We wrap up my forward rankings with the rest of the Top 100. If you missed the Top 80, you can find that here. My plan is to start the defensemen rankings this week, if not go through all of the top 40. I will try to get through goaltending and all of my Top 200 by the middle of next week. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below.
81) J.J. Peterka – Peterka’s first season in Utah went poorly, so the Mammoth decided to cut bait after giving him a seven year extension and shipped him up to Boston. I’m very bullish on that landing spot. Peterka should slide right onto the first line with Pastrnak, giving him extra minutes, a superstar to play with, and top power play time. Preseason will need to confirm this, but it only two seasons ago that Peterka scored 68 points in 77 games (27+41). Sturm is familiar with Peterka with both being German, so I’m sure he was involved in getting Peterka. You shouldn’t have to take him this high, but I’m targeting Peterka in the middle rounds.
82) J.T. Miller – Meh. That’s how I feel about Miller. I’m not really interested, but even with poorly last season went, how far can I drop him? His bad season was 53 points in 68 games. The Rangers forward group is quite thin, so the huge workload should be there. Big bump if your league includes faceoffs.
83) Timo Meier – Last season was rough for Meier, with 24+20 being his lowest totals since the COVID shortened season. As I’ve said repeatedly in these rankings and towards the last season, I’m willing to throw last season out for most of the Devils. Meier provides an easy shot rate and a good bet to score 30 goals. I really like his fit with Evangelista if they play together too. He should remain on PP1 and in a top six role, so I’m buying a bounce back.
84) Drake Batherson – This might be too low for Batherson. He’s increased his point total in all eight seasons of his career, peaking with 71 points last season. He’s stayed remarkably healthy in recent seasons too. My main concern is his shot rate has gone in the wrong directions for three straight seasons, falling from over three per game to just over two per game. Does the shot rate shoot back up with Tkachuk gone? Possibly, but we could see Ottawa in a ton of low scoring games too. We kind of need the shot rate to return to make up for shooting 20% last season. The Ottawa power play will also be a big swing factor in whether Batherson is a top 75 player, or a bottom end hold.
85) Matthew Knies – In hits leagues, this is far too low. I generally don’t like players whose shot rate is under two per game, which is where Knies has been every season. He should be locked into playing with Matthews, which is great when Matthews is healthy, but is he a lock to stay on PP1? There has to be a real chance that McKenna steals his spot eventually, right? Knies is fairly safe, but I also don’t see a lot of upside.
86) Brad Marchand – Marchand was actually over a point per game last season playing for the zombie Panthers. The problem is that he’s going to be on the third line, and there’s pretty much no chance that he’s on PP1. You can argue he’ll get excellent matchups with Lundell and Luostarinen, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re getting 15-17 minutes per game compared to 20. He’s also 38 years old so we don’t know if he’ll hit the proverbial wall. If you keep expectations in check, Marchand should be a solid hold all season and provide plenty of value.
87) Morgan Geekie – Geekie managed to shoot over 21% again, resulting in 39 goals. The shot rate certainly doesn’t justify 30+ goals again, but it’s becoming evident that Geekie does have an elite shot. However, you’re going to have stretches where you’ll want to drop him because he’s providing nothing. I also don’t love his linemates, so I have a hard time imagining myself drafting him. However, it’s reasonable to project 30+30ish for Geekie, so I can’t go much lower than this.
88) Bobby McMann – A favorite of mine, McMann finally got a big role after moving to the Kraken at the trade deadline, and was a monster. In 18 games, he had 10+4 and over three shots per game. The best thing that could have happened for McMann’s fantasy value was staying in Seattle, so it was great to see him extend there. He should have a top line role, and while he won’t maintain the pace from his time in Seattle last season, a first career 30 goal season with 250+ shots could be in the cards. He’s another guy that you won’t have to take this early because the assists will be poor, but I’m targeting him in certain team builds.
89) Gavin McKenna – I have no idea what to do with McKenna. The offensive talent is off the charts, but Jim Hiller was incredibly frustrating in Los Angeles. He spent a lot of time deferring to veterans instead of playing the talented youngsters. My guess is that he plays on the second line with Tavares and Nylander, but McKenna is left off PP1 to start. That does cap his value in redrafts. Perhaps he’s so good that they won’t have any choice and this ranking is a disaster. I have no doubt that McKenna will be an offensive superstar. I’m just not convinced it happens this season.
90) Rickard Rakell – Rakell’s recent seasons have been so up and down that I don’t know what to do with him. He was incredible last season with 24+24 in 60 games, but that is a lot of missed time. Everything seemed to go right for the Pens, which I’m not sure is repeatable. Rakell is also 33 years old now. On the other hand, the Pens remain fairly shallow, so his role is virtually locked in. The upside is quite high, but we aren’t far removed from a 15+22 season from Rakell, so he could end up being a drop as well.
91) Evgeni Malkin – What a remarkable season from Malkin, who had 61 points in 56 games. I just have a hard time buying a repeat from the 40 year old. There’s a really high chance that Malkin misses time as well. I don’t like betting against a top 50 player of all time, but I think we see him more in the range of two seasons ago, which was 16+34 in 68 games. With his secondary contributions, that’s enough to be a hold when healthy, which is what we’re hoping for in this range.
92) Gabe Vilardi – Vilardi had the best season of his career last year, scoring 30+39 and playing all 82 games. The last part is massive, as Vilardi has missed significant time in every other season of his career. That is a big reason why I have him ranked down here. As mentioned in previous posts, the Jets seem to have real disaster potential. There is a real lack of depth on the team, so Vilardi’s role isn’t in question. If it clicks, Vilardi can be a top 75 player. Between the injury risk, the insane shooting percentage, and the weird vibes around the Jets, I’m lower on Vilardi after years of being bullish.
93) Dylan Holloway – There’s a chance that Holloway moves way up in my rankings if he skates with the top PP in preseason. He was great last season with 51 points in 59 games. What has me really excited is that his shot rate rose drastically to an above average rate. Holloway had 51 points despite only eight coming on the power play. He’s an excellent driver at even strength, so if he does get top power play time, we could see a massive breakout.
94) Jared McCann – McCann missed a large chunk of time last season, but was good when he was on the ice, putting up 20+20 in 52 games. McCann has been a hold for four straight seasons, and I expect it again. It won’t be exciting, but he’ll fit every team.
95) William Eklund – Eklund took a small step back last season, leading to the Sharks trading him before he had to be paid. He moves to the Senators, where he gets to play with his best friend and get a top role. It was encouraging to see Eklund’s shot rate increase because his playmaking is outstanding. If the Senators power play remains prolific, that gives Eklund an easy path to setting career highs across the board. Despite being a bit worried about the Senators offense, I see the path to an Eklund breakout.
96) Yegor Chinakhov – I didn’t know what to do with Chinakhov. Like McMann, after his trade, he was fantastic. Chinakhov is over a larger sample size, putting up 18+18 over 43 games. A 35+35 pace is incredible. My worry is that the shooting percentage with Chinakhov on the ice has to go down, and his minutes were quite low even in Pittsburgh. I don’t see him getting on the top power play either. I like taking the chance on him, but don’t see a massive ceiling despite last year’s half season.
97) Josh Doan – Doan instantly became a fan favorite in Buffalo, taking advantage of a larger role than he had in Utah, scoring 25+27. He only played 15:52 per game, which I expect to increase with the departure of Tuch. The Sabres power play was much better once Doan and Benson moved onto the top unit, so I expect that to continue, giving Doan additional upside. This might be a bit rich of a ranking, so you can call me a homer, but I just want to buy stock in the player.
98) Vincent Trocheck – Last year was a mess for Trocheck outside of the Olympics. My major concern is that his shot rate fell completely off a cliff, and he’s not going to crack PP1 on the Mammoth. Perhaps a third line role will help keep Trocheck fresh and lead to a bounce back, but the ceiling is gone barring injury. If you’re in a banger league, obviously shoot him up the rankings, but I think Trocheck is going to be stuck in the 50 point range now.
99) Mats Zuccarello – Zuccarello always misses time with injuries, so there’s more value in roto leagues than head to head. That said, when he’s on the ice, he continues to produce. He had 54 points in 59 games last season, and he should keep a role on the top power play in Los Angeles. That PP should be fantastic just by Panarin being there. Maybe I end up dropping him a bit, but Zuccarello is safe enough that he’s a fine pick in the middle to late rounds.
100) Igor Cherynshov – Chernyshov flashed in his time with the Sharks last season, scoring 9+10 in 28 games. All indications are that he’s going to play with Celebrini and Smith this season. It’s safe to say that I want a piece of that action, especially if he gets top PP time as well. Chernyshov has plenty of offensive talent himself, so it’s not like he’d be a passenger on the top line. Similar to a few guys above, you won’t have to take Chernyshov this high, but I want him on virtually all of my teams. If it doesn’t work out early, you can safely cut him, but he could easily turn into someone that you hold for the entire season.
Just outside the Top 100 if you want to go with a safer option: Nelson, RNH, Verhaeghe, JEEK, Blake, Stankoven
Just outside the Top 100 if you want to go with a riskier option: Misa, Cuylle, Nazar, Dubois, Marchment
