Fantasy: 5 sleepers for 2015-16
Fresh off ranking the top 50 players in fantasy hockey, here are five sleepers to keep in mind on draft day.
Bruins F Brett Connolly
Last season's Bruins experienced a dearth of scoring, exacerbated by a serious lack of depth on the right side.
Enter Connolly, who was acquired prior to the trade deadline but limited to five games after breaking a finger shortly after arriving in Boston. Drafted sixth overall in 2010, Connolly - who possesses a lethal wrist shot - managed 12 goals in 50 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning while averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time prior to the trade last season.
Connolly, David Pastrnak, and Jimmy Hayes are set to enter camp as Boston's top right-hand-shot wingers, meaning Connolly could start living up to his billing if he's slotted into one of the team's top two lines.
Ducks F Jakob Silfverberg
During his second season with the Ducks, Silfverberg recorded a career-high 13 goals, 39 points, and 189 shots. It was in the playoffs, however, where he demonstrated why the Ducks were willing to send Bobby Ryan to Ottawa two summers ago.
Silfverberg scored four goals and added 14 assists in 16 postseason games, averaging 2.6 shots per game over that span. Entrenched in the team's top six and likely to see an increase in power-play time, Silfverberg could surpass 20 goals and 50 points for the Ducks, making him a very solid late-round draft pick in fantasy leagues.
Stars F Valeri Nichushkin
The Stars made noise this summer with the additions of Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya from the defending Stanley Cup champions, but this third-year forward could prove to be one of the biggest difference-makers for a team looking to rebound from a disappointing 2014-15.
Nichushkin dropped 14 goals and 34 points as a rookie, but was limited to eight games this past season due to injury. The 10th overall pick from the 2013 draft had chemistry with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn in the past, and, failing that plum assignment, will likely drop no further than the second line alongside Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp.
Penguins D Derrick Pouliot
Following the departures of Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff, the Penguins desperately need someone to step up and fill the void, and Pouliot appears destined to do just that.
The 21-year-old, who developed in the WHL under now-Penguins head coach Mike Johnston, spent last summer recovering from shoulder surgery, and bounced between the NHL and AHL levels this past season. He managed two goals and five assists in 34 games with the Penguins, and showed brighter flashes with seven goals and 17 assists in 31 minor-league contests.
Expected to be a mainstay on the Penguins' blue line, Pouliot should display the offensive acumen that led him to be drafted eighth overall three years ago, while justifying the team's unwillingness to include him in the Phil Kessel deal. Speaking of Kessel, Pittsburgh's loaded forward corps should feast on Pouliot's breakout dishes.
Sharks G Martin Jones
Martin Jones found himself traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Boston Bruins, who then flipped him back to California in a deal with the San Jose Sharks. Rather than be buried behind the likes of Jonathan Quick and Tuukka Rask, he'll be called upon to replace Antti Niemi and get the Sharks back to the playoffs.
The Sharks also added one of the better available free-agent defensemen in Paul Martin to help right the ship. He joins a corps that already features Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Brenden Dillon, all of whom were positive possession players last season and helped keep the Sharks' goal differential at a 20th-ranked minus-4.
Jones will have to battle Alex Stalock for playing time. However, Jones' career record of 16-11-2 with a .923 save percentage, 1.99 goals-against average, and seven shutouts over 34 appearances suggest he's up to the task of being a No. 1 goalie.