Fantasy Hockey Sleepers: Pacific Division: Ducks and Flames

With the calendars getting close to the end of September and training camps underway, fantasy hockey leagues have started to schedule their drafts. Hopefully, you have been keeping up with the off-season moves, rookies added, and players looking to take a step forward, while some may be regressing in other cases. To help you plan, this series of columns will focus on fantasy hockey sleepers, one per team in each division.

Fantasy hockey sleepers mean different things to each person. For some, it’s the hot rookie. For others, it’s those who will take a step forward. Some view them as prior year players or acquisitions in new situations, enabling that individual to exceed projections or their initial role. For purposes of this series of columns, the focus will mainly be on the latter – those who have a chance to surpass expectations or prior production. I welcome feedback, criticism, thoughts, etc., as one man’s meat is another man’s poison, and your view may differ vastly from mine.

We kicked off this series by looking at the Atlantic Division and then we discussed the Central Division, each of which was completed. We moved on to the Metro Division review which now is being followed by the Pacific. As noted, in each column, two teams are covered. To simplify it, we are going alphabetically by first team name rather than by nickname. The Ducks and Flames are the focus of this column, as we begin the Pacific Division review.

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim is loaded with young forwards, including Trevor Zegras, currently a holdout, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson, selected second in the draft this year. The same can be said on the blue line, though the majority of those players are not yet ready for prime time. One d-man though showed signs two years ago of his potential, scoring four goals and 28 assists in 81 games.

Last season was a wash for Jamie Drysdale, as a torn labrum in his left shoulder limited him to just eight contests. Expected to be fully healthy. Drysdale, like Zegras, remains unsigned as the two sides have yet to agree on a new deal. Once he is signed, Drysdale should take his spot on the point on what should be a potent power play.

For those in deeper and also keeper leagues, beyond the aforementioned young forwards and defensemen, Lukas Dostal is one to keep in mind. The Anaheim defence was a sieve last year, resulting in brutal numbers for John Gibson and Dostal. Gibson is signed for three more seasons, but if his desire to be elsewhere comes to fruition, Dostal will be the man between the pipes and will grow with the team around him.

Calgary Flames

The Flames big trade last offseason backfired on them, as Jonathan Huberdeau struggled in Calgary while Matthew Tkachuk became the Toast of South Beach, carrying the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals. Calgary brought in a new coach with the hope that a return to form by the veterans and some young blood will help the team regain their footing. In a tough Pacific Division with the Oilers in the same province, the team has its work cut out for them.

One young prospect is Matthew Coronado, who was taken 13th overall in 2021. Coronado posted 72 points in 68 games at Harvard before his entry-level deal and played one game in the NHL last season. A shoot-first, small winger who also possesses hockey smarts, Coronado could open the season as the second-line right winger. If that happens and he sticks in the role, Coronado has a shot at hitting the 40-point mark.

Calgary traded Tyler Toffoli, in the final year of his four-year, $17 million deal he signed with Montreal in October 2020, to New Jersey for Yegor Sharangovich and the #80 pick in the draft. Sharangovich was very good in 2021-22, potting 24 goals and 22 assists, but returned to earth with a thud last season, posting just 30 points in 75 games while seeing his ice time drop by more than two minutes a game. It’s possible that Sharangovich lines up in the top six, which if that happens, a return to close to his 2021-22 numbers is feasible.

Atlantic Division:

Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres

Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers

Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators

Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs

Central Division:

Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars

Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators

St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets

Metropolitan Division:

Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets

New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders

New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals