I love fantasy hockey because it forces me to know more about every player and team in the league, and gives me a reason to watch games I probably wouldn’t otherwise care about. As a fan of the sport, it’s a way to be competitive and keep up on current news and trends. Today we’ll take a look at which Blue Jacket players really hold fantasy value, and which players you should steer away from.
We’ll start with the obvious here: Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau had a phenomenal 2021-22 season with the Calgary Flames, finishing second in the league with 115 points – and a whopping +64 rating while skating in all 82 games. Pointing out what may be obvious here: he won’t repeat that level of success this season. I think a reasonable expectation for Johnny, if healthy, is roughly a point per game pace, heavy on assists. The Blue Jackets don’t have the same kind of talent around him and he’ll need to adjust to his new surroundings. In short, don’t take him with your first round pick … but if you can nab him a little bit later, he should be worth it.
Patrik Laine may actually hold more fantasy value than Gaudreau – especially in leagues that lean more heavily on goal scoring. Laine’s career high is 44 goals and I think there’s a pretty decent chance he eclipses that this season. Only six players exceeded 44 goals last year, which points towards the kind of season we’re talking about here. He’s never played with a playmaker quite like Gaudreau, came to camp in better shape, and has looked great all preseason. If Laine is available in the middle rounds of your draft, snag him up. I think he’s being overlooked by a lot of people this year. I was able to snag him in the seventh round of one of my leagues.
When healthy, Zach Werenski is one of the game’s premier defensemen from a fantasy standpoint. He chips in assists, and is one of the top goal scoring defensemen in the league. He’s coming off of a career-low shooting percentage of 5.1%; if he can get back to his career average of around 7% and stay healthy, with this team’s offensive firepower he’s capable of being a top-10 scorer amongst NHL defensemen. He should be available well after that range in a lot of leagues, so like Laine, take a swing here if he’s around.