Carolina Hurricanes – Logan Stankoven
Logan Stankoven is a player I keep coming back to when looking at Carolina’s potential value options. He may not have put up huge regular-season numbers last year, finishing with 21 goals and 44 points in 82 games, but what he did in the playoffs caught everyone’s attention. He led the Hurricanes with 11 goals in 19 playoff games and became one of their most dangerous offensive players. That playoff performance gives us a pretty good indication of what could be coming. He has already shown he can finish, create chances and play a physical game despite his smaller frame. More importantly, he showed chemistry with Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall, giving Carolina another potential offensive combination beyond the obvious top names.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Kent Johnson
Johnson’s campaign last season was, simply put, disappointing, finishing with just seven goals and 22 points in 76 games. He also shot a career-low 5.6%, a significant drop from the 15%+ shooting percentage he had maintained prior to last season. We should see some positive regression there, but the bigger question is where Johnson fits within Columbus’ lineup. The acquisition of Valeri Nichushkin doesn’t help his path to the top unit, which makes a second-line role for Johnson more likely. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The opportunity will come down to how Rick Bowness deploys him and how much ice time Johnson receives. After seeing his usage drop significantly last season, getting back to a larger role could go a long way towards his production.
New Jersey Devils – Luke Evangelista
This one may not be as obvious simply because the deal was recently completed, but Evangelista is now a Devil, and his fantasy situation looks completely different from what it was in Nashville. He finished last season with 12 goals, 44 assists and 56 points in 81 games, including 16 power-play assists, and now moves to a Devils team that could give him another opportunity to build on that production. New Jersey already has plenty of offensive talent throughout their lineup, but Evangelista adds another playmaking element to the group. The biggest potential boost could come at even strength, especially if he finds himself alongside Jack Hughes. If that happens, I could see an increase on his ice-time that would give him more opportunities to build on his 56-point season. If me makes his way to the top powerplay unit, well, that would only increase his upside and fantasy value.
New York Islanders – Calum Ritchie
Calum Ritchie for the Islanders he fits the type of player I’m looking for when searching for value picks. He’s entering just his second full season with the Islanders after putting up 13 goals and 30 points in 65 games as a rookie, and there’s a good chance his fantasy value takes another step forward with increased responsibility. Ritchie has a chance to establish himself as a second-liner while also potentially seeing time on the first power-play unit. More even-strength minutes should give him a better opportunity to build on his rookie production, while first-unit power-play time could provide the biggest boost in production. The Islanders are still trying to figure out exactly what their next version of the roster looks like with aging vets in Brayden Shenn and Kyle Palmeri occupying top line roles. He doesn’t need to suddenly become a star to provide value. If he locks down a consistent top-six role and holds onto premium power-play usage, the increase in opportunity alone could push his production into another tier.
New York Rangers – Alexis Lafreniere
I feel like I’ve written this more than once, but here we go again. I had Gabe Perreault at the top of my list, but I decided to go with Lafrenière instead. At some point, we have to see that next step from Lafrenière, and if this isn’t the year, I’m not sure when it will be. The biggest change is the opportunity in front of him. Artemi Panarin is gone, and Lafrenière should finally have a much larger role, particularly on the power play. His PPTOI increased by nearly a minute last season, and he was already seeing substantial minutes alongside Panarin and Mika Zibanejad at even strength. The difference now is that there is a much clearer path to becoming one of the focal points of the Rangers’ offense. Lafrenière still hasn’t established himself as a true star, which means most GMs aren’t going to be targeting him on draft day the way they would Pavel Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin or even J.T. Miller. The opportunity is finally there for Lafrenière to become a much bigger part of this offense. Whether he can actually take advantage of it remains to be seen, but this is probably as good a chance as he has had.
Philadelphia Flyers – Matvei Michkov
Michkov’s sophomore season didn’t quite live up to the expectations created by his rookie campaign of 63 points in 80 games as a rookie to then drop to 20 goals and 51 points in 81 games last season. That decline could push him down draft boards with the excitement of Porter Martone stealing his limelight. However, Michkov had 22 points in his final 26 games after the Olympic break, including seven goals and 15 assists. His shooting percentage stayed relatively consistent as well, dropping slightly from 13.1% to 12.3%, however it was his overall usage that dropped. His power-play ice time declined from 2:48 per game to 2:11, while his overall ice time fell from 16:41 to 14:50. We already know what Michkov can do when given the opportunity. If Rick Tocchet increases his responsibility, there’s a good chance we see an increase in Michkov’s numbers.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Egor Chinakhov
Chinakhov’s move to Pittsburgh last season completely changed his fantasy outlook. After being acquired from Columbus, Chinakhov exploded offensively, recording 36 points in just 43 games with the Penguins. The split is what really stands out. He had just three goals and six points in 29 games with Columbus before exploding for 30 points in his first 43 games with Pittsburgh. He finished the season with career highs of 21 goals, 21 assists and 42 points. He now gets a full season in Pittsburgh rather than having to adjust on the fly after a midseason trade. Although an aging core, the Penguins have enough established offensive talent which should give Chinakhov opportunities to continue building on his game.
Washington Capitals – Dylan Strome
There are actually a few players on this team who could have been selected, including Jordan Kyrou and even Ryan Leonard, but Dylan Strome is another player who could provide some sneaky value after taking a step back last season. He came back down-to-earth last season, posting 58 points in 80 games from a point per game pace the year before. We know the 82-point season was likely an outlier, but if he can get back closer to the 67-point range he produced in 2023-24, there is a good chance he outperforms his draft position. The Capitals have also added more offensive talent this offseason with Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner. At this point the lineups are all projections with the Capitals squad, but adding better offensive players throughout the lineup should create more opportunities for everyone.
Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!