Last year I ran a pre-season Ramblings where I went through the top-100 players by their ADP at the time. We're just getting into the start of training camp, and while there is some interesting injury news, the production and lineup sorting is nothing that we should be jumping to conclusions on yet.

This time around, we're still going to be running through the top-100 by Fantrax ADP (it's a more accurate base), with whatever little tidbits might be interesting for you come draft date. The top-100 is where you lose your draft, so if you keep yourself from doing that, you're in a better position to win.

Note, Fantrax's ADP numbers severely underrate goalies, so I'll be focusing more on the order of them, rather than exactly where they're being drafted.

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1-10

Connor McDavid: (Same text as last year) The top guy, and if you’re considering anyone else with first overall then you’re either getting too cute, or your league has some wacky categories/weightings.

Leon Draisaitl: The undoubted second-overall pick now, and may have wing eligibility depending on your provider. Edmonton also has the best H2H playoff schedule this year, so make every effort to get one of the above-two on your team this year.

Nathan MacKinnon: This is where it opens up a little, but MacKinnon and his shot volume is the safest bet. If I'm not drafting in the top three this year, then I would prefer to be at the back end of the first round to scoop up whichever of the top players drop, because the next tier or two after MacKinnon is very deep.

Auston Matthews: Has dropped from his second-overall ADP at this point last year, but he's still a top-five based on potential. Health is the main issue, which really dragged him down because he was playing through a shot-affecting injury last season. If he's back to full-health, then he has the scoring and shooting upside of the other top options, on top of high hit and block numbers.

David Pastrnak: Having lost his main two centres, we have to wonder whether he doesn't have the same support and his scoring drops, or if that can be offset by having the puck even more. His ceiling is as high as ever, but we're not quite sure where the floor is this year.

Mikko Rantanen: The healthiest option of the top-tier Avalanche skaters, plays some wing and centre, and is very consistent year to year. One of the safest options after the top three.

Matthew Tkachuk: There has been no indication yet that the older Tkachuk brother won't be ready to start the season. However, we could see a bit of a slower start due to his offseason being spent recovering from the broken sternum. A multi-cat beast who can and does put up over 100 points in a season. Don't leave him on the board any longer than this.

Jack Hughes: One of the highest scoring upsides after the Oilers duo, Hughes brings a shot volume alongside that, but is notably lacking in the bangers stats. A couple of early season injuries throw a bit of doubt over whether he may play a full season every year.

Nikita Kucherov: Kucherov may have just hit 30, but he has put up over 100 points in each of the previous five campaigns. Betting on that continuing for at least the next three seasons seems pretty safe. One of the last top options on the board at a shallow RW position.

Jason Robertson: Regardless of what Robertson does, everyone seems to underestimate him. Even after scoring 109 points last season, the 24-year-old isn't getting as much love as Hughes or Pastrnak. He may not be your favourite target this early, but don't let him fall too far.

11-20

Brady Tkachuk: Maybe as high as number four on my list depending on the league categories. I had my bold take on him last week that he is passing 90 points and pushing for 100 this year. Older brother Matt just keeps getting better, why can't Brady do the same on an improving Sens team?

Elias Pettersson: On one hand this feels earlier than I would select him, but on the other is there really much of a drop down from Hughes or Robertson to Pettersson? Maybe it's the single-position C designation, maybe it's the Canucks in general that make me nervous, but I won't be taking him quite this early.

Cale Makar: The first defenceman off the board is pick #13, which seems like in a lot of drafts someone will reach higher for him. Makar is certainly worth reaching for, but at the same time his band-aid-boy status makes him a little riskier. This year I likely let someone else reach for him because there are other 1D options to get a round later.

Kirill Kaprizov: Does he finally have a skilled centre this year? No. Will that matter? Probably not. Kaprizov will likely still pace somewhere around the 100-point mark, and his hits per game have risen every year as well.

Tage Thompson: Doesn't have the same track record of success as those above him, but his combo of stats that he put up the last year-and-a-half is tough to pass up on at this point. I will likely end up taking safe options here, as I don't know how much higher the ceiling can go for Thompson either.

Mitchell Marner: It's a matter of "when", not "if", Marner will hit 100 points. If you miss out on the first-round tier of RWs, then it will be tough to pass on Marner. He hits and shoots more than you would expect too for a 60+ assist player.

Alex Ovechkin: Still worth a look in the top-20, but no longer someone to be reaching up the board for. His peripherals remain excellent, but neither Ovechkin nor the team around him have quite the same dynamism as they used to. His floor and ceiling a both a little lower than some of the up-and-coming options still available.

Tim Stutzle: This feels relevant right after that Ovechkin blurb. Stutzle provides an excellent blend of scoring, shooting, and hits, and while the latter two aren't quite at Ovechkin's level, the scoring has surpassed Ovie's and the peripherals aren't too far behind. The overall floor, and the offensive ceiling are both higher.  

Roman Josi: He may be my favourite player, but he's not the number-two defenceman on my board after Makar. That would go to either Adam Fox or Rasmus Dahlin. That being said, Josi is a solid number four, and has been excellent the last number of years. With there being less proven offence up front for Nashville, Josi's shot rates just keep rising too. No other defenceman gives you four per game.

Timo Meier: The Alex Ovechkin-lite, Meier took a bit of a step back upon his arrival in New Jersey. With a better supporting cast, the same volume just isn't there for Meier as it was in San Jose. He's still an excellent player, but he's someone I would rather pick in the 30-35 range than the top-20.

21-30

Sidney Crosby: I feel like in some league somewhere, someone grabbed McDavid with the first pick, and then landed Crosby and Ovechkin at the round 2/3 turn and is laughing maniacally. It may just be a fair approximation of where they are in their careers now, but it's still very fun to have the option of owning players like this without paying a first round pick for them. Crosby still has lots left in the tank, and something to prove alongside other veterans that are all looking to thrive this year too. He may not be the "kid" anymore, but don't sleep on him.

William Nylander: With news out of Toronto's camp that Nylander is starting as the third line centre we say… why are you reading so much into training camps!? Nylander is a versatile forward that can play anywhere in the top-nine, coming off an 87-point-season while putting up a career-high 3.6 shots per game. The training camp news shouldn't drop his stock, but then again it shouldn't be quite this high in the first place. He is a top 40-50 fantasy asset, not a top-25 one.

J.T. Miller: One of the last of the top-tier of right-wing options, Miller likely won't last this far in bangers leagues as he should finish with 90+ points, a boatload of hits, and solid peripherals the rest of the way around – though I am still nervous of the Canucks factor, and by extension the plus-minus.

Rasmus Dahlin: Compared to drafting Makar in the early teens, getting Dahlin in the early 20s feels like a steal. He has another gear, and the multi-category coverage to be the number-one fantasy defenceman this year, even if Makar is healthy.

Mika Zibanejad: This feels a little early for me to jump on another centre that isn't a guarantee for 90+ points. Mike is good, I would even say great on a lot of days, but there are better players still available that don't also have the uncertainty that a new coach brings. Aside from Peter Laviolette possibly starting him more in the offensive zone, there isn't much room for many other positive changes. To note, he also left his training camp session on Sunday with what has so far been dubbed a day-to-day upper-body-injury.

Aleksander Barkov: Last year's numbers say that Zib would be the better pick than Barkov, but personally I would take the risk with the 28-year-old Barkov, who has a points-per-game average of 1.2 over the last three years, compared to the 30-year-old Zibanejad who has scored at a point-per-game over the last three years. I think the Rodrigues addition works well for Barkov as well.

Dougie Hamilton: Hamilton posted a career season, and will likely have to give some offensive time up to youngsters Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec (if the latter also makes the roster), picking up the slack from the departed Ryan Graves. His shot levels are excellent, and the overall team offence will ensure he doesn't fall too far, but expecting a repeat 74-points will be a mistake.

Steven Stamkos: In a contract year, we're hoping that Stamkos uses that more as motivation than a distraction. He is aging well, and has been relatively healthy lately too (knock on wood). He did dip a little to an 85-point-pace after pacing for over 90 every year of the last six except for the pandemic-shortened season. You generally know what you're getting out of him, and that is underappreciated once the top-25 or so options are off the board.

Kyle Connor: Without the peripherals to hold his value steady through the scoring droughts, with Rick Bowness in charge, and with Winnipeg looking at taking a step back overall, this feels too early for Connor. I doubt he ends up on any of my teams this year, as there just isn't enough value here. Especially with some other 90+ point winger options still on the board and available more than a round later.

Brayden Point: Point is the last of the top forward options on the Lightning, but maybe he should have a bit more value than Stamkos at this point. He seems like a bit of a bargain in that regard, but on the other hand it feels a little too early still to be reaching for centres similar to what is still available after pick 50.

31-40

Jack Eichel: One of the top centres that I like over Point. Eichel is coming into this season healthy, and with a much lighter load on his shoulders. I think with the pressure off we see him take a few more risks, and score some more points as a result. He's one of the few guys where projecting over 90 points doesn't seem like a reach at all.

Erik Karlsson: At this stage, I think I'm still letting someone else reach for him, but it's getting close. Once Adam Fox is also off the board it would be tough to argue against him. The next few defencemen coming up have some high upsides as well, but are less proven than Karlsson. The Crosby and Malkin factor in Pittsburgh could play a role too.

Miro Heiskanen: A player I really like, but I feel like there are just other options that I like a hair more here. He's a top-50 pick for sure though, and may be a favourite in the Norris betting very soon.

Adam Fox: Definitely lower than we should likely see Fox go, but his peripherals and especially his low shot rate compared to his high-scoring peers does knock him down a peg. Still, three years in a row pacing over 70-points is a wonderful sure-thing to have in a number-one defenceman on your team.

Artemi Panarin: Panarin had a down year, and it really wasn't due to power play losses, shooting percentage, 5on5 shooting percentage, or any other really obvious metric. After three straight years pacing for over 100 points, it could just be that age is catching up to the 31-year-old, but I don't think that's it. Part of it may have been a drop off in chemistry from what he had with Ryan Strome to Vincent Trocheck. If it was status quo otherwise I might say he's due to repeat the 90-point season, but with Peter Laviolette in town and any changes he might make, the range opens up to anywhere from 80 to back to his peak of 115. Panarin is still light on peripherals, so it's a gamble here, but one that could pay off.

John Tavares: It seems to me like Tavares is picked too early every year with the Leafs. He at least lived up to his draft slot last year, but I'm just not enough of a believer that he has the upside or the floor to be worth this-high of a selection.

Clayton Keller: Like Panarin, it's all about the upside, and figuring out how to cover off the peripherals to support fit his scoring upside on your team. At least Panarin's plus-minus isn't a hindrance, though Keller does have the upside of youth and an improving team on his side.

Roope Hintz: As a result of his injuries, it seems like Hintz is still underrated. He's centring Jason Robertson – who he outscored in the playoffs – and is nearly as productive in the regular season. Aside from the position difference and the injury risk, there is no reason that Hintz should find himself drafted this much later than Robertson.

Evan Bouchard: He doesn't have the high-scoring season of a Karlsson or a Fox, but he could finish as a top-three fantasy defenceman this year because of his upside with the McDavid power play exposure. Nugent-Hopkins saw a career-year jump because of all those extra power play assists, and if what Bouchard was doing in the playoffs carries over to this season, then it could be him passing his career-high in points by the all-star break this year.

Jake Guentzel: Guentzel is back on the ice at Penguins camp, so he may not miss much time at all. There is lots of upside here, and his minor injury may drop him a little farther than this come your draft day. If so I'm definitely jumping on him there.

41-50

Alex DeBrincat: It's always tough knowing what to do with players going to new teams. We always want to believe the best, that a usual 90-point scorer is going into a situation with even better linemates, and he's due to have a great year. Maybe, but that could have also described Jonathan Huberdeau last season, or many others in previous years. The risk is there, and while it may come to fruition, you do want to be aware of it when drafting DeBrincat.

John Carlson: Coming off a big injury at 33, and moving the puck to aging teammates up front, the upside seems capped for Carlson. At this range, there are a lot of options still on the board that present better value, and not just on defence.

Zach Hyman: Due for a bit of a regression, but not as far as his previous usual 60-point rate. He's not on the same level of the guys like Meier or Miller in multi-cat either, so a 70-point season for Hyman is bound to disappoint in this range.

Nico Hischier: Still getting better every year, and he's added a lot more shooting volume to his game too. Mind you, playing with Meier may mean more assists and less shots, but that should be just fine for Hischier's fantasy value. He might not be quite as exciting as other players in this range, but he's certainly a decent and safe pick here.

Igor Shesterkin: Still the top goalie on my board, and while Fantrax's ADPs have goalies very low (not sure what leagues are causing it), the top-tier of 5-6 goalies should be gone by pick 30-35. Those top goalies are about the only ones I would reach for early like that, and past that I'm probably waiting until after pick 100 to fill out the goaltending position.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: It's surprising to see him available after teammate Hyman, but if you can get him here then go for it. He likely won't top 100 points again, but it does seem like anything is possible for him playing alongside McDavid.

Alex Tuch: Tuch could very well be a point-per-game player moving forward, but his injury risk, along with a few percentages due for regression, mean that he's definitely not a safe pick this early. Right wing does get shallow fast though, so there is that fact to balance.

Kevin Fiala: With the centre depth in LA right now, there is not a bad spot for Fiala to be lined up. He has a very safe floor of 70+ points, but it's also very possible that he finally sees more than 18 minutes per game, and scores at a 90+ point pace. In the 22-game quarter last season that he got over 18 minutes per game, he scored 25 points, for a 93-point-pace.

Andrei Svechnikov: The floor with Svechnikov is great, as playing in Carolina keeps him scoring, and gives him a high plus-minus. However, the way the team splits the power play units means that his scoring upside is capped. Just like we have all been waiting for Sebastian Aho to have that one superstar season, we will likely be left wanting if we expect it out of Svechnikov as well.

Andrei Vasilevskiy: The number-four goalie on my board, Vas should bounce back a little after the whole team had a longer summer to rest and train. It likely lights a bit more of a fire under the team too. He's still a threat for 70 starts, but the win rate not be quite as high as the team has been passed by some of the up-and-comers in the East.

51-60

Connor Bedard: Bedard's floor of somewhere in the 50- to 70-point range based on rookie seasons for Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, and others, makes this a very risky pick, especially with other 90+ point threats still on the board. We don't know what to expect from Bedard in multi-category leagues either aside from a high shot volume, so for my taste in one-year leagues, this is still too early.

Sebastian Aho: As mentioned before with Aho, we're still waiting on that one year where he pots 95 points, but in the meantime he is about as consistent as they come. His power play struggles last year dropped his scoring into a slightly lower group, but generally he is the same 80-point, 220-shot, and 60-hit player that you can expect every year.

Evander Kane: If you want to make sure to get a piece of the Oilers' offence, then this is your last shot. Kane also provides excellent peripherals, but isn't necessarily a fixture on the top power play. There are definitely risks here, but the upside is huge too.

Juuse Saros: Maybe on volume you could see an argument for Saros to be the third goalie off the board, but with some of the other better goalies left that are also on better teams, there just isn't the upside to warrant him yet. Saros is at the edge of the top tier or two that I would be comfortable picking early, and it would have to be a league that tilts towards volume.

Brad Marchand: This is a top-40 fantasy asset who has a negative fantasy perception around him now because of his age and the departure of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Marchand should still be a solid scoring winger with excellent peripherals. He's also coming into the season healthy, unlike last season where it took him some time to get up to speed before coasting at the end with the regular season title wrapped up.

Johnny Gaudreau: Maybe one of the last 90-point threats, and despite the poor peripherals, there is no reason for him to be going this far behind Panarin and Keller. Might as well get a better all-around player earlier and then take Gaudreau here, rather than struggling to manage the other way around.

Jake Oettinger: This is some serious slander on Oettinger. There's a debate that he may be the top goalie this year, with his excellent peripherals, expected heavy workload, and high win totals on a Western Conference powerhouse. He should be one of the first two or three goalies off the board, and definitely not behind Saros.

Dylan Larkin: Despite seeing his minutes drop a little over the last couple seasons, Larkin has kept his point totals up at an 80-point-pace. He has never played at a point-per-game pace, and may be looking at even less minutes this year. He's someone I would be wary of over-drafting, even with the addition of Alex DeBrincat to the team.

Quinn Hughes: Similar to some of the wingers without peripherals, Hughes has a ton of scoring upside, but doesn't hit or block a lot. Filling the defence position is always tougher than forward though, so grabbing Hughes instead of some of those one-dimensional forwards would be advisable. 

Jordan Kyrou: Speaking of one-dimensional forwards, we have Kyrou who also struggled at times last season, and came with an abysmal minus-38 rating. With a lower floor and terrible peripherals, Kyrou is not something I would jump on in the top-100.

61-70

Ilya Sorokin: The other option for the top goalie, Sorokin leads the league in shutouts over the last few years. If you can get that as the fifth goalie off the board, you run for it. The Isles are pretty much running back the exact same team, so it just comes down to whether a healthy Mat Barzal and a coaching change can make a huge impact. Odds are that we can expect a similar Vezina-worthy season from Sorokin.

Brandon Montour: For a player that might be out until after Christmas, this is way too early. On a per/game basis, it might make sense, as even a 60-point season and some solid peripherals would make him a reasonable value at this stage. However, if he only plays 50 games, then we're looking at 45 points at best, and there are lots of defencemen available past pick 150 that could give you better peripherals and over 40 points on the year. It really depends on how easily you can replace him in the first half via the waiver wire.

Mikhail Sergachev: If there is a dark-horse for the top fantasy defenceman of the year, it's Sergachev. Running the top power play in Tampa can mean there are a ton of PPPs, in addition to how many points and peripherals Sergachev usually picks up. Last season it was a pace of 40 even-strength points, and 28 PPPs, coupled with two shots per game, and approaching the combined 300 Hit+Blk threshold. Sergachev's shot rate climbed as the season went on, and while he didn't approach three per game, his near-2.5 mark in Q4 was a great sign that there is room to grow for this year.

Travis Konecny: It remains up in the air exactly how the Flyers' lines are going to be deployed, but at this point whichever line has Konecny is the top one. His ice time saw a big bump last season, and he delivered with his first point-per-game campaign. His hit and shot numbers are also excellent, it's just the PPPs and plus-minus that might drag him down a little. One of the top RWs left available.

Adrian Kempe: With Konecny and his 61 points in 60 games right above, Kempe's career-high last year of 66 points in 82 games just isn't as exciting. The Kings have enough fire power to spread the offence around, and Kempe isn't guaranteed to have the same power play exposure as last year either. He hits and shoots a lot, but this feels too early for a 60- to 65-point-player.

Carter Verhaeghe: Verhaeghe hit his breakout just on time, as he passed the 200-game mark last season and scored at a 74-point pace. He doesn't hit as much, but his top-line deployment in Florida along with increasing minutes and high shot volume, mean that I'm a little more confident drafting him here over names like Kempe and Kyrou.

Josh Morrissey: Speaking of 70+ point career-high seasons, Morrissey notched 76 in 78 games last year, along with 2.2 shots per game, and some solid banger stats. He might not quite replicate those offensive numbers, but the fact that he's a defenceman mean that he should be going earlier than the 65- to 75-point forwards in drafts.

Zach Werenski: I feel like the upside that we're looking for out of Werenski is a healthy season that finishes with some similar numbers to what Morrissey just put up. There's a lot more risk with him, as the team is full of question-marks, his health is always a question, and he doesn't have the same track record. Risk only makes sense in drafts after the guys that are more sure things to hit those same levels are already gone, and I don't think we're there for Werenski until after pick 100.

Alexandar Georgiev: Have I mentioned before that he is the only Bulgarian player in the NHL? I think that's pretty cool. Aside from that, Georgiev is one of the better goalies in the league right now, both because of his individual talent and because of the team he plays for. He's one of the last goalies to feel comfortable reaching for a little earlier – and yes, above Saros.

Filip Forsberg: Forsberg is coming off of another injury-interrupted season, but when he does play he has shown he can be a point-per-game player. The risk is that the support isn't quite there around him anymore, and if he only plays 40-50 games, then another 40 points in those games doesn't do a ton for your fantasy team. There is a point that he will be a bargain at the draft table (like where he's going on Yahoo at the moment) but this spot on Fantrax isn't quite it).

71-80

Patrik Laine: Another high-upside player with injury risk is Laine. He has been a little healthier than Forsberg over the last few seasons, and has more seasons at a point-per game level. Additionally, with the increased offensive support in Columbus compared to Nashville's offensive exodus, I like Laine's upside more this year.

Mortiz Seider: We all know that to some extent there will be another offensive step forward from Seider (he's not going to turn into Tyler Myers after all), but we don't know exactly when. Right now, he's a 45- to 50-point defenceman, with excellent peripherals. That's nothing to sneeze at, and the certainty on that makes him more valuable than Montour this year for example. The upside with Seider is that if he does figure it out early, and jumps into the 65+ range for points, it becomes the kind of pick that really makes a difference in winning your league.

Cole Caufield: This feels about as high as I would want to grab Caufield. He could pot 40+ goals if he's healthy, but I don't see much more than 30+ assists happening, so he's a 60- to 70-point-player who has yet to play a full season, and adds shots but not a lot else in terms of peripherals.

Connor Hellebuyck: He should be viewed as one of the top goalies, but he goes up one year and down the next… rinse and repeat. He's due for a down year, and the team in front of him has taken a step back too. The coach doesn't seem to be helping either, so he's someone that is extremely unlikely to return value on whatever he will cost in a draft.

Brent Burns: The immortal BigFoot, Burns is again on the top power play unit for the Canes, and should be an amazing source of shots. He may be trending slightly down, but if others are backing off because of his age, then feel free to jump in and have him anchor the middle of your defence core. You shouldn't be disappointed.

Victor Hedman: This is about where I could finally see myself drafting Hedman, after years of him going too high in drafts to often return value, the injuries have dropped his stock, and the emergence of Sergachev has given Tampa Bay another option. Hedman is still an excellent defenceman in both real life and fantasy, and right after Brent Burns seems like a good spot for him this year.

Evgeni Malkin: For someone that has a chip on their shoulder this year, and got further offensive and defensive reinforcements around him, I'm surprised to see Malkin rated this low. He should be over a point per game for the 12^th time in the last 13 seasons.

Alex Pietrangelo: In the same conversation with Hedman and Burns, you generally know what you're getting with Pietrangelo, but with Vegas this year you do have to beware a Stanley Cup hangover. On top of that, any year now Shea Theodore could fully take over the offensive reins, and leave Pietrangelo with a hollow stat sheet.

Jesper Bratt: Lining up to Jack Hughes, he doesn't have quite the same upside, but it is as high or higher than a bunch of forwards we have seen from pick 50 and later. He feels like a very safe swing at this point that should provide value. He slowed in the second half last year, but if he can keep the pedal down, then he's primed for at least 80 points.

Matt Boldy: Similar to Bratt in that Boldy isn't quite on the same level as his elite teammate, but he should be a reliable source of points and could very easily top 80. Once one of the two goes I would be happy taking the other one a few picks later for a similar stat line.

81-90

Jonathan Huberdeau: Three straight seasons at just over a 90-point-pace, then one year at 115 points, and last year at 55. What to make of that scoring pace? The average comes out to 90, the median sits at 92, and the mode sits at 92. A fair shot that the outlier seasons might come back toward the career middle. However, Huberdeau is still in Calgary, and that team may hold him back a little from reaching that same level. At least an 80-point pace seems like a reasonable bet, and that makes Huberdeau a worthwhile gamble at this stage. Don't leave him too long though, as he may be the last guy available with a chance to hit 100 points.

Claude Giroux: Playing with Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk, all Giroux would have to do is stand at the blue line and pass the puck to his linemates and he'll at least pass the 70-point-pace than he has hit the last two seasons. In all seriousness, Giroux has a prime setup, and his ability is not one that is going to drop off quickly with age. He should be a safe pick, though his upside is probably limited to the point-per-game range. Also, despite being listed as a right wing, he still wins 700 faceoffs a year.

Jeff Skinner: Skinner is apparently a 40-goal threat again, after having scored 35 despite only seeing 17-and-a-half minutes per game last year. His underlying numbers say that the scoring rate should come down a little, which makes sense when looking at him having shattered his career-high in assists last year (47 from 32). Playing with Thompson and the rest of the Buffalo offence should insulate him enough, but the expectation might be closer to 70 points rather than last year's 82.

Nikolaj Ehlers: I was ready to be one of the final people holding onto the hope that Ehlers can finally break out, but having neck spasms already in camp, still not getting a shot on the top line, and the looming presence of Rick Bowness, I'm not buying in on Ehlers until he leaves Winnipeg. Someone else can deal with that headache (pardon the pun).

Joe Pavelski: Like with Burns and Giroux, you just have to ignore the age a little bit with Little Joe, and accept that he will be performing well alongside Robertson and Hintz. If you want a taste of the top-tier talent on Dallas, then this might be your last chance, depending on how you feel about Tyler Seguin.

Charlie McAvoy: The departure of Bergeron and Krejci might mean less goals overall for the team, but it could also mean that McAvoy gets a bigger share of the offensive game, especially on the power play. Matching his 65-point-pace from last year shouldn't be difficult, and while the shot volume isn't ideal, overall McAvoy is really just a handful of power play assists shy of what Adam Fox is producing, and you can get him a full 50+ picks later. He should be up closer to the Bouchard/Carlson/Hughes range.

Sam Reinhart: Reinhart was the victim of some terrible shooting luck last season, but his shot rate was up, his minutes were up, and his power play time was plentiful. If the luck rebounds this year, Reinhart should have no issues passing the point-per-game mark again. The extra peripherals and the motivation that come with the contract year are also good signs.

Noah Dobson: Getting into the tier of defencemen where things really open up, I would personally be holding off and seeing who falls. It likely won't be Dobson because of the perceived upside of his youth, but that's okay because the trends on him are concerning, both from a points perspective, and with regard to his peripherals. Let someone else reach for defencemen here unless one of the above studs have fallen.

Tyler Toffoli: I will probably get suckered into owning Toffoli in at least one fantasy league this year because of his prime deployment with Hughes and Bratt. He has an absolute floor of 55-points and 220 shots, but a ceiling of finally hitting the point-per-game mark if he sees top power play time here like he did in Calgary.

Pavel Buchnevich: As Rick Roos loves to point out, Buchnevich is now the only player who has seen his scoring rate increase for each of his first seven seasons in the league? Could it improve again this year? Well, all of his underlying percentages seem to be maxed out, so it would likely take a big leap forward from his linemates to make up for that, or a large jump in shooting volume to counteract a drop in scoring percentages. I think he has just about maxed-out as a point-per-game player.

91-100

Kris Letang: Dobber had a great comparison between Dobson and Letang here:

"On the surface, my instinct was Dobson – a player on the rise versus a player on the decline. But digging deeper, the points projections for both of these players are close. As are the SOG and PPPts projections. Dobson, to be honest, wins or ties all of those categories…but it’s close. However, he is nowhere near Letang in Hits. Letang will help so much in the Hits category, at minimal loss in the other categories, that he gets my nod. The risk is in him playing at least 70 games. That’s key here or this could blow up in my face. He missed 18 games last year but has missed just 23 games over the last three seasons combined – that averages just under eight games missed, or a projection of him playing 74 games."

Valeri Nichushkin: We have to take the word of Nichushkin and the team that his dismissal from the team in the middle of a playoff round last summer will not have any future repercussions. In an injury-plagued regular season, he managed 47 points in 53 games, and was not a big drag in any of the peripheral columns. He's not one of the safest picks, but once you get past the top 100 players or so, no one is.

Martin Necas: How will Necas follow up his breakout season? So far through training camp he's on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov – that should be a good sign. However, what has me concerned is that his 26 power play points may be evaporating with the acquisition of Tony DeAngelo. There's some upside here, but some real risk with the odds of him getting there again.

Mark Scheifele: We saw a big drop off last year from Scheifele after years of consistency sitting just over a point-per-game. There isn't a specific number or two either that we can point to as to why he suddenly struggled either. Really, I think it comes down to the coaching, again with me mentioning Rick Bowness. He's not a catalyst for offensive success among the forwards, and as long as he sticks, the WPG forwards will be lower on my list than the general consensus. I would expect closer to 70 than 80+ for Scheifele this year.

Jakob Chychrun: Cychrun can be a 60-point defenceman, when he is healthy, and when he is seeing the bulk of the power play time. Neither are a given, and his reduced ice time with the Senators is another reason to take a bit of a pause before drafting him this year. Maybe in another round or two he would feel like a bargain, but right here it just feels like to much risk with so many similar defencemen still available, including two from his own team that could realistically both finish ahead of him.

Vince Dunn: After a huge jump to a 65-point season, adding 115 Hits and 150 shots to go with it, Dunn now looks like a prime regression candidate. His team scored at extremely high percentages with him on the ice, and he has peaked from an ice-time standpoint. Maybe he's a 50-point defenceman, or maybe he's even a 60-point defenceman who can clear 100 hits again, but the metrics say that it's unlikely he's a 65-point defenceman again this year.

Darnell Nurse: This selection is more for the multi-category leagues, where Nurse really shines. He's a 40-point defenceman, but his 2.5-3.0 shots per game, and his benchmark two Hits and Blocks each per game are a huge advantage to anyone in a roto or H2H categories league where each statistical column matters. If Bouchard falters with the power play (unlikely) or gets injured, then Nurse would also see a scoring uptick that could surpass his 53-point career-high scoring pace.

Shea Theodore: Bouncing around acing between 53-65 points the last few seasons, Theodore did it this past year with his lowest ice time of those last four seasons. If his ice time jumps back up this season, then we could see our first 70-point season out of him. There are a lot of other defencemen of similar caliber left, but of the ones available at pick 100 or later, Theodore may have the highest upside (Tony DeAngelo is the other that coes to mind, but he's too risky for me with his off-ice issues and Brent Burns on the ice in front of him).

P.L. Dubois: The big acquisition for the Kings the offseason was another centre, and it looks like he's lining up with Arthur Kaliyev and Kevin Fiala in pre-season. That would be a dangerous second-line, and could bring out the best we have seen in all three of them. I'm on board with Dubois in the spotlight of LA.

Linus Ullmark: After putting up a season for the ages in 50-starts, his owners are likely hoping for a little more volume this year. If anything though, it might be a little less as Jeremy Swayman continues to grow into his talent, and the team likely continues to split every second game. There's no two ways about it, Ullmark will take a step back this year, and there is better value for goalies elsewhere, be it Tristan Jarry, Filip Gustavsson, Ilya Samsonov, or maybe even Jacob Markstrom or Vitek Vanacek.

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See you next Wednesday! You can find me on Twitter (I will continue to call it that) @alexdmaclean if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments.