Photo: TSN
With NHL training camps opening, it also means that fantasy hockey managers are getting ready to draft their teams prior to opening night on October 8. While every manager is excited to see how their teams shape up, there are a few players that are ranked pretty high and others are surprisingly low in many rankings. NoVa Caps picks five underrated and overrated players based on NHL.com, ESPN Fantasy, and Yahoo! Fantasy’s rankings (can be seen in links) to get you ready for your fantasy draft day:
Overrated
- LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators (ninth by NHL.com, 22nd by ESPN, 15th by Yahoo!)
While it is understandable that the 25-year-old is highly coveted due to hits (294: second in the NHL last season), penalty minutes (134: second), and shots on goal (357: fourth), his 74 points were tied for 41st last season. Tkachuk should be among the top players, but it was surprising to see Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (who set career highs with 69 assists and 90 points), his brother and Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (who does a lot of the same things Brady does and has two 40-goal, 100-point seasons in the past three years), and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (who is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 30 goals and 90 points).
- G Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators (33rd by NHL.com, 24th by ESPN, 29th by Yahoo!)
The 29-year-old finished last season with career worsts in save percentage (.906) and goals-against average (2.86) while getting the most starts in the NHL (64). While Nashville’s addition of Brady Skjei on defense should help him bounce back after three consecutive seasons posting save percentages of at least .918, it is a stretch to put him higher than Connor Hellebuyck (who has posted save percentages of .920 in consecutive seasons and has nine shutouts over that time) of the Winnipeg Jets and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers (.915 save percentage, 2.37 goals-against average, six shutouts in 58 games, and has a better team in front of him).
- G Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning (42nd by NHL.com, 23rd by ESPN, 46th by Yahoo!)
The 30-year-old’s save percentage has dropped (.925, .916, .915, .900), and his goals-against average has risen (2.21, 2.49, 2.65, 2.90) in four consecutive seasons. Tampa Bay’s losses of Mikhail Sergachev and Calvin de Haan on the backend also do not help Vasilevskiy. Many could argue that Frederik Andersen (.932, 1.84 in 16) of the Carolina Hurricanes, who have a better roster, should be ahead of him, as well as a handful of skaters.
- G Alexandar Georgiev, Colorado Avalanche (48th by NHL.com, 73rd by ESPN, 49th by Yahoo!)
Despite leading the NHL in wins (38) last season, his .897 save percentage was tied for 41st, and his 3.02 goals-against average ranked 35th. It was the second time in three seasons that the 28-year-old failed to eclipse a .900 save percentage. While Georgiev is rated highly due to a star-studded team in front of him, the New York Rangers made the Conference Final in the other season. Andersen, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders (.909, 3.01 in 56), and Stuart Skinner (.905, 2.62 in 59) of the Edmonton Oilers were ranked below Georgiev.
- Sergachev, Utah Hockey Club (54th by NHL.com, 51st by ESPN, 67th by Yahoo!)
While spending most of the 2023-24 season injured, the 26-year-old tallied two goals, 19 points, and a -16 rating. While Sergachev had a breakthrough 2022-23 campaign (10-54-64, +13 in 79), he underwent a tough rehab in late winter and lost exposure to Tampa Bay’s star core of Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman. The three defensemen behind him are Noah Dobson (10-60-70, +12 in 79) of the New York Islanders, Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey (10-59-69, +34 in 81), and Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils (5-11-6, -8 in 20 last season but 22-52-74, +23 in 82 during the previous season).
Underrated
- LW Carter Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers (51st by NHL.com, 48th by ESPN, 43rd by Yahoo!)
Over the past two seasons, the 29-year-old’s 76 goals (42, 34) are tied for 13th in the NHL, and his .92 points per game (145 in 157) are tied for 48th. Verhaeghe also plays on an offense with many stars, including Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart. Some of the forwards NHL.com ranked ahead of him include Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (47-94-141 in 164 games in that span) and Los Angeles Kings right-wing Adrian Kempe (69-73-142 in 161).
- C Tim Stutzle, Ottawa (63rd by NHL.com, 68th by ESPN, 54th by Yahoo!)
The 22-year-old’s 103 assists are tied for 24th, and his 1.05 points per game (168 in 160) are tied for 25th league-wide over the past two seasons, with gritty, skilled power forward Tkachuk down his right wing. Kempe, Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (65-80-145 in 160), and New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (37-94-131 points in 138 — .95 points per game) are all ranked higher than Stutzle.
- LW Jeff Skinner, Edmonton Oilers (125th by NHL.com, 146th by ESPN, 107th by Yahoo!)
The 32-year-old ended last season with 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games with the Buffalo Sabres but has hit the 30-goal mark six times in his 14-season NHL career (35 goals on three occasions) and eclipsed 63 points five times. It is highly likely that Skinner could start the season alongside Connor McDavid, or if not, Leon Draisaitl, and play on an Oilers power play that ranked fourth with a .263 efficiency. Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (15-29-44 in 75 with the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks) and Calgary left wing Blake Coleman (who did not hit 20 goals or 40 points for three consecutive seasons before posting 30-24-54 in 78 last year and is on a rebuilding team) are among the forwards rated higher than him.
- C William Karlsson, Vegas (124th by NHL.com, 145th by ESPN, 130th by Yahoo!)
The 31-year-old’s 30 goals were tied for 42nd in the NHL last season, and his .86 points per game (60 in 70) were tied for 79th. It was the second consecutive year that Karlsson hit 30 assists (39 in 2022-23) and 50 points (53). Vegas’ loss of Jonathan Marchessault hurts, but that could give Karlsson more opportunity in the top six and on the power play. He will likely play alongside newly acquired right wing Viktor Olofsson (a three-time 20-goal, 40-point scorer) and center Tomas Hertl (a two-time 30-goal scorer, 64-point getter), which should keep Karlsson’s production at a high level. Lindholm and Coleman are among the forwards rated higher than Karlsson.
- LW Pavel Buchnevich, St. Louis Blues (131st by NHL.com, 139th by ESPN, 141st by Yahoo!)
Over the past four seasons, the 29-year-old’s 103 goals rank 50th, and his .94 points per game (254 in 270) are tied for 54th. Buchnevich averaged over a point per game (67 in 63) on a rebuilding Blues squad just two years ago. Despite the fact that St. Louis is in a retool, he is still expected to skate next to Robert Thomas (26-60-86 in 82) and Jordan Kyrou (31-36-67 in 82) on the Blues’ top line. Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (54-87-141 in 236 over the last four seasons), Nashville left wing Gustav Nyquist (52-103-155 in 214), and Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (24-36-60 in 121 over his first two NHL seasons) are some of the players ahead of him.
By Harrison Brown
