There is nothing worse in NHL fantasy than drafting a player high, only to have him ruin your fantasy season by inconsistent play, injuries or a combination of both. The guys on this list are guilty of the aforementioned infractions, and anyone drafting these players should know they could let you down in the 2017-18 NHL season. We definitely could have included Alex Ovechkin, who will likely be overdrafted again as he is pretty much every year. We’ll leave the obvious one out and focus on five of the best NHL players with bust potential in fantasy.
Steven Stamkos, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Injuries. They have been a concern for Steven Stamkos now for years and have made him a bust in two of the last four seasons. While he has been given a clean bill of health to start this season, you should consider Stamkos overvalued at his current ranking. In 2014-2015, after returning from injury, Stamkos had his least efficient season statistically since his rookie year. He had his lowest totals since his rookie year in goals per game, points per game and shooting percentage. Should he play a full season, his aggregate total will be all right, but he likely will be a bust when you consider where you drafted him.
Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim Ducks
Coming off a bust year, Corey Perry is projected to return to form in 2017-18. While there is a possibility of Perry having a bounce-back year, he is a much riskier pick in fantasy leagues. Perry’s worst statistic from last season was his 8.8% shooting percentage. In his previous six seasons, Perry had never finished with a shooting percentage below 11.7%. He enters his 13th year in the NHL in 2017-18 with 1000 games, regular season and playoff – played and is beginning to slow down. He is likely not the player he once was and should not be drafted as such. Do not reach on Perry or if you do expect to be disappointed.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Washington Capitals
Kuznetsov drove fantasy owners crazy last season. After averaging close to a point per game in 2015-16, Kuznetsov started last year painfully slow. It took the highly drafted center 40 games to reach five goals, and he finished the campaign with 18 fewer points than he had the prior season. Kuznetsov is a great playmaker, but last year showed two things. Firstly was that even as Kuznetsov struggled the Washington Capitals won. The second was Kuznetsov scored in bunches. In his best stretch of the season, he managed to record 22 points in 15 games. In the other 67, he had just 37 points. Be wary this season as he could easily be the one point in nine games player as he could be the 22 points in 15 game player.
Mikael Granlund, C/RW, Minnesota Wild
The problem with Granlund, the reason why he could be a bust, is how his 2016-17 went. Granlund started the year off slow, but picked things up in the middle. From game 21 to game 60, a 40-game stretch, Granlund averaged 1.05 points per game. The beginning and out of his season, Granlund was much worse, averaging only 0.65 points per game. Granlund inability to score down the stretch not only hurt the Minnesota Wild, but it kills many people in the playoffs. Do not get burned again this season and let someone ride Granlund to a first-round playoff loss.
Jonathan Drouin, LW/RW, Montreal Canadiens
After a tumultuous time in Tampa Bay, Jonathan Drouin heads home to play for the team he grow up idolizing, the Montreal Canadiens. There will be a large amount of pressure on Jonathan Drouin to be the offensive force the team has been lacking. Drouin enters the season at just 22 years old and with just 164 NHL games played and a career high of 21 goals and 53 points. Expectations for the winger are to surpass those numbers with ease, but one damning stat suggests he will struggle in 2017-18. Drouin remains in the Atlantic Division. Last season versus Atlantic division opponents, Drouin scored just2 goals in 19 games on a 4.5% shooting percentage. Watch out when drafting Drouin this season.
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