Breakout Candidate: Zeev Buium, D
This is the easy pick since the Wild will likely start with Buium as their PP1 QB. They played him there in the playoffs and he didn’t look out of place. I expect Buium to be sheltered at 5-on-5, but playing on the power play will be where he gets most of his fantasy value. It’s a difficult category to fill in fantasy because there is a maximum of 32 defensemen in the league who get the opportunity to quarterback a top power play. Sharing the ice with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy should help Buium rack up points.
Buy Low Candidate: Marco Rossi, C
I think Rossi getting demoted to the fourth line is putting too much of a damper on his fantasy value. The Wild re-signed him to a three-year extension, taking away any worries about his contract status. He’s also the best fit to center their second line, and among their young forwards is in the best position to score points. It seems like the Wild feel the same way, too, as Rossi is expected to open camp on the second line with Matt Boldy and Vladimir Tarasenko.
It’s a little disappointing that Rossi will unlikely be part of PP1, as he was last season filling in for the injured Joel Eriksson Ek, but there’s still 50-60-point upside to be a quality bench player in fantasy.
Riser: Liam Ohgren, LW or Danila Yurov, RW
Yurov likely makes the bigger impact this season because he's more versatile; he can play center (and prefers it) and can make a bigger impact away from the puck. Ohgren is a more high-upside offensive player, but it's unlikely that either get enough minutes or stick with the Wild all season. The top six, when healthy, is packed with options, and both veterans Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman can move up in a pinch.
A season from now, however, Ohgren and Yurov will have played their way into fantasy relevance. It's worth noting, however, that THN Yearbook & Fantasy Guide projects Yurov to score 60 points.
Faller: Jared Spurgeon, D
Spurgeon scored at a 40-point pace last season and I think he’s a really underrated two-way defenseman, but he will turn 36 years old in November and losing his grip at the top of the depth chart. I think the Wild’s best defensemen right now are Jonas Brodin and Brock Faber without question, and Buium will also reduce Spurgeon’s ice time on the power play. The Wild lifer and captain will play an important role, but going forward his fantasy value will likely be limited to blocked shots.
All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com, hockeyviz.com, allthreezones.com, hockey-reference.com, eliteprospects.com unless otherwise noted.