Every year, people seem to think that this will be the year the Pittsburgh Penguins finally slide into a cycle of mediocrity. With an aging core, it seems like the team is looking to make one last serious run at contention for the Stanley Cup with the moves they made this offseason. So who should you target for fantasy hockey off this newly tuned roster?
Sidney Crosby (C)
Fantasy Rankings: 12 – NHL.com | 40 – ESPN | 26 – Daily Faceoff
Sure, Crosby isn’t at his peak anymore and has been overshadowed by the likes of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon at center. However, Crosby remains an elite forward in the league. He plays big minutes, is always a key cog to the offense, and with the upgrades they made to the blueline, could be in for a great goal scoring season. Definitely should be in the top tier of center targets for fantasy hockey.
Erik Karlsson (D)
Fantasy Rankings: 33 – NHL.com | 20 – ESPN | 37 – Daily Faceoff
How does a 33-year-old blueliner on a team that wasn’t going anywhere last season follow up his epic 101-point season? Get traded to a team that’s a favorite to make the playoffs and is deeper on the blueline. While Penguins mainstay Kris Letang is still likely to get his fair share of power play and even strength playing time, Karlsson gives the team more chances to generate offense from the backend. He’ll likely not play as many minutes each game as last year, and it seems like an outlier the season he had last year, so some regression is likely to come in the offensive categories. Still, it’ll be hard not to have Karlsson solidly in your top 10 defensive targets for fantasy hockey.
Evgeni Malkin (C)
Fantasy Rankings: 59 – NHL.com | 99 – ESPN | 101 – Daily Faceoff
Malkin is always a good target for fantasy hockey offense as a mainstay on the power play for the Penguins. The thing that might drop him lower down the target list is his durability. He’s missed 14 or more games in four of the past five seasons, and he’s only getting older. Still a good depth pick, but given many of the other centers in the league, he’s likely in that third tier of guys at this point.