With just five weeks left on the regular season schedule in most fantasy hockey leagues, the All-Star break represents the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on what we have seen to this point. While Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Justin Schultz of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Peter Budaj of the Los Angeles Kings have ranked among the most pleasant surprises for their owners, there is a long list of highly ranked options that have disappointed. Here is a look at the most disappointing NHL fantasy options at each position so far this season.
C: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Kopitar has long been considered a slow starter but this year has been completely different as he is on pace for the worst production of his career in a full 82-game season. The month of November was particularly cruel to Kopitar owners as he recorded just three points in nine games. With just five goals and 27 points in 43 games this season, Kopitar has ranked among the biggest busts in NHL fantasy regardless of position.
LW: Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
After spending the previous two seasons establishing his self as one of the most dominant scoring wingers in the NHL, Gaudreau has taken a major step back in his third full season with just 11 goals and 31 points in 42 games. While that production still makes him better than average at his position, it still represents a step back in his overall production from a year ago. It also doesn’t help that Gaudreau has been held to just 10 powerplay points with an absolutely atrocious minus-17 rating. He still has time to turn things around but right now Gaudreau has to be considered among the biggest NHL fantasy league disappointments.
RW: Bobby Ryan, Ottawa Senators
Ryan has been trending in the wrong direction over the past couple of seasons but the downward trend in his production has become even steeper this season as he has been held to 11 goals and 19 points in 40 games. Ryan is still young enough to think that he could bounce back in the second half but the numbers indicate it is more likely that he continues to struggle. With so many talented right wingers performing at a high level this season, Ryan is an obvious candidate here as the most disappointing right winger in fantasy hockey.
D: Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles Kings
After reaching the 40-point mark in back-to-back seasons, Muzzin appears primed to miss that mark in 2016-17 as he has been held to just 15 points in 48 games. Making matters even worse is the fact that Muzzin owns a minus-10 rating, which would represent a career-low mark if he doesn’t improve in that department. It doesn’t help that Los Angeles has a severe lack of scoring talent up front, which will make it that much more difficult for Muzzin to turn things around in the second half.
The Kings have been quite challenged offensively – once again – as they’ve managed to score just 123 goals so far this season. Only three other teams in the Western Conference have scored less.
G: Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop would have challenged for this spot if he didn’t miss so much time with injury but considering his extended absence it makes sense to go with Schneider in this spot. The veteran netminder has disappointed this season with a 14-15-7 record, a 2.75 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in 36 starts this season. Those are terrible numbers for a goaltender that was considered among the league’s best after registering a 2.15 GAA and a .924 save percentage last season, so Schneider is definitely worth of this spot as the biggest fantasy disappointment at his position.
The Devils have been a disaster all season long, so it’s hard to blame everything on Schneider. The Metropolitan Division has become much stronger and simultaneously, the Devils have sunk. Their 144 goals allowed are tied for the third-most in the Eastern Conference and their offense hasn’t been very effective either. They’ve only scored 113 goals overall, which is the fewest in the Eastern Conference and the third-fewest in the NHL overall.
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