Next up in our 2023 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers series is the Washington Capitals. The Capitals want to bounce back from a rough 2022-23 season where they missed the playoffs. Stars like Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson will be leading the charge for them. However, they also have sleepers who fantasy hockey managers should consider adding to their squads. Let’s go over three of them now.
Washington Capitals Sleepers for 2023-24 Fantasy Hockey
Rasmus Sandin
One Capitals sleeper whom fantasy hockey managers should watch is defenseman Rasmus Sandin. The 23-year-old had a career year in 2022-23, posting new career highs in goals (seven), assists (28), and points (35). Yet, he immediately heated up following his trade to the Capitals. In 19 games with the club, he had three goals and 15 points. Clearly, he is a perfect fit in DC, and he should be in for a huge year because of it.
Sandin will see top-four minutes and plenty of power-play time this upcoming season with the Capitals. As a result, we should not rule out the possibility of him reaching at least 50 points this season. With that, he has an immense amount of potential, as evidenced by his first-round status. Due to this, he is somebody to seriously consider for your fantasy hockey club.
Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome quietly had the best season of his NHL career in 2022-23. In 81 games played, the 26-year-old center had 23 goals to go along with 66 points. Due to his excellent season, he has high expectations for 2023-24. When noting that he has fit perfectly in Washington’s top six, we should expect him to flirt with the 70-point mark again this season.
Strome always had the potential to be a star in the NHL, as he was picked third in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. During this past season, he finally took a big step in the right direction on that front. Because of this, he warrants plenty of consideration for your fantasy hockey team once the stars are off the board.
Anthony Mantha
For our final Capitals sleeper pick, let’s take a look at a deep sleeper – Anthony Mantha. Mantha had a disastrous 2022-23 season, posting 11 goals and 27 points in 67 games. By his standards, this offensive production was quite low. He also has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason because of it. However, when looking at his past success, he is a clear bounce-back candidate for this campaign. Due to this, he is a player who may be a player worth taking a look at in the late rounds or on the waiver wire.
Mantha has always had the potential to be an effective top-six power forward. At times, he has shown glimpses of it during his career, and one has to wonder if he will again in 2023-24. When noting that he will likely play second-line minutes and see power-play time for the Capitals, don’t be surprised to see how offensive totals go back up this season.
Alas, it is clear that the Capitals have some strong sleeper candidates worth considering for your fantasy hockey draft. Let’s see how this trio performs from here.
Make sure to check out all of the sleepers and breakouts of the 2023 fantasy hockey season!