picks on the board. He’s missed three games in his past five seasons combined, during which only McDavid and Artemi Panarin have more assists. If Huberdeau gets, say, 95 points next season, that would be a down year at this point. So, yes, you want him. That said: we have no idea how the shift from Florida obscurity to a Canadian market will affect him mentally. He even admitted to me that he doesn’t know what to expect. It’s at least worth keeping in the back of your mind. I had him as my No. 6 player and dropped him four spots after the trade.
11. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers: Since he joined the Rangers three seasons ago, only four NHL players average more points per game. And if you believe Vincent Trocheck is a linemate upgrade over Ryan Strome – I do – Panarin might deliver his best season yet.
12. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning: Lords above the other goalies in fantasy for his blend of workload and quality of play. It doesn’t feel like he’s as far ahead of the pack as he was a year ago, however, so I’ve ranked him as low first-rounder rather than a high one. Still easily the No. 1 fantasy netminder, though.
13. Roman Josi, D, Predators: Does all the amazing things for a fantasy team that Makar does. The one key difference: Josi is eight years older, meaning his amazing production qualifies as a peak, whereas we don’t know what Makar’s is yet.
14. Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers: Pretty much produces at a superstar level, but Barkov gets dinged up. He’s missed 24 games the past three years and has cleared 80 once in his nine NHL seasons. Still a safe pick, but if his games played ceiling is in the mid-70s, he’s not going to give us the 100-point effort we know he’s capable of.
15. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins: He remains a top-tier fantasy goal scorer but carries more question marks in 2022-23 due to factors out of his control. Linemate Brad Marchand will miss significant time coming back from hip surgery. Pastrnak won’t have as much linemate help early on. He should be a prudent in-season trade target, however. And he has great chemistry with centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, both of whom have re-signed with Boston, so at least ‘Pasta’ will have someone reliable setting him up.
16. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers: He was the best goalie on Earth last season. The only thing holding him back from first-round fantasy consideration is his workload. His modest 52 starts last year were a career high. Given his peerless speed and athletic style, he’s not built for 65-plus starts. Best to expect 55 – but they’ll be awesome, at least.
17. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Blue Jackets: Gaudreau’s new linemate deployment won’t come close to Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. But Gaudreau is the guy who makes others around him better, so I’m not downgrading him too much. In fact, coming off a 115-point season but joining a weaker team, he could be a mild discount in fantasy, available in Round 2 but still carrying a Round 1 ceiling.
18. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning: He’s absolutely a first-round talent. But I always say: while you can’t win your draft in Round 1, you can lose it. Of the elite-level fantasy forwards, Kucherov is least likely to play a full season. So I likely have Kucherov ranked lower than most despite his undeniable all-world ability.
19. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets: The lightning-quick Connor still doesn’t get billed as a fantasy superstar despite ranking fifth in goals over the past three seasons. It was only a matter of time before he cracked 40 goals and 90 points, and, at 25, he can keep producing at that rate a while longer.
20. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators: Brady hasn’t shown the scoring ceiling of his brother yet, but he’s a fantasy hockey juggernaut regardless, a threat to lead the league in shots and hits while chipping in 30-plus goals. We haven’t seen his best yet, either. He’s poised to reach a new level on a vastly improved Ottawa team.
21. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers: The Panthers are about as good a landing spot as we could’ve asked for. If he plays with Barkov, Tkachuk is a threat to approach last year’s 100-plus points again, but he’s opened camp on a different line.
22. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning: Set career bests in goals (20), points (85) and shots (219) in his age-31 season. I don’t think it gets any better than that, but the future Hall of Famer is so good that he can produce at or close to this level again in 2022-23.
23. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes: So darned consistent. Good for at least 30 goals and roughly point-per-game production every season. Just knowing what you get from ‘Sea Bass’ every season adds to his fantasy value.
24. Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks: Kane’s value could change significantly before fantasy drafts if he ends up traded (which is a long shot). If he’s a Blackhawk to open 2022-23: he’s still a dominant offensive player, but his supporting cast has been gutted, so I could see him regressing to somewhere around the point-per-game mark.
25. Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning: Start to finish, 2021-22 was the best season of Stammer’s career or at least the best since his 60-goal campaign a decade earlier. It was great to see him get through the year mostly healthy. But…do you want to pay for that production this season? Hard to imagine he plays 81 games again.
26. Adam Fox, D, Rangers: He’s one of the few D-men capable of competing with the Makar-Josi level of offense. Fox, however, slots slightly lower because he’s less of an asset in shots (like Josi) or hits (like Makar).
27. Jake Guentzel, LW, Penguins: Past four seasons: 40 goals, 84 points, 246 shots and 86 hits per 82 games. Why don’t we talk about Guentzel more? S.T.U.D.
28. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars: Believe in the back-to-back breakouts. The 41-38-79 line as a sophomore was impressive enough, but if you factor in that he only played 18:07 per night, it’s even better. He was 14th among all players in 5-on-5 points per 60 (min. 1,000 minutes.). If new coach Pete DeBoer ups Robertson’s ice time, he’s a 90-point guy in Year 3. Phew, he’s signed, and hopefully in time that he won’t take too long to find his legs, but it’s possible he starts slowly.
29. J.T. Miller, C, Canucks: This feels like a conservative ranking for a guy coming off a 99-point season. But it beat his previous career high by 27 points and came in his age-29 season, so I wonder if it was an anomaly. That said, now that he has re-signed, we at least know now that he’s staying in the most productive fantasy environment of his career. He averages 88 points per 82 games as a Canuck across three seasons, so that might be a fair forecast going forward.
30. Timo Meier, RW, Sharks: The Sharks have fallen on hard times, but they can still produce excellent fantasy commodities. On top of Meier’s 35 goals last season, only Matthews and Ovechkin shot the puck more and Meier added 162 hits to boot. He’s a beast.
31. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers: I miss the supernova version of Zibanejad that teased us in 2019-20. Oh well. The regular version of him is still plenty good, a reliable 80-point producer.
32. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins: Sid’s 1.22 points per game last season marked his best scoring average since 2013-14. Like his forever counterpart Ovechkin, Crosby refuses to decline even in his mid-30s. Most of the players above him have more upside, but Crosby’s a safe bet for about 80 points in 70 games.
33. John Carlson, D, Capitals: Since we’ve entered an era of superstar fantasy defensemen, it’s easy to forget how good Carlson still is, topping 70 points in three of his past four seasons. If you don’t want to spend a super early pick on Makar or Josi, you can turn a nice profit grabbing Carlson slightly later.
34. Jacob Markstrom, G, Flames: Like Gaudreau, Markstom could become a sneaky value in drafts because of the Flames’ roster turnover. Guess what: they’re still coached by defensive mastermind Darryl Sutter and might become more conservative with fewer stud forwards. Markstrom should still play a ton and post strong rate stats even if his win total shrinks.
35. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes: Admittedly I expected him to be first-round fodder by his fifth NHL season. He’s that good. But he’s still just 22 and coming off a campaign of 30 goals, 69 points, 249 shots and 189 hits. Even a 10 percent progression would make him a fantasy superstar. He’s close.
36. Jack Hughes, C, Devils: The underlying numbers in 2020-21 suggested Hughes was just about the unluckiest player in hockey and poised for a breakout. The ole’ spreadsheets were right. He exploded for 26 goals and 56 points in 49 games. If he can deliver a full-season sample size this time around, he’ll break into the upper echelon of fantasy picks. He’s one of the few players in the early rounds I’m willing to reach for. The ceiling is something like 40-60-100.
37. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks: ‘Petey’ was lost early in 2021-22. Then came renowned turnaround artist Bruce Boudreau as a midseason coaching replacement. Pettersson from the hiring on: 28-28-56 in 55 games, including a sizzling 21-23-44 line in 34 games after the All-Star break. Casual drafters may undervalue him based on his merely good season stat line of 32-36-68, but I say the 40-50-90 campaign is coming, maybe this season.
38. Roope Hintz, C, Stars: He opened 2021-22 with no goals and one point in his first 10 games as he worked his way back from offseason surgery. The rest of the way: 37-34-71 in 70 games. This may be the last time you can steal Hintz a round later than he should be available.
39. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets: It remains to be seen if the Jets, who have been extremely conservative this offseason, will be any good in 2022-23. A declining team would depress Hellebuyck’s wins and rate stats. But he has started at least 63 games in each of his past three non-shortened seasons and led the NHL in saves four years in a row. He’s the best counting-stat accumulator at his position.
40. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators: Smashed career bests with a 42-goal, 84-point effort in just 69 games. We know he’s safe for 30-plus goals again, but everything went right last season, including the best shooting percentage of his career. Best to expect a 35-35-70 stat line, which is still great.
41. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets: We can debate his bad analytics or rumored locker room clashes or lament his slow start to last season. Meh. It’s fantasy hockey, and Scheifele has produced a point per game or better in six straight seasons. Don’t want him? I’ll take him.
42. Chris Kreider, LW, Rangers: Relative to draft position, Kreider was a fantasy MVP on many championship teams last season. But let’s be careful here: he had never even scored 30 goals, and he jumps to 52 at 30 years old? I’m willing to accept that Kreider has found a new gear, but maybe that’s 35 to 40 goals going forward.
43. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks: Underlying numbers showed he was even better than his stat line last season. He’s becoming the star workhorse No. 1 he was always projected to be. It was great to see him blow past 60 starts. If the Canucks sustain their second-half improvements, we could see Demko deliver a top-three fantasy season at his position. Re-signing Miller just confirms that the team intends to contend.
44. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Senators: He’s one of the best pure goal-scorers in the game, but beware a mini regression. He’ll be enthusiastically drafted based on excitement over his trade to Ottawa, but don’t forget he made his hay with Patrick Kane. Almost any Ottawa linemate is a downgrade.
45. Patrik Laine, RW, Blue Jackets: The upside is tantalizing. And he’s somehow still just 24 years old. Who knows what Laine can accomplish if ends up on a line and top power play unit with Gaudreau? It’s too tempting to find out. Last season marked his best goal-scoring pace since his 44-goal sophomore campaign of 2017-18. Now he’s committed to being a Blue Jacket for the next four seasons to boot.
46. Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers: Nurse’s production tailed off significantly yet he still delivered 35 points, 203 shots, 196 hits and 132 blocks in 71 games last season. He’s the ultimate multi-category buffet on defense in hockey pools.
47. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders: If we could confidently pencil Sorokin in for 60-plus starts? I’d pick him over any goalie not named Vasilevskiy or Shesterkin. But since the Isles deploy a luxury backup in Semyon Varlamov, Sorokin’s starts probably top out in the low 50s. He should deliver some of the league’s best rate stats, however.
48. Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers: He was having such a special year that he still finished sixth in the Norris Trophy vote despite missing 21 games with a late-season injury. Damn. He’s producing at a Hedman level now but just can’t seem to avoid the freak injuries.
49. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks: Hughes is like owning a dominant base stealer with no power in fantasy baseball: He is an elite points contributor but a borderline liability in the banger-league categories. In points-only leagues, bump him up the rankings by 10 to 15 spots.
50. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars: The good news about Oettinger’s otherworldly performance in the real-life playoffs last spring: it confirmed his status as a rising star and a goalie that can anchor your fantasy squad. The bad news: most drafters likely remember how good he was, so he’s not a goalie you can steal. You’ll have to pay full value – but he should be worth it.
51. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs: Everyone’s boomer dad or uncle loves to hate on Nylander, but even they can’t deny his fantasy usefulness. At 26, he’s young enough that his 34-goal, 80-point output feels sustainable or close to it. He’s also extremely durable; his only significant absence of his career was due to a contract negotiation, not an injury.
52. Evander Kane, LW, Oilers: This rank prices in the risk and off-ice volatility that come with Kane. If there were no risk? He’d rate as a first-round pick. His 82-game pace in 58 games with the Oilers, regular season and playoffs: 49 goals, 295 shots, 294 hits. Are you kidding me? The upside remains gargantuan if he can stay out of trouble.
53. Kevin Fiala, LW, Kings: Fiala is arguably hockey’s streakiest player. His scoring pace was 68 points before the All-Star break and 102 points after it. That makes him slightly less trustworthy in head-to-head formats. In season-long roto formats, though, it doesn’t matter if he gets his points in bunches. The total will be there in the end, and he won’t hurt for ice time on a new team that paid a ton – in money and prospect capital – to get him.
54. Morgan Rielly, D, Maple Leafs: Rielly is like a poor man’s Carlson, a consistent point producer who sits outside the top tier of fantasy blueliners. Over his past five seasons, Rielly averages 11 goals, 61 points and 204 shots per 82 games. He’s a rock-solid D1 play.
55. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Blues: Three shoulder surgeries be damned, he’s back. He’s no longer the sexy upside pick. Now he’s settled in to the reliable veteran tier, albeit one who still carries reinjury risk despite his great comeback story in 2021-22, which included a career-high 82 points.
56. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights: What a complicated player to rank. Eichel is now many more months removed from his successful disc replacement surgery, showed plenty of offensive potential down the stretch for Vegas, is still just 25 and remains capable of 40-goal, 90-point production. On the other hand: the Golden Knights just lost first-line left winger Max Pacioretty for nothing, while Stone’s long-term health is a concern to due a back injury that required surgery this offseason. Are we sure Eichel will have an above-average supporting cast this season?
57. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers: The knock on Reinhart used to be that he would deliver half a good season seemingly every year. But that was also on some bad Buffalo teams. In his first season with Florida, he was a point per game or better in five straight months to finish the year. It feels like 30-plus goals and 70-plus points are the new floor now.
58. Josh Norris, C, Senators: Buried 35 goals in just 66 games as a sophomore and centers the top line on a team that should keep getting better. Sign. Me. Up.
59. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings: He’s tasked with doing more than just score, so that caps his upside in the 30-goal, 70-point range, but that’s nothing to sneeze at. With his supporting cast vastly improved this offseason, too, 2022-23 looks like his best chance at a career year.
60. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings: Any defenseman who gives you 50 points, 187 shots, 151 hits and 161 blocks in a season is worth getting excited about. But Seider did it as a rookie! If that’s the floor, I can’t wait to see how much better he gets in the coming seasons. Even his Year-1 fantasy stat line looked like something we’d get from Zdeno Chara in his prime.
61. Juuse Saros, G, Predators: Saros’ 67 starts last season tied for the most of any goalie since 2016-17, and he mixed some excellent rate stats in with the volume, too. If the ranking seems a little low, it’s only because I expect the Preds to reduce the workload in 2022-23 after his body broke down just in time for him to miss the playoffs. Still a strong pick as your starting fantasy netminder.
62. Trevor Zegras, C, Ducks: He’s oh-so fun in real life thanks to his puck wizardry and daring scoring attempts that go viral. But don’t let that distract you from how good he also is. There’s steak with the sizzle. He was close to a point-per-game player after the All-Star break as a rookie, and he could bust out as a fantasy star as soon as this season. He’s out with an upper-body injury after taking a devastating hit in a pre-season game this week. I’m hesitant to downgrade him too much, however, because even 70 games of Zegras could be darn special this season.
63. Elias Lindholm, C, Flames: Lindholm was looking like the biggest fantasy faller this summer. He lost linemates Gaudreau and Tkachuk. But I never expected he’d get a probable replacement linemate as good as Huberdeau. So Lindholm may be a strong fantasy contributor after all, even if doesn’t match his carer-best 2021-22 numbers. He has successfully held off Kadri for first-line work. We can draft Lindholm as a C1 now.
64. Kris Letang, D, Penguins: The man remains a monster performer in fantasy, coming off the best all-around season of his career despite turning 35 in April. I’m fine with taking him earlier than this if you want to, especially since he’s actually more durable than he gets credit for. I’m just keeping my ranking somewhat conservative given his age.
65. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Wild: Since Filip Gustavsson should be less of a playing time siphon than Cam Talbot was in Minnesota and the Wild are a much better team than Chicago was a year ago, Fleury enters 2022-23 with fantasy value back in line with what it was in Vegas. Being 37 years old offsets it a bit, so let’s call him a fantasy G1 but a lower-end one.
66. Nikolaj Ehlers, RW, Jets: He’s reached a new level, with 37 goals and 76 points per 82 games over the past two seasons, but injuries have cost him 29 games over that span. A healthy Ehlers would be a tremendous draft-day value. He averaged almost four shots per game last season, too.
67. Tim Stutzle, LW, Senators: He was already breaking out in the second half of 2021-22. Now he gets DeBrincat and Claude Giroux as probable linemates? Yes, please. Here comes the third-year explosion for the 2020 Draft’s third-overall pick. The huge new contract tells us how confident Ottawa is that he can play an even bigger role going forward. He was a point-per-game player in the final 35 games of last season, and he compiles plenty of hits, too. I had him far too low.
68. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames: Is there a more underrated player in fantasy hockey? Stuffs the stat sheet. Had 44 points, 203 shots, 179 blocks and 156 hits last season. Gold. The trade to Calgary doesn’t affect his value a ton for me. Maybe it caps his points ceiling slightly lower? Think of him as Nurse with a bit less upside.
69. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs: If you watched him in the playoffs, you’ll know he has visibly slowed – and he was never a great skater to begin with. It feels like Tavares has begun a true decline as he enters his age-32 season. That said, the fantasy value remains pretty robust given all the power-play time he gets with the Leafs’ superstars. I just like him better as a high-end C2 now than a C1. He’s not a lock to be ready for opening night, but the fact the Leafs are even considering that he might make it back by then is a good sign.
70. Nazem Kadri, C, Flames: Kadri delivered a career year at age 31, scoring at a 100-point pace when his previous best was 61. So what will he do in Calgary? The linemate permutations won’t compete with what he had in Colorado, but Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube make for perfectably respectable company. Kadri is a high risk, high-gain proposition in pools now. If he got 80 points or 50 points, neither result would surprise me.
71. Brayden Point, C, Lightning: Point’s 92-point explosion in 2018-19 felt like him reaching a new level at the time, but it looks more like an outlier now. His playoff exploits are legendary, yet he’s averaged less than a point per game in three straight regular seasons. Welcome to the ‘Better in Real Life’ club.
72. Joe Pavelski, RW, Stars: Playing with Robertson and Hintz is like anti-aging cream. A decline is inevitable, but I don’t think it’ll show up on the scoresheet this season. The chemistry is too good.
73. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres: So did we grade the Ryan O’Reilly trade too soon? What a breakout for Thompson, who piled up 38 goals and 250-plus shots. Can he improve on those numbers? I’m not sure yet given the Sabres are still in rebuild mode. But I think he can at least duplicate his 2021-22. As long as that beefy new contract doesn’t create too much pressure.
74. Clayton Keller, RW, Coyotes: The biggest change for Keller last season: he just played way more. His average TOI jumped by 3:28, helping him to a career-high 28 goals, with 63 points in 67 games. There’s no reason for coach Andre Tourigny to stop trusting Keller. His new level of production seems sustainable.
75. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche: The 13-44-57 stat line was lovely last season. You can still get him at a discount because his partner Makar overshadows him, but Toews is less of a secret now. He finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting. So don’t wait too long to draft him.
76. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres: From Chris Pronger to Ed Jovanovski to Victor Hedman to Aaron Ekblad, the list of big, mega-prospect defensemen who took a few years to put it all together is long. Dahlin is still only 22 and coming off his best fantasy season to date. ‘Superstar’ remains very much in his range of long-term outcomes.
77. Darcy Kuemper, G, Capitals: He was a fantasy star on a dominant Colorado squad in the regular season but looked ordinary at best during the team’s Stanley Cup run. I still like him as a viable starter in fantasy, but keep in mind he’s joining an inferior defensive club.
78. Cole Caufield, LW, Canadiens: Caufield last season with Dominique Ducharme as coach: one goal and 15 points in 30 games, plus a six-game AHL demotion. Caufield after Martin St. Louis took over as coach: 22 goals and 35 points in 37 games. Caufield scored at a 49-goal pace. Which Caufield is the real one? I’m guessing the latter, given he was a goal-scoring virtuoso at every level of his career before the NHL.
79. Patrice Bergeron, C, Bruins: Bergeron still plays and produces like a player ranked 30 spots higher than this. But we must factor in (a) that he’ll be 37 when next season starts and almost retired this offseason and (b) that he’ll return to Boston missing his longtime linemate Marchand. Love Bergeron, but the arrow points down.
80. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Capitals: It’s odd…when he’s coming off a bad year, I’m bullish on him, and when he’s coming off a good year, I’m wary. That’s because he’s been wildly inconsistent in his career. We’d be fools to assume he can be a 78-point player two years in a row, even though he’s talented enough to be.
81. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights: Durable and dynamic, Theodore has become a safe source for double-digit goal totals, points in the 50s and 200 shots. The only possible red flag is that Vegas looks like a weaker team on paper than it was a year ago.
82. Robert Thomas, C, Blues: The elite per-60 analytics translated to a huge breakout once the Blues finally gave him top-six ice time last season. He should be a great source of assists and points, but he’s not much of a compiler in other categories.
83. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils: Say hello to Discount Dougie. He’s far better than what he showed in his debut season with the Devils and remains one of the best goal scorers and shot generators at his position. He’s missed significant time due to injury in two of his past three seasons, but I anticipate that to be reflected in his draft-day price this time.
84. Vincent Trocheck, C, Rangers: Am I being too aggressive with this ranking given he’s coming off a 51-point season? I don’t think so. It came with 185 hits, don’t forget, and now Trocheck gets the best linemate he’s ever had in Panarin. I’d put money on Trocheck having his greatest fantasy season to date if he can stay healthy.
85. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Golden Knights: The points upside is sliding into the mid-40s, but that comes with double-digit goals, 200-plus shots and a bushel of blocks. Pietrangelo is an extremely safe pick.
86. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues: The progression has been pretty natural for a speedy youngster who scored at every level coming up. He’s here to stay as a viable fantasy RW2 – at worst.
87. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins: On-fire Bryan Rust is fun as heck to own. He got 17 of his 24 goals last season in a 19-game span. But he scored just seven times in his other 41 games. That volatility, and a propensity to get hurt, make him a better RW2 than RW1.
88. Pavel Buchnevich, LW, Blues: He’s still just 27 despite having six NHL seasons under his belt, and his career-best 30-46-76 slash line might be close to repeatable playing in a deep and talented Blues forward group.
89. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils: I admittedly didn’t realize he could be this good. He pretty much doubled his career highs across the board. He debuted in the NHL as a teenager, so he’s still only 23. The 73-point breakout was likely just Bratt ascending into his prime. He can keep it up.
90. Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets: I’m excited to see what Werenski can do with Gaudreau in town to augment Columbus’ offense. After six NHL seasons, Werenski’s average 82-game NHL stat line includes 15 goals, 48 points and 212 shots. Time for him to level up and have a career fantasy year.
91. Lucas Raymond, LW, Red Wings: Confident, intelligent and mature beyond his years, Raymond had the coaching staff’s trust from the pre-season and flourished as a rookie in a top-line winger role, putting up 23-34-57 in 82 games. He should only get better.
92. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators: He and linemates Norris and Brady Tkachuk feed off each other and play similarly physical styles, leading to a nice variety of fantasy numbers. He should give you 25-plus goals and triple digit hits at minimum, and he averaged almost a point per game last season to boot.
93. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche: Extremely productive when he’s healthy and typically playing with MacKinnon or Rantanen or both. But Landeskog pretty much never plays a full season anymore. Games missed over his past six seasons: 10, 4, 9, 16, 2, 31. Don’t reach. Hopefully you read this note before drafting, because Landeskog is already hurt. He won’t be ready for the start of the season as he deals with a lingering injury from last season. He’s an extremely risky pick now because his specific recovery timeline is so vague.
94. Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins: My demarcation point for ranking Marchand, who should miss at least th first couple months of 2022-23, was: “Am I willing to pass on this guy for half a season of Marchand?” For everyone ranked above him, the answer was no. For everyone below him, the answer was yes. Boosting him now that we have a more definitive return projection: U.S. Thanksgiving.
95. Tristan Jarry, G, Penguins: Jarry shook off his 2021 playoff meltdown and was one of the NHL’s better goalies in the 2021-22 regular season. He’s securely in the No. 1 job now on a team that committed to run it back and compete in the Metro Division after re-signing Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell.
96. Claude Giroux, RW, Senators: Ottawa’s a nice landing spot for Giroux from a personal-life perspective since he already lives there, but I like the fantasy fit, too. Assuming Ottawa’s top line stays intact, he should end up playing with DeBrincat and Stutzle. That sounds lovely to me.
97. Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Hurricanes: With Pacioretty eventually joining the lineup and Seth Jarvis rising up, Teravainen has more competition for ice time in Carolina’s top six. He’s still a reliable secondary source of assists and points, however, and it was encouraging to see him play 77 games last season after scary concussion woes limited him to 21 games the season prior.
98. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars: From Brent Burns to Shea Theodore, plenty of puck-moving D-men have had career years under coach Pete DeBoer, who loves to activate his blueliners. Now that he’s in Dallas, I think we finally get the breakout offensive season for Heiskanen, who, to this point, has been better in real life than fantasy.
99. Alexandar Georgiev, G, Avalanche: From a backup who couldn’t crack a .900 save percentage in 2021-22 to the presumed starter on the Stanley Cup champs? No player’s fantasy value jumped more this summer. Some trepidation is warranted given Georgiev has never started more than 32 games in a season. He’s a roughly a top-10 goalie for me, but let’s not go crazy and declare him an elite G1 in fantasy right away.
100. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights: He’s too good to land on my do-not-draft list, but I don’t expect to get Stone in many drafts this year, as I’ll wait too long. I’ve already established that his stat lines tend to be empty calories in hockey pools, heavy on assists and points but lacking in banger stats. Now we must factor in that he’s returning from back surgery and linemate Pacioretty was traded. I see too many reasons not to pick Stone this year. That said, I spoke to him last week and asked him point blank how his recovery was going. With no hesitation, he said he’ll play opening night. That’s enough for me to boost him, albeit players are sometimes overconfident about their injuries.
101. Matt Boldy, LW, Wild: All this kid does is score. I believed every bit of his 15-goal, 39-point sample size across 47 games in his rookie year. It’s too bad he won’t have Fiala around anymore, as the two played really well together, but I wouldn’t worry too much. Boldy is good enough to be a star regardless of linemates. I’m thinking he scores 30 goals this season.
102. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators: I’m greedy when it comes to Chabot. He’s been an excellent D2 in fantasy for a few seasons now, but his talent and gargantuan ice time totals have me predicting he jumps to the D1 tier every season. I’m willing to take that swing one more time given the firepower Ottawa added at forward this summer.
103. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders: Don’t assume that the Isles’ coaching change will unlock Barzal’s ceiling. Lane Lambert comes from the Barry Trotz tree, so I expect the team’s tight-checking identity to remain intact. That means Barzal, an ‘A’ grade talent, might continue delivering ‘B’ stats in fantasy.
104. Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Golden Knights: The Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy hockey. He goes out and gets you 25 to 30 goals, 60-plus points and 250 shots year after year. He may even have some sneaky depth-chart upside if he gets promoted to Pacioretty’s old spot.
105. Tomas Hertl, C, Sharks: Turning 29 in November, Hertl has entered his Boring Veteran years. Nothing wrong with that. We can count on him for 30 goals. It appears his upside beyond that has evaporated, though.
106. Matt Duchene, C, Predators: I’ve ranked him outside the top 100 after a career year in which he tallied 43 goals and 86 points in 78 games? Yes. Yes I have. The next time Duchene has two good years in a row will be the first time.
107. Noah Dobson, D, Islanders: Gave us numbers not much different from what you get from a Pietrangelo type, and Dobson did it as a 22-year-old. There’s upside for more, but not until the Isles improve their overall offense.
108. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers: Has played 81 games in a Florida uniform, giving us a full-season stat line of 34-30-64 with 280 shots and 148 hits. Settling in as a reliable mid-round pick.
109. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks: He had a reverse Caufield season: sizzling before the All-Star break, with 25 goals in 43 games and an unsustainable shooting percentage of 25.3 percent, then 12 goals in 32 games post-break with his shooting percentage regressing to 12.9 percent. So what should we expect in 2022-23? I’ll call it 30-30-60 and concede that there’s room for more if Zegras goes off.
110. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins: He and Linus Ullmark split their workload exactly down the middle and had almost identical numbers last season. But Swayman, five years younger, has the upside and outplayed Ullmark in the playoffs. I’m ranking Swayman as if he tilts the timeshare from 50/50 to 60/40.
111. Brent Burns, D, Hurricanes: He delivered his best fantasy campaign in a few years, then gets traded to a much more fertile situation in Carolina this offseason. He’s 37, but I think he has at least one more good year in him for poolies. I don’t think 60 points are out of the question.
112. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings: Eventually, the hipster in your draft will reach too far on a hot sleeper, leaving someone like Kopitar to fall into your lap. Before you swing on a kid who could get 60 points, remember that Kopitar will in his sleep – maybe even more now that he’ll have Fiala in the mix.
113. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Jets: The well-rounded fantasy contributor finally delivered numbers to match his real-life hype in 2021-22. But will the stock keep trending up? Hard to say given the fact he’s already indicated he doesn’t want to stay in Winnipeg long term. Will he end up traded?
114. Jakob Chychrun, D, Coyotes (-21): The regression was very disappointing after he was such a star as the NHL’s top goal-scoring defenseman in 2020-21. He did, however, look more like his old self in February and March. He’s still just 24 and carries first-round pedigree, so I believe the breakout version of Chychrun is the real him. Ankle has healed but he’s recovering from wrist surgery and on the IR. Will he be traded before he plays another game for Arizona?
115. Seth Jones, D, Blackhawks: Actually had a nicely well-rounded fantasy stat line last season, but he was a killer in plus-minus leagues and should be again, maybe even more so. He might be playing on the worst NHL team of his career in 2022-23, so I fear he’ll be a mild bust.
116. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins: Geno rides again. He’s still quite the asset in head-to-head leagues because he can produce a point per game whenever he plays. He’s worth less in roto leagues now because we have no idea how many games he can play per season anymore. Shall we predict about 50 points in about 50 games?
117. Andrew Mangiapane, LW, Flames: With Gaudreau gone, the potential ice time spike would’ve been noteworthy for Mangiapane, a player who managed 35 goals playing just 15 minutes a night last season. Nevermind. Huberdeau’s presence should make it status quo and we get roughly the same Mangiapane as before. That said, he’s now a lock to have Lindholm or Kadri as a center rather than potentially playing with Mikael Backlund. That’s a win.
118. Jakub Vrana, LW, Red Wings: Unbelievably efficient. Vrana scores 25 goals per 82 games in his career despite averaging 13:54 of ice time. Even when Detroit eased him back from shoulder surgery last year, he managed 13 goals in 26 games. If new Wings coach Derek Lalonde is willing to let Vrana cook, he’s capable of burying 40 goals. He has 21 in just 37 games across two seasons with Detroit.
119. John Klingberg, D, Ducks: He’s a top-10 scorer on defense since debuting in the NHL in 2014-15. His landing spot doesn’t change his value a ton for me. The Stars had the league’s No. 21 offense last year, while the Ducks were 24th.
120. Zach Hyman, LW, Oilers: I figured the ceiling would be slightly higher with Hyman hitching his wagon to the Oilers offense. Oh well, 27-27-54 is perfectly helpful for any fantasy team. No reason why he can’t do that again.
121. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers: His grip on the starting job actually strengthened over Spencer Knight last season. I didn’t expect that. Knight’s potential is so great, however, that I recommend handcuffing him if you draft ‘Bob.’
122. Jacob Trouba, D, Rangers: He gave us everything that his fellow stat stuffers Nurse and Weegar did last season. I love Trouba as a fantasy pick. I just have him lower than those two because Trouba was never that good in his previous eight seasons. I want to see him do it again.
123. Taylor Hall, LW, Bruins (+12): Week to week with an upper-body injury…but maybe the week to week meant “week.” He’s back practising. Phew.
124. Ryan Hartman, C, Wild: As you can see, I’m a bit risk averse for guys who break out late. That incredible 2021-22 as Kaprizov’s center came in Hartman’s eighth season. His 34 goals and 65 points beat previous career highs of 19 and 31, respectively. I just can’t bring myself to rank him fully reflecting last season’s value. I could be very wrong, of course.
125. David Perron, RW Red Wings: Here’s a classic case of “new signing helps his team a lot but hurts his own value.” Perron should inject the Red Wings with offense but joins a weaker team. The good news: because he does so much of his damage on the power play, he should get time with Detroit’s best offensive players no matter what. Maybe he ends up being a value pick.
126. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild: The impact of playing with Kaprizov is obvious. But if you want to pay up for another 79-point year out of a 35-year-old who has missed 72 games due to injury in his past four seasons…that makes one of us.
127. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, LW, Oilers: Extra helpful in leagues that count power-play points, as he’s usually out there piling up assists while 97 and 29 light it up.
128. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes. In his age-19 season, he had 17 goals, 40 points and 69 hits in 68 games. He’s a bona fide prospect who is a major part of the team’s plans going forward, one of my top breakout picks for 2022-23 – assuming he has no lingering complications from an ugly concussion he sustained in the 2022 playoffs.
129. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes: Quite the comeback season for Andersen, who finished third in the NHL in SV% and sixth in goal-against average and won 35 decisions in 52 appearances. He’d deserve a much higher rank if I had confidence in him staying healthy. Have to price in the risk.
130. Jack Campbell, G, Oilers: The move to Edmonton leaves Campbell’s fantasy value about the same. Since they paid him the term and money to commit to him as a long-term starter, we can feel confident that he’ll play a lot and rack up counting stats. On the other hand, he’s moving to a weaker defensive club and will face higher-quality chances, so his rate stats might suffer a bit.
131. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues: Trading Ville Husso and signing clear backup Thomas Greiss sends the message that Binnington is entrenched as St. Louis’ starter despite losing that job for a stretch last season. But will he make the most of it? Binnington has been maddeningly inconsistent, and the Blues were downright horrific defensively last season. They allow tons of chances.
132. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers: Posted a 12-31-43 line with more than 200 shots in his age-22 season and should continue to see increased opportunities in the Oilers’ carnival-grade offense. Hitch your wagon to Bouchard and you won’t be sorry.
133. Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings: That had to be the quietest 35-goal season in recent memory, and it came with a beefy shot total. The only reason for trepidation is not knowing how Fiala’s arrival might affect Kempe’s line deployment yet. Fiala can play both wings, so ideally we get a Kempe-Kopitar-Fiala trio.
134. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Kraken: The 28 goals didn’t come out of nowhere. He’d been scoring at that rate for a while, just not over a full schedule. So I’m betting he can maintain that production even after the trade from Columbus. He may get more of an opportunity in Seattle, too.
135. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens: We all noticed the Caufield explosion in the second half, but Suzuki caught fire, too, amassing 34 points in 38 games after the All-Star break. His fantasy value as a C2 is starting to catch up to his real-life value. Out a couple weeks with a lower-body injury, but I’m not dropping him in the rankings yet since there has been no suggestion he’ll miss opening night.
136. Ryan O’Reilly, C, Blues: Purely a floor play nowadays, but so safe. You know exactly what you get with O’Reilly: about 20 goals and 60 points.
137. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild: A nice pick if you’re targeting specific categories in the middle rounds. He rates as above average in goals, shots and hits and was particularly dangerous on the power play last season.
138. Michael Bunting, LW, Maple Leafs: It took a few weeks for the Leafs to settle on their Hyman replacement. After the likes of Nick Ritchie flopped on Toronto’s top line, the agitator Bunting seized the gig and was a great fit. He could improve slightly on last year’s 23 goals and 63 points if he spends the entire season with Matthews and Marner this time.
139. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers: Barkov’s most frequent left winger is an even-strength behemoth. Just five of Verhaeghe’s 91 points in a Panther uniform have come on the power play. That caps his upside for now, and he’s at worst a 50-point guy at this point, but it’ll be interesting to see how Tkachuk shakes up the depth chart. If he moves to the left side, will Verhaeghe get bumped off the top line?
140. Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks (+6): Because he’s never topped 71 games in a season, he still hasn’t hit the 30-goal mark yet despite his rep as one of the game’s best pure shooters. It’ll happen for him eventually, but he’s a risky own these days. I wouldn’t call him a Circle of Trust guy in fantasy leagues. Sounds like he’s close to returning from his hand injury – earlier than expected.
141. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres: Was actually better immediately after returning from injury than he was down the stretch in his first season as a Sabre. Strange. Either way, I’m bullish on Tuch in an improving forward corps. Draft him as an RW3 and you might get RW2 numbers.
142. Brayden Schenn, C, Blues: As he slid down the depth chart a bit, Schenn averaged his lowest TOI in six years. He still managed 24 goals, 58 points and 119 hits in just 62 games, but keep in mind he scored on a ridiculous 21.6 percent of his shots. I’d say 58 points in 82 games, not 62 games, would be the right pace to project for 2022-23.
143. Drew Doughty, Kings: Was having his best fantasy season in years but lost major time to injuries, including one to his wrist that required season-ending surgery. A healthy Doughty on an improving team could still be a value play in pools.
144. Bo Horvat, C, Canucks: He tends to be more of a floor guy in fantasy but has developed sneaky-useful goal contributions. Career-best 31 last year and has always been a high-percentage shooter.
145. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Flames: Pretty reliable source of 25 goals, give or take, and has become much more of an asset in the hits category over the last couple seasons. Could be a first-liner this year in the Tkachuk spot, too. That’s where he’s playing so far in camp.
146. Anton Lundell, C, Panthers: As a fantasy commodity he reminds me a lot of Suzuki: intelligent two-way player, better source of assists than goals, worth more in real life, still good enough to roster in all but the shallowest of pools. He’s getting a look alongside Barkov as a first-line winger this pre-season. That is a highly actionable item in pools if the deployment sticks. Even if it doesn’t, it’s clear the Panthers are ready to expand Lundell’s responsibility. Buy.
147. Logan Couture, C, Sharks: Might be the most boring of the Boring Vets brigade. But if you want safe, pick Couture and enjoy what should be a duplication of last year’s 23-33-56 line.
148. Nico Hischier, C, Devils: Overshadowed by 2020 No. 1 overall pick Hughes’ breakout, 2017 No. 1 overall pick Hischier set career highs in goals (21), assists (39) and points (60) last season. His ceiling isn’t anything close to Hughes’, but Hischier should be here to stay as a reliable secondary threat for years to come. Out with a hamstring strain.
149. Conor Garland, RW, Canucks: I expected a bigger breakout last season, but sometimes a move to a deeper team can backfire because there’s more competition for looks. Garland’s average power play time was cut almost in half from 2:51 in Arizona to 1:36 in Vancouver. So maybe he’s not a 30-goal threat after all.
150. Rickard Rakell, RW, Penguins: Not sure what to make of him. I assumed the trade to Pittsburgh would spike his fantasy value massively but it didn’t. He’s had unlucky shooting percentages so many years in a row that I don’t think it’s unlucky anymore. He’s just not a great finisher.
151. Elvis Merzlikins, G, Blue Jackets: A .907 SV% with his impossibly tough workload was miraculous. The Blue Jackets should be better this season, making Merzlikins a nice sleeper given what he could accomplish on a bad team.
152. Ville Husso, G, Red Wings: I wouldn’t worry too much about a perceived team downgrade for Husso. The Blues were a nightmare defensively last year, allowing Husso to be peppered. The biggest question for me is how big Husso’s workload will be. I assume bigger than Alex Nedeljkovic’s, but what does that mean? Between 45 and 50 starts?
153. Tony DeAngelo, D, Flyers: He stayed out of trouble and delivered strong offensive numbers last season. He’s capable of doing that again this season, but he’s joining the weakest offensive team he’s played for to date, and he’s going to have John Tortorella as coach. DeAngelo isn’t the bargain he was a year ago.
154. Cam Atkinson, RW, Flyers: In his past seven non-shortened seasons, he’s cleared 20 goals and 200 shots every time. He’s reunited with Tortorella, with whom Atkinson had his best years in Columbus.
155. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Coyotes: In points leagues that don’t penalize for plus-minus, ‘Ghost Bear’ is quietly pretty useful as a No. 3 blueliner or even a No. 2 if you want to punt the defense position. Had 14 goals and 51 points last season.
156. Jeff Skinner, LW, Sabres: We know better than to accept anything from Skinner as reliable, but I feel somewhat confident in a repeat of his 33-goal effort simply because his linemate situation is improving. He works well with Thompson.
157. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Red Wings: I actually think he has a shot to be as good as last season. He’s very efficient, converting more than 15 percent of his shots in his career, and he upped his shot output significantly in 2021-22.
158. Anders Lee, LW, Islanders: Took a while to find his game as he came back from knee surgery, scoring just four goals in his first 15 games, but he had a 24-18-42 line in 61 games after that, looking very much like the Lee we’re used to.
159. Ondrej Palat, LW, Devils: Could come at a discount if casual drafters believe his value takes a hit now that he left Tampa. Given what New Jersey paid to get Palat, we should expect him to get all the plum opportunities, including first-line and power-play work.
160. John Gibson, G, Ducks (-8): The trade talk has died down, so it sounds like he’s still a Duck going forward. If the team around him improves – and it should, gradually – he could end up being a sneaky pick as your No. 2 netminder. Battling an upper-body injury to start the season, though. That could give Anthonly Stolarz an opening.
161. Tanner Jeannot, LW, Predators: I’m not sure if he can score on 19.4 percent of his shots and get 24 goals again next year. But the man had 318 hits, so he’ll be a force in banger leagues even if there’s some goal regression.
162. Tyler Seguin, C, Stars: Wait. What if Seguin’s days of fantasy relevance aren’t over? Putting distance between himself and his hip surgery, he logged 81 games last season, with 25 goals, 49 points, 218 shots and 96 hits. If he can maintain that floor, he’s rosterable.
163. Dylan Strome, C, Capitals: I don’t think going to Washington increases Strome’s value given he usually had high-quality linemates in Chicago, but I do think it maintains Strome’s value as a good source of assists who can flirt with point-per-game production when hot.
164. Mason Marchment, LW, Stars: Such a hard player to project. He was so good in limited duty last year that only Gaudreau and Marner averaged more 5-on-5 points per 60. With this rank, I’m trying to split the difference between acknowledging that (a) Marchment’s breakout came with a 54-game sample size and no prior indications it was coming and (b) it was still damn good, enough to make him an intriguing pick if he falls far enough in your draft.
165. Chandler Stephenson, C, Golden Knights: I was ready to be bearish on Stephenson now that Vegas would have a full season of Eichel as its No. 1 center, but the Pacioretty trade opens up the possibility of Stephenson playing the left wing on Line 1. I think Stephenson is the biggest beneficiary.
166. Brock Nelson, C, Islanders: He scored 37 goals in 72 games? What!? He did it on 21.6 percent shooting, so it was a puck luck campaign. Don’t pay for a repeat. Bet on 27 this time.
167. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Lightning: Already a steady contributor in almost every fantasy category and, at 24, he hasn’t had his best seasons yet. A high-floor, high-ceiling bet.
168. Torey Krug, D, Blues: His offensive floor remains pretty high. It’s just the ceiling that has disappeared since he became a Blue. I wouldn’t mind seeing him traded.
169. Jared McCann, LW, Kraken: Set career highs in goals (27) and points (50) on his new team. The Kraken depth chart looks more crowded but that poses more of a threat to the older vets than to McCann.
170. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Kings: His 66 games were actually his most since 2017-18. He’s banged up too often these days to be a 30-goal scorer again. But 20 with a bunch of shots? Yes.
171. Valeri Nichushkin, LW, Avalanche: Listen, I know he reached a new level this past season and carries the first-round pedigree. I just don’t want to go overboard for a guy who doubled his career bests and is extremely valuable for his defensive contributions in real life. I worry his draft-day price will be inflated by the Stanley Cup win.
172. Matty Beniers, C, Kraken: Nice start to his NHL career with nine points in 10 games. He’ll get every shot to be Seattle’s No. 1 pivot. Just keep in mind Beniers’ prospect upside is not to become a “scoring champion” type. He’s a responsible two-way guy. But I expect him to be rosterable even in shallow leagues. Probably the Calder Trophy frontrunner, right there with Owen Power and Mason McTavish.
173. Nick Schmaltz, C, Coyotes: Even if you strip away his epic seven-point game, he was plenty good last season. He’s not the most durable but a decent depth add for contributions in the assists and points categories.
174. Justin Faulk, D, Blues: He’s 11 seasons into his career but only just turned 30, so he’s not over the hill. I’m a little wary about that 16-goal season, though, as it came with the highest shooting percentage of his career.
175. Noah Hanifin, D, Flames: He’s slowly becoming the fantasy contributor he was expected to be when he was a top-five NHL Draft pick in 2015. Should still accumulate plenty of points now that Huberdeau is around to replace Johnny Hockey’s playmaking.
176. Andre Burakovsky, LW, Kraken: Hurts to leave the Avs’ top six but he’s likely a first-liner on his new team, so the increased opportunity offsets the team downgrade.
177. Martin Necas, RW, Hurricanes: Trending in the wrong direction. He had fewer points in 78 games than he did in 53 games the year prior. That said: it wasn’t long ago he was supposed to be a center. With Trocheck gone, is there a chance Necas gets another opportunity there? I guess not now that Paul Stastny is in town.
178. Mikael Granlund, C, Predators: Above-average contributions to the assists category but nowhere else. Tough to project year to year. Had 64 points last season in 80 games, 57 points in 114 games the previous two seasons combined.
179. Jake DeBrusk, LW, Bruins: Shows flashes. Scored at close to a 40-goal pace in the second half last year. I don’t trust him but this is the most late-round intrigue he’s carried in a while, especially since he’ll be locked into a top-six job while Marchand is out.
180. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers: Maybe he never realizes his potential, or maybe he clicks with Tortorella and finally becomes a 30-goal scorer. At least it won’t cost too much to find out anymore.
181. Bowen Byram, D, Avalanche: Add up his 2021-22 regular season and playoff totals and you get a better sense of his immense upside: 50 GP, 5-21-26, 93 shots, 98 hits. His concussion history is worrisome, but if it’s behind him, he’s a steal in fantasy drafts.
182. Matt Murray, G, Maple Leafs: Someone has to carve out fantasy value in Toronto’s crease this season, right? To start the year, the edge goes to Murray. Even when I asked Rielly last week how he felt about the new tandem, he answered by speaking about Murray only. It feels like the players view Murray as the No. 1 for now.
183. Ivan Barbashev, C, Blues: I know this probably seems criminally low for a guy coming off a 26-goal, 60-point season. But he scored on more than 23 percent of his shots. That’s downright absurd. Not sustainable.
184. Ivan Provorov, D, Flyers: Hasn’t taken the big step toward stardom I expected him to by now, but even a plateauing version of the well-rounded Provorov is a nice D3 pick for a fantasy team, especially when the upside for a breakout remains.
185. Jeff Petry, D, Penguins: I think he can bounce back at 34. Even in a bad 2021-22, he was an asset in the hits, blocks and shots category, and the point total should climb north of 30 again on his new team.
186. Logan Thompson, G, Golden Knights: I had to drop Thompson given Vegas gave up a draft pick to get Hill. I’m trying not to overreact. Thompson is still my pick to finish 2022-23 as the Golden Knights’ starter. It’s possible Hill is merely a stopgap while Brossoit works his way back from injury. On the other hand: only Thompson is waivers exempt of the three. That means he could be the odd man out when Brossoit returns. Thompson a much riskier pick now than he was a few weeks ago.
187. Jamie Drysdale, D, Ducks: Drysdale is every bit of good as a prospect as Zegras. The kid had 32 points in his rookie season on Anaheim’s blueline…as a teenager. I could see him busting out for 50 as a sophomore. Well, I could have, but newly signed Klingberg likely blocks Drysdale’s slot on PP1, possibly rendering his fantasy development stagnant this season.
188. Blake Coleman, LW, Flames: Still one of my favorite late-round targets if you’re needing to puff up your hit and shot totals and still get 15 to 20 goals from the pick, too.
189. Ilya Samsonov, G, Maple Leafs: Murray likely gets the first crack at 1A duty, but Samsonov, just a few years removed from Best Goalie Prospect in the World status, is the higher-upside stash for your bench.
190. Carter Hart, G, Flyers: He was a bright spot on the Flyers last year, and new coach Tortorella’s schemes tend to be defense-oriented and therefore goalie-friendly. But with the team in front of Hart crumbling before the season even starts, I’m worried. Wins will be hard to come by.
191. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins: If you feel like you’ve aced the early and middle rounds of your draft? Maybe you can afford to use a stash pick on McAvoy, who could help a lot in the second half of your season with his across-the-board contributions when he returns from shoulder surgery.
192. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals: Ahead of schedule. Tracking to return from ACL surgery around late November to early December, so he’s an upside stash for the second half. Keep in mind that, because his game is so physical, it may take him a while to be the real Tom Wilson again.
193. Jack Roslovic, C, Blue Jackets: Some center in Columbus is going to break out this season thanks to Gaudreau. If not Sillinger, will it be Roslovic? He probably has the inside track on top-six work in the short term at least.
194. Yegor Sharangovich, RW, Devils: No one talks about this guy. Had 24 goals as a sophomore and did almost all of it at even strength. Not a bad late-round target for goals.
195. Phillip Danault, C, Kings: I don’t expect another 27 goals from the defensive specialist, but at least 15 and at least 45 points? Sure.
196. Dawson Mercer, C, Devils: A 17-goal rookie season puts him squarely on the fantasy radar. Because he can play the wing as well, he has a solid shot of sticking in New Jersey’s top six and building on his totals.
197. Cole Sillinger, C, Blue Jackets: Here’s my long-term pick to gain the most from the Gaudreau acquisition. Scored 16 goals as an 18-year-old and I like him to be Columbus’ No. 1 pivot by season’s end. He’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, however, and every missed day puts him further back in the battle for first-line duty. Back on the ice but not ready for game duty yet.
198. Victor Olofsson, RW, Sabres: A talented shooter with an improving team situation around him. He’s capable of more than last season’s 20-29-49 line.
199. Rasmus Andersson, Flames: Should continue to be a solid source of assists, plus-minus and shots, though it’s worth keeping an eye on whether Weegar’s arrival eats into Andersson’s role at all since Weegar can play the left and right side.
200. Linus Ullmark, G, Bruins: Even if we get confirmation from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery that Ullmark will remain in a 50/50 split this season, I’m just not buying it. Swayman is the better long-term bet.
201. Ryan Johansen, C, Predators: Yes, I’ve buried him here despite his resurgent 2021-22 season. Sorry, but he doubled his career shooting percentage last season. He won’t sniff 26 goals again. At best, he’ll help you in assists. The upside isn’t there anymore.
202. Blake Wheeler, RW, Jets: Fantasy wise, he’s not as “finished” as the public perception might have you believe. Had 60 points in 65 games last season. His scoring is in decline, though, so perhaps he dips into the 50s or worse in his age-36 campaign.
203. Erik Karlsson, D, Sharks: So far off the radar now, it seems, that he’s a decent late-round pick for head-to-head formats. He can still give you some offense even if it’s just for 50 games.
204. Nino Niederreiter, RW, Predators: I’d say his value is unchanged leaving Carolina for Nashville. He’ll likely be a second-liner again, maybe with slightly more opportunities but with slightly inferior linemates.
205. Alex Killorn, LW, Lightning: He’s not exciting but, with Palat, gone, Killorn’s odds of getting consistent top-six work go up. That should yield another 20 to 25 goals.
206. Jakub Voracek, RW, Blue Jackets: You’d expect a guy with 800 points and 1,000-plus games to be older than 32, no? Voracek can still squeeze out a bit more fantasy relevance. He cracked the NHL’s top 20 in assists last season.
207. Jared Spurgeon, D, Wild: The NHL’s smallest D-man can be counted on for 10 goals and 30 points at minimum – while not helping much in the banger categories and usually missing time with minor injuries.
208. Trevor Moore, LW, Kings: Had two points in his first 22 games before catching fire for an extremely useful 16-30-46 line over his final 59 games. He has more competition to stick in L.A.’s top six now, but he’s rosterable in deep leagues and some medium leagues.
209. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rangers: Does this ranking imply I’m not expecting a Lafreniere breakout? I wouldn’t say that. I’ve ranked him among the 40-to-50-point forwards, and that level of production in Year 3 would constitute a noteworthy improvement.
210. Spencer Knight, G, Panthers: So the breakout season hasn’t come yet. That’s OK. I feel like he’ll be cheaper in drafts this season. He finished 2021-22 strong, winning Rookie of the Month honors for April. He’s the No. 2 in Florida but still has a shot to steal the job or at least earn a bigger share of starts this season.
211. Boone Jenner, C, Blue Jackets: Had 23 goals in 59 games last season after barely being rosterable the season prior. No idea what to do with him now. I won’t draft him if he’s priced based on his 2021-22 production…unless he starts the year centering the Gaudreau line. So far in camp, he looks like the favorite given Laine and Gaudreau need a defensive conscience on their line.
212. Josh Morrissey, D, Jets: Delivered easily the best fantasy line of his career last year. The 12-goal output was the result of shooting the puck a lot more, and he was helpful in hits, too.
213. Artturi Lehkonen, RW, Avalanche: We all love his moxie. Just don’t forget he’s more of a real-life asset. In fantasy: still looking for his first 20-goal season, though he’s a decent bet to get it playing on the stacked Avs for a full year. He’s the early beneficiary of the Landeskog injury, lining up with MacKinnon and Rantanen so far in camp.
214. Marco Rossi, C, Wild: Post-hype sleeper alert. If his scary health issues are behind him, he could climb Minny’s depth chart and become a high-impact fantasy asset quickly. Had 53 points in 63 games in the AHL during his first full season as a pro. All the pre-season buzz suggests he’s ready to rock.
215. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Canadiens (+9): Exciting potential but he’s rawer than your typical No. 1 overall pick. MADE THE TEAM and is ticketed for a scoring-line role to boot. We’ll see if he’s ready, but the opportunity warrants a nice rankings jump.
216. Andrew Copp, C, Red Wings: I fear a bust here, poolies. No matter who his Detroit linemates are, they won’t equate with the likes of Ehlers and Scheifele in Winnipeg or Panarin and Strome in New York. And Copp was never a scorer – at any level, dating back to the USHL and college – before last season’s age-27 breakout. Now he’s out for training camp after abdominal surgery and his absence runs the risk of bleeding into the season. I’m out.
217. Connor Brown, RW, Capitals (NR): Could have one of the most productive stretches of his career opening the season with Kuznetsov and Ovechkin. Be prepared to sell high before Wilson returns and reclaims his spot, though.
218. Adam Henrique, LW, Ducks: He’s far more interesting to me if he’s playing the wing with Zegras. The Strome signing makes that more likely.
219. Marcus Foligno, LW, Wild: Very difficult player to appraise. A season of 23 goals and 238 hits carries fantasy value, no doubt, but Foligno led the NHL in shooting percentage. He was lucky. You draft him for the hits, and the offense is more of a bonus.
220. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars: The former fantasy first-rounder has settled in as a depth roster filler who can give you a little bit of everything. Now that expectations are realistic, he’s no longer a disappointment in pools.
221. Brandon Saad, LW, Blues: I’ve ranked him fairly low because he lacks upside, but the man gets you goals. He’s buried between 18 and 31 in each of his non-shortened NHL seasons.
222. Yanni Gourde, C, Kraken: We’ve typically counted on him for a 20-25-45 type of line, but be careful: he has a lot more depth chart competition up the middle this season.
223. Neal Pionk, D, Jets: Scoring and ice time have trended down of late. Yofou can at least expect 30 points and a lot of hits from him.
224. Evgenii Dadonov, LW, Canadiens: At least 20 goals and 43 points in every non-shortened season since 2017-18. Still, I prefer to leave guys like him on the wire and swing for the fences with my late-round picks.
225. Pavel Francouz, G, Avalanche: Even a jump to 50 starts would be a massive workload increase for Georgiev. Francouz’s playing time should spike significantly in 2022-23 as Georgiev’s partner.
226. Jaccob Slavin, D, Hurricanes: Known more for his defense and gentlemanly demeanor but has also become a pretty high-floor fantasy defenseman who can fill out the back of your D-corps with 35 to 40 points and lots of blocks.
227. Anthony Mantha, LW, Capitals: The end result never seems to match the potential. Feels like he should be a 30-goal scorer but really struggles with injuries. And at 27, he’s no longer a prospect. I think I’m off this train.
228. Shane Wright, C, Kraken: “Despite the fact he fell to fourth in the NHL Draft, I’d argue Wright has a better chance to play in the NHL this season than the three players picked before him. His mature two-way mind should endear him to his coaches quickly and he has less competition for a job on a one-year-old franchise just starting to build out its pipeline.” That was my original note on Wright. Nailed it. Kraken GM Ron Francis said this week he expects Wright to be with the team all year.
229. Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Oilers: Set aside the neverending debate between Edmonton media and the analytics community about him for a second. While he’s neither a dud nor a deity in my mind, he had 14 points in his first 13 games last season – then 22 points in 52 games after that. That tells us he’s equally talented and inconsistent offensively. He hasn’t lost his potential to be special. I just don’t know if it’s going to happen in Edmonton.
230. Semyon Varlamov, G, Islanders: If you have a high-volume starter or two rostered in a deep league, Varlamov is a quality backup who might start 25 to 30 games and give you good rate stats.
231. Vitek Vanecek, G, Devils: Do you believe the Devils can finally start to ascend in the Metro? If so, Vanecek could be a good late-round flier since he’s likely the 1A to Mackenzie Blackwood’s 1B to start the season. If the Devils remain a bottom-feeder team, however, you won’t want to start any of their goalies.
232. Jake Allen, G, Canadiens: With Carey Price unlikely to play at all this season, the No. 1 job in Montreal is Allen’s, at least until he gets traded. And, hey, the Habs were much more competitive under St. Louis, so maybe Allen is a decent bench streamer.
233. Jonathan Quick, G, Kings: I give him the slight edge over Cal Petersen after outplaying him last season and starting all seven playoff games. I’d love for one of the two to truly separate from the other. The Kings are a solid team. Their goaltenders should be fantasy relevant, but they cannibalize each other’s value a bit.
234. Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Oilers: Has barely been rosterable since scoring at an 80-point pace in a sizzling 27-game sample in 2019-20. Whether it’s Yamamoto or Puljujarvi traded, I suspect it’ll help both players’ ability to stay in the top six year round, which could mean a slight uptick in numbers.
235. Damon Severson, D, Devils: Here’s a guy you can pick late if you’re a ZeroDefense strategist. He’s capable of eclipsing 40 points again while playing in relative obscurity.
236. Ryan Strome, C, Ducks: The linemate downgrade from Panarin is tough. Hard to get excited about Strome’s fantasy prospects for that reason alone. It’s not like he set the world on fire even when playing with the Bread Man, right?
237. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks: “Anaheim’s long-term No. 2 center was drafted third overall in 2021. The Strome signing tells us the Ducks won’t necessarily rush McTavish into a plum scoring gig. He is the epitome of a wait-and-see prospect.” That was my original writeup. Well, we waited, and we saw…McTavish dominate the World Juniors, leading Canada to gold and taking MVP honors. He certainly looked like a man among boys, so that bodes well for him pushing for a big role in Anaheim this season. Buy.
238. Phil Kessel, RW, Golden Knights: Kessel moves to a much more competitive team than he played for in Arizona. The Golden Knights have reasonable depth at right wing, but he’s seeing left-wing deployment on an Eichel line. Suddenly, Phil the Thrill looks like a potential cheap source of points and power play points in the later rounds.
239. Alexander Holtz, LW, Devils: New Jersey’s top six is ascending but still lacks the high-ceiling sniper type. That’s Holtz. If he can make the team out of camp, he’s a nice rookie sleeper. Seeing him start out with Palat and Hughes is exactly what we wanted. So far, so good. The September buzz keeps building, and he’s getting power-play looks. All that’s left is for him to officially make the team. I’m ready to reach.
240. Dillon Dube, RW, Flames: Played just 12:50 a night yet managed 18 goals, 147 shots and 87 hits. He should have your attention as a late-round roster filler, especially since he’s been getting second-line work in the pre-season.
241. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Hurricanes: He has done nothing to justify his hype or contract yet, but the opportunity remains there if he can beat out his new competition in Stastny. Kotkaniemi still has quite a bit of upside. Because he was the youngest player in the NHL when he debuted, he’s just 22 entering his fifth season.
242. Vince Dunn, D, Kraken: I expected a bigger year, but 35 points is a respectable floor, and his assist total should grow with more finishers up front in Seattle now. He’s one of my breakout picks for this season because he’s locked into PP1 work.
243. Alex Newhook, C, Avalanche: Who ascends to the Avs’ vacated No. 2 center spot? Newhook is in that spot right now. He had the most upside of the internal candidates after delivering 13 goals and 33 points as a rookie. Worth noting: at the NHL Player Media Tour two weeks ago, MacKinnon specifically singled out Newhook as someone he’s excited about. That should excite us.
244. Dylan Holloway, LW, Oilers (+41): Played his way onto the Oilers’ roster with a stellar pre-season and will OPEN ON A LINE WITH DRAISAITL AND HYMAN. If he’s on your waiver wire, I declare this a fantasy emergency immediately. Run to get him.
245. Max Pacioretty, LW, Hurricanes: ‘Patches’ was part of an elite play-driving line in Vegas and would’ve had similarly effective linemates in Carolina. He has 88 points in 87 games over his past two seasons. Even at 33, he was a strong bet for LW1 production, but now he’s out six months after having surgery to repair a torn achilles tendon. Bummer. I still think he’s draftable as a final-round stash who could be a league winner for you in head-to-head formats if he returns for the fantasy playoffs.
246. Kirby Dach, C, Canadiens: The production hasn’t reflected the potential that made him the 2019 Draft’s third-overall pick. He gets a new lease on life in Montreal, and I like his chances to usurp Christian Dvorak for No. 2 center duties given Dach’s scoring upside is much higher.
247. Matt Dumba, D, Wild: I still love his balanced production, but he’s never going to be the stud fantasy defenseman we hoped he’d be, simply because he gets hurt too much.
248. Reilly Smith, RW, Golden Knights: Doesn’t stand out in any category but can get you 15 goals and 45 points if you’re desperate for stability late in your draft.
249. Cole Perfetti, RW, Jets: There’s a real path to top-six playing time in Winnipeg, and a first-round talent like Perfetti has always been expected to ascend into that role. Sleeper.
250. Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres: Major potential as a goal scorer. Got his feet wet with two points in two NHL games late last season. Tore up the AHL. Looking great in the pre-season. It would be an upset now if he doesn’t make the team.
251. Tyson Barrie, D, Oilers: Still capable of posting some really nice point totals in a prominent role. But he’s being phased out on his current team. His TOI hit an eight-year low, and I expect Bouchard to permanently unseat Barrie on Edmonton’s PP1 this season.
252. Anton Forsberg, G, Senators: Tremendous opportunity for a guy who really impressed on a bad team last season. Forsberg very clearly gets a massive fantasy boost with Talbot out, but just keep in mind that Ottawa doesn’t project to be a great defensive club, so don’t go crazy reaching on Forsberg.
253. David Krejci, C, Bruins: Back with the only NHL team he’s ever known after a year in the Czech Extraliga. Pencil him in for 45 to 50 points as the No. 2 center. Too old now to have more upside than that, I reckon.
254. Josh Anderson, RW, Canadiens: Look elsewhere in points leagues, but Anderson still brings it in banger formats with goal totals that can reach the high teens or low 20s and hit totals easily reaching the triple digits. His rugged style batters his body, though, so he’s not a great bet to play a full season. He’s so injury-prone that he even succumbs to…spider bites?.
255. Gustav Nyquist, RW, Blue Jackets: Back from the dead after missing all of 2020-21. Quietly going about his business getting 40 or 50 points per year. Decent roster filler.
256. Cam Fowler, D, Ducks: Can you believe his 42 points last season were a career high? They came in his 12th season, largely because of a massive spike in his ice time. He still doesn’t excite me much in pools because he’s mostly a one-category contributor.
257. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings: Big men in hockey sometimes take longer to grow into their bodies. Byfield remains a raw prospect but his upside remains undeniably huge. He also lost his momentum when he broke his ankle in the 2021-22 pre-season. Let’s see what he can do on a normal schedule. Just remember, though: even a 40-point season would qualify as a huge step forward, and that wouldn’t move the needle a ton in fantasy.
258. Jaden Schwartz, LW, Kraken: Scored at his usual 50ish-point pace last season when healthy but is no longer a lock to play on the top two lines after Seattle added Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand and drafted Wright.
259. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Kings: The young man is not a skater but he’s a shooter. He put 194 pucks on net and only scored 7.2 percent of the time, good for 14 goals. I like him to get 20 or more this season.ly
260. Kevin Hayes, C, Flyers: There’s very little upside here. But you can pick him late in your draft for some points since we know he’s ticketed for a big role. Little competition for first-line work now that Couturier is out.
261. Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Canucks: Some KHL stars are instant NHL successes, but they’re still the exceptions. How will Kuzmenko’s game translate? He at the very least has the upside to warrant a late-round dice roll. The early camp buzz is pretty glowing. Make of that what you will.
262. T.J. Oshie, RW, Capitals: Slowing down in his mid-30s and a long shot to play more than 70 games. He can chip in a bit of offense for you off the waiver wire when he’s healthy.
263. Ilya Mikheyev, LW, Canucks: A good real-life player who was a notoriously poor finisher before busting out for 21 goals in 53 games last season. I’m skeptical. Now he’s battling a knee injury. Almost guaranteed to miss games.
264. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning: Love the real-life player. In fantasy? Meh. He’s never even reached 20 goals or 50 points in a season. Also expected to miss the start of 2022-23 as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
265. Filip Chytil, C, Rangers: Has inspired little fantasy-pool confidence in the regular season, but the former first-rounder popped on the Rangers’ ‘Kid Line’ with seven goals in 20 playoff games. Given he’s still just 22, we can’t close the book on his fantasy value yet.
266. Dmitry Orlov, D, Capitals: If you need a D4, Orlov isn’t a bad pick to augment you in goals, plus-minus and hits.
267. Frank Vatrano, RW, Ducks: He’s been an efficient goal scorer his whole career, so maybe the move to Anaheim yields his first 25-goal campaign. Have to think he’ll play more than his career average of 13:39 per game.
268. Jordan Eberle, RW, Kraken: Has never scored fewer than 16 goals in any NHL season. Less competition on the right wing than the left for playing time in the Emerald City.
269. Alexander Kerfoot, LW, Maple Leafs: The type of player you draft in a hyper-deep league in which any guy capable of 40 points is valuable. That’s about it.
270. Vasili Podkolzin, RW, Canucks: A Boeser trade would’ve made Podkolzin very interesting. For now, though, he’s still a bottom-sixer. I still love his long-term potential as a power forward.
271. Sean Durzi, D, Kings: Contributed a bit of everything as a rookie. Could deliver something like 35 points, 150 shots and 150 blocks in Year 2. A nice late-round pick.
272. Joel Farabee, LW, Flyers: Had the Jack Eichel disc replacement surgery and isn’t guaranteed to be ready for the start of 2022-23. But he’ll be back in the lineup fairly soon. Sounds like he could dress for 70-plus games.
273. Calen Addison, D, Wild: Ticketed for PP1 duty alongside some talented players in Minnesota. Giddyup. If you’ve drafted already, make him a priority grab off the wire.
274. Kaapo Kakko, RW, Rangers (+19): Scouts were so sure about Kakko being a star. It just hasn’t happened. And yet: with Copp and Vatrano gone, who’s blocking Kakko from top-six duty? I wouldn’t give up on him. He’s 21, and he’s been boosted to the top line with Kreider and Zibanejad.
275. Paul Stastny, C, Hurricanes: Stastny found an ideal landing spot from a fantasy perspective. He should be favored over Kotkaniemi to get the No. 2 enter gig, and Stastny can also find his way into scoring-line work as a left winger. Just remember he’s 36, though, so don’t let your expectations get out of hand. He’s merely a solid late-round roster filler in pools.
276. Brandon Mountour, D, Panthers: I’d been overlooking him. Quietly broke out for 11 goals and 37 points last seaosn and currently ticketed for PP1 work on Florida. He should be drafted in most leagues as long as he holds that assignment.
277. Dylan Guenther, RW, Coyotes (NR): The 2021 Draft’s ninth overall pick makes the team. Well see if he gets more than a nine-game trial, but his goal-scoring upside makes him worth monitoring or stashing.
278. Alexander Barabanov, RW, Sharks: Had 39 points in his first full NHL season and seems comfortably slotted into a scoring-line gig. Starting the season on IR but could be activated soon.
279. Lawson Crouse, LW, Coyotes: Had 20 goals and 181 hits last year. Should be rostered in all banger leagues. Regular leagues? Take him or leave him.
280. Mike Hoffman, LW, Canadiens: Because Hoffman debuted in the NHL so late, he’s quietly already 32 and turning 33 in November. So he’s hardly guaranteed to get 20 goals again in his career despite topping 25 goals five times in his career.
281. Owen Power, D, Sabres: Acquitted himself extremely well after turning pro late last season. Just remember that his appeal is largely based on his real-life intelligence and poise. We don’t know yet what his fantasy profile is going to be.
282. Jake Sanderson, D, Senators (+12): Wide range of outcomes for this mega-prospect. He could be this year’s Seider, or his offense might not pop at the NHL level. Exciting late-round flier now that he’s made the team, though.
283. Samuel Girard, D, Avalanche: Byram’s ascension has rendered Girard less important to the Avs and lowered his points ceiling. If Colorado trades Girard? I probably bump him 50 spots in the rankings.
284. Taylor Raddysh, RW, Blackhawks: Had six goals in 21 games after being traded to Chicago, including three on the power play, with about two hits per game, and his ice time jumped by more than four minutes per game. A worthy flier.
285. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers: The key piece acquired in the Giroux trade gets a chance to spread his wings on a club that needs him a lot more than Florida did. Tippett is capable of a 20-goal season with a triple-digit hit total.
286. Alex Formenton, LW, Senators (-42): Pretty efficient in his first full NHL season, picking up 18 goals, 162 shots and 101 hits while averaging 15:27 of ice time. Might be hard to improve those totals a ton with Ottawa adding two marquee guys to the top-six forward group, though. Formenton projects to be a third-liner. He’s also still unsigned. Ottawa’s addition of Tyler Motte didn’t exactly suggest optimism that Formenton will sign soon.
287. Brady Skjei, D, Hurricanes: 2021-22 marked his best offensive season, but his usually robust banger stats took a huge nosedive, like he sold out the physicality for offense.
288. Ross Colton, C, Lightning (NR): Oversight on my end not to have him ranked earlier. Incredibly efficient goal-scorer on a per-60 basis. He has a chance at 30 goals if he sticks all season in the top nine.
289. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, Islanders: The Isles’ third-line center is a banger-league pick for 15 goals and a couple hits per game.
290. Brendan Gallagher, RW, Canadiens: Still a major asset in shots and had the lowest shooting percentage of his career in 2021-22. He appears to be past his fantasy peak but he’s not as bad as he was last season.
291. Philipp Grubauer, G, Kraken: Starting goalies are still worth something even if they were arguably the worst in the league last season. Grubauer has to be better this time, right? The team around him should be, too.
292: Peyton Krebs, C, Sabres (NR): Might be a third-liner early on, but his playmaking should get him into scoring-line assignments, including power play work. An early-season sleeper.
293. Karel Vejmelka, G, Coyotes: Started 52 games last season. Draftable in deep leagues that award points for shots faced and/or saves.
294. Max Domi, C, Blackhawks (-83): Toiling on what might be the NHL’s worst roster this season, Domi won’t hurt for playing time. I could see Domi rebounding for a 50-point campaign. He’s only 27. Big drop here though since he’s off the Kane line for now. Too bad.
295. Pavel Zacha, LW, Bruins: Getting a look with Krejci and Pastrnak on an all-Czech line. Zacha suddenly carries intrigue as an endgame pick.
296. Kent Johnson, C, Blue Jackets: The fun part about having the World Juniors right before training camps: if you turn heads, you can parlay it into momentum as you battle for an NHL job. Johnson showed exciting flashes for Canada and increased his odds of climbing the depth chart in Columbus.
297. Antti Raanta, G, Hurricanes: Never bad to draft the No. 2 behind an injury-prone starter. The problem with Raanta is that he’s also injury prone.
298. Vitali Kravtsov, RW, Rangers: Has not established himself as a full-time NHLer. But any time a guy with first-round pedigree opens camp on a line with Panarin and Trocheck, he has to land on our late-round flier radar.
299. Sean Couturier, C, Flyers: Still has the ceiling to be a 70-point guy if healthy. Fair to wonder if he ever will be again. Back problems have returned. He’ll miss six to eight weeks with a herniated disc, and I think the absence will be longer given how easily the injury is aggravated.
300. Cam Talbot, G, Senators: Bad timing for an injury that could cost him up to two months. That’s long enough to drop him from a 1A to 1B upon returning if Anton Forsberg plays well enough.
ON THE BUBBLE
Don’t think of this list as ordered. Just think of it as the leftover collection of names to keep on your radar:
Simon Nemec, Mathieu Joseph, Evan Rodrigues, J.T. Compher, Adin Hill, Laurent Brossoit, Kevin Shattenirk, Isac Lundestrom, Andreas Athanasiou, James Reimer, Dominik Kubalik, Filip Hronek, Mattias Ekholm, Kaapo Kahkonen, Frederick Gaudreau, Gustav Forsling, James van Riemsdyk, Kyle Palmieri, Josh Bailey, Alex Nedeljkovic, Eric Comrie, Radko Gudas, Anthony Stolarz, Max Comtois, Hampus Lindholm, Ryan Suter, Mark Giordano, Victor Soderstrom, Nick Ritchie, Dylan Cozens, Filip Gustavsson, William Eklund, Joakim Kemmell, Jack Drury, Jonas Brodin, Conor Geekie, Dylan Guenther, Luke Kunin, Craig Smith, Denis Gurianov, Colton Parayko, Alex Turcotte, Jordan Greenway, Ryan Pulock, William Karlsson, Jake Neighbours, Eeli Tolvalnen, Kyle Okposo, Mackenzie Blackwood, Brandt Clarke, Jeff Carter, Sonny Milano, Jan Jenik, Mikael Backlund, Yakov Trenin, Erik Haula, Nils Lundkvist, Thomas Harley, Alexandre Carrier, Wyatt Johnston, Alex Iafallo, Laurent Brossoit, Jordan Staal, Barrett Hayton, Patric Hornqvist, Nathan Smith, Esa Lindell, Kaiden Guhle, Craig Anderson, Charlie Coyle, Gabe Vilardi, Jonathan Toews, Oliver Wahlstrom, K’Andre Miller, Joonas Korpisalo, Travis Sanheim,, Scott Laughton, Ty Dellandrea, Petr Mrazek, Jonathan Drouin, Mavrik Bourque, Grigori Denisenko, Justin Barron, Anthony Duclair, Christian Dvorak, Anthony Beauvillier, Shane Pinto, Zach Parise, Tomas Tatar, Nicklas Backstrom, Nick Robertson, Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre, Samuel Poulin
DROPPED OUT: Oliver Kylington (placed on IR), Philip Tomasino (sent to AHL), Simon Edvinsson (sent to AHL), Thomas Bordeleau (sent to AHL)
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