Toronto Maple Leafs: Best Fantasy Options for 2023-2024
Toronto Maple Leafs: Best Fantasy Options for 2023-2024
Unsurprisingly, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are considered to have the most fantasy potential among the Leafs. Neither of the two has been disrespected in any of the rankings, but there is some slight variance surrounding their value.
Matthews is ranked 5th overall by ESPN, 10th by NHL.com, and 9th by Daily Faceoff. He consistently lands as the fourth or fifth-ranked centre in all three rankings.
McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and sometimes centre Draisaitl are graded higher in all lists. One can question Draisaitl listed as a centre but production-wise their ratings are easy to understand.
Elias Petterson of the Vancouver Canucks is rated third overall by ESPN, and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils comes in at fifth overall according to Daily Faceoff.
Petterson is a versatile player for the Canucks, and Hughes has tremendous upside, but I have a hard time putting either ahead of Matthews.
Matthews is a more proven performer, with the NHL hardware to back it up.
The placings of Matthews are certainly not egregious, but I look for him to have a big season. He is in a contract year and his “puck-luck” should improve based on his advanced stats.
Marner’s rankings range from 22nd overall (ESPN) to as high as 11th overall (Daily Faceoff). NHL.com places him 17th.
Right-wingers rated higher than Marner include David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, and Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche. Again, all of these are fathomable.
What hurts Marner’s fantasy value is the non-traditional scoring categories. His shots on goal, penalty minutes, and goal-scoring decrease his value compared to the others ranked above him.
Yet, I foresee Marner finally cracking the 100-point barrier this season. It’s also a good possibility there is some regression around Tkachuk and Pastrnak.
It will be difficult for Tkachuk to duplicate his debut season with the Panthers and the talent level surrounding Pastrnak just diminished with the retirement to two important teammates.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov brings the most divisiveness in the rankings. ESPN sees him as the tenth-best goalie available. Both NHL.com and Daily Faceoff give him a middling placement (14th and 15th).
There are two factors to consider here. First, Joseph Woll may cut into his playing time if he continues his ascension. Second, the Leafs defense is their greatest weakness.
It is best to ignore Samsonov for any fantasy team, as there are just too many variables to consider in how his season may turn out.