The hockey season is getting close, and to add a little more excitement to my life I LOVE fantasy sports. They take over my life come fall, and whether it be football or hockey, I had better win, because if I don’t, I know I’ll never hear the end of it after all the smack I talk. Fantasy sports are a great way to enjoy sports even more than you already do.
The season is almost upon us, and as I get my teams together to start a league, I thought maybe I would do a quick ranking of the top players in the draft. So today, I will cover the top forwards to take your team to the championship matchup, and enough smack to talk to last you a lifetime when you bring down your unworthy opponents.
I’ll take a closer look at the top few picks, and then list out my rankings at the bottom. Enjoy, and good luck.
- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby, like him or not, is the most valuable fantasy player you’ll find in the league today. Taking him first overall may be risky due to his chronic habit of getting in the way of flying pucks and teammates knee caps (Thanks for that Sid, I’ll never forgive you for knocking out Kris Letang a couple of seasons ago and shooting my season straight to the crapper). Either way, when Crosby is healthy he is going to be putting up points, valuable points in a fantasy league. Buyers beware, this last season was the first Crosby has played at least half of the games in since 2010. When it’s all said and done, I’m taking Crosby if I have the first pick, he’s more than worth the risk.
- Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos is a goal scorer. Period. Stamkos is going to put up points all season long, and you can always count on him to bring a little something to the table almost every single night. The plus/minus rating isn’t always going to be stellar, but that’s the price you’ll have to pay for taking a great player on a less than mediocre team. Stamkos hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season, five years ago. He’s a workhorse that will put up the points you need without the worries about constant injuries that you may have with Crosby. If you don’t want to take the risk on Sid’s injury issue, Stamkos is a worthy number one pick.
- Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin is a bonified stud in the NHL. He had some wear and tear last season, but if Malkin and Crosby can both stay healthy, points will be put on the score sheet. Malkin’s a top 3 choice in every draft I think, and if he can stay healthy, he could possibly end up being the best pick in the draft. Malkin still has the ability to be the 50 goal scoring, 100 point getting, player that we saw two seasons ago, and if he’s available in the draft at this point, he’s an obvious selection.
- John Tavares, New York Islanders: John Taveres really solidified himself last season. Tavares put up 28 goals in 48 games, after scoring 31 in 82 the season before. Tavares has stayed primarily healthy throughout his career, and is going to put up at least a point a game by the end of the season. His potential is sky high, and I’m waiting for him to explode this season like he did last year. Tavares is a good pick at number four, and I think he has the ability to outplay everyone picked after him. The only reason I have Tavares in front of Ovechkin, is that Ovechkin has had a few rocky seasons before his explosion in the last half of the season. Tavares was consistantly good all year, and I think will be a better fantasy option than Ovechkin.
- Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: Ovechkin has been a star player since he entered the NHL. Nothing has changed, he struggled a bit to put up points for a few seasons (points like we were used to anyway), and struggled again early last season. But somwhere along the way, the good ol’ Ovi came back out and blew us all away. Ovechkin may have won the Hart, and the Maurice Rocket Richard, but I would have to take all four of the players above before gamblin on Ovechkin’s inconsistancy.
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane matched his goal total from two seasons ago, last season but did it in only 47 games rather than a full 82 games season like he had the first time. Kane has found himself listed among the stars in the NHL, and has shown us what he can do on the ice. His potential is unlimited at this point, and he could definitely end up having an absolutely stellar season, and if he doesn’t come out and have a season that blows everyone away, you know he will still get you a good amount of points.
- Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes: Eric Staal has been a consistent point getter in the NHL since he arived him Carolina in 2003. He may not reach 100 points again like he did in the 2005-2006 season, but now that he has a solid winger to play with in Alexander Semin, Staal’s playmaking abilities should be glowing all season long. Staal has been healthy for almost his entire career, and has the ability to score with the best of them. If he can catch his groove early on, he could very well end up with another 100 points. Look out for a big season from Staal in Carolina this season.
- Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks: Corey Perry’s point totals dropped off a bit last season, but his ability to score goals is still there. Perry has never had any bad injury issues, and could be a great player to have on any fantasy team. It hasn’t shown all the way through since 2010-2011, but Perry would be a solid pick that could get a large number of points by the end of the season given his skill set, and the skill sets of the players surround Perry in the Ducks organization.
- Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews, like Patrick Kane really came out to play last season. Toews averaged just over a point a game for the first time in his career. Toews is an excellent player and creates chances for himself and his teammates around him. Toews will put up points, and should be able to do it consistently, which is all you can really hope for when it comes to fantasy sports.
- Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers: Claude Giroux is one of the games best playmakers. His numbers slumped a bit last season, from the year before, but there’s no reason to worry. How can you go wrong with a guy that put up 93 points two seasons ago, and then put up 48 points in 48 games this season? You can’t. Giroux will be a great foundation to build your team around if you’re unlucky enough to land the 10th spot in the draft.
- Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
- Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
- Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
- Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
- Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
- Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
- Rick Nash, New York Rangers
- Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild
- Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks
- Alexander Semin, Carolina Hurricanes
- Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers
- James Neal, Dallas Stars
- Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
- Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
- Patrick Sharp, Chicago Blackhawks
- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
- Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
- Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
- Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators
- Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
- James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jarome Iginla, Boston Bruins
- Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens
- Matt Moulson, New York Islanders
- Derek Stepan, New York Rangers
- Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks
- Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks
- Andrew Ladd, Winnipeg Jets
- Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers
- Evander Kane, Winnipeg Jets
- P.A. Parenteau, Colorado Avalanche
- Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings
- Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers
- Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild
- Nazem Kadri, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Brad Richards, New York Rangers