There's no question that reigning scoring champion Connor McDavid should be at the top of Fantasy hockey wish lists across all formats. McDavid was the only player to notch 70 assists and score 100 points this past season, and he became just the 15th player in league history to win the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and Hart trophies in the same year.
Following close behind are Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane, who should find themselves in the mix for the scoring title again, and they're no-brainer choices at No. 2 and No. 3. After the top three, however, the competition is wide open. Nikita Kucherov, Brad Marchand and Mark Scheifele have to prove that their 80-point seasons were no fluke, and they face significant competition from one of the best generations of young players ever, including Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Drouin. Don't forget about the players coming back from injuries who are looking to have bounce-back seasons, too, including Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Huberdeau. The rate of scoring may suggest otherwise, but the NHL's offensive talent runs deep – perhaps deeper than ever before.
Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns remain the top two fantasy options on the blue line, but Victor Hedman isn't far behind after a monster season. The modern game is catering to skilled, skating defensemen, which means that players such as P.K. Subban, Justin Schultz and Kevin Shattenkirk are playing bigger roles and remain in high demand. Kris Letang should also be part of the conversation, but his inability to stay healthy is still a going concern. The youth movement across the league will also see players such as John Klingberg and Rasmus Ristolainen build on their previous successes, and their teams are expected to make big jumps forward this year.
Former Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby still leads the pack among goalies, but following close behind are Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Murray, who enters his first full season as an undisputed starter. Proven goalies Cam Talbot, Corey Crawford, Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne can be counted on as part of a strong second tier that also includes the California triumvirate of Jonathan Quick, John Gibson and Martin Jones. Adding some intrigue are former teammates Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who have been given big opportunities and are expected to carry heavy workloads. Henrik Lundqvist, who's in decline after serving as one of the best goalies in league history for a decade, rounds out an impressive and intriguing group.
Without further ado, here's the midsummer list of the top 100 players for fantasy purposes as we head toward the 2017-18 campaign:
- Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
- Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins
- Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks
- Erik Karlsson, D, Senators
- Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning
- Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins
- Tyler Seguin, C, Stars
- Jamie Benn, LW, Stars
- Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs
- Brent Burns, D, Sharks
- Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning
- Braden Holtby, G, Capitals
- Victor Hedman, D, Lightning
- Nicklas Backstrom, C, Capitals
- Mark Scheifele, C, Jets
- Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
- Matt Murray, G, Penguins
- Patrik Laine, RW, Jets
- Carey Price, G, Canadiens
- Jack Eichel, C, Sabres
- Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Blues
- John Tavares, C, Islanders
- Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals
- Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins
- Blake Wheeler, RW, Jets
- David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
- Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Flames
- Mitch Marner, RW, Maple Leafs
- Cam Talbot, G, Oilers
- Jonathan Drouin, LW, Canadiens
- Filip Forsberg, RW, Predators
- Artemi Panarin, LW, Blue Jackets
- Ryan Johansen, C, Predators
- William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs
- Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Blue Jackets
- Sean Monahan, C, Flames
- Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Capitals
- Dustin Byfuglien, D, Jets
- Ryan Getzlaf, C, Ducks
- Pekka Rinne, G, Predators
- Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Panthers
- Tuukka Rask, G, Bruins
- Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers
- Jeff Carter, C, Kings
- Joe Pavelski, C, Sharks
- Alexander Radulov, RW, Stars
- Corey Crawford, G, Blackhawks
- Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Jets
- Jeff Skinner, LW, Hurricanes
- Mike Hoffman, LW, Senators
- Alex Galchenyuk, C, Canadiens
- Alexander Wennberg, C, Blue Jackets
- Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Rangers
- Mikael Granlund, C, Wild
- Max Pacioretty, LW, Canadiens
- John Gibson, G, Ducks
- Phil Kessel, RW, Penguins
- Cam Atkinson, RW, Blue Jackets
- Jakub Voracek, RW, Flyers
- Claude Giroux, C, Flyers
- David Krejci, C, Bruins
- Ben Bishop, G, Stars
- Taylor Hall, LW, Devils
- Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
- Kris Letang, D, Penguins
- Logan Couture, C, Sharks
- Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks
- T.J. Oshie, RW, Capitals
- Ryan O'Reilly, C, Sabres
- Martin Jones, G, Sharks
- Evander Kane, LW, Sabres
- Jonathan Quick, G, Kings
- P.K. Subban, D, Predators
- Patrice Bergeron, C, Bruins
- Nazem Kadri, C, Maple Leafs
- Mats Zuccarello, RW, Rangers
- Brayden Schenn, LW, Blues
- Wayne Simmonds, RW, Flyers
- Henrik Lundqvist, G, Rangers
- Mark Stone, RW, Senators
- Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Sabres
- Viktor Arvidsson, LW, Predators
- Jake Allen, G, Blues
- Jake Guentzel, LW, Penguins
- Brandon Saad, LW, Blackhawks
- James van Riemsdyk, LW, Maple Leafs
- Jaden Schwartz, LW, Blues
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning
- Jason Spezza, C, Stars
- Justin Schultz, D, Penguins
- Corey Perry, RW, Ducks
- Derek Stepan, C, Coyotes
- Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
- Matt Duchene, C, Avalanche
- Rickard Rakell, C, Ducks
- Tyler Toffoli, RW, Kings
- Henrik Zetterberg, LW, Red Wings
- John Klingberg, D, Stars
- Jordan Eberle, RW, Islanders
- Duncan Keith, D, Blackhawks
