By Kenneth Guzman
Good day, everyone. I hope you all are doing well! Today, we will discuss three players who can change the complexion of your Keeper and Dynasty teams. This will be focused on guys who, if you can acquire them through the draft in a startup league or a potential trade, can vastly improve your chances of being a contender for the championship! I will include the draft positions of when these players were taken in a couple of startup leagues over the summer so you can get a good idea of their value for Keeper and Dynasty purposes. Along with the great resources at Natural Stat Trick, where the underlying numbers are referenced below!
Player 1: Dylan Guenther
The first highlighted player will be Dylan Guenther of the Utah Hockey Club. After he had an impressive 18 goals and 35 points in just 45 games this past season, Utah signed him to an eight-year extension at around 7.14 million Annual Average Value (AAV). This is highly encouraging, as Guenther is being prioritized as a critical core member, which extends to the offensive opportunities he’s lined up to receive. In one startup dynasty cap league draft, Guenther went 66th overall before he signed his massive extension. That would value him at a mid-6th round cost for 12-team leagues, which can be a considerable surplus value for you if you can draft him around that range. Last year, he averaged 2:56 PPTOI and 16:17 TOI overall, which is only bound to increase after this considerable investment made by Utah to lock him in for a long time. Looking at some of the underlying numbers, Guenther last season produced 9.91 Shots/60 and a substantial IPP total at 67.31% at all strengths; for this upcoming season, I can see 30+ goals and 60-65 points as a realistic expectation, with real upside to push even higher. This is likely the best opportunity to acquire Guenther before he explodes and becomes a great fantasy asset for whoever has him in your leagues for a long time, so take advantage now.
Player 2: Owen Tippett
Another winger on the list, Owen Tippett of the Philadelphia Flyers, could explode, provide league-winning value for this upcoming season, and become an elite fantasy asset for several years. Last season, Tippett scored 28 goals and 53 points, with only 8 Power Play points. What’s intriguing is that despite only 16:35 TOI and 2:40 PPTOI on average, he produced 289 shots and 149 hits, which is eye-popping for fantasy. Furthermore, Tippett, at all strengths last season, posted 13.4 Shots/60 and an impressive IPP of 73.61%, despite Philly’s struggles with the man advantage. Like Guenther, he just signed an eight-year extension for 6.2 million AAV, clearly showing that Philadelphia prioritizes him and will likely give him even more offensive opportunities. While the Flyers had the worst power play conversion rate by far, the arrival of Matvei Michkov is a substantial net gain. Currently, Tippett is lining up with Morgan Frost and Michkov on the top line at even strength, with a top power-play unit spot with the aforementioned Frost, Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Cam York. With this deployment likely to be solidified with his new long-term contract in hand, I could see Tippett getting into the 65-70 point mark with ridiculous shots and hit volume totals. Tippett went 77th overall in that same startup league referenced above, so if you can get him anywhere outside the top 65-70, I’d be all over it for a dual-eligible winger who can become the best winger on your fantasy rosters as soon as this year and several years to come, depending on how things break for him with his point production and TOI ceiling.
Player 3: Quinton Byfield
Heading to the West Coast, Quinton Byfield broke onto the scene last season after a slow start to his career. Last season, he produced 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games, predominantly playing on the top-line left wing with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Following a common trend with Tippett and Guenther, Byfield got a nice contract, signing for five years at a 6.25 million AAV. The big reason why I believe that Byfield is at a value point for Keeper and Dynasty leagues is how the Kings deliberately jettisoned Pierre-Luc Dubois’ contract to make room for Byfield to play center full-time finally. Last season, he only averaged 16:29 TOI and 2:18 PPTOI on average, which is surprising when he was regularly on the top line with Kopitar and Kempe, as mentioned above. Also, looking at some advanced stats, his IPP at all strengths was at a solid 63.22%, but his shots/60 were at a low 7.33. While this is a bit concerning, I mainly see Byfield being able to ramp up his shot volume with more opportunity and ice time in all situations, but not to the same level as Guenther and Tippett at all, still, to a respectable level for fantasy purposes. Early on in camp, he is paired with Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele, which I am personally very bullish on panning out well. Fiala and Byfield are realistically the two most offensively talented players on the roster, with Kempe and Clarke long-term in that discussion as well. The most significant short-term roadblock is that he is now off the first Power Play unit, primarily for Alex Laferriere. While Laferriere is a solid young player, Byfield becoming an actual top-line pivot in all three zones and situations, including the power play, is essential for the Kings’ contention window to stay open. So I expect that to change shortly, along with the even strength opportunity increasing for Byfield. The draft capital for Byfield is the highest out of the three shown here, being drafted 52nd overall, an early 5th-round price for 12 team keeper and dynasty leagues. However, I see this being a worthwhile price, especially after you’ve gotten some firmly established studs with your first four selections; you can take a swing on a guy who has clear point-per-game potential, with some headroom for more if the shot volume and chance generation improve with more time on ice, coupled with a long-term partnership with Fiala.
Thank you for sticking to the end; if you enjoy this content, please check out my site, where I create more long-term-focused articles! Continuous Forecheck—Fantasy Hockey Keeper and Dynasty Content (wordpress.com). Have a great day, treat others with kindness and respect, and spread positivity!
Kenny
Apples and Ginos 