For the last 20 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 21st annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are taken into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Brendan Lemieux, Sean Walker, Sean Durzi, Joonas Korpisalo

Incoming – Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cam Talbot, David Rittich

Impact of changes – In the monster deal that brought in Pierre-Luc Dubois, all of Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari were shipped out to Winnipeg. Vilardi and Iafallo were particularly decent depth options who had 0.65 and 0.61 point-per-game rates respectively. However, in return they received the best player of the deal in Dubois who is coming off a career 71-point pace and is entering into his breakout threshold. With Kopitar being the two-way force he is, Dubois should continue to have favourable deployment and having a player of his caliber will also make the lineup as a whole, deeper.

The goaltending needed attention. Gone is trade deadline acquisition Joonas Korpisalo and of course, longtime goalie Jonathan Quick was shipped out as well. Incoming are Cam Talbot and David Rittich. Talbot will likely assume the mantle as starter and will either challenge or more likely be challenged by incumbent goalie Pheonix Copley. Rittich will serve as the fallback should either option fail.

Ready for Full Time –

Alex Turcotte and Samuel Fagemo are two forwards with the potential to crack the lineup in some capacity this season. Turcotte has struggled with injuries lately which has resulted in his development stalling, otherwise he may have already made a case to join full time by this point. He may need to marinate in the AHL to regain his form but expect to see him called up if even for a brief spell. Fagemo was second in goals with 23 in 56 games played on the Ontario Reign. The team overall performed poorly which impacted his point total but could see time in the NHL again this season.

On defense, Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence could both see extended time in the lineup this season. Of the two, Spence has the stronger case as he is two years older and closer to being NHL ready than Clarke. However, both players are waiver exempt and so unless one or both players absolutely wow the coaching staff, management can afford to be patient another year with their development.

Fantasy Outlook –

Fantasy owners can once again expect the top line to be led by Adrian Kempe and the early Selke favourite (with Bergeron retiring) Anze Kopitar. He has been remarkably consistent and durable over his last few seasons given his age and there are no signs of that changing this season. The real gem on L.A though is Kevin Fiala who has now posted back-to-back seasons of a 1.04 point-per-game pace. Expect that to continue, especially if he spends more time with Kopitar and Kempe than he did last season (just over a quarter of his time). New addition Pierre-Luc Dubois will really give L.A a strong crop of forwards in the top-six and he can provide solid multi-cat value. Meanwhile, a solid cast of secondary contributors in Viktor Arvidsson, Phillip Danault, Trevor Moore and the hopefully the continuing growth of Quinton Byfield round out a roster on the rise.

Doughty will no doubt continue to run things from the back end and with Sean Durzi departing, he will be the undisputed number one and likely the only L.A defenseman worth drafting in some leagues. Doughty will continue to provide value with good scoring and solid peripheral contributions.

L.A bought a goalie by committee after being unable to acquire a true starter in free agency this offseason. Cam Talbot will likely get the first look on opening night but from then on, his tenure in the crease will be dictated by both his ability and health. Should either aspect fail him, Pheonix Copley will assume the starts. He had a decent season last year but to date has predominantly been a career AHLer. As added insurance, L.A also brought in David Rittich who will backup Copley in the likelihood of Talbot missing time. All this to say, none of these goalies seem poised to play a major role in bringing this team to the promised land.

Fantasy Grade: B+ (last year B)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.