Fantasy Hockey 2016: NHL Player Rankings, Draft Strategy, Sleepers You Must Add

With the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in the books, the focus has shifted toward the start of the 2016-17 NHL regular season on Oct. 12, and with that comes the commencement of fantasy hockey.

While fantasy hockey may not receive anywhere near as much attention as fantasy football and fantasy baseball, it's a challenging and rewarding endeavor thanks largely to the lengthy, 82-game season. And it takes a great deal of speculating and gambling in order to have success.

As the new NHL campaign approaches, here is a rundown of rankings for every position, tips for drafting a winning team and a closer look at some sleepers who could give you a leg-up on the competition.

Player Rankings

Center

Rank	Player	Team
1	Sidney Crosby	PIT
2	Connor McDavid	EDM
3	Joe Pavelski	SJ
4	John Tavares	NYI
5	Tyler Seguin	DAL
6	Artemi Panarin	CHI
7	Evgeny Kuznetsov	WAS
8	Steven Stamkos	TB
9	Nicklas Backstrom	WAS
10	Claude Giroux	PHI
11	Evgeni Malkin	PIT
12	Patrice Bergeron	BOS
13	Jack Eichel	BUF
14	Anze Kopitar	LA
15	Filip Forsberg	NSH
16	Joe Thornton	SJ
17	Sean Monahan	CGY
18	Ryan Getzlaf	ANA
19	Jonathan Toews	CHI
20	Auston Matthews	TOR
21	Logan Couture	SJ
22	Mark Scheifele	WPG
23	Jason Spezza	DAL
24	Aleksander Barkov	FLA
25	Max Domi	ARI
26	Dylan Larkin	DET
27	Ryan Johansen	NSH
28	David Backes	BOS
29	Nathan MacKinnon	COL
30	Matt Duchene	COL

Left Wing

Rank	Player	Team
1	Jamie Benn	DAL
2	Johnny Gaudreau	CGY
3	Brad Marchand	BOS
4	Taylor Hall	NJ
5	Max Pacioretty	MTL
6	Wayne Simmonds	PHI
7	James Neal	NSH
8	Daniel Sedin	VAN
9	Milan Lucic	EDM
10	Zach Parise	MIN
11	Loui Eriksson	VAN
12	Jonathan Huberdeau	FLA
13	Mike Hoffman	OTT
14	Brandon Saad	CLS
15	James van Riemsdyk	TOR
16	Jaden Schwartz	STL
17	Patrick Sharp	DAL
18	Jonathan Drouin	TB
19	Chris Kreider	NYR
20	Gabriel Landeskog	COL
21	Alex Galchenyuk	MTL
22	Scott Hartnell	CLS
23	Alexander Steen	STL
24	Anthony Duclair	ARI
25	Rick Nash	NYR
26	Tomas Tatar	DET
27	Jeff Skinner	CAR
28	Andrew Ladd	NYI
29	Jimmy Vesey	NYR
30	Nikolaj Ehlers	WPG

Right Wing

Rank	Player	Team
1	Patrick Kane	CHI
2	Alex Ovechkin	WAS
3	Vladimir Tarasenko	STL
4	Corey Perry	ANA
5	Phil Kessel	PIT
6	Nikita Kucherov	TB
7	Blake Wheeler	WPG
8	Tyler Toffoli	LA
9	Mark Stone	OTT
10	Ryan O'Reilly	BUF
11	Jeff Carter	LA
12	T.J Oshie	WAS
13	Patrik Laine	WPG
14	Mats Zuccarello	NYR
15	Jakub Voracek	PHI
16	Brendan Gallagher	MTL
17	Kyle Okposo	BUF
18	Bobby Ryan	OTT
19	Jordan Eberle	EDM
20	Jaromir Jagr	FLA
21	Patric Hornqvist	PIT
22	Boone Jenner	CLS
23	Alexander Radulov	MTL
24	Marian Hossa	CHI
25	Justin Williams	WAS
26	Shane Doan	ARI
27	Mika Zibanejad	NYR
28	Jakob Silfverberg	ANA
29	Jesse Puljujarvi	EDM
30	William Nylander	TOR

Defenseman

Rank	Player	Team
1	Erik Karlsson	OTT
2	Brent Burns	SJ
3	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	ARI
4	Shayne Gostisbehere	PHI
5	P.K. Subban	NSH
6	Dustin Byfuglien	WPG
7	Drew Doughty	LA
8	Kris Letang	PIT
9	John Klingberg	DAL
10	Roman Josi	NSH
11	Shea Weber	MTL
12	Mark Giordano	CGY
13	Victor Hedman	TB
14	Aaron Ekblad	FLA
15	Duncan Keith	CHI
16	John Carlson	WAS
17	Kevin Shattenkirk	STL
18	Torey Krug	BOS
19	Tyson Barrie	COL
20	Jake Muzzin	LA
21	Andrei Markov	MTL
22	Justin Faulk	CAR
23	Ryan Suter	MIN
24	Rasmus Ristolainen	BUF
25	Brent Seabrook	CHI
26	Keith Yandle	FLA
27	Alex Pietrangelo	STL
28	Mattias Ekholm	NSH
29	Sami Vatanen	ANA
30	Dougie Hamilton	CGY

Goalie

Rank	Player	Team
1	Braden Holtby	WAS
2	Carey Price	MTL
3	Ben Bishop	TB
4	Jonathan Quick	LA
5	Martin Jones	SJ
6	Henrik Lundqvist	NYR
7	Cory Schneider	NJ
8	Corey Crawford	CHI
9	Jake Allen	STL
10	Pekka Rinne	NSH
11	John Gibson	ANA
12	Tuukka Rask	BOS
13	Devan Dubnyk	MIN
14	Roberto Luongo	FLA
15	Petr Mrazek	DET
16	Sergei Bobrovsky	CLS
17	Robin Lehner	BUF
18	Brian Elliott	CGY
19	Matt Murray	PIT
20	Semyon Varlamov	COL
21	Jaroslav Halak	NYI
22	Cam Talbot	EDM
23	Ryan Miller	VAN
24	Frederik Andersen	TOR
25	Craig Anderson	OTT
26	Antti Niemi	DAL
27	Marc-Andre Fleury	PIT
28	Steve Mason	PHI
29	Mike Smith	ARI
30	Ondrej Pavelec	WPG

Draft Strategy

Strike Early on RW

The weakest position in terms of depth seems to alternate between right wing and left wing on an almost yearly basis, and while it is fairly close entering 2016-17, right wing appears to be the position that experiences the biggest drop-off once the elite options are off the board.

The top-tier options at right wing undoubtedly blow left wing out of the water, with reigning Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues standing out above the rest.

Question marks begin to pop up outside the top 10, however. Left wing has players further down the list, such as Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jonathan Drouin, Jaden Schwartz of the Blues and Alex Galchenyuk of the Montreal Canadiens, who are capable of enjoying All-Star-caliber seasons.

Getting at least one or two reliable options at right wing is important, and that could require spending a couple picks on them in the first four or five rounds.

It may seem like a risky maneuver, but with so much depth available at other positions, it will prove to be the smartest strategy in the long run.

Get 2 Top-20 Goalies

With a couple of exceptions, gone are the days of goalies such as Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy dominating the league. In fact, many teams are seemingly moving away from the tradition of having a clear-cut starter in favor of a committee approach.

While Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby and Habs backstop Carey Price stand out as throwbacks in that regard, it isn't easy to find a goalie who will start 65-plus games over the course of a season and excel.

Because of that, it is important to get at least two undisputed starters who rank inside the top 20 at the position. Doing so in a 10-team league is feasible, but it gets far more difficult beyond that, which creates a problem in terms of relying on a goaltender from a team that likes to rotate and play the hot hand.

Getting two quality starters is paramount. And nabbing a third is also a shrewd move, as it not only gives you another option but it hurts the opposition since they would be left picking through the scrap heap while you're buried in an embarrassment of goalie riches.

Wait on Defensemen

The NHL is flooded with skilled defensemen capable of racking up points, and while it may be enticing to select someone such as Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson or San Jose Sharks blueliner Brent Burns early on, the return on investment isn't great enough to justify it.

There is little doubt Karlsson and Burns will produce, but taking them means passing up on elite options at left wing and right wing, which isn't advisable considering the lack of depth in comparison with defense.

As long as you don't mind taking a bit of a hit in the plus-minus category, you can find productive D-men such as Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes or Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche several rounds after the top guys go off the board.

They may not be quite as reliable as the elite players at the position, but as long as you're able to make up the plus-minus gap elsewhere on your roster, you'll enjoy the fruits of nabbing 40-plus-point defensemen in the mid-to-late rounds.

Sleepers

Jaden Schwartz

Top-flight options are hard to come by at left wing, but players such as Schwartz are the reason why there is little reason to panic if you miss out on one of the top guys.

There isn't a ton of hype surrounding Schwartz after a season that saw injury limit him to 33 regular-season games, but he posted 22 points and added another 14 in 20 playoff contests.

Schwartz set career highs with 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points one season earlier, and he is in a great spot to surpass that production in 2016-17.

As pointed out by Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest, Schwartz may have the benefit of riding shotgun with one of the NHL's top snipers:

With David Backes now playing for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis has a need up the middle, and it could lead to Schwartz playing center all year.

Even so, he will maintain his wing eligibility and have added flexibility with the center designation to boot.

Although a broken elbow is expected to keep him out until November, Schwartz should have a big role on the team when he does return, and the injury is likely to allow you to select him even later in the draft.

Schwartz is bound to rack up points just by accident if he sticks on the same line as Tarasenko, and it isn't unrealistic to expect him to approach or surpass 70 points this season.

Mattias Ekholm

After posting just 27 points in his first two full seasons with the Nashville Predators, Mattias Ekholm broke out on a big way in 2015-16 by setting career highs, with eight goals and 27 assists for 35 points and a plus-14 rating.

It is easy to forget about Ekholm on a team that is stacked with defensive stars such as Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Ryan Ellis, but the 26-year-old Swede provides production across the board at an affordable price later in the draft.

He contributes in all categories and still has room for improvement, especially if he is used more often on the power play this season since just five of his 35 points came with the extra man last season.

Ekholm is far from the sexiest pick because of his lack of flashiness, but he was undeniably consistent last season. If he can keep that up in 2016-17, he'll be the type of under-the-radar pick that eventually leads to winning a championship.

Sergei Bobrovsky

The 2015-16 season was a nightmarish one for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets, but there is reason for optimism following his performance in the World Cup of Hockey.

Bob led Russia to the semifinals and posted a .930 save percentage despite facing teams with big-time offensive talent, such as Canada, Sweden and Team North America. Although the Russians didn't go the distance, Bobrovsky's presence between the pipes was key.

As pointed out by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Bobrovsky's showing created some positive vibes entering the season:

The 28-year-old veteran won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender in 2012-13 and has experienced a steady decline ever since. Last season was by far his worst to date during that stretch, however, as he was limited to 37 starts because of injury and was ineffective when he did play, going 15-19-1 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

Despite his struggles, Blue Jackets teammate Curtis McElhinney recently paid Bobrovsky the ultimate compliment when speaking to ESPN's Kevin Weekes (via NHL insider Chris Nichols):

There is a definite risk involved with drafting Bobrovsky because of his recent struggles, but he is a clear starter and has proved in the past that his ceiling is high.

If the World Cup of Hockey is any indication, Bobrovsky is in for a bounce-back year, and it won't cost much to get him.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.