Fantasy faceoff: Patrik Laine vs. Vladimir Tarasenko

All offseason long, NHL.com will cover all the angles leading up to your fantasy hockey draft. For some of the most compelling debates, our fantasy writers will compare two players at a given position in the same projected draft range, according to NHL.com's top 250 rankings.
Value is quantified based on factors including (but not limited to) line combinations, power-play usage, team goalie situations, injury history, bounce-back, breakout or sleeper potential, possible regression and age. Once each writer has made his argument, fans can cast their votes in our @NHLFantasy Twitter poll.
Today, we compare right wings Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues:

NOTE:Standard Yahoo categories include goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal for skaters, and wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies.

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PETE JENSEN: Laine was one of the best rookie goal scorers on a per-game basis (0.49; minimum 62 games) since Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06 (0.64). Ovechkin is the only player to score 50 goals since 2013-14 (he has done so three times in those four seasons), so Laine warrants a first-round selection in all fantasy formats being one of the only players with a similar goal-scoring ceiling to Ovechkin's prime years. Even though Laine missed nine games with a concussion, he finished 61st in Yahoo as a rookie, covering goals (36) at an elite level and assists (28), power-play points (14) and shots on goal (204) respectably. He also led the NHL in hat tricks (three) at 18 years old and managed a plus-7 despite the Jets allowing the fourth-most goals per game (3.1) in the NHL.
The Jets had one of the best offenses last season (3.0 goals per game, 7th), and that was with a mediocre power play (18.2 percent, 18th in NHL). As productive as defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been through the years, the Jets have up-and-coming puck-movers in Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey to utilize more often with the man-advantage. After upgrading their back end by signing goaltender Steve Mason and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in free agency, Winnipeg could improve defensively and Laine could put forth an even stronger plus/minus this season. Laine shot a high percentage (17.6), but still averaged 2.8 SOG per game (82-game pace: 230) and is one of the best pure finishers in the League.

Unlike Tarasenko, Laine has the luxury of playing with either an elite fantasy center in Mark Scheifele (82 points last season) or a former 64-point scorer in Bryan Little. Laine also offers exposure to either forward Nikolaj Ehlers or rookie Kyle Connor, as well as right wing Blake Wheeler on the first power-play unit. Tarasenko is consistently in the 37-40 goal range, but Laine's ceiling may be even higher. This player comparison boils down to how daring of a fantasy owner you are, but no one should be surprised if Laine ends up leading the NHL with more than 40 goals and has improved power-play production with 250-300 SOG in his second season. Goal scorers of Laine's caliber don't come around too often, so don't make the mistake of passing on him. In a keeper league, the only players you should draft ahead of Laine are Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs).

DAVID SATRIANO: There is one NHL player who has had at least 35 goals in each of the past three seasons: Tarasenko. He had 39 goals last season (T-4th in NHL), 40 in 2015-16 (fourth), and 37 in 2014-15 (fifth). In each of those three seasons, he's scored at least 73 points, including a career-high 75 last season. He's an asset on the power play (nine power-play goals, 22 power-play points last season) and had 286 shots on goal (sixth). That said, the drawbacks are that Tarasenko, a plus-20 player or better for two straight seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15, was plus-7 in 2015-16 and minus-1 last season. He also lacks an elite No. 1 center on his line.
The Blues bolstered their forward group this offseason, acquiring forwards Brayden Schenn, Beau Bennett, Chris Thorburn and Oskar Sundqvist. Tarasenko likely will still play with wing Jaden Schwartz and center Paul Stastny on the top line, and Schenn is another candidate to play center if Stastny deals with injury again. Tarasenko led the Blues in power-play minutes per game (2:59) but was fourth in overall ice time per game (18:28). When coach Ken Hitchcock was fired and replaced by Mike Yeo on Feb. 1, Tarasenko's ice time increased (19:05 per game); he scored 17 goals in 32 games under Yeo.

There's no denying Laine had a great rookie season, scoring one fewer goal and having 11 fewer points than Tarasenko in nine fewer games. However, Laine had eight fewer PPP and 82 fewer SOG than Tarasenko. The Blues' top forward was drafted on average with the seventh pick in Yahoo leagues and finished among the top 20 (18th overall), even with a coaching change and little linemate consistency. Tarasenko, 25, is in the prime of his career and a much more stable fantasy bet than Laine, who could easily regress in his second season.