Missed out on Connor Bedard? Fear not. The league is flush with talent and there’s many more potential keepers than just the big three. Here are five potential keepers who are not rostered in over 50 percent of leagues and demand your attention.
The 2023-24 season is just right around the corner, which means another highly-anticipated fantasy hockey season is underway.
While we’re all looking forward to Connor Bedard’s debut, note this is a stacked rookie class and there are many excellent young players out there who can be keepers in your league.
The draft is a good barometer of what the public thinks of a specific player or team. Everyone knows about Bedard, but the truth is, nobody really knows what's going to happen. (Okay, the Blackhawks likely won’t win many games). This might be a hot take, but there’s certainly a chance that Bedard doesn’t win the Calder Trophy.
Here are five keeper-level players who are under-rostered (< 50% on Yahoo leagues):
1. Adam Fantilli, C, Blue Jackets (44% rostered)
As it stands, Fantilli is set to open the season as the Jackets’ No. 3 center, behind Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine. Yes, that Laine, who has taken a grand total of 246 faceoffs in his seven-year career with a win rate of 32.5 percent. The pre-season is weird, y’all.
But there is some method to Pascal Vincent’s madness, who took over as head coach just days before training camp started after the Mike Babcock debacle. It’s allowed Jack Roslovic to move to the right wing, where he’s looked more comfortable, and over seven seasons that he, too, is not very good at winning faceoffs. Laine, to his credit, has looked excellent in the middle during the pre-season, and allows Boone Jenner to play more of a matchup role rather than having to keep up with Laine and Johnny Gaudreau on offense.
It remains to be seen if Laine will play the middle all season. The smart guess would be no, since the Jackets lineup has a ton of moving parts and a lot of players who can play both center or wing. No matter where Fantilli plays, he is, without a doubt, the future No. 1 center. He was excellent in the prospects tourney and will surely get ample ice time and power play opportunities; perhaps, even enough to challenge Bedard for the Calder. At a minimum, Fantilli might be more valuable in banger leagues due to his bigger physical stature and more physical style of play.
2. Bowen Byram, D, Avalanche (41% rostered)
When will Byram get his chance? After a slew of injuries to start his career, Byram is – hopefully – ready to ramp it up. He played in a career-high 42 games last season, scoring 10 goals and 24 points. For a defenseman noted for his skating and offense, he doesn’t shoot the puck a lot, but he’s been awfully productive despite the low volume.
The issue with Byram’s fantasy value is that both Cale Makar and Devon Toews are ahead on the depth chart, and even when Makar’s unavailable, the Avs have often opted for Toews on PP1. It caps Byram’s value, but note Toews is a UFA at the end of the season and the Avs are wary about committing term to a soon-to-be 30-year-old defenseman. Byram will likely play around 20 minutes per night on a high-octane offensive team, giving him plenty of fantasy upside, and the Avs will be watching closely to see if he can fill Toews’ shoes, should Toews not be re-signed.
3. Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs (30% rostered)
Knies has settled nicely on John Tavares’ left wing, a great spot for a playmaking forward who showed excellent speed and IQ in the playoffs. Knies’ fantasy value will be boosted even more had William Nylander stayed on that second line, but being the second scorer on Tavares’ line might give Knies a little more offensive responsibility. That’s a sign of confidence from Sheldon Keefe.
For rookies to be valuable in fantasy, they often need to play a ton of minutes or play on a very good offensive team. Knies gets the best of both worlds.
4. Logan Cooley, C, Coyotes (27% rostered)
Cooley is being very under-valued and under-rostered as the second-line center on a team with a ton of upside. Barrett Hayton draws the big assignment with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, but the Coyotes beefed up their winger depth over the summer and will likely flank Cooley with veterans Jason Zucker and Alex Kerfoot.
Kerfoot might have a bit more offense in a scoring role and Zucker’s coming off a 27-goal season where he’s added a ton of banger league value with his hits as well. Cooley’s fantasy value will be all offense, and an already talented PP1 unit with Cooley added should help raise everyone’s point totals. Cooley’s one of the best dark horses to win the Calder given his top-six role is pretty much guaranteed on a nightly basis.
5. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks (22% rostered)
For my money, McTavish is going to be the Ducks’ best player this season and beyond. The power play already runs through him as the primary triggerman, and with Leo Carlsson looking like he suffered a fairly serious injury at Friday’s practice, Trevor Zegras playing the wing and missing most of training camp, it’s set the table for McTavish to be their most reliable scoring center this season.
He scored 43 points in 80 games last season, third among Ducks forwards, and that was with relatively low shot volume and shooting percentage. Look for him to put at least 200 shots on goal, which would easily put him on pace to score more than 20 goals. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see McTavish finished as the Ducks’ top scorer.
Honorable Mention:
Matt Coronato, RW, Flames (5% rostered)
Coronato is turning heads at the Flames’ camp and rightfully so. The rookie sharpshooter is piling up the points, and the only question is where he plays in the lineup. Coronato fills a huge need; he’s a right-handed right winger on a lineup with too many lefties, and nobody on the current roster scored more than Nazem Kadri’s 24 goals last season after Tyler Toffoli was traded in the off-season.
The ideal spot for Coronato is on the top line with Elias Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau, but it’s an unlikely spot if the Flames wish to spread out their offense. That leaves Kadri and Mikael Backlund’s lines, and in either scenario, Coronato’s going to play with a quality center and be given the green light to shoot the puck.
