Now that New Jersey has reached the next level, Buffalo is the next team in line. They were 3rd in goals per minute last season, trailing only Edmonton and Boston. How, exactly, the top-6 will shake out remains to be seen – one of Alex Tuch or Jeff Skinner could easily be on the second line for most of the year – but all the high-end producers are back, and back with the same top PP unit. The Dobber Guide has their entire top PP unit reaching 70 points and Tage Thompson getting to 90.
The question is what becomes of the rest of the roster. Casey Mittelstadt has turned into a high-end playmaker, and he finished the season with 31 points in 32 games after the All-Star break. It’s unlikely he maintains anywhere close to that rate with third line/second PP minutes, but he’s one Thompson/Cozens injury away from 70-point potential.
JJ Peterka is becoming a favourite around here and he had a solid shot rate in his rookie season. His ice time is an ongoing concern, though, because he won’t penalty kill, he won’t play late in games, and he won’t get a prime power-play slotting. If he’s playing 15 minutes with secondary PPTOI, can he be much more than a 50-point player?
It was a fantastic rookie season for Owen Power whose only stumbling block to ascending the fantasy ranks is Rasmus Dahlin. It is hard to imagine Power overtaking Dahlin for the top PP quintet anytime soon, so he’ll have to round out his multi-cat profile to really become valuable in those leagues. That means putting up a lot more hits than 27 in 79 games.
Buffalo is a high-end offensive team with a great coach that has no shortage of top-tier prospects that can fill in if injuries/under-performance become a problem. The entire top PP unit will be targeted, as well as a few depth guys like Mittelstadt and Power, in all formats. Whether even more skaters become relevant remains to be seen, but this is one of the emerging offensive powerhouses in the league, and a bastion of fantasy goodness. Their biggest question mark is in goal but Levi has the talent to become the full-time starter as the season wears on.
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# Outlook
Now that New Jersey has reached the next level, Buffalo is the next team in line. They were 3rd in goals per minute last season, trailing only Edmonton and Boston. How, exactly, the top-6 will shake out remains to be seen – one of Alex Tuch or Jeff Skinner could easily be on the second line for most of the year – but all the high-end producers are back, and back with the same top PP unit. The Dobber Guide has their entire top PP unit reaching 70 points and Tage Thompson getting to 90.
The question is what becomes of the rest of the roster. Casey Mittelstadt has turned into a high-end playmaker, and he finished the season with 31 points in 32 games after the All-Star break. It’s unlikely he maintains anywhere close to that rate with third line/second PP minutes, but he’s one Thompson/Cozens injury away from 70-point potential.
JJ Peterka is becoming a favourite around here and he had a solid shot rate in his rookie season. His ice time is an ongoing concern, though, because he won’t penalty kill, he won’t play late in games, and he won’t get a prime power-play slotting. If he’s playing 15 minutes with secondary PPTOI, can he be much more than a 50-point player?
It was a fantastic rookie season for Owen Power whose only stumbling block to ascending the fantasy ranks is Rasmus Dahlin. It is hard to imagine Power overtaking Dahlin for the top PP quintet anytime soon, so he’ll have to round out his multi-cat profile to really become valuable in those leagues. That means putting up a lot more hits than 27 in 79 games.
Buffalo is a high-end offensive team with a great coach that has no shortage of top-tier prospects that can fill in if injuries/under-performance become a problem. The entire top PP unit will be targeted, as well as a few depth guys like Mittelstadt and Power, in all formats. Whether even more skaters become relevant remains to be seen, but this is one of the emerging offensive powerhouses in the league, and a bastion of fantasy goodness. Their biggest question mark is in goal but Levi has the talent to become the full-time starter as the season wears on.
## Fantasy Grade – A- (last year was C)