Fantasy Hockey: 4 Undervalued Players for the 2020-21 Season

Everybody loves the McDavids, the MacKinnons, and the Draisaitls when playing fantasy hockey, but league champions often find value later on in their fantasy draft to pair along with their superstars to ultimately claim the league’s top spot. In this article, we will be exploring four players that are undervalued in Yahoo Fantasy hockey leagues that could be the secret key to winning your league.

Note: This article will be based on Yahoo Fantasy Sports rankings and involve the categories used in Yahoo Public Hockey Leagues.

David Pastrnak – Boston Bruins (RW)

The saying, “It’s not how you start, but how you finish” not only applies in real life, but also in fantasy sports. David Pastrnak will miss a chunk of the 2020-21 NHL season due to his offseason hip injury, but his performance from the last couple seasons is too eye-opening to ignore.

Finishing last season with a league-leading 48 goals, combined with 47 assists and 95 points in 70 games, Pastrnak was a top-five player in almost any fantasy format. Combine that with his 279 shots on goal and his plus/minus of plus-21, he would have been a surefire first-round talent if he was healthy to start this season.

His pre-rank position at 46 in Yahoo fantasy hockey leagues may become a potential league winner, with Pastrnak likely providing top-five fantasy production once he returns from injury. If your team is able to stay afloat for the first month of the season without him, he is a must-pick at his current rank and will bring first-round value for the rest of the season, giving your team a good chance of going deep into the fantasy playoffs. 

Quinn Hughes – Vancouver Canucks (D)

The sophomore superstar defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks comes in surprisingly low in Yahoo preseason ranks, slotting in at 115 after putting up eight goals, 45 assists, and 53 points in his rookie campaign. The incoming sophomore only added to his spectacular rookie season putting up an amazing 16 points in 17 games in the playoffs.

Quinn Hughes should only add to his goal total this season, as seen with the trend of many elite offensive defensemen. For example, San Jose Sharks defenseman, Erik Karlsson, only had 112 shots on goal in his rookie campaign, but upped the number to 182 and 261 shots on goal in his second and third seasons, respectively.

Furthermore, Ehlers is only two seasons removed from posting consecutive 60-point seasons and was a former ninth-overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. With his elite offensive ability, good track record, and an amazing opportunity on the top line, Ehlers has a great chance to outperform his pre-rank of 164 and be a potential late-round steal for points and shots.

Tying It All Together

In fantasy sports, one of the most important aspects to consider is opportunity. All of these players have a tremendous opportunity to produce monster seasons whether it is quarterbacking a top power play or playing on the first line. The four players mentioned above either have great track records with tons of opportunity ahead of them this season or are young superstars who should only get better and improve on their stats from the previous season.