Simply put, it’s never too early to start thinking about your fantasy hockey draft.
Indisputably, once again, there will be a plethora of highly ranked Maple Leafs to consider grabbing. From Auston Matthews to Mitch Marner to William Nylander to John Tavares to Joseph Woll, there will be no shortage of potential early round targets.
Furthermore, hitting on some sleeper picks could undoubtedly help set your roster apart from others. Speaking of which, there are a few Maple Leaf players worth monitoring as your draft progresses with supreme sleeper appeal.
Here are three of them:
Matthew Knies – LW
Tyler Bertuzzi’s offseason departure has created a giant hole on the left wing in the top six. Barring something unforeseen, Knies, who’s slated to enter a contract year, is expected to receive a significant uptick in minutes in his sophomore season. If the 21-year-old can find a way to seize the opportunity, it’s realistic to suggest that he could pop in 20-25 goals without breaking a sweat. Without question, Knies is worth taking a late-round flier on. If he doesn’t produce or gets demoted down the lineup, you can always drop him.
Anthony Stolarz – G
Knowing Joseph Woll’s injury history, it would be wise to handcuff Toronto’s crease this season. Needless to say, the Leafs will be very careful with his deployment, which should open the door for the newcomer Stolarz to play quite a bit. The 30-year-old, who’s fresh off winning a Stanley Cup with Florida, will get ample opportunity to prove his worth. At the very least, Stolarz should be placed on your watch list. Out of the gates, he figures to be an excellent streaming option —at the very least.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – D
First off, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson finished the postseason running Florida’s No. 1 power play unit ahead of Brandon Montour. Morgan Rielly’s been that guy in Toronto for years, but with Marc Savard now in the fold, all bets are off. Unquestionably, Ekman-Larsson will get a shot – at some point – to run the top unit. The rest will be up to him. From the onset, monitor that situation closely, because obviously, that would be a very valuable role to be utilized in.
