RADIO
Over the next few weeks, RotoBaller will be kicking off the NHL offseason with a feature breaking down the top 100 player rankings heading into the 2018-2019 fantasy hockey season.
The top 100 rankings will be released in six segments, starting from the bottom (100-81) and concluding with a two-piece set featuring our top 20 players for next season. The rankings are subject to change throughout the off-season as the NHL Entry Draft and ensuing free agency period can alter player outlooks.
Note: Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power play points and shots for skaters; wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies).
Top 100 Fantasy Hockey Rankings for 2018-2019 (80-61)
Following a mid-season call-up, Jake Guentzel posted 33 points in his first 40 NHL regular season games. Guentzel managed to find an even higher level in the following playoffs with 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) and earned his first Stanley Cup ring. As a result, many experts predictably suggested a break-out season for the 23-year-old, heading his first full season in 2017-2018 season. With just 48 points (22 goals and 26 assists) in 82 games while shifting up and down the Pittsburgh forward group, Guentzel never quite found that expected breakout. Instead, the Nebraska native waited until the postseason to find that extra gear and put up an applause-worthy 21 points in 12 games. If his 2018 playoff production can spill over to 2018-2019, look out.
79) Kris Letang (D, PIT)
Over the past five NHL seasons, only two defensemen (Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns) have managed to post a better points-per-game total (.768) than Kris Letang. When Letang steps on the ice, he is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous and highly talented blueliners we’ve seen since he broke into the league 11 seasons ago. The glaring issue that his fantasy owners face each and every year is that we just don’t know how often the 31-year-old is actually going to be on the ice. Despite playing 79 games last season, Letang has suited up for 70 games or more just twice since the 2011-2012 season. Perhaps his injury issues are in the past now, but until we see Letang put up a few more full seasons, he’ll remain a high-risk, high-reward fantasy pick.
78) Eric Staal (C, MIN)
When Eric Staal signed with the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2016, fantasy owners had reason to believe that the veteran forward’s best days were behind him. The 2003 second-overall draft pick had just posted a meager 39 points in 83 games split between Carolina and New York, and didn’t seem to possess that game-breaking talent he had throughout his career. Talk about a career revival. In his two seasons since, Staal has posted a remarkable 141 points in 164 games (including 42 goals and 34 assists last season), becoming a staple on the Wild’s top line and first power play unit. Despite turning 34 years old this October, Staal has proved that he still has plenty of gas in the tank and should remain a very valuable fantasy asset next season.
77) Nikolaj Ehlers (LW/RW, WPG)
With back-to-back seasons of eclipsing the 60-point mark, Nikolaj Ehlers has firmly solidified himself on the map in fantasy hockey. The 22-year-old is one of the fastest skaters in the league, something that consistently allows him to create space for scoring opportunities. Due to Winnipeg’s depth of talent up front, Ehlers rarely found his way on his team’s top powerplay and consequently only produced 13 power play points last season. Despite that, Ehlers still posted 29 goals (and 60 points) fired a career high 231 shots on net. If Ehlers can be trusted to produce on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, he could reach the 70-point mark.
76) Seth Jones (D, CBJ)
Seth Jones has officially arrived on the fantasy hockey scene. Jones, having just completed his fifth NHL season looks to have found his groove offensively, putting up big-time numbers last year as Columbus' top defenseman. The Texas native finished the year tied for tenth amongst NHL defenseman with 57 points (16 goals, 41 assists) in 78 games. A big reason for Jones' significant increase in points last season (42 points in 2016-2017) can be attributed to the fact that he was on the ice for about 42% of his team's power play time last season, allowing him to post 24 power play points. After never putting up more than 152 shots on net in any of his previous four seasons, Jones has emerged as a high volume shooter and his 252 shots on net last season were good for fourth amongst all defenseman. Considering Jones is still just 23-years-old, we might only be seeing the beginning of his evolution into a one of the league's most dangerous blueliners.
Evander Kane has a knack of filling up categories for his fantasy owners. Following a mid-season trade from Buffalo to San Jose, Kane seemed to realize his offensive potential as a premier goal scorer in the league. In 17 games with the Sharks, the tenth-year winger potted nine goals (to go along with five assists, a plus-five rating, 25 penalty minutes, and 80 shots on goal). Fresh off signing a seven-year, $49 million deal, Kane looks like an ideal fit in San Jose and should continue to provide excellent value in all standard fantasy categories next season.
Fantasy owners that were able to select Vincent Trocheck late in the 14th round in fantasy last year (his average draft selection) perhaps landed the biggest bargain of the draft. Following back-to-back 53-and 54-point seasons, Trocheck exploded last season with 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists), 54 penalty minutes, 27 power play points, and 287 shots on goal. That statline propelled Trocheck to a top 40 final ranking in nearly all fantasy leagues. Trocheck’s past fantasy owners will certainly need to pay up in order to grab him again for this upcoming season.
73) Torey Krug (D, BOS)
Sitting at just 5’9”, 186 pounds, Torey Krug is a prime example of how valuable undersized, mobile defenseman are in today’s NHL. For what Krug lacks in size, he makes up for with his ability to move the puck and generate offense in all situations. Hovering in the 0.5 points-per-game range during his first three seasons, Krug has leapt up to 0.64 points-per-game (100 points in 157 games) in his past two campaigns. With his 59-point season last year, Krug ranked eighth in the league amongst defenseman (tied with P.K. Subban). As Boston’s young talent continues to progress, we might see Krug take another statistical leap next season as well.
72) Martin Jones (G, SJS)
Since being acquired from the Kings prior to the 2015-2016 season, Martin Jones has proven to be a reliable netminder in San Jose. Spanning 190 starts over this same time period, Jones has posted 102 wins, a 2.40 goals against average, and a steady .915 save percentage. While Jones’ might never be in contention for a Vezina, his steady numbers are certainly appreciated by his fantasy owners. Flanking an expected strong Sharks team next season, expect more of the same from Jones in 2018-2019.
Following a shortened 2016-2017 season due to injury, Jonathan Quick bounced back with an excellent 2017-2018 season in which he captured the Jennings trophy (awarded to the netminder with the fewest goals against in a season). At 32-years-old, the main concern surrounding Quick’s game is his ability to stay healthy (started less than 50 games twice over his past five seasons). If he can, fantasy owners that draft him will be getting one of the league’s most consistent goaltenders that should continue to post great numbers on a strong Los Angeles team next season.
70) Shayne Gostisbehere (D, PHI)
In his third NHL season, Shayne Gostisbehere was another young, talented defenseman that took a step forward offensively last season. The former third-round draft pick set career-highs in assists (52), points (65), plus/minus (10), power play points (33), and shots on goal (221). At just 25 years old, Gostisbehere might just be scratching the surface on the kind of offensive production he could put forward in coming years.
Taken as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft, Mitch Marner has proven to be one of the game's most promising young players. In his first two NHL seasons (159 games), Marner has registered 130 points (41 goals, 89 assists) despite seeing just over 16 minutes of ice time per game. Marner is electric with the puck on his stick and has already emerged as one of the game's best puck distributers. With his most familiar linemates Tyler Bozak and James Van Riemsdyk potentially departing Toronto this summer, Marner could very well end up planking Auston Matthews' wing next season.
68) John Carlson (D, WAS)
Despite hitting the 40-point mark just once in his first seven full NHL seasons, John Carlson put up an incredibly memorable 2017-2018 campaign. He lead all NHL defensemen in scoring with 68 points (15 goals, 53 assists) and captured his first Stanley Cup. Much of Carlson’s stark increase in points can be attributed to the fact that he is a lethal power play weapon–posting 32 points on the man advantage last season. As a result, the Capitals recently awarded the Massachusetts native with a massive 8-year, $64 million contract to remain in DC next season. With the Capitals poised to retain nearly all of their top producing players from last season, Carlson will be looking to set a new career-high in points once again.
Undrafted in a large majority of fantasy leagues last season, Brayden Point proved to be one of hockey’s best bargains last season. Point, who fell to 79th overall in the 2014 draft, put up an impressive 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) in the regular season, followed by a 16 point (seven goals, nine assists) run in the playoffs. The 5’10”, 166-pound center in absolutely dynamic with the puck on his stick and has tremendous offensive instincts. Rooted in a top-six role in Tampa Bay, Point could (and likely will) eclipse his 2017-2018 next season.
66) Viktor Arvidsson (LW/RW, NSH)
With back-to-back 61-point seasons, Viktor Arvidsson has quietly gained recognition as a valuable fantasy asset in Nashville. Cemented on his team’s top line, the crafty winger has showcased his offensive ability, including a tendency to throw a high volume of pucks on net (246 and 247 shots in 2016 and 2017, respectively). With just 17 points on the man advantage over the past two seasons, Arvidsson’s scoring upside can be somewhat limited. However, Arvidsson still manages to see time on the top unit. His potential to climb up the forward ranks next season remains a definite possibility.
65) Sean Monahan (C, CGY)
Considering the fact that Sean Monahan needed surgeries on both hips, his groin, and his left wrist at the conclusion of last season, it’s hard to believe that the Flames’ top line center could battle through all those ailments and still put up 64 points (31 goals, 33 assists), 19 power play points, and 202 shots in 74 games. His ability to fight through such adversity and still produce at a high level helps back up just how talented and promising of a scorer Monahan has become. If he can manage to stay healthy next season, he’s got the tools to break the 70-point barrier.
64) Jonathan Marchessault (C/LW, VGK)
Despite posting a 31-goal season in 2016-2017, Florida decided to questionably expose Marchessault in the expansion draft last summer. After being selected by Vegas, Marchessault went on a tear with his new team–registering a 75-point (27 goals, 48 assists) campaign. Marchessault's high-end speed and skill has fit perfectly with Vegas' desired style of play and it’s not difficult to predict the Quebec native to sit somewhere in the 70-75 range again next season.
Following two incredibly impressive seasons at the University of North Dakota (94 points in 74 games), Brock Boeser joined the Canucks during the end of the 2016-2017 season and displayed his renowned scoring touch with four goals in his first nine games. In 2017-2018, Boeser picked up right where he left off and took Vancouver by storm with 55 points in 62 games before his season was cut short due to a back injury. The talented right-winger has one of the best shots in the league, including a sinister wrist shot that more than backs up his career 16.2% shooting percentage. Boeser has proven that he can score goals at every level he's played at and could be a serious candidate for the Rocket Richard trophy as the league's top goal scorer as long as he continues to develop his craft.
After previously establishing himself as one the league's top defensive forwards, Couturier decided to showcase that there was more to his game in the 2017-2018 season. Despite never putting up more than 39 points in his six previous NHL seasons, Couturier broke through with 76 points (31 goals, 45 assists) last season. In addition, the Arizona-born forward also established career-highs in plus/minus (+34), power play points (14), and shots on goal (227). Couturier has cemented himself on the Flyers' top line and his clear chemistry with Claude Giroux should make him a highly valuable fantasy asset once again in 2018-2019.
Recently signed to a three-year deal with the Kings, Ilya Kovalchuk’s long awaited return to the NHL is finally upon us. After a six-year hiatus back home in the KHL, the 35-year-old winger’s re-entry to the NHL comes with significant goal-scoring upside. In his previous 13 year stint in the NHL, Kovalchuk was a point-per-game player – posting 816 points (417 goals, 399 assists) in 816 games. While his days of being one of the league’s finest superstars may be behind him, it’s certainly not unrealistic to think that he will be pushing the 25 or 30 goal mark playing alongside Anze Kopitar in 2018-2019.
Stay tuned for the continuation of our weekly countdown of the top 100 players for 2018-2019 fantasy hockey.
