Right wing has taken over from what the left wing position once was, very shallow in the depth pool. In any league, let alone one with a salary cap, finding the right wingers late in your draft can be the difference between a top two finish and battling for a playoff spot. Below are some of the best right wing options who will produce for a fair price. Be aware that the value of these players can be boosted due to how important it is to have flexiblity and the ability to play your highest paid players, in a salary cap league. This means that these types of players are going to be drafted slightly earlier than they would in a typical pool. Don’t let these gems slip you by, but don’t draft them too early either, as it tends to be easier to trade for the “filler” players rather than the big names. Consider a typical roto-league that count G/A/P/PPP/PIM/SOG and plus/minus. The focus will be on the very affordable players.

Dustin Brown – Maybe the most value-oriented player in this setup, Brown can be counted on for 60 points and 25-30 goals each year. The top-six in LA has only gotten better, and while he may lose time on the first PP unit, Brown won’t lose out being shuffled between the top two lines anymore. Count on 30/30 with solid peripherals. Brown is one of the biggest hitters in the game and is bound to take misconducts due to his thunderous checks. 60 penalty minutes and somewhere around 250 shots on goal, give or take, should be expected. With an improving team expect his plus/minus to stay on the positive side. A cap-friendly player, the fact that his contract isn’t up for 3 more years adds a lot of value.

Cap Hit – $3,175,000/UFA 2014

Roto Strength – G/PIM/SOG

Chris Stewart – With more goal-scoring upside than Dustin Brown, Stewart is also the Blues best goal scorer. He’ll see plenty of time on the first unit PP, which is bound to be incredibly potent. Stewart is a power forward who plays with an edge and is willing to fight, which bodes well for the penalty minutes. Expect 60+ PIM, and as the Blues go-to goal scorer, expect 200+ shots. At 23, Stewart is far from hitting his prime and has already come very close to PPG status. He should see a favorable bump in pay next year, but coming in just under $3 million makes for great value.

Cap Hit – $2,875,000/UFA 2012

Roto Strength – G/P/PIM

Michael Grabner – 34 goals as a rookie? Grabner managed to make a couple of GM’s look silly this year, proving that a chance to play was all he needed. Blazing fast and a natural sniper, Grabner could become a consistent 40-goal threat, or he could shit the bed in his sophomore season as so many have done in the past. In a perfect situation on the Island, Grabner will see plenty of ice time and he should improve on his last year totals, if even only by a small margin. He finished just behind Dustin Brown for 41st in the league for shots on goal and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top 20 next year. Much like Brown, Grabner decided to cash in on his big season and signed a lucrative five-year deal worth $15 million. Grabner will never be the multi-cat player that Brown and Stewart are, but his contract stability and low cap-hit is gold as long as last season wasn’t an anomaly.

Cap Hit – $3 million/UFA 2016

Roto Strength – G/SOG

Patric Hornqvist – Probably Nashville’s best sniper, Hornqvist puts a ton of pucks on net. Top 20 in the league with 265 shots, Hornqvist was only 10 shots short of his career-best. Dropping to 22 goals from 30 the year prior, Hornqvist should see a return to 25+ in 2011/12. Nashvhille is in need of offense and Hornqvist is one of three players who could really take on the role. Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat are the other two, but neither have shown the same natural goal-scoring ability that Hornqvist has up to this point. He also manages to post a decent amount of PIM each year, around 40-50. Hornqvist had surprisingly low powerplay points, which means there is a great opportunity for more points, should that improve. Situation and opportunity play a big role in Hornqvist’s value and Nashville continues to be the place he will get that chance.

Cap Hit – $3,083,333 million/UFA 2013

Roto Strength – G/SOG

Teddy Purcell – With Simon Gagne moving onto LA, Purcell steps up as one of Tampa’s best secondary scorers. As more opportunity arises, Purcell should improve on his totals each year. Clearing the 50-point mark last year in a limited role just goes to show the talent this kid possesses. Purcell won’t be your first choice in terms of multi-cat goodness, but his upside and shots on goal totals promise good production. An AHL all-star, the jury is still out on how good he can be, but he’s trending nothing but upwards. A solid playoff performance proved that he belongs with the big boys. 20+ goals and 200+ shots on goal could be in the works for next year.

Cap Hit – $2,362,500 million/UFA 2013

Roto Strength – P/SOG

Steve Downie – A personal favorite of mine, a tremendous playoff run has poolies drooling over Downie’s potential. His ability to put up points playing on the third line is impressive, and eases the mind of owner’s on the question of linemates in conjunction with Downie’s ability to produce. Even as a consistent 40-point player, Downie’s acumen for taking big, bad penalties is fantasy gold. A 60 point, 200 PIM season isn’t out of the question. This kid can win your PIM category for you without hurting you in other areas, as he was one of the team leaders in the plus/minus department in the last two seasons. If he manages to land on the second line, or possibly back with Stamkos, Downie could be one of the best value players in the entire league.

Cap Hit – $1.85 million/UFA 2012

Roto strength – PIM

Mike Knuble – He’s coming to the end of his career, but he also saw one of his best season ever in the shots on goal category last year. A beneficiary of the offensive juggernaut that Washington “should” be, if the team returns to it’s ways of old, you can expect 50 points, 200 shots on goal and 40+ PIM. His PIM totals were down last year, but it wouldn’t be out of the question to see a return to 60. Always a great depth fantasy player you can count on, Knuble has great potential as an all-around producer who won’t hurt you in any department. A great bargain as a late draft pick.

Cap Hit – $2 million/UFA 2012

Roto Strength – G/PPP/PIM/SOG

David Clarkson – A down year for Clarkson, albeit the entire team, saw his value drop after two great seasons prior. A Steve Downie type player, he may not have the same points upside, but the ability for 180+ penalty minutes is well within reach. Expect 30 points with 10-15 goals. He won’t see much PP time with all the talent and skilled youth on the team, but he has the ablity to score in any type of role. As long he’s healthy, expect a bounce-back season from this potential roto-stud. He makes a touch more money than one might expect, but he’s definitely affordable.

Cap Hit – $2,666,667/UFA 2013

Roto Strength – PIM

Kyle Okposo – When this kid signed a new contract, I had to read it multiple times before I believed it not to be a mistake. It’s the potential and opportunity that has poolies dreaming over Okposo’s value in a league with these settings. A goal scorer who plays a big power forward game, thus leading to decent PIM totals, Okposo will look to return to his 2010 form that saw him score 19 goals with 52 points, 22 power-play points and a whopping 249 shots on goal. All of this came as a 22 year old, showing the potential Okposo has. It’s not just the $2.8 million dollar cap hit that adds value, but the five-year term that he signed. Imagine that in three years Okposo is posting 30 goals, 60 points, 50 PIM, and 270 shots on goal. For that price I’d put major trade value into this guy. A lot of his value is potential, but the opportunity is there, he just needs to take it.

Cap Hit – $2.8 million/UFA 2016

Roto Strength – G/P/PPP/SOG