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Fantasy Hockey: Red Wings Top Position Players

By Ricky Olshansky

Fantasy Hockey: DETROIT, MI - MARCH 31: Andreas Athanasiou #72 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his third period goal with teammates while playing the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 2-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Fantasy Hockey: DETROIT, MI - MARCH 31: Andreas Athanasiou #72 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his third period goal with teammates while playing the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 2-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Top fantasy hockey options for the Detroit Red Wings

Hello to all of you NHL-aholics. The NHL season is a mere 16 days away and we hope you are as excited as we are at FantasyCPR. This exercise is intended to help you prepare for your Fantasy Hockey season by providing a team-by-team preview of potential leaders at each position. We will cover our favorite fantasy hockey centers, wingers, defenseman, and goalies with a few honorable mentions.

Let’s kick things off in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division with the Detroit Red Wings. It was a poor season for the Red Wings finishing 30-39-13 for 73 points. They had the 6th pick in the NHL Draft and used it on 18-year old Filip Zadina. The former Halifax Moosehead finished 2017-2018 with 44 goals and 38 assists. For now, Zadina is an honorable mention because he has not yet made the roster. Should he grab a spot in the top-6 in Detroit, he could be a valuable piece for your lineup.

Fantasy Hockey Honorable Mentions: W Filip Zadina, C Andreas Athanasiou, C Michael Rasmussen

C – Dylan Larkin

Larkin is one of the young guys establishing himself as a superstar. He finished 5th for the Calder Trophy in 2015-2016 and finished his rookie season with 23 goals and 22 assists. He followed that up with a down year, but came back to life in the point category last season. The 16 goals may have been a career low, but finished with more assists than the previous two seasons combined with 47.

The team is in rebuild mode with long-time veteran and captain Henrik Zetterberg hanging up the skates. It is doubtful that Larkin becomes a captain at the ripe age of 22. According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, General Manager Ken Holland said that “they are considering having multiple alternates and a decision will be made in the next three weeks.” However, Larkin doesn’t need to have an extra letter on his jersey to lead the team in points. Last season he saw a a boost in ice time, averaging close to 20 minutes.

W – Anthony Mantha

Like Larkin, Anthony Mantha was picked in the first round just one year prior. Mantha is a different type of player as he brings a 6’5” and 225 LBS frame. He finished 3rd on the team in points with 48, matching his points and assists at 24. Mantha was an efficient goal scorer last year with a 12.6 shooting percentage. Maybe a better DFS player than season long play, Mantha last season started in the offensive zone 54.9% of the time. He has become more willing to take the body as his hits have gone up each season. He finished near the century mark with 91 hits and should break 100 with more experience and time on the ice.

W – Thomas Vanek

Thomas Vanek has been quite the journeyman after spending his first 8 seasons in Buffalo. Since 2014, he has played for seven teams. He steps in as one of the veterans at 34, but still has the ability to score goals. Combining his numbers with Columbus and Vancouver, Vanek finished with a total of 56 points. It is hard to project where the newly acquired Vanek will fit into this young offense, but the speed around him should help.

D – Mike Green

Similar to Vanek, Mike Green has been in the league for a while. His numbers don’t always jump off the chart. But he is more than capable of getting you double-digit goals from the defensive position. With a team that has struggled for the last few seasons, it is understandable why their top defenseman has finished a -6, -20, and -14 over the last three years. He led the team in ice time and will likely remain as the top defensive option on the team.

G – Jimmy Howard

Howard was one of the better goalies in the NHL at the start of his career. What feels like the norm around professional sports (NOT IN ALL CASES!), once you hit 30 you start to decline. At 30, Howard had a solid season going 23-13. Since then, the decline has occurred. With a struggling team, Howard should not be one of the top goalies on your board. However, with some exciting young talent on the rise, we could see an improved Detroit Red Wings.

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