Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane established himself as the top fantasy performer regardless of position last season when he won the NHL scoring title with a ridiculous 106 points. Kane was absolutely brilliant, finishing second in goals with 46, third in assists with 60, first in powerplay points with 37 and fifth in shots on goal with 267. Kane is once again projected to be among the fantasy elite this season but who will be the other top players at his position? Here is a look at the top five NHL fantasy right wings heading in to the 2016-17 season.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Kane will be looking to prove that his dominant 2015-16 campaign can be repeated and there is every reason to think that he can top 100 points again in 2016-17. Kane is still just 27-years-old and he will have the same linemates in Chicago where he will once again be flanked by Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. Kane finished with 28 points more than the next highest scoring player at his position a year ago so there is no doubt about his dominance on the right wing.
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks
The veteran Pavelski showed no signs of slowing down last season when he scored 38 goals and finished with 78 points as well as a plus-25 rating. Pavelski has topped 30 goals in each of his last four full NHL campaigns including an average of 39 goals per season over the last three years. Pavelski should have no problem hitting that mark again this year if he can stay healthy and continue to capitalize on passes from veteran center Joe Thornton.
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
Tarasenko absolutely lit it up last season when he scored a career-high 40 goals and finished with a career-high 74 points. At just 24-years-old, he has the potential to improve his totals once again this coming season. Another year of experience will help the dynamic young Russian but even more important is the fact that he should have a healthy Jaden Schwartz lined up opposite him to help improve his assists total. A full season with Schwartz and Paul Stastny should help Tarasenko maximize his potential and top the 80-point mark for the first time in his young career.
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Kucherov finished 21st in the NHL in scoring last season with 66 points in 77 games. Like Tarasenko, Kucherov is primed to put up career numbers in 2016-17. The 23-year-old in entering his fourth NHL season and that is usually when star players enjoy their breakout years. Factor in that it will be a contract year for Kucherov and that he will have a healthy Steven Stamkos or Tyler Johnson as his center and there is no reason why Kucherov can’t take another major step forward this season.
The main issue that you have to worry with Kucherov is that he’s still a restricted free agent that is unsigned. He’s refused to report until he reaches a contract extension and missing time early in the season usually leads to a little bit of rust once the action gets going. On Monday, it was reported that Kucherov and the Lightning are getting closer to a deal and that he should be in the lineup on opening night, but we still don’t like seeing this type of situation. Hopefully this gets cleared up in short order as he is one of the best right wings in the NHL these days.
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Perry registered his worst points per game total since 2006-07 last season when he had just 62 points in 82 games. However, Perry’s totals were significantly hurt by a terrible start to the season for Anaheim, who really struggled to generate goals early on. Perry eventually found his rhythm and he still finished with 34 goals. The veteran scorer should easily top 62 points in 2016-17 if he can stay healthy and get off to a better start and his long track record ensured he held on to this spot ahead of Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets and Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers. He plays on one of the top lines in hockey and that’s huge for his fantasy value.
