Left Wing Rankings: Banger Leagues
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Rankings
Top 200 | C | LW | RW | D | G
Here are the top left wingers ranked in descending order based on their value in 10 or 12 team "Banger Leagues". A typical banger league consists of goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power-play points, shots on goal, hits and blocked shots for skaters.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Ovechkin | WAS |
| 2 | Jamie Benn | DAL |
| 3 | Max Pacioretty | MTL |
| 4 | Filip Forsberg | NAS |
| 5 | Milan Lucic | EDM |
| 6 | Gabriel Landeskog | COL |
| 7 | Taylor Hall | NJ |
| 8 | Brayden Schenn | PHI |
| 9 | Andrew Ladd | NYI |
| 10 | Brad Marchand | BOS |
| 11 | Artemi Panarin | CHI |
| 12 | James van Riemsdyk | TOR |
Ovechkin and Benn are the clear cut top-two left wingers, but it's very wide open afterward. Pacioretty's ability to be among the league leaders in goals, shots and hits at his position gives him the edge. The maturity of Alex Galchenyuk could lead to a 40-goal season for Pacioretty if they wind up on the same line.
Lucic has played with many good centers in his career, but none as skilled as Connor McDavid. If he can stick on a line with the young phenom, you can bet he will surpass his career high of 30 goals.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | James Neal | NAS |
| 14 | Boone Jenner | CLB |
| 15 | Rick Nash | NYR |
| 16 | Chris Kunitz | PIT |
| 17 | Justin Abdelkader | DET |
| 18 | Zach Parise | MIN |
| 19 | Tomas Hertl | SJ |
| 20 | Johnny Gaudreau | CGY |
| 21 | Alexander Steen | STL |
| 22 | Daniel Sedin | VAN |
| 23 | Evander Kane | BUF |
| 24 | Scott Hartnell | CLB |
It's best to let someone else draft Gaudreau in your league. He will need to be taken far too high for a player who is completely irrelevant in most secondary categories.
Kane's injury history and off-ice troubles make him a risky pick. However, if he's healthy and can stick on a line with C Jack Eichel, he could score 30 goals and record 200 hits, providing immense value.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Mike Hoffman | OTT |
| 26 | J.T. Miller | NYR |
| 27 | Ryan O'Reilly | BUF |
| 28 | Chris Kreider | NYR |
| 29 | Brandon Saad | CHI |
| 30 | Jaden Schwartz | STL |
| 31 | Jonathan Huberdeau | FLA |
| 32 | Robby Fabbri | STL |
| 33 | Matt Beleskey | BOS |
| 34 | Max Domi | ARI |
| 35 | Jonathan Drouin | TB |
| 36 | Jamie McGinn | ARI |
| 37 | Patrick Sharp | DAL |
| 38 | Jakub Voracek | PHI |
| 39 | Nick Foligno | CLB |
| 40 | David Perron | STL |
| 41 | Loui Eriksson | VAN |
| 42 | Gustav Nyquist | DET |
| 43 | Michael Cammalleri | NJ |
| 44 | Henrik Zetterberg | DET |
| 45 | Matt Martin | TOR |
If Eriksson can stick on a line with the Sedins, you can bet he will rack up 30-plus goals. If not, he could be a fantasy dud.
Martin can be taken in the last round of the draft if some physicality is needed. He led the NHL with 365 hits last season and will help your team win the category every week in head-to-head formats.