Carolina Hurricanes (36-31-15, 87pts, 7th in Division)
2016-17 scoring leaders (G-A-Pts)
Jeff Skinner 37-26-63
Sebastian Aho 24-25-49
Victor Rask 16-29-45
Top Prospects (position, age)
Julien Gauthier, RW, 19
Martin Necas, RW, 18
Jake Bean, D, 19
Must Pick: Sebastian Aho
[the_ad id=”384″]Aho had a great rookie campaign and should improve on his 49 points this season. Look for him get top power play minutes and secure his place on the top line. Aho should score between 60-65 points this season.
Sleeper pick: Scott Darling
Darling is finally getting his chance to be a No. 1 goalie. I don’t see him putting up numbers like Max Talbot did in Edmonton, but I can see him winning 25-30 games this season.
Buyer Beware: Justin Williams
Williams is in the twilight of his career and will not be playing with the talent he had in Washington or LA. He will be 36 to start the season, and I don’t see him scoring much more than his age. Look to see him get 35-40 points in 2017-18.
Starting Goalie: Scott Darling
Carolina has already stated Darling will be their No. 1 at the start of the season. If he falters, however, they still have Cam Ward, who would be a more-than-capable starter.
Hit, Blocked Shots, and PIM: Joakim Nordstrom, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal
Columbus Blue Jackets (50-24-8, 108pts, 3rd in division)
2016-17 scoring leaders (G-A-Pts)
Cam Atkinson 35-27-62
Alexander Wennberg 13-46-59
Brandon Saad 24-29-53
Top Prospects (position, age)
Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, 19
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, 22
Vitaly Abramov, RW, 19
Must Pick: Sergei Bobrovsky, Alexander Wennberg
Bobrovsky is probably one of the top three goalies in the league. Last year’s Vezina Trophy winner will continue to dominate and be productive and is a must have in any league. At 22, Wennberg became a setup machine last year. With newly acquired Artemi Panarin on his wing, he should only get better. I expect 65-70 points from him this season.
Sleeper pick: Oliver Bjorkstrand
Bjorkstand should see second-line minutes and lots of powerplay time. He had 13 points in 26 games last year. With the added ice time, look for him to score in the 40-45 point range.
Starting Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky will again challenge for the Vezina and be a top netminder in the league. He will win 40-45 games again with a low goals against average and a high save percentage.
Buyer Beware: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson
Dubois didn’t make the team last season and may have a hard time doing it this year, too. He will be hard pressed to be a top-line center, and if he does make the team, he will likely battle it out with Lukas Sedlak for the fourth line. He will see a handful of games and score between 15-20 points. Anderson will more than likely lose his second-line role to Bjorkstand and drop to the third line. His point total probably won’t drop far from the 29 he had last season.
Hit, Blocked Shots, and PIM: Boone Jenner, Jack Johnson, Brandon Dubinsky
New Jersey Devils (28-40-14, 70pts, 8th in Division)
2016-17 scoring leaders (G-A-Pts)
Kyle Palmieri 26-27-53
Taylor Hall 20-33-53
Travis Zajac 14-31-45
Top Prospects (position, age)
Nico Hischier, C, 18
Michael McLeod, C, 19
Mirco Mueller, D, 22
Must Pick: None
There are no must-have players in New Jersey. You could argue for Hall or Palmieri, but Hall is injury prone and neither puts up enough numbers to be a fantasy force.
Sleeper pick: Pavel Zacha
The sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft should come into his own this year and be the No. 2 center. He should have no issues improving on his 24-point rookie campaign unless injuries slow him down. I can see Zacha doubling his point total and scoring 45-50 points this season.
Buyer Beware: Nico Hischier
The only reason I put Hischier in this category is that I don’t think he will make the team this season. If he does, I can see him playing his nine games and then going back to Junior. If he stays with the team, he will provide the excitement that Jersey fans are wanting. That said, I still don’t see him scoring much in his first year. If he makes the team, don’t expect more than 25-30 points.
Starting Goalie: Cory Schneider
Schneider will once again the main guy between the pipes most nights. With his team in a rebuild, he won’t have spectacular numbers and probably will win only 20-25 games.
Hit, Blocked Shots, and PIM: Kyle Palmieri, Ben Lovejoy, Miles Wood
New York Islanders (41-29-12, 94pts, 5th in division)
2016-17 scoring leaders (G-A-Pts)
John Tavares 28-38-66
Josh Bailey 13-43-56
Anders Lee 34-18-52
Top Prospects (position, age)
Mathew Barzel, C, 20
Kieffer Bellows, LW, 19
Ilya Sorokin, G, 22
Must Pick: John Tavares
When healthy, Tavares is a point-per-game guy and an elite player in the NHL. On any other team, he may even score at the pace of Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid. Tavares is the main reason the Islanders even contended last season, and he will be again this season. He is in a contract year, and the addition of Jorden Eberle should help increase his point total. Look for him to score 75-80 points.
Sleeper pick: Josh Ho-Sang, Ryan Pulock
Ho-Sang had 10 points in 21 games last season and should be playing on the second line this season. With his increase in minutes, power play time, and a full season in the NHL, Ho-Sang should have no issue reaching 50 points. The Islanders finally traded Travis Hamonic, which will give Pulock a chance to take his place. He has a cannon of a shot, which could be quite useful on the power play. If he makes the team, I can see him racking up 25-30 points in his rookie year.
Starting Goalie: Thomas Greiss
Greiss was solid last season and usurped Jaroslav Halak from the starting role. There is nothing to indicate he will be any worse this year and should win around 30 games.
Buyer Beware: Josh Bailey
With Eberle’s arrival and the emergence of Ho-Sang, Bailey may be hard pressed to get top-six minutes. His 56 points from last season were a direct result of playing with Tavares. He normally scores in the 30-35 point range and will probably be back down to that level this season.
Hit, Blocked Shots, and PIM: Cal Clutterbuck, Calvin de Haan, Anders Lee
If you have any questions or if you agree or disagree, feel free to comment or leave me a message on Twitter @trege33.