In this week's Ramblings, I'll share a 'value pick' for each team. While such a term might paint visions of McDoubles and Junior Chickens, this isn't like the McDonald's value menu – with cheap items at cheap prices. It's more like your grocery store flyer, highlighting value in products of various price points. I've included star players undervalued due to recent struggles, as well as unheralded threats preparing for liftoff. In my mind, players on the list below are destined to outperform their fantasy draft positions.

Anaheim Ducks – Trevor Zegras

Injuries often affect player production, but that creates an opportunity for fantasy managers to buy low and reap rewards when such players are healthy and producing. You'll notice many players on this list are flying under the radar this season because they were held back by injury last year. Zegras is a prime example as injuries limited him to a 40-point pace last season after he paced for 65+ in his previous two campaigns. Although his overall output last year was underwhelming, he did finish with eight points in his last eight appearances – perhaps a prelude to this year's bounce-back performance?

Boston Bruins – Pavel Zacha

Elias Lindholm is the shiny new toy in Boston and will probably get more attention than Zacha in fantasy drafts. However, the latter has shown chemistry with star goal scorer David Pastrnak and will likely see minutes beside him again this year. Zacha finished last season with 21 points in his final 19 appearances. His power-play role remains up in the air, but given how much he's flying under the radar, he can still provide positive value even if he ends up on Boston's second PP unit.

Buffalo Sabres – Dylan Cozens

Buffalo's power-play struggles led to underwhelming point totals for most of the team's forwards last year. It's strange because they thrived on the man advantage the year prior, which leads me to believe they should be able to rediscover some of that recent magic. Cozens played a role in the team's previous power-play success, so I imagine he'll be involved again this year. He'll go later in drafts than someone like Tage Thompson, meaning more room for him to outperform draft position.

Calgary Flames – Jonathan Huberdeau

When a good player has one bad year, there's usually hope for a bounce back the next season. When they have two bad years in a row, their fantasy value drops dramatically. Such seems to be the case for Huberdeau, whose previous success in Florida has been overshadowed by these past two years in Calgary. He was plagued by low shooting percentages last year, which forms the foundation of my hope for a bounce-back performance. His fantasy stock is at an all-time low, so there's plenty of room for him to exceed expectations.

Carolina Hurricanes – Martin Necas

After registering 71 points in 2022-23, reduction in power-play opportunity led to an underwhelming 53 points for Necas last year. With Michael Bunting and Teuvo Teravainen out of the picture, Necas should reclaim a prominent role with the man advantage and return to 70-point form.

Chicago Blackhawks – Seth Jones

Instead of playing the guessing game to see which of Chicago's wingers will enjoy favourable roles (i.e., first unit power-play time, even-strength exposure to Connor Bedard), why not pick a blueliner whose role is more concrete. Jones should benefit from an improved offense and while he may experience competition from Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov in the future, he should be Chicago's top offensive defenseman this season.

Colorado Avalanche – Valeri Nichushkin

The 29-year-old winger is currently in stage three of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He's still serving a six-month suspension (which ends in November) for violating stage two of his treatment plan. While primary concern is obviously rehabilitation for a fellow human being, there's no denying Nichushkin's offensive upside. Off-ice concerns likely cause Nichushkin to fall in most fantasy drafts – assuming he's drafted at all. However, with recent reports (from somewhat questionable sources) indicating he'll be ready to play in November, Nichushkin could be someone draft late and stash.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Johnny Gaudreau

Once bitten, twice shy. Twice bitten, don't draft the guy. I imagine a similar mindset will prevent many from rostering Gaudreau after two 'underwhelming' seasons in Columbus. His time with the Blue Jackets may seem disappointing compared to his final year in Calgary, when he posted 115 points. However, he's scored at a 76-point-pace and 61-point-pace these last two years, which is very much relevant for fantasy leagues. Now that his fantasy stock has fallen, there will finally be room for him to outperform his draft position. I'm in the camp that thinks a reunion with Sean Monahan will benefit both players.

Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin

This was a tough selection because Dallas has a lot of hype surrounding their established stars and blossoming young talents – who are understandably flying off the board early in most leagues. Seguin seems undervalued considering he can contribute a few shots and faceoff wins while flirting with a 60-point pace.

Detroit Red Wings – Erik Gustafsson

The 32-year-old defenseman is set to quarterback Detroit's top power play this year. He'll be reunited with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, who were part of his 60-point campaign with the Blackhawks in 2018-19. Let's see if he can recreate that magic.

Edmonton Oilers – Viktor Arvidsson

He's posted a 60-point pace in each of the last three years and will have exposure to plenty of high-end talent as a member of Edmonton's top-six. Among the Oilers' free-agent signings, Jeff Skinner seems to be getting the most attention. Arvidsson has potential to provide a lot of value from Skinner's shadow.

Florida Panthers – Aaron Ekblad

A late start due to shoulder surgery likely influenced last year's underwhelming 29-point pace. With Brandon Montour leaving for Seattle, Ekblad should see more offensive opportunity this year. He also has a chance at quarterbacking Florida's top power-play unit – a role that led him to a 77-point pace during the 2021-22 campaign.

Los Angeles Kings – Darcy Kuemper

This might be a hard sell given his poor play last season, but I think Kuemper can bounce back behind a Kings' team that is better defensively than the Capitals were last year. He's had good numbers in recent years and should provide value this season – even if it's in a timeshare with David Rittich.

Minnesota Wild – Filip Gustavsson

His fantasy value plummeted after last year's struggles, but I think he's a good bet to bounce back – especially when you consider how good he was just one year ago. My belief is reinforced by the fact that Minnesota is a strong defensive team.

Montreal Canadiens – Patrik Laine

Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky are understandably being treated like top-100 assets after strong showings last year, but such appraisals make it hard to call them undervalued. I was tempted to give this spot to Mike Matheson, but there's a chance Lane Hutson eats into some of his offensive opportunity. It seems most are being conservative with projections for Laine as I've seen him ranked outside the top-200 by multiple outlets. If that's where he's being drafted, there's a lot of upside that'll only be limited by injuries. He's an elite offensive talent who could develop chemistry with Kirby Dach on Montreal's second line, while also playing a prominent power-play role.

Nashville Predators – Tommy Novak

The 2022-23 campaign was Novak's first proper NHL campaign and he paced for 69 points. Although he took a step back with a 52-point pace last year, he looks primed to bounce back in a big way. Novak is pencilled in as Nashville's second-line center, which means he should play between new arrivals Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos. That's a massive upgrade in linemate quality which should result in a healthy bit of offense this year.

New Jersey Devils – Dawson Mercer

This was a hard selection to make because the Devils have a lot of fantasy studs, but most are appropriately valued. With Tyler Toffoli out of the picture, Mercer should reclaim a top-six role and return to the 56-point level he was at just two seasons ago. He's only turning 23 this year, so his best is likely yet to come.

New York Islanders – Anthony Duclair

Duclair's speed makes him a strong theoretical fit beside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on the Islanders' top line. From that spot, 25 goals and 50 points seems attainable. Top-unit power-play time would bring him into 60-point potential, but I'm not sure that's in the cards unless someone gets injured.

New York Rangers – K'Andre Miller

With Erik Gustafsson out of the picture, Miller could see slightly more offensive opportunity this year. He's just two seasons removed from a 45-point pace, so the scoring potential is definitely there. A higher point total would make him a big threat in multicategory leagues, as he already puts up a decent number of hits and blocks.

Ottawa Senators – Thomas Chabot

The 27-year-old defenseman has flirted with a 50-point pace in six of his seven seasons – including last year when he was relegated to Ottawa’s second power-play unit in favour of Jake Sanderson. Jakob Chychrun‘s departure may add slightly more ice time to Chabot’s plate, providing him even more opportunity to contribute in multicategory leagues.

Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier

He's been hindered by injuries in recent seasons, but a new year brings the promise of better health. Couturier's two-way effectiveness should earn him plenty of playing time under coach John Tortorella, meaning potential exposure to rookie sensation Matvei Michkov. Couturier consistently scored at a 70-point pace just a few years ago. Let's hope injuries haven't taken a permanent toll.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Michael Bunting

In most leagues, Bunting's fantasy stock will be assessed using last year's 56-point total. However, such a projection lacks optimism provided by the 19 points he tallied in 21 games after getting traded to Pittsburgh. A consistent top-six role with top-unit power play time could help him flirt with a 65-point pace this year.

San Jose Sharks – William Eklund

All eyes in San Jose will understandably be on the Macklin Celebrini – the first overall pick from this year's draft – but don't forget about SJ's other first-round draft pick. Eklund, drafted seventh overall in 2021, racked up 20 points in his final 24 games with the Sharks last year.

Seattle Kraken – Joey Daccord

Daccord had a really strong showing as Seattle's starter last season but still isn't a household name. He benefits from playing behind a competent Kraken defense but also doesn't face much competition for starts. Fellow Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer has posted a sub .900 SV% in each of his three seasons with the team.

St. Louis Blues – Scott Perunovich

Although the 26-year-old blueliner has posted impressive offense at the NCAA and AHL level, he hasn't yet shown that same ability in the big leagues. Granted, the sample is still small as Perunovich only has 73 NHL appearances under his belt, averaging a modest 15 minutes per game. He's still looking for his first NHL goal and aptly acknowledged the need to put more pucks on net this year. With Torey Krug at risk of missing this season with an ankle injury, Perunovich should see the offensive opportunity necessary to produce at a high rate.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Andrei Vasilevskiy

Preseason back surgery preceded the first bad season of Vasilevskiy's 10-year career. While he's still highly regarded, last season's struggles have his fantasy value lower than it's ever been before. He's been so good for so long and is just 30 years old – not to mention the team in front of him is still solid and should help him post a lot of wins.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Anthony Stolarz

It was only in a backup role, but Stolarz was one of the league's best netminders last season. With Toronto's upgraded defense and Joseph Woll's injury history, Stolarz has potential to flirt with 40 starts while posting a strong SV% and GAA.

Utah Hockey Club – Nick Schmaltz

Schmaltz scored at a 75-point pace in back-to-back seasons before pacing for 63 last year. For some reason, public perception and fantasy valuations still fall short of his actual accomplishments. Although last season's overall output was lower than usual, he posted 22 points in his final 21 appearances to show he's still got it. A prominent role in Utah with plenty of exposure to star forward Clayton Keller – who Schmaltz has strong chemistry with – makes Schmaltz a great option in scoring-focused leagues.

Vancouver Canucks – Elias Pettersson

Vancouver's star forward played through a knee injury in the back half of last season, which explains why he scored at a 105-point pace in the first half and a 72-point pace in the second. His fantasy stock may have dipped slightly as a result of last year's point total, but a clean bill of health can help him hit the 100-point mark this season. Honourable mention goes to Arturs Silovs as reports indicate Thatcher Demko won't be ready to start the year.

Vegas Golden Knights – Adin Hill

Strong play before injury and poor play after injury led to lacklustre overall numbers from Hill last year, unfairly dropping his fantasy stock. He benefits from a strong blueline in Vegas and has taken steps this offseason to stay healthy during the upcoming campaign.

Washington Capitals – Charlie Lindgren

The 30-year-old netminder had an excellent individual showing last year, ranking ninth in goals saved above expected (via Evolving Hockey). It's always dangerous to bet on the optimistic side of moves we haven't seen results from yet, but the Capitals look like an improved defensive team after a busy offseason. Even if he ends up sharing the net with Logan Thompson, I think Lindgren sees enough action and posts strong enough numbers to be a solid option in fantasy leagues.

Winnipeg Jets – Gabriel Vilardi

Injuries limited him to 47 games last season, so it was easy to miss Vilardi's impressive 63-point pace. He's shown chemistry with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and should continue playing a prominent role at both even strength and on the power play.

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Thanks for reading! If you ever have any fantasy hockey questions, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza and shoot me a message!