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We're back with fantasy hockey coverage at RotoBaller. Just like last year, over the course of the 2019-2020 NHL season, we'll be providing weekly updates to our fantasy hockey rankings - listing each player in terms of his rest-of-season value.
Below you can find the inaugural version of our rankings, our preseason top 100 forward rankings. The rankings are the result of a collective effort from RotoBaller staff writers Chase Davis, Scott Cullen and Chris Wassel.
Our Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, power play points, shots on goal, and hits for skaters; wins, goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts for goalies). Value is based on factors such as past production, future NHL potential, age, projections, line/defensive pair combinations, quality of a player's team and contract status. Let get into it!
Top 100 Forwards - Preseason Draft Rankings
| Rank | Player Name | Position | Team | Chase | Scott | Chris | Consensus |
| 1 | Nikita Kucherov | RW | TB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin | LW | WSH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 |
| 3 | Connor McDavid | C | EDM | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| 4 | Nathan MacKinnon | C | COL | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3.7 |
| 5 | Sidney Crosby | C | PIT | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5.7 |
| 6 | Patrick Kane | RW | CHI | 5 | 11 | 5 | 7.0 |
| 7 | Tyler Seguin | C | DAL | 15 | 7 | 7 | 9.7 |
| 8 | Auston Matthews | C | TOR | 8 | 17 | 8 | 11.0 |
| 9 | David Pastrnak | RW | BOS | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11.3 |
| 10 | Steven Stamkos | C | TB | 14 | 6 | 14 | 11.3 |
| 11 | Brad Marchand | LW | BOS | 7 | 13 | 15 | 11.7 |
| 12 | Leon Draisaitl | C,LW | EDM | 13 | 16 | 13 | 14.0 |
| 13 | Aleksander Barkov | C | FLA | 12 | 22 | 10 | 14.7 |
| 14 | Johnny Gaudreau | LW | CGY | 16 | 21 | 16 | 17.7 |
| 15 | John Tavares | C | TOR | 19 | 15 | 19 | 17.7 |
| 16 | Blake Wheeler | RW | WPG | 20 | 10 | 28 | 19.3 |
| 17 | Mikko Rantanen | RW | COL | 17 | 18 | 24 | 19.7 |
| 18 | Sebastian Aho | C | CAR | 25 | 14 | 25 | 21.3 |
| 19 | Mitchell Marner | RW | TOR | 18 | 30 | 18 | 22.0 |
| 20 | Taylor Hall | LW | NJ | 24 | 25 | 17 | 22.0 |
| 21 | Artemi Panarin | LW | NYR | 21 | 26 | 21 | 22.7 |
| 22 | Brayden Point | C | TB | 23 | 23 | 33 | 26.3 |
| 23 | Evgeni Malkin | C | PIT | 28 | 38 | 20 | 28.7 |
| 24 | Jack Eichel | C | BUF | 27 | 37 | 26 | 30.0 |
| 25 | Mark Scheifele | C | WPG | 30 | 36 | 30 | 32.0 |
| 26 | Claude Giroux | C,LW,RW | PHI | 35 | 27 | 35 | 32.3 |
| 27 | Patrice Bergeron | C | BOS | 34 | 24 | 41 | 33.0 |
| 28 | Vladimir Tarasenko | RW | STL | 40 | 20 | 40 | 33.3 |
| 29 | Gabriel Landeskog | C, LW | COL | 42 | 33 | 37 | 37.3 |
| 30 | Jamie Benn | LW | DAL | 43 | 28 | 46 | 39.0 |
| 31 | Matthew Tkachuk | LW | CGY | 37 | 42 | 42 | 40.3 |
| 32 | Mark Stone | RW | VGK | 41 | 46 | 34 | 40.3 |
| 33 | Alexander Radulov | RW | DAL | 49 | 35 | 49 | 44.3 |
| 34 | Filip Forsberg | LW | NSH | 46 | 45 | 43 | 44.7 |
| 35 | Jake Guentzel | LW,RW | PIT | 54 | 31 | 50 | 45.0 |
| 36 | Elias Pettersson | C | VAN | 39 | 58 | 39 | 45.3 |
| 37 | Jonathan Marchessault | C, LW | VGK | 53 | 41 | 53 | 49.0 |
| 38 | Mika Zibanejad | C | NYR | 52 | 44 | 52 | 49.3 |
| 39 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | C | WSH | 47 | 55 | 47 | 49.7 |
| 40 | Alex DeBrincat | LW, RW | CHI | 45 | 62 | 45 | 50.7 |
| 41 | Timo Meier | LW,RW | SJ | 69 | 32 | 61 | 54.0 |
| 42 | Jonathan Huberdeau | LW | FLA | 66 | 34 | 66 | 55.3 |
| 43 | Patrik Laine | LW,RW | WPG | 61 | 48 | 69 | 59.3 |
| 44 | Nicklas Backstrom | C | WSH | 68 | 43 | 68 | 59.7 |
| 45 | Sean Monahan | C | CGY | 67 | 56 | 67 | 63.3 |
| 46 | Sean Couturier | C | PHI | 83 | 29 | 83 | 65.0 |
| 47 | Phil Kessel | RW | ARI | 58 | 78 | 65 | 67.0 |
| 48 | Joe Pavelski | C, RW | DAL | 76 | 53 | 76 | 68.3 |
| 49 | Dylan Larkin | C | DET | 65 | 85 | 58 | 69.3 |
| 50 | Evander Kane | LW | SJ | 62 | 90 | 62 | 71.3 |
| 51 | Mathew Barzal | C | NYI | 78 | 76 | 78 | 77.3 |
| 52 | Logan Couture | C | SJ | 73 | 88 | 73 | 78.0 |
| 53 | Ryan O'Reilly | C | STL | 95 | 54 | 95 | 81.3 |
| 54 | Brock Boeser | RW | VAN | 71 | 110 | 71 | 84.0 |
| 55 | Vincent Trocheck | C | FLA | 87 | 84 | 87 | 86.0 |
| 56 | Cam Atkinson | RW | CBJ | 96 | 71 | 91 | 86.0 |
| 57 | Jakub Voracek | RW | PHI | 77 | 105 | 77 | 86.3 |
| 58 | Jonathan Toews | C | CHI | 99 | 61 | 99 | 86.3 |
| 59 | Mike Hoffman | LW,RW | FLA | 102 | 75 | 82 | 86.3 |
| 60 | Teuvo Teravainen | LW,RW | CAR | 101 | 60 | 101 | 87.3 |
| 61 | Jeff Skinner | LW | BUF | 89 | 86 | 89 | 88.0 |
| 62 | Brendan Gallagher | RW | MTL | 93 | 79 | 93 | 88.3 |
| 63 | Tomas Hertl | C, LW | SJ | 75 | 116 | 75 | 88.7 |
| 64 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | C | CBJ | 107 | 66 | 107 | 93.3 |
| 65 | Matt Duchene | C | NSH | 79 | 125 | 79 | 94.3 |
| 66 | Evgenii Dadonov | LW | FLA | 97 | 98 | 97 | 97.3 |
| 67 | Viktor Arvidsson | LW,RW | NSH | 98 | 109 | 98 | 101.7 |
| 68 | Anders Lee | LW | NYI | 122 | 67 | 122 | 103.7 |
| 69 | Elias Lindholm | C,RW | CGY | 103 | 106 | 103 | 104.0 |
| 70 | Kyle Connor | LW | WPG | 104 | 104 | 104 | 104.0 |
| 71 | Brady Tkachuk | LW | OTT | 109 | 96 | 109 | 104.7 |
| 72 | Rickard Rakell | LW,RW | ANA | 106 | 108 | 106 | 106.7 |
| 73 | Josh Anderson | RW | CBJ | 120 | 83 | 120 | 107.7 |
| 74 | William Nylander | C,RW | TOR | 110 | 118 | 110 | 112.7 |
| 75 | Max Pacioretty | LW | VGK | 100 | 139 | 100 | 113.0 |
| 76 | Anze Kopitar | C | LA | 111 | 95 | 142 | 116.0 |
| 77 | Jack Hughes | C | NJ | 119 | 122 | 111 | 117.3 |
| 78 | William Karlsson | C | VGK | 140 | 72 | 140 | 117.3 |
| 79 | Kyle Palmieri | RW | NJ | 116 | 124 | 116 | 118.7 |
| 80 | Brayden Schenn | C,LW | STL | 138 | 87 | 138 | 121.0 |
| 81 | Max Domi | C | MTL | 105 | 155 | 105 | 121.7 |
| 82 | Nikita Gusev | LW | NJ | 147 | 89 | 134 | 123.3 |
| 83 | Chris Kreider | LW | NYR | 130 | 119 | 130 | 126.3 |
| 84 | Clayton Keller | LW,RW | ARI | 124 | 133 | 124 | 127.0 |
| 85 | Tom Wilson | RW | WSH | 113 | 163 | 113 | 129.7 |
| 86 | Nico Hischier | C | NJ | 142 | 129 | 119 | 130.0 |
| 87 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | C,LW | EDM | 135 | 121 | 135 | 130.3 |
| 88 | Bo Horvat | C | VAN | 134 | 115 | 147 | 132.0 |
| 89 | Anthony Mantha | LW,RW | DET | 141 | 123 | 141 | 135.0 |
| 90 | Ryan Johansen | C | NSH | 150 | 114 | 150 | 138.0 |
| 91 | Mikael Granlund | LW,RW | NSH | 157 | 103 | 157 | 139.0 |
| 92 | Ryan Getzlaf | C | ANA | 132 | 154 | 132 | 139.3 |
| 93 | Kaapo Kakko | RW | NYR | 123 | 175 | 123 | 140.3 |
| 94 | Jason Zucker | LW,RW | MIN | 168 | 93 | 168 | 143.0 |
| 95 | Reilly Smith | RW | VGK | 149 | 150 | 149 | 149.3 |
| 96 | T.J. Oshie | RW | WSH | 161 | 130 | 161 | 150.7 |
| 97 | Andrei Svechnikov | LW,RW | CAR | 162 | 128 | 162 | 150.7 |
| 98 | Nazem Kadri | C | COL | 159 | 135 | 159 | 151.0 |
| 99 | Nino Niederreiter | LW,RW | CAR | 191 | 74 | 191 | 152.0 |
| 100 | James Van Riemsdyk | LW | PHI | 154 | 151 | 154 | 153.0 |
| 101 | Sam Reinhart | C,RW | BUF | 164 | 136 | 164 | 154.7 |
| 102 | Zach Parise | LW | MIN | 165 | 166 | 145 | 158.7 |
| 103 | Dustin Brown | RW | LA | 183 | 112 | 183 | 159.3 |
| 104 | Mats Zuccarello | RW | MIN | 153 | 174 | 153 | 160.0 |
| 105 | Nikolaj Ehlers | LW,RW | WPG | 177 | 137 | 177 | 163.7 |
| 106 | Patric Hornqvist | RW | PIT | 198 | 97 | 198 | 164.3 |
| 107 | Dylan Strome | C | CHI | 139 | 216 | 139 | 164.7 |
| 108 | Alex Galchenyuk | C,LW | PIT | 163 | 184 | 163 | 170.0 |
| 109 | Gustav Nyquist | LW,RW | CBJ | 175 | 171 | 175 | 173.7 |
| 110 | Andreas Johnsson | LW,RW | TOR | 152 | 222 | 152 | 175.3 |
| 111 | J.T. Miller | LW,RW | VAN | 199 | 131 | 199 | 176.3 |
| 112 | Paul Stastny | C | VGK | 137 | 257 | 137 | 177.0 |
| 113 | Jaden Schwartz | LW | STL | 190 | 165 | 190 | 181.7 |
| 114 | Jordan Eberle | RW | NYI | 187 | 172 | 187 | 182.0 |
| 115 | Jake DeBrusk | LW,RW | BOS | 196 | 159 | 196 | 183.7 |
| 116 | Blake Coleman | LW,RW | NJ | 173 | 207 | 173 | 184.3 |
| 117 | Alex Tuch | RW | VGK | 200 | 160 | 200 | 186.7 |
| 118 | Roope Hintz | LW | DAL | 145 | 261 | 165 | 190.3 |
| 119 | Ondrej Kase | RW | ANA | 197 | 180 | 197 | 191.3 |
| 120 | David Perron | LW,RW | STL | 182 | 226 | 182 | 196.7 |
| 121 | Andreas Athanasiou | C,LW | DET | 178 | 240 | 178 | 198.7 |
| 122 | Pavel Buchnevich | RW | NYR | 181 | 238 | 181 | 200.0 |
| 123 | Kevin Labanc | RW | SJ | 193 | 232 | 193 | 206.0 |
| 124 | Nick Schmaltz | C,LW | ARI | 195 | 282 | 195 | 224.0 |
Fantasy Hockey Forwards - Rankings Analysis
Checking in at the top spot of our forward rankings, Nikita Kucherov is primed for another monster season in Tampa Bay. Kucherov led the league with 128 points in 2018-2019 and considering the amount of game-breaking talent around him in Tampa Bay, he has another great opportunity to repeat. Taking his spot on perhaps the NHL's strongest team's first line and top power-play unit, the Russian dynamo should be an easy bet to eclipse the 100-point club for the third consecutive season.
It's difficult to suggest a player who posted 73 points last season is poised for a break-out year but that's just how high of a ceiling Auston Matthews possesses. Gifted with one of the best releases in the league today, Matthews should flirt with 50 goals for the very first time in his young career - largely dependent on whether or not the Arizona native can stay healthy enough to play a full 82 games. When you consider that he's poised for an uptick in time-on-ice on the man advantage (123rd in the NHL with 2:34 PP TOI/GP despite 20 power-play points), it's easy to see him hitting the 90-point mark for the first time in 2019-2020.
Taylor Hall is healthy, folks. After missing 49 games due to a knee injury last season, this 2017-2018 MVP appears ready to rock on a much improved New Jersey Devils squad this season. Over the past season and a half (109 contests), he's posted an eye-popping 130 points (50 goals, 70 assists), 49 power-play points and 391 shots. Entering a contract-year, Hall will have plenty of motivation to keep producing at elite levels.
Is this finally the year we see Filip Forsberg evolve into a legitimate NHL superstar? Right in the middle of his prime, the 25-year-old will look to shake off injuries that have hampered him from blossoming into a fantasy star. The talent is there, the usage is there (18:31 average TOI last season) and he's insulated with highly productive forwards in Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and newcomer Matt Duchene. With the addition of new assistant coach Dan Lambert, hired to revive a Predators power-play ranking 31st in efficiency, Forsberg should be able to double the 9 power-play points he registered last season.
Arguably one of the better draft-day bargains available at forward, Timo Meier (#90 Yahoo pre-rank/74.8 ADP) has already proven to be one of the game's most talented young scorers. In addition to his premiere skill package, the Swiss-born forward is coming off a highly productive second full NHL season. In 78 regular season games in 2018-2019, the 22-year-old registered a career-best 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) and served as a top-50 fantasy asset based off his excellent cross-category coverage of 250 shots, 99 hits and a plus-nine rating. Following Joe Pavelski's departure over the off-season, Meier will join a lethal top PP unit in San Jose and should consequently improve his power-play production (10 PPP last year). When you add in the fact that he's eligible at both the left-wing and right-wing positions, Meier is definitely a player that would be worth reaching for.
Just breaking the top 100 is a familiar face out in Anaheim, long-time Ducks' captain Ryan Getzlaf. Crippled by injuries last season, the Ducks fell to the bottom of the Western Conference, leaving Getzlaf devoid of highly-productive wingers on the team's top line. Wingers Rickard Rakell and Ondrej Kase appear to be 100 percent and that alone should boost Getzlaf's value - allowing him to return back to his regular 60+ point production. The 34-year-old remains one of the game's top puck distributors and given his security on this team's first line and top PP unit, Getzlaf should easily surpass the 0.72 point-per-game pace he established last season.
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