It's not a surprise to see Alex Ovechkin at the top of the list for the 2011-12 fantasy season. Despite a subpar season by Ovechkin standards, the Capitals' captain still managed 32 goals and 85 points in 2010-11. While Daniel Sedin outproduced Ovechkin statistically, we expect Ovi to rebound and produce closer to his 2009-10 stat line (50 goals and 109 points) -- and you should too.
After appearing in just 13 games last season, New Jersey's Zach Parise flies in at third on our left wing ranks, and we're hoping for big things from the former 45-goal scorer, who missed most of the season after knee surgery. We're also hopeful that his teammate Ilya Kovalchuk will carry his late-season momentum into the 2011-12 season.
Dany Heatley and Michael Cammalleri also join the group of left wings we're expecting to bounce back. While it's possible they don't, these players are highly talented scorers, so don't hesitate to scoop them up on draft day.
The left wing position thins out relatively quickly, but you might find a diamond in the rough late in the draft with emerging youngsters like Taylor Hall, Brandon Dubinsky, James van Riemsdyk or Jamie Benn. All of them had solid numbers (or playoffs for the case of JVR) last year and should continue to build off that this coming season.
Let the games begin: Fantasy league formats and strategies
Top 175 | Top 50 Breakdown | Centers | Right Wings | Defensemen | Goalies
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Player |
| 1. |  |
Alex Ovechkin |
| 2. |  |
Daniel Sedin |
| 3. |  |
Zach Parise |
| 4. | |
Ilya Kovalchuk |
| 5. |  |
Bobby Ryan |
| 6. |  |
Dany Heatley |
| 7. |  |
Patrick Marleau |
| 8. |  |
Milan Lucic |
| 9. | |
Ryane Clowe |
| 10. |  |
Thomas Vanek |
| 11. |  |
Michael Cammalleri |
| 12. |  |
Johan Franzen |
| 13. |  |
Scott Hartnell |
| 14. |  |
Brenden Morrow |
| 15. |  |
Taylor Hall |
| 16. |  |
Brandon Dubinsky |
| 17. | |
James van Riemsdyk |
| 18. | |
Jamie Benn |
| 19. |  |
James Neal |
| 20. |  |
Simon Gagne |
| 21. | |
Chris Kunitz |
| 22. | |
Dustin Penner |
| 23. |  |
Matt Moulson |
| 24. | |
Brad Marchand |
| 25. | |
Ville Leino |
| 26. |  |
Rene Bourque |
| 27. |  |
David Booth |
| 28. |  |
Andrew Ladd |
| 29. |  |
Nikolai Kulemin |
| 30. | |
Alex Tanguay |
Just Missed: Ray Whitney, Andy McDonald, Jussi Jokinen, Sergei Kostitsyn, R.J. Umberger, Tyler Ennis, Ryan Smyth, Clarke MacArthur, Evander Kane, Gabriel Landeskog
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