One of the more appealing aspects of drafting closer to the drop of the puck for the 2016-17 NHL season is the fact that you can look at the numbers from drafts that have already taken place and get a better idea of which players are being overvalued and which players are being undervalued. This information can be extremely useful when your draft rolls around as you can adjust your picks accordingly based on where you feel the best value is. Here is a look at the top five players being undervalued in NHL fantasy drafts.
W: Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
ADP: 87.0
Voracek is coming off a poor season in which he was held to just 11 goals in 73 games as the victim of an absolutely terrible 5.2 shooting percentage. However, there is obvious reason to believe his shooting percentage will be much better in 2016-17 and better puck luck could be the key to him bouncing back. Voracek is still just 27-years-old and he will line up next to another fantasy star in Claude Giroux. Voracek is just one year removed from a career-high 81-point season so expect a bounce back this coming year. His average draft position of 87.0 is definitely far too low so consider him a strong value pick.
W: Milan Lucic, Edmonton Oilers
ADP: 94.5
Lucic bounced back in a big way with the Los Angeles Kings last season when he registered 55 points, 79 penalty minutes and was a plus-26. The Oilers were impressed enough to hand him a long-term deal and the likelihood is that they will give him a shot to skate with Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle on the top line. Lucic has 30-goal potential playing with an elite center like McDavid and his assists totals should also improve in a more favorable offensive situation. Lucic is currently being drafted just inside the top-100 but he deserves to be taken earlier in fantasy hockey drafts. He could be a big presence for an Oilers team that needs him.
G: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
ADP: 101.9
Goaltending can be tough to predict beyond the elite cornerstone netminders on an annual basis but Fleury is being undervalued in fantasy hockey drafts for this season. A big part of that is the fact that Pittsburgh will eventually turn to Matt Murray as its franchise goaltender but the reality is that Fleury put up excellent numbers a year ago and might not be done just yet. Factor in that Murray will miss at least the first few weeks of the season because of injury and it’s clear that Fleury still deserves to be selected among the top-80 in fantasy hockey drafts. He could prove to be the team’s No. 1 and the Penguins are a pretty good squad at that.
Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers
ADP: 122.2
The departures of Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle should open up powerplay time for McDonagh, who played less time on the man advantage for New York than both of those players last season. The increased powerplay time with the first unit should lead to an uptick in McDonagh’s production. McDonagh had 14 goals and 43 points in 2013-14 before registering nine goals and 34 points last season. He should be closer to 43 points this coming year so don’t overlook him in NHL fantasy drafts. He should see a big uptick in playing time – especially on those valuable power plays.
W: Mike Hoffman, Ottawa Senators
ADP: 140.6
Hoffman has averaged 28.0 goals per game in his first two NHL seasons and is coming off a career-best 59 points a year ago. Now he has the potential to take a major step in his third full NHL season after reuniting with his former QMJHL head coach Guy Boucher. Hoffman should have a more defined role playing with Kyle Turris and Mark Stone on the top line and could see a bump in his powerplay time. 30 goals and 70 points is a reasonable expectation for a player being selected outside of the top 140 picks in fantasy hockey drafts heading in to the 2016-17 season. He’s someone you should be eyeing late in your NHL fantasy draft.
