Fantasy Hockey: Top 100 for 2016-17

Blackhawks sensation Patrick Kane and rising star Connor McDavid are among the elite of the elite top 100 NHL players in Fantasy as we approach the 2016-17 season.

By Jason Chen

& Brady Trettenero

Aug 2, 2016 at 2:06 pm ET • 4 min read

After pacing the league with a 46-goal, 106-point season that included a 26-game point streak, the ridiculously skilled and consistent Patrick Kane enters the 2016-17 campaign as the top player in Fantasy hockey. While elite forwards such as John Tavares and Max Pacioretty have seen their value drop due to the loss of key teammates, other budding superstars are ready to conquer the Fantasy world. The shifty and insanely talented Johnny Gaudreau becomes a top-15 Fantasy player after a point-per-game season that saw him reach the 30-goal mark, while linemate Sean Monahan just misses the top 30 on a young and energetic Flames team that's only getting better.

Connor McDavid is a legitimate threat to win the Art Ross Trophy after he took the NHL by storm, though his rookie campaign was cut short by a broken collarbone, while former Oiler teammate Taylor Hall should thrive as the go-to guy in New Jersey. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars form the best 1-2 punch in the league and both crack our top-five rankings, while proven elite Fantasy performers such as Steven Stamkos, Claude Giroux and Joe Pavelski remain staples in the top-20. Be on the lookout for rising sniper Filip Forsberg, who netted 33 goals last season and will benefit from P.K. Subban's arrival in Nashville. Nathan MacKinnon, Kyle Okposo and Ryan Johansen are also three players who appear destined to have big years in 2016-17, while rookies Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are ready to show what made them top picks in the 2016 draft.

On defense, after playing all 82 games for the third straight season, leading the league in assists and becoming the first defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom to score more than 80 points in a season, Erik Karlsson maintains his spot at the top of the rankings among defensemen. There's simply no one better than Karlsson when it comes to rushing the puck up the ice and spearheading the offense, but he's followed closely by Brent Burns, whose 30 power-play points were second only to Patrick Kane and helped the Sharks finish third in the league with the man advantage. Kris Letang, P.K. Subban and Dustin Byfuglien round out the top five with Subban poised to have a big season, motivated by a controversial trade from the Habs and paired with the supremely underrated Roman Josi (with apologies to Andrei Markov). The NHL has no shortage of talent on defense, and it truly is a young man's league with John Klingberg, Rasmus Ristolainen, Shayne Gostisbehere, Colton Parayko, Darnell Nurse and Aaron Ekblad all poised to take another leap forward.

With the Capitals expected to dominate the regular season yet again this season, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby edges Carey Price for the No. 1 spot among goaltenders, though it should be a tight two-horse race between the league's two best goalies. The Western Conference is once again highlighted by Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford, both still carrying heavy workloads for Stanley Cup contenders. Henrik Lundqvist falls slightly out of favor this season with the Rangers expected to take a step back, and while Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop are slated to start for two of the Eastern Conference's best teams, their future with them remain uncertain. Jake Allen, Brian Elliott and John Gibson provide some intrigue in their first seasons as undisputed No. 1 starters, while Petr Mrazek and Jacob Markstrom are still chomping at the bit to secure starting jobs.