With most drafts just about in the books at this point, we are only a couple more sleeps away from real, meaningful NHL hockey! Over the past three weeks I've been covering players who found themselves on new clubs heading into this season, but this week I am just going to highlight a few players that I'm high on, or at least intrigued by as we get set to drop the puck on the fantasy season. Let's take a look!

Jason Robertson – LW (DAL) 

2020-21 Stats: 51 GP, 17 G, 28 A, 45 PTS, +13, 127 SOG, 28 HITS, 16:33 ATOI 

While Kirill Kaprizov was in the spotlight (rightfully so) and named the Calder Trophy Winner last season, Robertson quietly put together an insanely strong rookie campaign of his own. He surprisingly made the team out of camp, and when injuries began to rear their ugly head in Dallas last season, Robertson showed he was up to the task of stepping up and filling in.

Robertson found himself playing alongside another young up-and-comer Roope Hintz. The two found chemistry rather quickly and really gave Stars' fans a reason to be excited for their future. What I find most impressive about Robertson's 45 points last year was that only six of them came while on the man advantage. Now just imagine if you put him on the top power-play unit this year alongside a returning Tyler Seguin. 

Last season saw Robertson achieve almost a point-per-game pace. While I think he could possibly get there again, especially with more special teams time like I mentioned, I am curious to see how the sophomore holds up through a full 82 game campaign. Also, I think a decent goal for him this year could be to try and get his shot rate up just a touch. He averaged 2.5 shots per game last season which is fine, but you'd like to see that number go up, especially since he doesn't offer a whole lot in the other peripheral categories.

Overall, I think Dallas could be a very solid squad if they can stay healthy this season. They have a nice mix of veterans and young blood and if everyone can stay relatively healthy, I really like how they stack up on paper. If they get rolling, I'd imagine Robertson will be a big part of that equation. On Yahoo his ADP is 90.9, which puts him as an early eighth-round pick in a 12-team draft. I think that is a bit early for my liking, only because he is a pure offense type of guy. That being said though, if he can manage to score points at the same rate as last year, he could be a 70-point player!

Carter Verhaeghe – C/LW (FLA)

2020-21 Stats: 43 GP, 18 G, 18 A, 36 P, +24, 107 SOG, 33 Hits, 17:44 ATOI

The second player I am really interested in this season is Verhaeghe of the Florida Panthers. Verhaeghe could be considered as somewhat of a late bloomer, as he just turned 26 last week, and has yet to crack 100 games in his career. He showed a lot of potential in Tampa Bay during their Cup run in the 2019-20 season; however, Tampa was right up against the salary cap and were forced to let Verhaeghe walk during the offseason. The Panthers were able to scoop him up to a very cheap two-year, $2 million contract.

Last season, Verhaeghe got a golden opportunity to play in Florida's top six, and he definitely made the most of his opportunities. He played almost exclusively on the same line as Aleksander Barkov, and the two meshed well from the jump. Verhaeghe netted 18 goals, all but one of them coming at even strength. Finding a player to compliment Barkov really made the Panthers more versatile. Having Barkov leading one line, and Jonathan Huberdeau taking care of another, the Panthers top six looked very potent and dynamic.

Unfortunately, in mid-May last season Verhaeghe sustained an upper-body injury and his sophomore season was cut a bit short. Despite missing 13 games, he still finished with 36 points, which put him on pace for just under 70 points in a full 82-game slate. The Panthers organization liked enough of what they saw out of him and inked him to a three-year extension during the offseason that works out to be $4.12 million per season. 

Heading into this season, Verhaeghe finds himself reunited with Barkov once again, and on the other wing it seems like the Panthers are going with their newest offseason acquisition Sam Reinhart. I really love this line, and I think they could be seriously dangerous. Reinhart was one of the lone bright spots on a very bad Sabres team last season. I'm sure he is chomping at the bit to play on a competitive hockey club.

Unfortunately, the one thing that has me a bit worried for Verhaeghe is that he will be starting off on the second power-play unit. He will be missing out on a ton of bonus production by not being on the top unit, but maybe he could sneak into that spot as the season progresses. As I mentioned before, Verhaeghe scored most of his points at even strength last season, so he will need to continue that trend in order to stay fantasy-relevant. Much like Jason Robertson, Verhaeghe is pretty much a one-dimensional guy in terms of fantasy hockey. He will need to keep shooting and rack up the points, as he won't get you a ton of other stats. That being said, his dual-eligibility at left wing and center does make him easier to sneak into your lineup on busier nights.

Nick Ritchie – LW (TOR)

2020-21 Stats: 56 GP, 15 G, 11 A, 26 P, -7, 121 SOG, 102 Hits, 15:22 ATOI

Rounding out my trio of players to watch heading into this season is one of the newest members of the blue and white. Ritchie inked a two-year, $5 million contract in late July with the Leafs and hopes to do big things in Toronto this season. For the Leafs, this is the latest attempt at retooling their roster in hopes of achieving just a hint of postseason success. 

Richie is still just 25 as he heads into his seventh NHL campaign. He showed some potential in last year's shortened season with Boston, as he enjoyed a career high in goals with 15. Ritchie usually found himself on the second or third line in Beantown, often finding himself lining up with David Krejci. During his time in Boston, he seemed to become more attuned to his offensive game as his shot rate has ticked up while his hits have slowed down a touch. 

Regardless of the fact that he's hitting slightly less, he still uses his big frame effectively and will still provide fantasy owners with well over a hit per game. If your league tracks hits as a category, Ritchie is definitely an exciting player heading into this season. His mix of grit and offensive upside is pretty hard to come by, and when you factor in who his linemates are heading into the season, there's even more to be excited about.

Heading into opening week, Ritchie is slated to play on the Leafs' top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. You don't need to be an expert to know this is an advantageous spot for any player to be. Comparatively, look at how Zach Hyman's career has panned out the past few seasons. I actually kind of feel like Ritchie will be a poor-man’s Hyman, but if he can manage to keep up with the Marner/Matthews machine, he is in store for a decent point total to go along with his hits. 

Currently on Yahoo his ADP is 168.2, which slots him in at around the 14th round. I think at this point in the draft he is definitely worth a look. Keep in mind, he's only slotted to play on the second power-play unit, as the Leafs are loading up all the big guns on the first unit to start out the season. So he won't net you a lot of power play points, but as a depth forward for your team, I think you could do a heck of a lot worse. He seems to have a solid floor and a pretty high ceiling, so that's exactly the kind of player you want to take a shot on. 

Well that's all for this week. A couple more days and the games finally start to count again! The start of the year is always fun, and there's always good waiver wire options, so be sure to pay attention and be diligent! A couple big waiver wire moves can really help put you over the edge for the season! Best of luck everyone!