Here are the top 200 skaters and goalies ranked in descending order based on their value in 10- or 12-team standard fantasy hockey leagues.

Categories

Top 200 (Standard)

(Positional eligibility applies to Yahoo! leagues)

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The NHL draft brings with it a new crop of rookies and the hype that follows them. And in all that excitement, some young players, who have spent time with an NHL squad but still retain their rookie eligibility, get lost in the shuffle.

Here are four rookies who have already felt the pressure of competing against NHL-caliber players and are ready to make a splash in 2018-19.

Related: Ranking the top NHL rookies for 2018-19

(Position eligibility according to Yahoo)

Lias Andersson, C, Rangers

The seventh overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft closed out his season with the New York Rangers after splitting time in Sweden and the AHL for the majority of the year. Andersson will now have a chance to make the big club out of training camp and could even compete for the second-line center role behind incumbent No. 1 Mika Zibanejad, who has missed time in each of the last two seasons. Andersson should be flanked by a pair of veteran wingers, which will only help him make the leap from prospect to pro.

Valentin Zykov, LW, Hurricanes

Zykov should be provided with an opportunity to play extended minutes and grow as a player, as the Carolina Hurricanes enter yet another rebuild. The 2013 second-round pick debuted with a two-game appearance in 2016-17, scoring a goal while averaging just over six minutes of ice time. He led the AHL with 33 goals and 54 points last season and could reward Carolina's patience if he's able to stick on the top line for a full campaign.

Dylan Sikura, RW, Blackhawks

Sikura was a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist in his final year at Northeastern. He notched 22 goals and 54 points over 35 games and earned a five-game stint with the Chicago Blackhawks to finish the season. Chicago's roster has recently become rather top-heavy, but the 2014 sixth-rounder could be on the fast track to offensive success if he's able to crack the top six, now that he's fully developed at the NCAA level.

Logan Brown, C, Senators

Brown opened last season on the Ottawa Senators' roster but was quickly returned to the OHL, where he totaled 48 points over 32 games. At 6-foot-6 and 220 lbs, he's the prototypical power forward and should be able to offer fantasy managers value with shots on goal and penalty minutes, even if the point production doesn't come immediately. He's definitely worth a late-round flier in banger leagues, in which he'd be credited with hits and blocked shots, but he could even warrant consideration in deeper standard leagues with ice time so readily available in Ottawa.

Related: 5 rookies who can make a fantasy impact this season

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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A fantasy manager's view of certain players can become distorted if their opinion is based primarily on real-life performances. Players can be overhyped because of what they do on the ice, and little attention is paid to how that translates to the fantasy box score.

Here's a look at eight players who played well in reality during the 2017-18 season, but they weren't as valuable for fantasy purposes.

Jason Spezza, C, Stars

Jason Spezza's production dropped significantly in 2017-18. He posted 26 points after finishing with 50 points the previous season. He played 78 games in 2017-18 - 10 more than he played in 2016-17 - but averaged just 13 minutes of ice time per game, the lowest average since Spezza's rookie campaign 15 years ago.

Of Spezza's 26 points, 21 were primary, and 13 of those were assists, showing that he needs more help from his linemates. His shot total dropped for a fifth consecutive full campaign, and he had a career-low shooting percentage of just 5.8. Spezza also finished with a poor plus-minus rating of minus-12 while producing few penalty minutes or hits, and only 11 power-play points.

Cam Atkinson, RW, Blue Jackets

Cam Atkinson took a step back after his breakout 2016-17 season while being limited to just 65 games last year. He averaged 2.14 primary points per 60 minutes in all game situations two seasons ago, but that number dipped to 1.95 in his most recent campaign, when 40 of his 46 points were primary.

Atkinson took more shots per game last season, but he still has little to offer in penalty minutes and saw a significant dip in his special-teams production. The 29-year-old has never finished a season with more assists than goals.

Without above-average outputs in multiple categories, fantasy managers will need Atkinson to return to his elite 2016-17 form when he scored 35 goals.

Anthony Mantha, RW, Red Wings

The Red Wings have eased Anthony Mantha, their 20th overall pick of the 2013 draft, into NHL action thus far. He played his first 80-game season last year and averaged a career-high 17:18 of ice time. That resulted in a 24-goal, 24-assist campaign.

He's been a reliable source of modest penalty-minute totals, recording 50-plus minutes in each of the past two seasons. But Mantha's plus-minus rating is significantly limited while playing in front of Detroit's weak defense.

Mantha averaged 1.85 points per 60 minutes of full-strength play last season. Now, fantasy managers need to hope the Red Wings increase his ice time, allowing him to capitalize on that stellar rate of production.

Kyle Turris, C, Predators

Kyle Turris isn't selfish enough for fantasy hockey. He registered just 119 shots on goal over his 65 games with the Predators last season, scoring only 13 times. However, he did supply 29 assists, bringing his point total to an adequate 42. But he won't give you many penalty minutes and has limited power-play exposure.

Turris had an excellent possession rating of 55.3 percent Corsi For during the 2017-18 season, but Nashville's sudden wealth of young goal-scorers is limiting the forward's upside and taking away his need to shoot.

Kevin Labanc, RW, Sharks

Kevin Labanc stayed on the Sharks' NHL roster for 77 games last season after he played just 55 games in 2016-17. He was still kept to only 14:21 minutes of ice time per game. Limited opportunities meant he couldn't capitalize on his 1.27 points per 60 minutes at full strength.

The 22-year-old had a minus-6 rating while recording just over two shots on goal per game to go with 32 penalty minutes. Labanc had nearly three times as many assists as goals last season, but his ice time needs to increase for him to offer much in either category.

Micheal Ferland, LW, Hurricanes

Micheal Ferland recorded his first 40-plus-point season in 2017-18, scoring 21 goals with 20 assists. He finished with a modest plus-5, only 24 penalty minutes, and fewer than two shots per game.

He averaged a career-best 15:01 in ice time, but had limited power-play opportunities, scoring just six goals with no assists on the man advantage. A big part of Ferland's offensive success last season came from being alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau for 15 percent of the Flames' even-strength shifts. He's likely to play on the Hurricanes' second line in 2018-19 and may experience a decline.

Ryan Suter, D, Wild

Ryan Suter is in an interesting position as a fantasy defenseman. He doesn't offer the elite point production of the top fantasy draft picks at the position, and he also doesn't provide enough in the secondary categories to make him a quality late-round option.

Suter has had two 51-point campaigns over the past three seasons, which sandwich a 40-point year in 2016-17. A year after leading the NHL at plus-34, Suter showed how volatile that category can be with his minus-1 rating in 2017-18.

He also registered just 149 shots on goal and a disciplined 34 penalty minutes in 2017-18, leaving fantasy managers in both head-to-head and rotisserie formats wanting more.

Mike Smith, G, Flames

A veteran of 529 regular-season games, Mike Smith owns a .913 career save percentage. The veteran topped that number with a .916 save percentage last season, but he earned just 25 wins while playing for a Flames team that fell well short of expectations. He also finished with a goals-against average of 2.65.

As fantasy managers experienced when Smith played with the Coyotes over the previous six seasons, his quality save percentage isn't enough to compensate for a low win total and a GAA inflated by the volume of shots he'll face.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Corsica.Hockey)

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Players available in the middle of a fantasy hockey draft who will greatly exceed expectations are just as important as the valuable sleepers in the later rounds.

Targeting players who are on the radar of most managers in your league by picking them a round or two ahead of where their career production dictates is a major key to fantasy success.

Here's a look at four players who could have breakout campaigns in 2018-19 and should be available at reasonable draft slots.

C/LW Alex Galchenyuk, Coyotes

The No. 3 pick from the 2012 NHL Draft was finally granted his freedom from the Montreal Canadiens after a trade, and he should instantly play a massive role for the Arizona Coyotes.

The 24-year-old Galchenyuk enjoyed a solid season in 2015-16 with 30 goals and 56 points. But he hasn't even hit the 20-goal mark in either of the two seasons since, and his shooting percentage dipped to a career-low 8.9 in 2017-18. Galchenyuk has never averaged more than 16:30 of ice time per game over a full campaign, and he's constantly been switched between the wing and center.

He'll battle with Derek Stepan during the preseason for the first-line center role in Arizona. The recent addition of winger Vinnie Hinostroza through a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks provides the Coyotes with sorely needed depth on the outside.

Galchenyuk ranked second among Canadiens' forwards with 240:01 of power-play time last season, totalling a team-best 24 points. Both of those figures exceed those of Stepan, and should provide the new addition with further fantasy opportunities.

LW/RW Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers

Buchnevich took a tremendous step forward in his sophomore season, playing in nearly twice as many games and more than doubling his rookie-year point total. His shooting percentage dipped to a more reasonable 10.3, but seeing just shy of an extra two minutes of ice time allowed him to register an additional shot on goal every two games.

The Rangers' thin forward depth should give Buchnevich an inside track to play on the top line beside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He'll either be the focus of the second power-play unit or work the point on the top squad.

Losing J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, and David Desharnais since the trade deadline leaves 342 shots on goal from last season to replace. There will be plenty of chances for Buchnevich entering the third and final season of his rookie deal.

D Darnell Nurse, Oilers

Nurse has steadily progressed since being the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft.

The 6-foot-4, 221-pound defender showed some signs of offensive upside during the 2017-18 season, registering 194 shots on goal. He ranked second among Oilers skaters while averaging 22:15 of ice time per game, and only Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom fired more shots on target.

Had he been able to match his 5.9 percent shooting rate from the previous season, Nurse would've tallied 11 goals last year. He did, however, record 20 assists, largely as a result of playing with McDavid at even strength. Increased time with the man advantage, and some team success after the Oilers ranked just 20th in goals last season, should allow Nurse to approach the 40-point threshold.

C/LW Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blue Jackets

Dubois' ceiling is strongly tied to the whereabouts of Artemi Panarin in 2018-19. Panarin has been included in trade rumors following a report that he's not ready to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets.

Dubois finished third in team scoring as a rookie last season, behind Panarin and defenseman Seth Jones, despite trailing the two by averages of 3.5 and eight minutes of ice time per game. He's projected to serve as the top center this year with Panarin and Cam Atkinson filing in beside him.

If Panarin is traded for nothing more than draft picks and prospects, Dubois should be able to greatly improve on his rookie success. He'd likely be asked to take on a large share of replacing the 228 shots on goal left behind by Panarin, and push for a 30-goal season while riding his reasonably sustainable 12.1 shooting percentage in 2017-18.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Free-agent moves in the NHL are typically made with real-world success in mind. As front offices work to set teams up for postseason appearances and championship runs, fantasy owners may suffer from their decisions. A club bolstering its depth by adding a once prominent scorer to serve a third-line role with limited power-play time can drastically alter that player's production.

Related - Fantasy: 3 FA signings whose value is set to skyrocket

Here are four players who could have diminished fantasy hockey returns as a result of their respective free-agent destination.

Paul Stastny

Stastny put up 53 points over a full 82 games with the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets in 2017-18. It was his highest point total since the 2013-14 season when he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

The 32-year-old enjoyed a wildly successful postseason run with the Jets, posting 15 points over 17 games while playing 17:24 per game. Stastny chose to join a Vegas Golden Knights team for which three returning forwards enjoyed that much usage in last year's playoffs, and only center William Karlsson saw anything close to Stastny's 18:41 regular-season average ice time.

A deeper and more balanced attack in Vegas will likely limit Stastny's production, as he's expected to serve as the second-line center.

Tomas Plekanec

Plekanec isn't necessarily losing fantasy value, as he didn't have much, to begin with. It's more about losing the opportunity to produce, as he'll return to the team with which he spent his first 13-and-a-half seasons, and it now lacks a strong supporting cast.

The Montreal Canadiens are thin on scoring depth beyond the first line. Now reliant on assists for production, Plekanec is unlikely to have enough help to be fantasy relevant while buried in the bottom six.

He notched 60 points for the Canadiens back in 2014-15, but he's long removed from that type of production. The 35-year-old center hasn't attempted 200 shots on goal in a single season since that campaign, and he failed to tally either a power-play or shorthanded point last year.

Petr Mrazek

Mrazek was once viewed as one of the best young goalies in the NHL, making him a top-end asset in any type of keeper league. He posted a combined save percentage of .920 over 75 starts (83 games) from 2014-16.

As the Detroit Red Wings roster deteriorated, so did Mrazek's fantasy contributions. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers this past season, where the hope was he could fix their everlasting goaltending woes. He wasn't offered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent after he stopped just 89.1 percent of shots he faced.

As a result, Mrazek signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he's expected to back up starter Scott Darling. A limited role erases Mrazek's fantasy value and managers will need to wait at least one season for him to warrant consideration.

Tyler Bozak

The Toronto Maple Leafs' signing of center John Tavares helped push Bozak out of town, but he ended up on a nearly equally crowded Blues roster.

With Brayden Schenn penciled in as the top center, between wingers Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues went and traded for faceoff-master Ryan O'Reilly not long after signing Bozak to a three-year, $15-million deal.

Robby Fabbri, 22, will also be returning from the knee injury that cost him last season. The 21st overall pick of the 2014 draft had shown promise in his first two NHL campaigns, totaling 66 points in 123 games.

Bozak, who notched at least 10 power-play points in each of the past four seasons while averaging roughly 45 total points, will see limited time on the man advantage and could quickly be forced into a third-line role at even strength depending on Fabbri's recovery.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Here are the top 200 skaters and goalies ranked in descending order based on their value in 10- or 12-team standard fantasy hockey leagues.

Categories

Top 200 (Standard)

(Positional eligibility applies to Yahoo! leagues)

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Thursday that they'll hold a practice in Humboldt, Sask. on June 3 in memory of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

"While we continue to mourn for all those affected by the devastating event of April 6, we want to demonstrate our ongoing support for the Broncos organization and the community of Humboldt," stated Craig Reynolds, Saskatchewan Roughriders president and CEO.

The day will consist of a walkthrough practice at Glenn Hall Park from noon until 1 p.m., with the team providing a barbecue lunch for community members.

"We have been working in partnership with the Broncos' organization since the tragedy, hoping to play a small role in assisting the team, victims, the community and entire province through this painful time by channeling the healing power of sport, and by lending the strength of Rider Nation," said Reynolds.

Players and coaches will take time to sign autographs and socialize with fans after the practice hour concludes.

The team will also announce details of a "Humboldt Strong" home game to be played on June 30 that will be dedicated to the victims and affected families.

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Fresh off a buyout from the New York Rangers, free-agent defenseman Dan Girardi has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a two-year deal worth a total of $6 million. Girardi was already set to make $1.1 million per season for the next six years as a result his buyout, according to CapFriendly.

Girardi scored just four goals with 11 assists last season but posted a plus-8 rating through 63 games with New York.

The 33-year-old turns a lemon into lemonade with his new contract and the lack of state tax in Florida combining with his six-year payout from the Rangers.

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June is an incredibly busy month for the NHL, but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to what's coming. Free agency begins at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1, and we're ranking the top 80 unrestricted free agents ahead of the madness.

Here are the unrestricted free agents ranked from No. 40 down to No. 31:

40. Keith Kinkaid (G)

Age on Oct. 1: 28
2016-17 Cap Hit: $725,000

Kinkaid has started 43 games over the past two seasons in relief of the New Jersey Devils' Cory Schneider. The 28-year-old is on a trajectory to be a high-end career backup. He likely can't handle a full workload, but he's a quality stopgap for a rebuilding team and is capable of handling the lighter end of a timeshare.

39. Trevor Daley (D)

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Age on Oct. 1: 33
2016-17 Cap Hit: $3.3M

No one benefited more from the plethora of injuries to the Pittsburgh Penguins' defense corps during the postseason than Daley. He averaged 19:16 of ice time over 19 games, and has shown he's still capable of a top-four role. He's a quality depth defender on a hopeful contender.

38. Jarome Iginla (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 40
2016-17 Cap Hit: $5.333M

Welp. The soon-to-be 40-year-old has announced his intentions to continue his career, seemingly oblivious to his vastly deteriorated play. After 15-and-a-half seasons with the Calgary Flames, Iginla has now played for four teams in the five years since. He'll want to continue chasing his elusive Stanley Cup ring, but he can't offer much to any true contender.

37. Steve Mason (G)

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Age on Oct. 1: 29
2016-17 Cap Hit: $4.1M

Mason remains stuck in the purgatory between being a solid starter and nothing more than a backup. His save percentage dropped for the second consecutive season, after peaking at .928 in 2014-15. Teams will want to find a safer bet in net.

36. Daniel Winnik (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 32
2016-17 Cap Hit: $2.25M

All contending teams will be anxiously watching to see who signs Winnik to a one-year contract so they can prepare the paperwork for the eventual trade offer of a third-round pick. He scored a career-high 12 goals last season and offers some bottom-six depth.

35. Patrick Sharp (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 35
2016-17 Cap Hit: $5.9M

Sharp has entered the phase of his career where he's the experienced veteran sought after by rebuilding teams looking to miss the playoffs by a single spot. He scored just eight goals in 48 games last season, but he did win three Stanley Cups this decade.

34. Brian Campbell (D)

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Age on Oct. 1: 38
2016-17 Cap Hit: $1.5M

Quite possibly the most likely to retire of anyone on this list, Campbell missed two games this past season, his first absences since playing just 65 games in the 2010-11 season. His 17 points were his fewest ever in a full season. Contenders will come calling for his experience, and he still has something to offer as a depth defenseman, but he's no longer a minutes-eater.

33. Anders Nilsson (G)

Age on Oct. 1: 27
2016-17 Cap Hit: $1M

Nilsson has 67 career starts on his resume, posting a .908 save percentage along the way. He's one of the top available backup 'tenders, but he won't receive a starting opportunity. Toss him onto the goalie carousel.

32. Cody Franson (D)

Age on Oct. 1: 30
2016-17 Cap Hit: $3.325M

Franson is now two years removed from his streak of three consecutive 30-point campaigns. He makes for a good bottom-pairing defenseman, another abundant resource in this year's free-agent class.

31. Mike Fisher (F)

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Age on Oct. 1: 38
2016-17 Cap Hit: $4.4M

The Nashville Predators' Cup run has entrenched Fisher in the city's royalty. He'll no longer be just Mr. Carrie Underwood. He'll ride off into the sunset one way or another, either via retirement or on a fair lifelong contract to wear the Predators' "C."

Free Agent Rankings

• 80-66
• 65-51
• 50-41

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The fantasy hockey playoffs bring not only nightly excitement on television without the need of having to worry about the Colorado Avalanche or Arizona Coyotes erroneously popping up on your screen, but they also provide an extra reason to get mad at your friends and work colleagues via playoff pools.

Whether it be a box pool, a draft format, or freely choosing your own collection of a set amount of players, all pools follow the same general principals.

DO: Be right

It might be difficult to resist the temptation to be wrong, but this point is the biggest of all. Take it from someone with years of experience with being wrong in playoff pools (and in other ways). Winning a playoff format requires having more players from the champions of each conference than anyone else involved in the pool. Start with a bracket, pick the winner of each matchup, and load up on the players from your hypothetical Stanley Cup Final.

DON'T: Share

Sharing is caring - unless you care about winning. In the real world, not all the star players play for the same team (a total of just 56 players suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks this season). This will cause participants unwilling to follow the first DO to pick only star players and be left with guys on five or more teams. The more concentrated your fantasy roster is on the real-life champion, the better your chances of success.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

DO: Play to win

Playing to win means coming up with a strategy and a roster no one else in your pool will have. This requires selecting some less obvious names who will be a a factor for the eventual Stanley Cup-winning team. Look for third-line players who also see time on the power play, or defensive role players who are likely to see plenty of ice time at the ends of games and in overtime.

DON'T: Be loyal

Unless you're part of the rapidly growing fan bases of the Penguins and/or Blackhawks, chances are your team won't win the Stanley Cup, even with an unlikely (or overdue) playoff appearance. Unlike a sea captain, you don't need to go down with the ship. Playoff pools are the time for bandwagon jumping, even if it means pledging temporary allegiance to a long-time rival.

DO: Take risks

It's not easy (or logical) to select third or fourth liners who struggled to hit 30 points in the regular season over a 80-point star. These decisions are gut-wrenching hours before the postseason starts, but can result in a nice bank account boost once Lord Stanley's mug is passed around. Look to maximize the number of games played by your team as a whole. The stats will follow.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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