Fantasy Preview: Right Wing

Fantasy Week here at RLD continues. Here is our preview for right wingers, with some bonus analysis below from Dobber Hockey’s Jeff Angus…

1. Corey Perry, ANA
2010/11: 82 GP, 50 G, 48 A, 98 Pts, +9
3-year Avg: 81 GP, 36 G, 46 A, 82 Pts, +6
He’ll still be a great fantasy player, but expect a dip from his 50 goals. Perry’s goal totals before last year: 27-32-29-17-13.
2. Martin St. Louis, TB
2010/11: 82 GP, 31 G, 68 A, 99 Pts, +0
3-year Avg: 82 GP, 30 G, 61 A, 91 Pts, -2
The 36-year-old isn’t showing his age, thanks in large part to playing alongside Steven Stamkos.
3. Claude Giroux, PHI
2010/11: 82 GP, 25 G, 51 A, 76 Pts, +20
3-year Avg: 69 GP, 17 G, 33 A, 50 Pts, +7
Giroux is on the verge of becoming a star. With Philly’s roster changes, his role will increase… which means his production will, too.
4. Patrick Kane, CHI
2010/11: 73 GP, 27 G, 46 A, 73 Pts, +7
3-year Avg: 78 GP, 27 G, 50 A, 77 Pts, +7
Kane had an inconsistent fantasy year in 2010-11. Expect a return to the 80-plus point mark.
5. Jarome Iginla, CGY
2010/11: 82 GP, 43 G, 43 A, 86 Pts, +0
3-year Avg: 82 GP, 37 G, 44 A, 81 Pts, -2
At some point, Iginla’s production is going to fall off. Until then, pick with confidence.
6. Marian Gaborik, NYR
2010/11: 62 GP, 22 G, 26 A, 48 Pts, +8
3-year Avg: 52 GP, 26 G, 26 A, 52 Pts, +9
Gaborik’s up-and-down production from year-to-year suggests 2011-12 could be a big year – especially with Brad Richards dishing him the puck.
7. Loui Eriksson, DAL
2010/11: 79 GP, 27 G, 46 A, 73 Pts, +10
3-year Avg: 81 GP, 31 G, 38 A, 69 Pts, +7
Eriksson is a model of consistency. He hasn’t gone more than three games without a point the last two years.
8. Dany Heatley, MIN
2010/11: 80 GP, 26 G, 38 A, 64 Pts, +8
3-year Avg: 81 GP, 35 G, 38 A, 73 Pts, +4
If ‘Heater’ finds instant chemistry with Mikko Koivu, 40 goals is realistic.
9. Phil Kessel, TOR
2010/11: 82 GP, 32 G, 32 A, 64 Pts, -20
3-year Avg: 74 GP, 33 G, 27 A, 60 Pts, -2
The Leafs sniper has put together three straight 30-goal seasons. A fourth should be in store.
10. Teemu Selanne, ANA
2010/11: 73 GP, 31 G, 49 A, 80 Pts, +6
3-year Avg: 65 GP, 28 G, 32 A, 60 Pts, +2
Obviously, this hinges on whether Selanne retires or not. Assuming he doesn’t, he’ll again be a big contributor in Anaheim.
11. Martin Havlat, SJ
2010/11: 78 GP, 22 G, 40 A, 62 Pts, -10
3-year Avg: 77 GP, 24 G, 50 A, 64 Pts, +0
The jury is out as to whether the change of scenery helps Havlat. It can’t hurt, right?
12. Chris Stewart, STL
2010/11: 62 GP, 28 G, 25 A, 53 Pts, -6
3-year Avg: 64 GP, 22 G, 23 A, 45 Pts, -7
After the trade from Colorado, Stewart scored 15 times in 26 games with the Blues. That equates to 47 goals over an 82-game span.
13. Marian Hossa, CHI
2010/11: 65 GP, 25 G, 32 A, 57 Pts, +9
3-year Avg: 65 GP, 30 G, 30 A, 60 Pts, +20
Health is always a concern with Hossa. Proceed with caution.
14. Alex Burrows, VAN
2010/11: 72 GP, 26 G, 22 A, 48 Pts, +26
3-year Avg: 79 GP, 30 G, 25 A, 55 Pts, +28
Burrows fills the stat sheet everywhere and plays with the Sedin twins. That’s all you need to know.
15. Jeff Skinner, CAR
2010/11: 82 GP, 31 G, 32 A, 63 Pts, +3
A sophomore slump shouldn’t be out of the question for the Calder winner.
16. Jordan Eberle, EDM
2010/11: 69 GP, 18 G, 25 A, 43 Pts, -12
Eberle will eventually be a star, but more growing pains and inconsistency can be expected.
17. Ryane Clowe, SJ
2010/11: 75 GP, 24 G, 38 A, 62 Pts, +13
3-year Avg: 76 GP, 21 G, 36 A, 57 Pts, +7
Clowe’s production keeps improving every year. Given his PIM from last two years (131 and 100), he’s a good option for a No. 2 RW/LW.
18. Dustin Brown, LA
2010/11: 82 GP, 28 G, 29 A, 57 Pts, +17
3-year Avg: 81 GP, 25 G, 30 A, 55 Pts, -1
Captain Brown’s fantasy value may increase playing next to Mike Richards rather than Jarret Stoll.
19. Michael Grabner, NYI
2010/11: 76 GP, 34 G, 18 A, 52 Pts, +13
2-year Avg: 48 GP, 20 G, 12 A, 32 Pts, +8
16 of Grabner’s 34 goals came in a 15-game stretch. Expect a drop-off for the second-year Islander.
20. Milan Hejduk, COL
2010/11: 71 GP, 22 G, 34 A, 56 Pts, -23
3-year Avg: 70 GP, 24 G, 29 A, 53 Pts, -12
Hejduk is consistent, but he doesn’t provide much versatility in fantasy.

Note: Rankings are based on projected 2011-12 stats, not based on 2010-11 or 3-year stats.

Sleeper: Jakub Voracek
When it comes to Philadelphia’s off-season additions, everybody talks about Ilya Bryzgalov, Jaromir Jagr and Brayden Schenn. The forgotten man is Jakub Voracek, who was acquired from Columbus in the Jeff Carter deal. Voracek, the 7th overall pick in 2007, has a lot of skill and may benefit from the change of scenery. There is a strong possibility that he plays on a line with either Danny Briere or Claude Giroux, which would boost Voracek’s value. In the later rounds, Voracek, who had a career-high 50 points in 2009-10, would be worth taking a flier on (pun intended).

Bust or Trust: Patric Hornqvist?
Trust
After Hornqvist’s 30-goal season in 2009-10, the opposition put more of a focus on him last season. As a result, he struggled to carry over that success and was inconsistent en route to 21 goals. With that being said, he still got a ton of shots on net (265) and had a below-average shooting percentage (.079). Maybe those numbers will even out this year? The Predators will be relying on Hornqvist to score goals. After a ‘step back’ season, I believe he’s up to the challenge. Even if he doesn’t score 30, if you select Hornqvist to be your No. 2 RW you won’t be disappointed.
- Ryan Porth

Bust
Hornqvist is a very good goal scorer, and he’s one of the better players in the league at creating havoc in front of opposing goaltenders. However, the Predators lack a clearly defined top line center (or a clearly defined top line, for that matter), making it tough to project which wingers are the ideal ones to own in fantasy pools. Sergei Kostitsyn and the recently signed Niclas Bergfors are arguably the two most offensively gifted players on the roster, but Hornqvist plays with more grit and consistency than either of them. I’d be cautious of picking any Predator in your hockey pool for 2011-12 – not named Pekka Rinne, of course.
- Jeff Angus

Draft Day Dilemma: Michael Grabner or Alex Burrows?
Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner possesses the kind of speed that allows him to generate offense out of nothing. He’ll never put up impressive assist totals, but he’ll be able to score a lot of goals without any help. He’s even more valuable in fantasy leagues that count shorthanded points – the Islanders put him on the penalty kill last season, and he was able to catch opposing defensemen napping on more than one occasion (the Canucks used to play Pavel Bure in a similar role back in the 1990’s). As he improves his decision making and the other young Islanders (especially the young centers like Ryan Strome and Josh Bailey) improve, Grabner’s production will increase. He has 40-goal upside, and potentially higher, depending on how much he plays and who he plays with.
- Jeff Angus

Alex Burrows
There’s really only been one winger to consistently have chemistry on Vancouver’s top line alongside the Sedin twins: Alex Burrows. He has surprisingly developed into a solid goal-scorer and valuable commodity in fantasy leagues. Burrows scored 26 goals last year after depositing 35 in 2009-10. Even though he doesn’t get many power play points, Burrows does enough everywhere else to garner heavy fantasy consideration. He played through injury last year, so maybe a healthy campaign can get Burrows back to the 30-goal plateau. As long as he’s with the Sedins, Burrows will continue to produce.
- Ryan Porth

Rookie to Watch: Carter Ashton
Carter Ashton, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick from 2009, has a chance to earn a roster spot out of training camp. Guy Boucher and company lost Simon Gagne and Sean Bergenheim in free agency, while Ryan Malone will miss the start of the year. Ashton is a power forward that could thrive in the absence of Malone. Ashton tallied 71 points in 66 games for the WHL’s Tri-City and Regina last year and also has some sandpaper to his game. He’s a deep sleeper, but keep an eye on him at the beginning of the year.

Contract years
Shane Doan, PHX… At age 34, Doan is still the go-to guy in Phoenix’s offense. He continues to put together solid seasons and there is an outside chance he’s traded to a contender at mid-season.
Ales Hemsky, EDM… Speaking of being traded, Hemsky has been the subject of trade rumors over the last two years. Will he finally stay healthy in his contract year?
David Moss, CGY… Moss showed flashes of brilliance last year. Can he put it all together in the final year of his contract?

Note: Stat categories taken into consideration – G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SOG

Photos credit: Getty Images