9. Antti Raanta, Chicago – This is a reflection of my confidence in Corey Crawford (or lack thereof). I think Raanta could become the next Antti Niemi. But if that scenario unfolds, he wouldn’t start cannibalizing Crawford’s starts until the second half. That would make a Calder conversation about him unlikely. An injury to Crawford, however, would vault Raanta into all Calder talks. Crawford missed 10 games last year (lower body) and three the year before that (back).

8. Anders Lee, NY Islanders – The 6-2, 225-pound winger has already shown that he is NHL ready. And at 24 he’s an older prospect on this list. But as a rookie-pro he posted 22 goals in 54 AHL games and then nine in 22 NHL contests last season. On paper, he fits in on the left wing (his natural position) with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and if that happens Lee will be one of the big rookie stories of 2014-15. The spot won’t be handed to him, as Brock Nelson will get a shot at it. And for that matter an NHL job isn’t 100 percent certain, since he will likely need to beat Cory Conacher to get it. But Lee is in a great position to succeed and he has a track record of overcoming obstacles. As an aside, he is also a dark horse for big PIM numbers (90+), which makes him very draftable in most league formats.

7. Sam Bennett, Calgary – The Flames brought Sean Monahan into the NHL as an 18-year-old. It looks as though Johnny Gaudreau is the talented rookie being brought in this year. Will they think it wise to bring Bennett into the NHL now? It never hurts to give a player another year of development. But if Bennett does make the big club he’ll have all the impact that Monahan had last season and then some. It would mean upwards of 55-plus points. Blessed with elite hockey sense and defensive acumen, he also boasts plenty of grit. However Bennett, who weighs just 178 pounds, is probably more susceptible to injury given that style of play and the organization may prefer that he spend the next year in junior hockey added strength and bulk.

6. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton – Draisaitl is atop the ‘Big 3′ here not because he has the highest upside – that probably goes to Bennett – but because he has the highest likelihood of making the team. He still probably won’t stick beyond the nine-game trial, but given the Oilers’ depth up the middle it’s certainly possible that he seizes the second-line spot from Mark Arcobello. If so, that would put his end-of-year point totals in the mid-50s, which would land him right in the middle of all Calder conversations.

5. Jake Allen, St. Louis – Allen’s odds of winning this season’s Calder Trophy are in direct proportion to how early he commandeers the starting job in St. Louis. To start the season, Brian Elliott will be the guy. And Elliott has shown in the past that he can go on a hot streak that lasts two or three months. That’s a reflection of the strength of the team and the coaching system of Ken Hitchcock. But when Allen does get his starts, the numbers are almost certain to be fantastic. All it would take for Allen to take over would be an Elliott injury or lengthy slump.

4. John Gibson, Anaheim – Gibson is in a similar position as Allen – a possible shared-goaltending situation on a good two-way team. But Gibson is probably a little more talented than Allen and he’s behind a goaltender in Frederik Andersen who is less established than Elliott. That makes Gibson’s odds of having a Calder season slightly better.

3. Aaron Ekblad, Florida – The only 2014 draftee who, in my opinion, is a lock to make his NHL team. Ekblad is ready to have an immediate second-pairing impact, which means 30 points at the worst – and upwards of 45 points at best. That makes him a late-round steal in all fantasy drafts, but will it be enough to fend off the forwards in the Calder race? Ekblad is the only rearguard in my Top 20.

2. Jonathan Drouin, Tampa Bay – Tomato/tomatto really, when it comes to Drouin versus Kuznetsov. But most fantasy enthusiasts and hockey pundits will be picking Drouin as their preseason Calder favorite. He has elite-level skill and there is a chance that he plays with Steven Stamkos. I have two responses to that – 1) You’re getting ahead of yourself if you think Drouin jumps onto the first line. It’s probably not going to happen this year. But Drouin is so good that three years from now you’ll be talking about how Stamkos gets to play with Drouin – not vice versa. And 2) Even if he does get to play with Stamkos, he wouldn’t get as big a boost from that as Kuznetsov would get with Ovechkin.

1. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington – The 22-year-old Russian matches Drouin in terms of skill, but is more mature and more experienced. Unlike Drouin, Kuznetsov won’t begin the season on the third line but will likely start on a scoring line right away. He stands a good chance of playing with Ovechkin at times throughout the season, but just like Drouin he can produce just fine on his own line. Kuznetsov produced pretty well in his stint with the Caps last season, despite his Offensive Zone Starts sitting below 47% and his CorsiRel quality of competition at nearly 0.5 (i.e. – he had tough minutes). As I noted in the Fantasy Guide, new Head Coach Barry Trotz will shelter his minutes a lot more than Adam Oates did and this should result in better offensive production.

See Part 1 here