• Over those two seasons, Ladd was 1 of 7 players to crack 50 total goals, 50 assists, 450 shots, 100 penalty minutes. Others were farther ahead in value, Corey Perry and Steven Stamkos to name a couple, but he had similar production to Ryan Kesler.

One category that had been holding back Ladd's value was plus/minus. Those two years saw Ladd go a combined minus-18. Not a deplorable mark for two full seasons, but way behind where he needed to be to produce consistently across all the categories.

After the lockout-shortened season that saw Ladd put up nearly a point per game (46 points in 48 games), he seemed to have settled in as one of the top roto performers in the NHL. It was also nice to see him improve to a plus-10 rating as the young Jets defense started solidifying itself.

Then there was last year. Ladd finished with 23 goals, 31 assists, 57 penalty minutes and 189 shots on goal. Not a monster season anywhere, but a good season across the board. Again, he was one of the few players to reach each of those marks. In fact, he was 1 of 8 forwards to do so (again, according to Hockey Reference).

For all that consistency, starting with Atlanta, and then three good years for Winnipeg, Ladd's ADP fell last draft season compared to the year before. That presented tremendous value.

He delivered for his fantasy owners this year. As mentioned earlier, he was a top-20 roto forward going into Thursday night, and had managed at least 23 goals for the fourth straight 82-game season. He had also managed at least 50 penalty minutes in three straight 82-game seasons, and 185 shots on goal for the fourth straight 82-game season. In fact, since he became a first line player in 2010, this is how good Ladd has been across the board for roto owners:

• There are three players with at least 120 goals, 140 assists, 250 penalty minutes, and 950 shots on goal: Corey Perry, Jamie Benn, and Andrew Ladd.

Ladd deserves a lot more respect in roto leagues than he has been getting over the last few years. He's certainly earned it.

The one caveat here is that Ladd has never been a big power play producer; Ladd has never had 20 power play points in a season, and this year's mark of 19 set a career high. He's a good offensive producer, not a great one, and that will never be a category of strength. He will never be a pit in that regard, though, like Brad Marchand, for example.

Moving Forward

There should be an ADP bump for Ladd going into next year. Also, over those years, he hasn't always been a top-20 roto forward. With that said, he hasn't been too far away from a top-50 roto forward in those seasons either. With line mate Bryan Little under contract, the Jets getting better annually it seems, and Ladd having proved time and time again his value in a roto league, maybe next year is the year he's consistently drafted among the top-50 forwards. If he doesn't, he'll provide good draft day value to whoever recognizes one of the greatest roto performers of the last half-decade.

Frozenpool Forensics: Eric Staal

Frozenpool Forensics: Mathieu Perreault 

Cage Match: Max Pacioretty vs. Andrew Ladd 

 *Some stats courtesy to Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, and ESPN.