The 2022-23 NHL season officially began in Prague over the weekend, but opening night in North America will take place on Tuesday with Lightning vs. Rangers at 7:30 p.m. ET and Golden Knights vs. Kings at 10 p.m. ET. There are still 2022 Fantasy hockey drafts going on the clock. Several stars around the league are hoping for a fresh start after dealing with injuries last season, including Jack Eichel of Las Vegas. He was the second overall pick behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 NHL draft, but he has dealt with injuries multiple times during his career. Eichel was one of the Fantasy hockey busts last season due to a hand injury that he suffered on March 18, limiting him to 25 points in 34 games.
He is expected to get back on track this season, which could be the most consequential of his career. Is he one of the 2022 Fantasy hockey sleepers? And which other players should you be targeting or avoiding this season? Before making any 2022 Fantasy hockey picks, check out the Fantasy hockey rankings 2022-23 from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model predicted that Blues wing Vladimir Tarasenko would significantly outperform his 2021-22 Fantasy hockey ADP of 196. The result: Tarasenko went on to score 34 goals and dish out 48 assists for his first ever 80-point season and was a top-75 player in all of Fantasy hockey. It also predicted that Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov wouldn't live up to his top-30 ADP overall and he finished with just 31 points and a plus/minus of -20 to finish as the No. 81 defenseman in CBS Sports Fantasy hockey leagues.
The model was created by Mike McClure, a predictive data engineer and professional daily Fantasy player with almost $2 million in career winnings. He's used his prediction model to simulate the entire 2022-23 NHL schedule 10,000 times and identify the top Fantasy hockey sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure's model takes factors such as player history, schedule, injuries and matchups into account to create the most unbiased 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings possible. Now the model has zeroed in on the 2022-23 NHL season, ranked every player, and found the top sleepers, breakouts and busts. See every pick here.
Top 2022-23 Fantasy hockey picks
One of the 2022-23 Fantasy hockey busts SportsLine has identified: Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper. The 11th-year NHL veteran posted a .921 save percentage while leading the Avalanche to a title last season and has produced a save percentage of .920 or better in four of the last five seasons.
That earned him a five-year, $26.25 million contract to join the Capitals during the offseason but now he'll be joining a squad that allowed 2.95 goals per game last season. Washington's expected goals against (166.3) was over nine goals higher than the actual number of goals allowed (157) and the blue line from last season went largely untouched this offseason. Kuemper has been one of the first 50 players off the board on average in 2022 but the model predicts he finishes well outside its top 70 players.
Another surprise: Kraken center Matty Beniers is one of the top Fantasy hockey breakouts this season. He was the second overall pick in last year's draft after starring at the University of Michigan during his college career. Beniers had a fantastic 10-game stretch during his rookie season, scoring three goals and recording nine points in those games.
He scored 20 goals and tallied 43 points in 37 games at Michigan, and he will only continue to get better as he gets older. Beniers does not play in a high-octane attack, but he will be one of the key players on his team regardless. He has an ADP of 157, but SportsLine's model has him ranked inside the top 120 in the 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings.
How to find proven 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings
The model has also made a surprising call on new Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau after he led the NHL in points and led all forwards in Fantasy scoring a season ago. It also features a stunner in the top 10 you won't want to miss. You can only see the latest Fantasy hockey rankings 2022-23 here.
So what's the exact value of every NHL player in the 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings? And what surprising player cracked the top 10? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy hockey rankings, all from a DFS pro who has won almost $2 million in his career and has simulated the entire NHL season 10,000 times, and find out.
