Life as a fantasy hockey GM isn't always pretty. Sometimes, all of the draft preparation and extensive research in the world can't help a doomed squad of pieces set to sputter in terms of on-ice production. If you are one of those fantasy hockey heads that is on the outside looking in in terms of your league's standings, it's more than likely you had at least one of these disappointing players in your lineup for prolonged periods this campaign.

Much like professional sports as a whole, the fantasy game is a "what have you done for me lately"-type business, so the high standards these NHLers are held to, are the ones they've set for themselves over the course of their hockey careers. With that and the end of the season in mind, we're breaking down the top-10 disappointments of 2023-24.

10. Ilya Sorokin

Speaking of high standards, when it comes to Sorokin, back-to-back seasons for the New York Islanders as a top-six Vezina Trophy vote-getter were the expectations that led many fantasy fanatics to have Sorokin as one of the top goalies off fantasy draft boards in September and October. Much like other names on this list, Sorokin is a bit of a victim of his team's overall struggles, as many preseason predictions pegged the Isles as a dark horse team that could be a problem for clubs to handle come the first round, especially given the responsible and tenacious defensive play the franchise has worked hard to become known for.

There's no denying the fact that Sorokin sees a lot of rubber, in fact, he faces the third-highest shots-against per game at a whopping 32.9 and has faced the most shots overall at a crooked 1689 already this season. However, Sorokin's numbers are down across the board when compared to only a year ago, as a 3.08 goals-against average, .906 save percentage, and 22-19-11 record are just not Sorokin-like statistics. Throw in his 4.6 goals saved above average (GSAA) this season to last campaign's 36.0, and it's actually pretty impressive the Islanders are still clinging to life with an outside shot at an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Either way you slice it, Sorokin's earned a spot on this list, even at the 10 spot.

9. Josh Anderson

Anderson is doing his absolute best to make his current contract go from looking like one of the biggest steals on the books to the worst in a matter of one season. As it stands, Anderson is under contract with Montreal for another three seasons after this one, meaning the Canadiens are shelling $5.5 million for a guy who has 18 points. The drop-off in offensive production and shots on net from last year are nothing short of alarming, as Anderson was able to register 21 goals, 164 shots, and a shooting percentage of 12.8 last season compared to eight goals, 128 shots, and a 6.5 shooting percentage this year. If that's not one of the biggest disappointments, we don't know what is.

8. Filip Gustavsson

The book is definitely still out on Gustavsson. He still has a relatively bright future ahead of him as the Wild's number one goaltender but the fact remains, he's fallen short of expectations in Minnesota. Especially when last season he looked like he was ready for the limelight after posting sensational numbers to the tune of a 22-9-7 record, .931 SV.%, 2.10 GAA, and three shutouts. When a young netminder posts those kinds of stats, people take notice. Such was the case with fantasy GMs across the hockey realm, as Gustavsson headed into the 2023-24 campaign as a goalie to target, one on the rise as a legitimate starter with All-Star caliber.

Fast forward a season and not only are the Wild sitting outside of the current playoff picture, a big reason for that is Gustavsson's inability to string together multiple weeks of consistent performances in Minny's blue paint. A 19-15-5 record to go along with a .900 SV.%, 3.00 GAA, and three shutouts are usually pretty solid numbers for a 25-year-old netminder with 100 starts under his belt. However, this is where the expectations come into play and factor as a major reason why Gustavsson hits our list at the eight spot.

7. Matty Beniers

Expectations: When you start the year as the reigning Calder Trophy winner, one who entered the NHL on a point-per-game pace as a second overall draft pick, you're going to have some attached to your game. Such is the case for Beniers, who, much like Gustavsson, still has a positive outlook in terms of career trajectory but has fallen short on what Kraken fans and fantasy GMs thought he would be producing in his second full campaign as an everyday NHLer.

Beniers followed up a sensational rookie regular season of 57 points in 80 games with a strong showing in his first taste of playoff hockey, putting up three goals and four assists in 14 postseason games last year. He has what it takes, just needs to find it again.

Is there still a lot of Beniers' game to be rounded out? Does he need to shoot the puck more? Could he benefit from adding a bit of muscle to his frame? Assuredly yes to all three queries, but the fact remains he's fallen well short on expectations for this season and is proving to be one of the biggest disappointments we've seen from a Calder Trophy winner in the past decade – so far.

6. Jonathan Huberdeau

How do we have a list of this nature and not include Huberdeau. Look, no one is trying to throw unnecessary shade at anyone, but Huberdeau's drop off in production and on-ice relevancy has to be one of the biggest enigma's the NHL has seen in the past 30 years, and it's been well-documented. Seriously, there's really not much else to say about Huberdeau other than the obvious: what the heck happened to this man?

The point dropoff is staggering and it can't be ignored Huberdeau went from being a perennial All-Star with legitimate triple-digit-point ability to being a complete shell of his former self. Proving that last year was no outlier, Huberdeau is actually much worse than the 2022-23 campaign, as he's on pace for fewer goals and points while registering an ugly minus-25 rating. When you think of disappointments, you think of Huberdeau.

5.  Pierre-Luc Dubois

Actually, we take that back, as Dubois also fits the bill as someone who looks like a ghost of their former productive self. Having all of the physical talent, skating ability, and offensive upside in the world hasn't been enough for PLD to return to a form that saw him put up multiple 60-point seasons before the age of 25. The L.A. Kings took a big risk in bringing him in and general manager Rob Blake paid a hefty price of Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-rounder to add Dubois. That trade is not only currently making Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff look like a complete front-office savant, but it's also impacting the Kings' ability to put a winning team capable of a deep run on the ice every night.

Bottom line, 15 goals and 20 assists is not even close to good enough for a player making $8.5 million for the next five seasons.

4. Timo Meier

The following four players are also a part of, arguably, the four biggest disappointing teams of the 2023-24 campaign. New Jersey thought it was acquiring one of the best power-forwards in the game in Meier at last season's trade deadline, but what they got was a player who scored 11 goals through the first 46 games of the year. Yes, Meier has picked it up since, registering 13 goals and seven assists over his last 15, but if not for that, he could easily be much higher on this list.

3. Tage Thompson

After 145 regular-season games with only 18 goals to begin his career, some fantasy pundits were wary of Thomspon registering 85 goals over the past two campaigns. They were right to be, as Thompson and the Sabres have easily been some of the biggest disappointments we've seen. The Sabres' group overall is underachieving, and offensive numbers and power-play efficiency are down across their core players that also include the likes of Alex Tuch and Dylan Cozens, but it doesn't hide the fact that Thompson is now counted on by his teammates and fantasy GMs to produce at an elite level. His 26 goals so far this season aren't at that level, and Thompson will need to bounce-back in a very big way if he wants to remain in the top echelon of forwards that get drafted in the top-two round of the draft.

2. Erik Karlsson

Karlsson had 101 points just a year ago. That was playing with the San Jose Sharks. This season he has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and he might not even crack a 50-piece. That's all you need to hear.

1. Ottawa Senators + Joonas Korpisalo, Tim Stutzle, & Others

This one is a bit of a catch-all of disappointment, as the Senators came into this season with more than enough talent (on paper) to be a legit playoff-caliber squad with a loaded top-six forward group. Injuries to key pieces, off-ice ownership and front-office distractions, suspensions and draft pick penalties, the Sens have been a mess all season. In terms of the on-ice product, the disappointment finger is getting pointed at a number of players, most notably in the direction of Joonas Korpisalo and Tim Stutzle. Sure, Stutzle is still going to have 70-plus points, but he might not crack the 20-goal mark after potting 39 last season. He needs to be so much better in terms of developing a complete two-way game.

As for Korpisalo, the netminder that was supposed to be Ottawa's answer in the blue paint, he's been awful for most of the season while registering a 19-21-0 record to go along with an ugly .891 SV.% and lackluster 3.27 GAA. Have the Sens left Korpisalo out to dry a number of times? Sure. But this goaltending situation could be Ottawa's downfall once again next season if it’s not rectified in a hurry. Ottawa, their key pieces, and their entire season are all a big disappointment.