Yahoo Sports Ten Golden Knights' Make NHL.com's Top 200 Fantasy Players
The calendar has flipped to September which means there will be NHL hockey this month. While early September is devoted to fantasy players partaking in their fantasy football drafts for the upcoming NFL season, fantasy players will soon be having their fantasy hockey drafts.
In NHL.com's top 200 fantasy rankings that recently came out, ten players from the Vegas Golden Knights appeared on the list. Before we reveal who ranked where, the first Golden Knight appeared at #29 and the last at #190. The Golden Knights had only one player in the top 50 and only two players in the top 100.
29. Jack Eichel- Not really a surprise, but Jack Eichel was the first Golden Knights' player to appear and the only Knight in the top 50. Eichel finished 2nd in points for the Knights last season with 68, just 1 point behind the recently departed Jonathan Marchessault for 1st in team scoring. With Marchessault now in Nashville, it is a safe bet that Eichel will be the Knights leading scorer. Eichel last led the Knights in points during the 22-23 season when he finished the season with 66 points in 67 games. If Eichel stays healthy, there is a good chance he can reach 80+ points this season for the first time since 18-19 when he was with the Buffalo Sabres. Knights' fans and fantasy players alike hope that it is true.
77. Tomas Hertl- The 2023-2024 season was a tough one for Hertl. Hertl was limited to just 54 games between the San Jose Sharks and Golden Knights due to injury. If Hertl stays healthy there is no reason why fantasy owners shouldn't at least get a minimum of 60 points out of Hertl.
Related: Should Tomas Hertl Play On The Wing Or As A Centre?
110. Mark Stone- Like Hertl, the Knights captain Mark Stone had a tough 23-24 season. Stone appeared in only 56 games last season after suffering a lacerated spleen. Stone recovered and returned for the playoffs where he only tallied 3 points in 7 games. Last season aside, health has been an issue for Stone. Aside from the 20-21 covid shortened season when Stone played in 55 out of 56 games, Stone hasn't played in 70 games or more since the 2017-2018 season when he was with the Ottawa Senators. No doubt his durability effects his ranking for fantasy value.
122. William Karlsson- After a down year in 22-23 when "Wild Bill" Karlsson only scored 18 goals, Karlsson rebounded last season scoring 30 goals and 60 points. Karlsson should be a safe bet to be penciled in for 25-30 goals for the coming 24-25 season.
Related: Will Canada Tap The Knights’ Adin Hill As Starter In The Upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off?
129. Adin Hill- In fantasy hockey for goalies, owners look for a goalie who is going to play in the majority of their teams games and get a lot of wins. Hill could check both those boxes. Hill will be the teams clear starter with Logan Thompson having been traded to the Washington Capitals and Ilya Samsonov now serving as the backup. Last season Hill went 19-12-2 with 2 shutouts.
143. Shea Theodore- The first Knights defenseman to appear on the list, Theodore should be a lock to produce anywhere between 40-50 points this season. Theodore has reached the 40 point mark in each of the last two seasons with his career high of 14 goals and 52 points coming during the 21-22 season. Theodore should get plenty of PP time for his fantasy owners.
165. Alex Pietrangelo- Despite being 34, the veteran Pietrangelo still has some decent fantasy value as a point producing defenseman. Pietrangelo is just one year removed from scoring 11 goals and 54 points during the 22-23 season which he tied a career high in points. With the acquisition of Noah Hanifin last season and Shea Theodore still being in the fold, Pietrangelo could see a decrease in points due to a reduction in PP time. But the veteran still brings fantasy value in logging big minutes.
171. Ilya Samsonov- While Samsonov won't have much fantasy value by himself, if you are a fantasy owner that has Adin Hill it would be a good idea to take Samsonov as your 3rd goalie on your roster. In the event Hill got hurt it would enable your team to have an every day starter still in the fold. Samsonov will also be motivated to bounce back after a career worst 3.13 goals against average and .890 save percentage.
176. Noah Hanifin- Coming in at 176 you could say is a little to low for Hanifin. Hanifin scored nearly 50 points last season, scoring 47 points in 80 games with Calgary and Vegas. Hanifin should get a lot of PP time in his first full year in Sin City this coming season which should increase his fantasy value.
190. Ivan Barbashev- Barbashev could be a sneaky good pick-up for fantasy owners via the waiver wire after the season starts. Barbashev could start the season in a top-six role, possibly playing on the wing for Jack Eicher or Tomas Hertl. Barbashev could get back to the 60 point mark for the first time since 2021-2022 when he scored a career high 26 goals for the Blues.
