Neal reigns supreme among fantasy left wings

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Since the last time fantasy owners set their rosters, the landscape has changed considerably, and perhaps no position underwent a larger makeover than the guys flanking the many gifted centers down the left side of the ice.

However difficult it's been in recent years to pick out the best crop of left wingers come draft time or throughout the season, it will pale in comparison to the decisions you'll be making this go-around, as studs like Rick Nash and Zach Parise have changed scenery, snipers like Alex Ovechkin aim to "bounce back," and youngsters like Gabriel Landeskog hope to break out.

This crop will have a different flavor. The Top 5 left wingers were determined based on recent history, ability to contribute in various categories and likelihood of repeat performances, with a few exceptions.

James Neal of the Pittsburgh Penguins occupies the top spot after a career year, which saw him finish fourth in the NHL in goals (40), seventh in points (81), first in power-play goals (18) and second in shots (329). Playing alongside Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby won't hurt his chances of replicating those totals.

Going through the list you might be surprised to find aforementioned Landeskog as high as he is, but his all-around game, coupled with Colorado's improved offensive attack, made him too difficult to ignore. Otherwise, you'll notice familiar names in appropriate places and some potential gems joining the ranks.

Without further ado, here are your top 40 fantasy left wings.

NOTE: Positional ranking based on combination of last season's Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey position assignments and NHL.com's 30 in 30 lineup projections. Ranking reflects each player's fantasy value, taking into account statistical history, performance in default Yahoo! categories (G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SOG) last season, potential future lineup placement, strength of projected linemates and our expectations of how they will perform this coming season.

1. James Neal

2. Daniel Sedin

3. Scott Hartnell

4. Alex Ovechkin

5. Patrick Sharp

6. Rick Nash

7. Ilya Kovalchuk

8. Patrick Marleau

9. Zach Parise

10. Milan Lucic

11. Loui Eriksson

12. Taylor Hall

13. Chris Kunitz

14. Bobby Ryan

15. Gabriel Landeskog

16. Ray Whitney

17. Brad Marchand

18. Thomas Vanek

19. Milan Michalek

20. Tomas Fleischmann

21. Evander Kane

22. Ryane Clowe

23. Max Pacioretty

24. Patrik Elias

25. Joffrey Lupul

26. Wayne Simmonds

27. David Perron

28. Justin Williams

29. Matt Moulson

30. Valtteri Filppula

31. Brenden Morrow

32. Andrew Ladd

33. R.J. Umberger

34. Milan Hejduk

35. Andy McDonald

36. Danny Cleary

37. Chad LaRose

38. Chris Kreider

39. David Booth

40. Nik Antropov

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