The summer is slowly winding down and hockey season is approaching, so it's time to pack away your beach chairs and start mining the back ends of this year's fantasy drafts for value.
While most of your eventual draft selections will consist of proven commodities, the process of predicting the success of a sleeper - and ultimately being proven correct - can be a far more satisfying exercise.
So what constitutes a sleeper?
Mostly, they're coming off disappointing seasons or have yet to experience fantasy success in their careers. Injuries may have hindered their progress, or perhaps people have simply forgotten about them after a slow start. But thanks to their skills and projected playing time, there's a chance their fortunes will greatly improve, lifting their fantasy utility accordingly.
Here are a few players who fit that bill entering this season.
Forwards
It's easy to forget Bjugstad led the Panthers in goals (24) two years ago, considering how awful the club was then. With the Cats coming off only their second division title in franchise history, more is expected this year. Same goes for the Minnesota product, who suffered through waves of injuries (migraines, smashed face) and inconsistency (10 points in 27 games after returning in January). He may not be a top-six forward to start out, but Bjugstad should be involved with both special-teams units.
The ninth overall pick in 2015 didn't get much of a chance with the Avs last year after earning an Opening Night roster spot. But what Rantanen couldn't do in Colorado (nothing in nine games, minus-7), he made up for in the minors (60 points in 52 games, plus-20). Even though the state of the franchise is up in the air after Patrick Roy's sudden departure, it appears the lineup is headed in a more youthful direction. That bodes well for the Finn, who possessed an NHL-ready physique (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) by the time he was drafted.
After a strong rookie run (50 in 81), Strome dipped considerably in his sophomore year (28 points in 71 games). Everything started out fine, but a cold spell (zero in five) got him demoted, and subsequent bouts of nothingness (like the five in 27 to end the regular season) earned him a seat higher up in the arena. Even though the RFA is unsigned, there's no reason to believe Strome will bolt from Brooklyn. The organization still has faith in the 2011 first-rounder, and he should be given ample opportunity to turn it around.
Vanek will never replace what Pavel Datsyuk left behind, but the Wings found a decent secondary scorer at a reasonable price (one year, $2.6 million). He may be a little banged up heading into training camp, but that shouldn't slow him down. The Austrian veteran is hardly the producer he once was (remember those 40-goal, 60-plus-point days?), but he'll come cheaply in fantasy drafts and should be able to please the Hockeytown faithful with a mid-40s point total at least.
The 5-foot-10 Vatrano has a nose for the net, having led the AHL in goals with 36 in 36 contests last year; he shared the league's top rookie award with Rantanen. Boston failed to score down the stretch (33 goals in the final 15 games), and the 22-year-old can fill that void if get gets enough minutes. Barring injury, he probably won't see action as one of the first two centers, but he's played left wing too, and there could ultimately be top-six time for him there.
Defense
A broken thumb in late March put an end to Beaulieu's on-ice activity, but his respectable efforts for a brutal Canadiens team merited more responsibility. Beaulieu's total of 17 points in 64 games isn't impressive, but he did that while averaging only 17:27 of ice time. It may be early, but reports have the 2011 Memorial Cup winner projected to line up with new arrival Shea Weber on the first pairing - a huge increase in usage. Regardless of whether that transpires, Beaulieu is set for a bump in his ice time and scoring alike. A point total in the low 30s sounds like a reasonable estimate.
In his brief pro career, Severson has already displayed the puck skills and maturity of a veteran. If not for the Devils' inability to score (a league-low 2.19 goals per game in 2015-16), his stats (21 in 72, only five on the power play) would look much better. Departed blueliner Adam Larsson may not be the poster boy for offensive proficiency, but he did vacate a lot of ice time (22:31 on average last year) and Severson (just over 18 minutes) should be the main beneficiary. And the man they got for Larsson, star forward Taylor Hall, should be a big boost to the Devils' offense.
Nikita Zaitsev, Maple Leafs
Zaitsev's abilities are familiar to anyone who watched the World Hockey Championship (in which he was voted one of the tournament's top defenders) or heard about his KHL exploits (26 in 46 for CSKA Moscow last year). He's only 24, but has already logged significant minutes (over 20 a night as an alternate captain) in pro hockey. The transition to the North American game may take a month or so, but you have to figure the Leafs will immediately provide Zaitsev with a top-four role and some power-play duty.
Goalies
The Flames packaged a couple draft picks to acquire Brian Elliott in the hope that he'll turn around a team that allowed the most goals (257) last season. As the Flames didn't add anyone on the back line this offseason, it's tough to imagine the ex-Blue will be able to keep the No. 1 job if the D continues to disappoint. Enter Johnson, who was signed on July 1 and is coming off a fairly successful campaign (2.36 GAA, .920 save percentage in 45 appearances) backstopping a young Buffalo blue line. He isn't likely to seize the job from Elliott, last year's NHL save percentage king, but Johnson has one big thing going for him as he tries to carve out playing time: The Flames' ostensible new starting goalie has only once cleared 50 starts in his career, and it so happens that was his worst season.
With Ryan Miller approaching the end of his run as he enters his 14th season, this is Markstrom's moment to step up and claim dibs between the pipes. While the Canucks lack potential in several areas, goaltending isn't one of them. Blue-chip prospect Thatcher Demko has been crushing it in college (named the NCAA's top goalie as a junior) and will get his shot down the road, but it's Markstrom who's the immediate heir apparent. The giant Swede's 2015-16 stats (2.73 GAA, .915 save percentage in 33 games) may not be impressive, but his confidence is growing and he's ready to assume an expanded role.
