What’s new in the NHL:
Which breakouts are for real? Who are the key sell highs and buy lows? Use these rankings for your hockey pool stretch-run homework during the all-star break.
Leon Draisaitl (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
And…breathe. The NHL all-star break has arrived, meaning we can all take a few days to lick our wounds and take stock of our fantasy teams while we watch NHLers play target-shooting blackjack.
To help you assess what to do in the stretch run, I’ve re-ranked my top 250 fantasy players of 2021-22. With roughly half a season of data, it’s time to recalibrate values league-wide. Some fantasy superstars remain just that. Some have disappointed but are destined to rebound in the second half. Others have disappointed but might not bounce back. Meanwhile, some shocking breakouts look sustainable while others don’t.
Whereas I provide a mini-bio on each player for the pre-draft rankings, I get down to business with a stripped down version here for easier mid-season reading. Players whose rankings might spark controversy, questions or discussion get additional ink below.
View the original article to see embedded media.
The rankings are based on the following fantasy-league categories: goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, saves, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Asterisks indicate players who are in COVID-19 protocol or currently injured but still likely to return in time for the fantasy playoffs. Their rankings have been downgraded to varying degrees based on recovery timelines.
As always, tweet me @THNMattLarkin if you notice a glaring omission from the list. During my cutting and pasting as I rearrange rankings, I occasionally chop a big name out by accident.
And now, the rankings. Good luck in the second half of your fantasy seasons!
1. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
2. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
3. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs
4. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals*
5. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche*
6. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Avalanche
7. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning
8. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Panthers
9. Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins
10. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild
11. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers
12. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
13. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning*
14. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
15. Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers
16. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers
17. Mitch Marner, RW, Maple Leafs
18. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Flames
19. Jake Guentzel, LW, Penguins
20. Adam Fox, D, Rangers*
21. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Flames
22. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes
23. Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning
24. Roman Josi, D, Predators
25. Jacob Markstrom, G, Flames
26. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning
27. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins
28. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers
29. Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks
30. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets
31. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche
32. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes
33. Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers
34. Juuse Saros, G, Predators
35. Nazem Kadri, C, Avalanche
36. Timo Meier, RW, Sharks
37. Morgan Rielly, D, Maple Leafs
38. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs
39. Chris Kreider, LW, Rangers
40. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators
41. Robin Lehner, G, Golden Knights
42. John Carlson, D, Capitals
43. Brayden Point, C, Lightning
44. Patrice Bergeron, C, Bruins
45. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins
46. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders
47. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights
48. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes
49. Roope Hintz, C, Stars
50. Max Pacioretty, LW, Golden Knights
In the fantasy realm, Draisaitl keeps up with the godlike McDavid, and Draisaitl has the goals edge…Vasilevskiy remains the closest thing to a cheat code at goalie because he mixes great rate stats with great volume…Huberdeau is a certified stud, but his NHL scoring lead is a bit deceiving, as the Panthers have played a league-high 47 games…Kucherov is a top-five talent but has battled health woes over the past two seasons and is a candidate for load management down the stretch as the Bolts prepare to chase a three-peat…the amazingly quick Shesterkin looks like the best goalie on Earth right now but can’t usurp ‘Vasy’ for fantasy top dog without a volume increase…Don’t sell high on Markstrom. He plays a ton, his team deploys lockdown defense, and he’s doing exactly what I predicted he’d do this year…Too low for Kadri? Hey, I ranked him 137th heading into this season. I’ve priced his career year into his current rank. He should remain a beast but might regress a tiny bit if MacKinnon can get healthy…Kreider’s shooting percentage is unsustainable, but his shots and hits contributions will keep his value high even when his scoring regresses…Sorokin, like Shesterkin, is an all-world talent who just needs a bit more volume to reach God Mode in fantasy…Hintz is almost interchangeable with his liney Jason Robertson, but I give Hintz the edge since he shoots more.
51. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars
52. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets
53. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Blackhawks
54. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks
55. J.T. Miller, C, Canucks
56. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights
57. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils*
58. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators
59. Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers
60. Joe Pavelski, RW, Stars
61. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs
62. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers
63. Jack Campbell, G, Maple Leafs
64. Kris Letang, D, Penguins
65. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings
66. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Blues
67. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
68. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Jets
69. Jack Hughes, C, Devils
70. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
71. Darcy Kuemper, G, Avalanche
72. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Capitals
73. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights*
74. John Gibson, G, Ducks
75. Elias Lindholm, C, Flames
76. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks
77. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche
78. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues
79. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders
80. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, LW, Oilers
81. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets
82. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins
83. Tristan Jarry, G, Penguins
84. Patrik Laine, RW, Blue Jackets
85. Trevor Zegras, C, Ducks
86. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Panthers
87. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins
88. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Blackhawks
89. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks
90. Jacob Trouba, D, Rangers
91. Tony DeAngelo, D, Hurricanes
92. Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Golden Knights
93. Tomas Hertl, C, Sharks
94. Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Hurricanes*
95. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Golden Knights
96. Seth Jones, D, Blackhawks
97. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks
98. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild
99. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers
100. Kevin Fiala, LW, Wild
It feels wrong ranking the workhorse Hellebuyck this low, but the team support just isn’t there right now…Stone remains an incredible real-life hockey player who is overrated in fantasy. He’s a stud in only two categories…I’m digging my heels in with a still-high Nurse rank because he contributes in so many categories…Letang has played 95 percent of Pittsburgh’s games in the past two seasons. Is it time to ditch the injury-prone label?…Eichel’s return is imminent. He’ll probably have some early rust. He’s paradoxical in that I can see the argument to buy low (hasn’t played in a year) or to sell high (hasn’t played in a year)…Toews’ past 82 games: 15 goals, 60 points, plus-59, 195 shots…he’s a star, hidden under Makar’s shadow…Malkin looks like his old self since returning from knee surgery. Great. Now trade him before the next injury…As you can imagine, I’ve ranked Fleury with the expectation he ends 2021-22 on a new, better team…Trouba is having the all-encompassing stat compiler season I expected from Jakob Chychrun…Remember, you don’t have to like Tony DeAngelo to acknowledge he’s quite the offensive force in a hockey pool…Terry is a great story but an obvious sell high. He’s scored on more than 25 percent of his shots.
101. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers
102. Evander Kane, LW, Oilers
103. Zach Hyman, LW, Oilers
104. Pavel Buchnevich, RW, Blues
105. Drew Doughty, D, Kings
106. Anthony Duclair, RW, Panthers
107. Lucas Raymond, RW, Red Wings
108. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators
109 Claude Giroux, C, Flyers
110. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals
111. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars
112. Kaapo Kahkonen, G, Wild
113. Brent Burns, D, Sharks
114. Andre Burakovsky, RW, Avalanche
115. Taylor Hall, LW, Bruins
116. Torey Krug, D, Blues
117. Ryan Hartman, C, Wild
118. Ville Husso, G, Blues
119. Matt Duchene, RW, Predators
120. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild
121. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Red Wings
122. Vincent Trocheck, C, Hurricanes
123. Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets
124. Clayton Keller, LW, Coyotes
125. Cam Atkinson, RW, Flyers
126. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars
127. Jared McCann, C, Kraken
128. Andrew Mangiapane, LW, Flames
129. Brayden Schenn, C, Blues
130. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Kings
131. Nicklas Backstrom, C, Capitals
132. Cam Talbot, G, Wild
133. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings
134. Alex Killorn, LW, Lightning
135. Ondrej Palat, LW, Lightning
136. Ryan O’Reilly, C, Blues
137. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils
138. Semyon Varlamov, G, Islanders
139. Tuukka Rask, G, Bruins*
140. Ryan Strome, C, Rangers
141. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues
142. Anton Lundell, C, Panthers
143. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Canadiens
144. Michael Bunting, LW, Maple Leafs
145. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
146. Neal Pionk, D, Jets
147. Bo Horvat, C, Canucks
148. Logan Couture, C, Sharks
149. Chandler Stephenson, C, Golden Knights*
150. Josh Norris, C, Senators*
Tell me I’ve ranked Kane 50 spots too high or 50 spots too low, and I won’t blame you. He’s the most volatile player in the league for the stretch run. He could be a top-25 player from here on out or off the team in a month because of a new off-ice transgression…Doughty breaks my brain in that he was perpetually overrated in fantasy and now, supposedly past his real-life prime, he’s posting better fantasy numbers than ever…Duclair has played 82 games in a Panthers uniform now, during which he’s racked up 29 goals and 67 points…I’m betting on Kahkonen and Husso to beat out their veteran partners and become important fantasy goalies in the second half…maybe I have Hartman too low, but his breakout is so shocking that I’m unsure whether it’s for real yet…I’m bearish on Rask going forward. Even if he gets healthy, the Bruins won’t give him more than half the team’s starts. He, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman will cannibalize each other’s values…Toffoli has quietly corrected course on a disastrous Habs team with 16 points in his past 14 games and is available in more than half of Yahoo leagues…you’re justified in worrying that Eichel will eventually damage Stephenson’s value.
151. Ilya Samsonov, G, Capitals
152. Vitek Vanecek, G, Capitals*
153. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Jets*
154. Tim Stutzle, LW, Senators
155. Linus Ullmark, G, Bruins
156. Tyler Seguin, C, Stars
157. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
158. Matt Boldy, RW, Wild
159. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
160. Carter Hart, G, Flyers
161. David Perron, RW, Blues
162. Mike Smith, G, Oilers
163. Braden Holtby, G, Stars*
164. John Klingberg, D, Stars
165. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators*
166. Jakob Chychrun, D, Coyotes
167. Reilly Smith, RW, Golden Knights
168. Marcus Foligno, LW, Wild*
169. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Blue Jackets
170. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres
171. Boone Jenner, C, Blue Jackets
172. Blake Coleman, RW, Flames
173. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning
174. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens
175. Adrian Kempe, RW, Kings
176. Brock Nelson, C, Islanders
177. Mason Marchment, LW, Panthers
178. Radko Gudas, D, Panthers
179. Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Red Wings
180. Noah Dobson, D, Islanders
181. Samuel Girard, D, Avalanche
182. Matt Dumba, D, Wild*
183. Mikael Granlund, C, Predators
184. Nico Hischier, C, Devils
185. Cal Petersen, G, Kings
186. Jonathan Quick, G, Kings
187. James Reimer, G, Sharks
188. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche
189. Pavel Francouz, G, Avalanche
190. T.J. Oshie, RW, Capitals*
191. Yanni Gourde, C, Kraken
192. Jakub Vrana, LW, Red Wings*
193. Tanner Jeannot, RW, Predators
194. Brandon Saad, LW, Blues
195. Robert Thomas, C, Blues
196. Jordan Eberle, RW, Kraken
197. Alex Formenton, LW, Senators
198. Josh Anderson, RW, Canadiens
199. Martin Necas, RW, Hurricanes
200. Phil Kessel, RW, Coyotes
It’s a bummer to see neither Capitals goaltender separate from the other. It suppresses their rankings, as do the rumors of Washington pursuing a goalie upgrade before the trade deadline…Ehlers and Batherson are a ways from returning but are obvious top-100 assets at worst when healthy. If you’re in first place, acquire ’em and stash ’em…Boldy scored and scored and scored at every level during his rise to the NHL. I don’t consider his sizzling start a fluke at all…Marchment’s six-point night gives him 23 points in 22 games this season. The production warrants a much higher rank in theory, but the sample size is small, his prospect pedigree isn’t elite (undrafted), and he’s playing on the third line…Gudas is only really an asset in hits, but he’s so superhman in that category that he wins it for you singlehandedly. He averages 372 per 82 games over the past two seasons. That would qualify as the third-highest total in NHL history…Be sure to track Vrana’s recovery from shoulder surgery closely…he was en fuego after being traded to Detroit last season, ripping off eight goals in 11 games. He can be a difference maker for your team…Necas has been one of 2021-22’s biggest disappointments. His per-game production is down across the board.
201. Rickard Rakell, RW, Ducks
202. Conor Garland, RW, Canucks
203. Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Oilers
204. Ivan Barbashev, LW, Blues
205. Sean Couturier*, C, Flyers
206. Jeff Carter, C, Penguins
207. Ryan Johansen, C, Predators
208. Luke Kunin, RW, Predators
209. Nathan Bastian, RW, Devils
210. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes
211. Brendan Gallagher, RW, Canadiens
212. Nino Niederreiter, LW, Hurricanes
213. Ryan Getzlaf, C, Ducks
214. Jeff Skinner, LW, Sabres
215. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, Islanders
216. Oliver Kylington, D, Flames
217. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Coyotes
218. Andrew Copp, LW, Jets
219. Anthony Mantha, LW, Capitals*
220. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Lightning
221. Jakub Voracek, RW, Blue Jackets
222. Tyson Barrie, D, Oilers
223. Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Golden Knights
224. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers
225. Blake Wheeler, RW, Jets
226. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Ducks
227. Evan Rodrigues, RW, Penguins
228. Joel Farabee, LW, Flyers*
229. Alex Iafallo, LW, Kings
230. Phillip Danault, C, Kings
231. Elvis Merzlikins, G, Blue Jackets
232. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins
233. Andreas Johnsson, LW, Devils
234. Ryan Ellis, D, Flyers*
235. Ilya Mikheyev, LW, Maple Leafs
236. Kaapo Kakko, RW, Rangers*
237. Spencer Knight, G, Panthers
238. Carey Price, G, Canadiens*
239. Alex Goligoski, D, Wild
240. Philipp Grubauer, G, Kraken
241. Antti Raanta, G, Hurricanes
242. Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Oilers
243. Alexander Kerfoot, LW, Maple Leafs
244. Patric Hornqvist, RW, Panthers*
245. Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers
246. Dominik Kubalik, LW, Blackhawks
247. Jaccob Slavin, D, Hurricanes
248. Alex Newhook, C, Avalanche
249. Corey Perry, RW, Lightning
250. Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Penguins
Rakell has scored on 8.2 percent of his shots over his past four seasons. It’s not a slump anymore. He can’t finish…Puljujarvi would’ve been 100 spots higher a month ago but is ice-cold and has been demoted from Edmonton’s top line for now…Couturier is worth holding on most benches, though the Flyers reportedly haven’t ruled out season-ending surgery. Same goes for his teammate Ellis…Bastian’s 82-game pace in 26 contests since rejoining the Devils: 25 goals and 309 hits…I’m playing a hunch on Barrie. I predict Bouchard permanently takes the PP1 job away…Hopefully you sold Rodrigues before the clock struck midnight. His past 13 games: zero goals, two assists…I’ve kept Price in the top 250 as a hat-tip to his greatness, but he’s missed the entire season due to his substance abuse struggles, and his knee-injury recovery is going badly enough that his career is in jeopardy. He might not play at all this season…you have to pick up Yamamoto given he’s getting a look with Kane and McDavid, but the shot volume is non-existent, and there’s no guarantee Yamamoto stays on the line.
ON THE BUBBLE: Dylan Cozens, Jeff Petry, Jonathan Dahlen, Trevor Moore, Pius Suter, Robby Fabbri, Cole Caufield, Alexis Lafreniere, Dmitry Orlov, Gustav Nyquist, Lawson Crouse, Alexandre Texier, Mackenzie Blackwood, Ivan Provorov, Bowen Byram, Alexander Barabanov, Jaden Schwartz, Sean Monahan, Paul Stastny, Brandon Hagel, Dylan Strome, Quinton Byfield, Sonny Milano, Erik Karlsson
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