Don’t look now, but the Ottawa Senators might be…fun? Sure, the rebuild is still happening, but it’s tough not to be excited about the potential on this roster to at least make hockey fun to watch this year. For fantasy hockey players, there are some good values to be found off the Senators roster.
Brady Tkachuk (LW)
Fantasy Rankings: 13 – NHL.com | 14 – ESPN | 19 – Daily Faceoff
Tkachuk has the physical form to make him a fantasy hockey dream: offensive capability and a nasty bite to his game. Not only will he score solidly in offensive statistical categories, but he’ll pick up extra value with his hits and penalty minutes, where he’s usually ranked in the top five in the entire league. Definitely a target in the tier just below the most elite left wingers on your target list.
Tim Stutzle (C)
Fantasy Rankings: 32 – NHL.com | 16 – ESPN | 18 – Daily Faceoff
Most will look at Stutzle and draft him based on reaching a 90-point season last year alone. But if you dig a little deeper, you see that he might be rounding into a massive threat as a top fantasy hockey option this year. He had 45 points after the trade deadline last year, more than a point per game pace. If he’s truly found a little magic in his offensive side, fantasy owners would be wise not to sleep on him as a first or second round target.
Claude Giroux (C)
Fantasy Rankings: 86 – NHL.com | 262 – ESPN | 99 – Daily Faceoff
Although he’s on the wrong side of 30 in a young man’s league, Giroux has remained relatively healthy in addition to being a solid, consistent contributor on offense. Giroux can play any of the three forward positions depending on the needs of the team, making him a pretty versatile utility target for fantasy hockey owners. Likely a good mid-draft target to fill out your forward depths.
Buyer Beware Pick: Jake Sanderson
Sanderson established himself in fantasy hockey a little bit last season, but don’t let his major contract extension fool you: he’s not a fantasy stud at this point. The blueline in Ottawa is a little crowded in front of him with Jakob Chychrun and Thomas Chabot, so Sanderson could take a hit this year in terms of time on ice depending on how those three balance power play time. The Senators are still in their rebuilding era, so he also gets crushed a little on plus/minus. Build your fantasy targets based on stats categories and not cap hits, and he’ll naturally slot in where he should — far down the list.