Matt Larkin’s midseason top 300 fantasy hockey player rankings for 2022-23

Credit: © Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

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There’s still time to make or break your fantasy season. Maybe you’re a leading contender searching for that last piece or deciding whether to sell high on a surprising star who got you this far. Maybe you’re a desperate bubble team looking for a boom/bust acquisition to put you over the top.

I’m here to help all of you as best I can. It’s time for a midseason update of my top 300 fantasy rankings, appraising every player’s rest-of-season value. That means factoring in everything from performance so far to puck luck to injuries to load management.

Before we begin, some need-to-know information:

– I started this list from scratch. I didn’t touch the pre-season top 300, lest I be unconsciously influenced by where I slotted players earlier. We have to look at emerging superstars like Jack Hughes and Rasmus Dahlin with fresh eyes. Note how drastic the changes are compared to the previous rankings. I’ve shaken ’em up like a snow globe.

– The rankings are for redraft leagues and based on the following stat categories: goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, goals-against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts. Players who offer variety across multiple categories get boosts.

– Rather than 300 bios for 300 players, as I provide leading up to fantasy draft season, I keep it fairly quick and dirty here with writeups only on players whose rankings may pop for being particularly high, low or generally noteworthy.

– Injured players are marked with asterisks. Players with season-ending injuries have been excluded from the rankings.

– If you notice any glaring omissions – I’m usually good for one – hit me up on Twitter @MLarkinHockey and let me know.

Use this list to break ties when assessing trades or pickups for the stretch run of your regular season. Good luck!

1. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers

2. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers

3. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins

4. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars

5. Jack Hughes, C, Devils

6. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning

7. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild

8. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers

9. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Avalanche

10. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals

11. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning

12. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche

13. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres*

14. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs*

15. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets

16. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche

17. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers

18. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators

19. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets

20. Mitch Marner, RW, Maple Leafs

21. Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning

22. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins

23. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars

24. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks

25. Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins

26. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres

27. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers

28. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders

29. Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers

30. Zach Hyman, LW, Oilers

31. Erik Karlsson, D, Sharks

32. Roman Josi, D, Predators

33. Linus Ullmark, G, Bruins

34. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils

35. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers

36. Juuse Saros, G, Predators

37. Timo Meier, RW, Sharks

38. Adam Fox, D, Rangers

39. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs

40. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes

41. Roope Hintz, C, Stars

42. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes

43. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres

44. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers

45. Kevin Fiala, LW, Kings

46. Josh Morrissey, D, Jets

47. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning

48. Brayden Point, C, Lightning

49. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs

50. Tim Stutzle, C, Senators

Finally, I vault Connor McDavid over Leon Draisaitl for No. 1 overall. Now that McJesus is shooting and scoring goals like never before, there’s no one close to him in fantasy value…It’s happening for Jack Hughes, a chance-generating machine. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a top-two player for the rest of the season…Nikita Kucherov is the most overlooked top-three scorer in recent memory, but the threat of an injury always looms…Andrei Vasilevskiy has a .929 save percentage since Dec. 1. I rank him above his fellow elite Russians Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin because ‘Vasy’ is more used to a large workload and less likely to break down in the fantasy playoffs…Auston Matthews is top-five as a fantasy talent but is out multiple weeks with a knee injury and a candidate for load management even once he returns, given the Leafs are locked into a first-round matchup with Tampa Bay…Ugh, it was sad to see Tage Thompson get hurt the night before the all-star break. I had him ranked as my No. 7 player but dropped him a bit until we know more. Early indications suggest his injury isn’t long-term…Rasmus Dahlin was always supposed to be this good. He was incredibly hyped in his 2018 Draft year. I don’t see his amazing production as a fluke…At this point we have to treat Erik Karlsson as an elite commodity again. He’s been too good to be denied, despite the injury risk…Linus Ullmark has been the best goalie on the planet but he’s 16^th in starts. The lack of volume holds back his fantasy value… Oh, baby, welcome back to the fantasy elite, Dougie Hamilton. I’m confident he can be a top-five blueliner going forward, give or take, benefiting from Hughes’ explosion…Even if Andrei Svechnikov never levels up to superstardom, his current pace of 31 goals, 272 shots and 169 hits makes him a mini-Brady Tkachuk.

51. Evander Kane, LW, Oilers

52. J.T. Miller, C, Canucks

53. Jake Guentzel, LW, Penguins

54. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Jets

55. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets

56. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils

57. Joe Pavelski, RW, Stars

58. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins

59. Patrice Bergeron, C, Bruins

60. Alexandar Georgiev, G, Avalanche

61. Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks

62. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Blue Jackets

63. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights

64. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins

65. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars

66. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Jets

67. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Senators

68. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators

69. Nico Hischier, C, Devils

70. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks

71. Vitek Vanecek, C, Devils

72. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators

73. Bo Horvat, C, Islanders

74. Darcy Kuemper, G, Capitals

75. Elias Lindholm, C, Flames

76. Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers

77. Trevor Zegras, C, Ducks

78. Jeff Skinner, LW, Sabres

79. Chris Kreider, LW, Rangers

80. Jacob Markstrom, G, Flames

81. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild

82. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings

83. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues

84. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings

85. Kris Letang, D, Penguins

86. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Blues

87. Jakob Chychrun, D, Coyotes

88. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers

89. Claude Giroux, RW, Senators

90. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers

91. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Capitals

92. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames

93. Patrik Laine, RW, Blue Jackets

94. Matt Boldy, LW, Wild

95. Brock Nelson, C, Islanders

96. Martin Necas, RW, Hurricanes

97. Brent Burns, D, Hurricanes

98. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders

99. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes

100. Tristan Jarry, G, Penguins*

Evander Kane is consistently one of the toughest players to rank. As long as he’s in that stacked Edmonton lineup, however, his scoring and banger-category contributions give him immense upside…I’m shamelessly projecting with my Patrick Kane rank. Ignore his horrible current numbers. He’s a league-winner if and when he gets traded to a Stanley Cup contender…defensemen tend to break out with Pete DeBoer as their coach, so Miro Heiskanen’s season has gone as expected. He already has a career high in points…Quinn Hughes continues to provide points but empty calories otherwise, making him an overrated commodity in multi-category formats…Is the sample size big enough to trust Vitek Vanecek at this point? He’s been a top-10 goalie pretty much all year. I’m buying in…The regression has already begun for new Islander Bo Horvat, who has two goals in his past 10 games. Sell if it’s not too late… Moritz Seider’s last 10 games: 11 points, 25 shots, 27 blocks. He’s back…Jakob Chychrun’s stat line looks just OK because he missed the start of the season, but extrapolate the pace and you get 12-48-60 with 256 shots, 104 hits, 133 blocks. And that’s as a Coyote! Imagine if he gets traded to a good team…I give up trying to figure out Jonathan Huberdeau this season…with his ice time cut so much, he doesn’t even have the opportunity to approach last year’s numbers…Matt Boldy was the reverse Horvat, due for a huge positive regression, and it’s starting. After a stretch in which he scored once in 14 games, he’s buried four in his last five games. Buy…Frederik Andersen and Tristan Jarry could outproduce their respective rankings by a lot down the stretch, but they’re too frequently hurt to trust. I’m staying away…

101. Brandon Montour, D, Panthers

102. Clayton Keller, LW, Coyotes

103. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers

104. Nazem Kadri, C, Flames

105. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers

106. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild

107. Vince Dunn, D, Kraken

108. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights

109. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Golden Knights

110. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings

111. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Flames

112. Robert Thomas, C, Blues

113. Lucas Raymond, LW, Red Wings

114. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Wild

115. Vincent Trocheck, C, Rangers

116. Dylan Cozens, C, Sabres

117. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators

118. Morgan Rielly, D, Maple Leafs

119. Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Canucks

120. Taylor Hall, LW, Bruins

121. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche*

122. Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers

123. Matty Beniers, C, Kraken*

124. Ilya Samsonov, G, Maple Leafs

125. Pavel Buchnevich, LW, Blues*

126. Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings

127. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche*

128. Logan Thompson, G, Golden Knights

129. Hampus Lindholm, D, Bruins

130. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche

131. Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning

132. Jack Campbell, G, Oilers

133. Brayden Schenn, C, Blues

134. Tomas Hertl, C, Sharks

135. Tyson Barrie, D, Oilers

136. Noah Dobson, D, Islanders*

137. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Lightning

138. Jacob Trouba, D, Rangers

139. David Krejci, C, Bruins

140. Victor Olofsson, RW, Sabres

141. Jared McCann, LW, Kraken

142. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars

143. Andre Burakovsky, RW, Kraken

144. Michael Bunting, LW, Maple Leafs

145. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche

146. Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Golden Knights

147. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins

148. Boone Jenner, C, Blue Jackets

149. Rickard Rakell, RW, Penguins

150. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens

Streaky Sam Reinhart is up to his usual hijinks, with 23 points in his past 23 games…Vince Dunn has emerged as an offensive focal point for Seattle and surprised with some extra category juice…Andrei Kuzmenko’s stat line is pretty in his debut NHL season, but a shooting percentage of 24.7 is unsustainable, and his category juice is downright weak. Sell high…We know Gabriel Landeskog can be a league winner, but the Avs are heating up without him and won’t rush him back…Ilya Samsonov is pulling away from the banged-up Matt Murray in Toronto, but every time it looks like one guy has the No. 1 gig, it flips…I generally fade players like Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen and Brandon Hagel in fantasy because they’re conscientious real-life players whose scoring is more of a bonus than something that comes naturally…I literally swapped Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner during the process of writing the rankings, as it seems Campbell has the starter’s net again even though Skinner got the All-Star Game nod. Good luck figuring out who to trust in Edmonton’s net…Jacob Trouba has 14 points in 49 games. Why rank him so high? Because he’s on pace to be the rare 200-200-200 player: 200 shots, 200 hits, 200 blocks…It’s ugly in Columbus, but Boone Jenner is tracking for almost 30 goals, give or take 250 shots and 150 hits. That’s a sneaky-helpful commodity…

151. Rasmus Andersson, D, Flames

152. Jake DeBrusk, RW, Bruins*

153. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks

154. Nick Schmaltz, RW Coyotes

155. Carter Hart, G, Flyers

156. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins

157. John Klingberg, D, Ducks

158. Anders Lee, LW, Islanders

159. Logan Couture, C, Sharks

160. David Perron, RW, Red Wings

161. Chandler Stephenson, C, Golden Knights

162. Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks

163. Matt Duchene, C, Predators

164. Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Hurricanes

165. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Sabres

166. Filip Hronek, D, Red Wings

167. Drew Doughty, D, Kings

168. Kevin Hayes, C, Flyers

169. Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild

170. Blake Wheeler, RW, Jets

171. Semyon Varlamov, G, Islanders

172. Spencer Knight, G, Panthers

173. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers*

174. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Kings

175. Ondrej Palat, LW, Devils

176. Martin Jones, G, Kraken

177. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues

178. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks*

179. Reilly Smith, RW, Golden Knights

180. Tyler Seguin, C, Stars

181. Dillon Dube, LW, Flames

182. Anton Forsberg, G, Senators

183. Ville Husso, G, Red Wings

184. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Hurricanes

185. Pavel Zacha, LW, Bruins

186. Justin Faulk, D, Blues

187. Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers

188. Matt Murray, G, Maple Leafs*

189. Tony DeAngelo, D, Flyers

190. Adam Larsson, D, Kraken

191. Jared Spurgeon, D, Wild

192. Bowen Byram, D, Avalanche*

193. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes

194. Andrew Mangiapane, LW, Flames

195. Anton Lundell, LW, Panthers

196. Ryan O’Reilly, C, Blues*

197. Eeli Tolvanen, RW, Kraken

198. Nick Paul, D, Lightning

199. Trevor Moore, LW, Kings*

200. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers

Don’t forget about John Klingberg. He’s had a nightmare season in Anaheim, but he’s a pending UFA, sure to be traded in the next month. Whichever team acquires him will immediately deploy him in a plum offensive assignment…Sounds like Jake DeBrusk will return after the All-Star break and bye. Can he keep his career-best pace going, or will he come back rusty? …Too low for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen? Quite possibly. I just want to be sure he’s the starter and that Buffalo will be a playoff threat down the stretch, but I don’t blame you if you rank him higher…I’ve graded Jeremy Swayman and Filip Gustavsson as the top backups in the league. They play more than most 1Bs and can boost your rate stats…keen an eye on Ondrej Palat as he gets his sea legs, having only suited up for 17 games. He could have a nice second half playing with Hughes and Jesper Bratt…My Pyotr Kochetkov ranking is a flex, I know. He’s a third-stringer! But I like one of Andersen or Antti Raanta to get hurt or traded, opening the door for Kochetkov to be a top-10 goalie in the fantasy playoffs…I like Bowen Byram as a deep-league stash. He’s a very well-rounded category contributor when he’s healthy – which, sadly, is rarely…

201. Jordan Eberle, RW, Kraken

202. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks

203. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals*

204. Evan Rodrigues, RW, Avalanche

205. Lawson Crouse, LW, Coyotes

206. Mikael Backlund, C, Flames

207. Dylan Strome, C, Capitals

208. Dawson Mercer, RW, Devils

209. Filip Chytil, C, Rangers

210. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Coyotes*

211. Noah Hanifin, D, Flames

212. Stuart Skinner, G, Oilers

213. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Blue Jackets

214. Anthony Duclair, RW, Panthers*

215. Neal Pionk, D, Jets

216. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, Islanders

217. Nino Niederreiter, RW, Predators

218. Cam Talbot, G, Senators*

219. Jeff Petry, D, Penguins

220. Scott Laughton, C, Flyers

221. Torey Krug, D, Blues

222. Calen Addison, D, Wild

223. Jason Zucker, LW, Penguins

224. Gabe Vilardi, C, Kings*

225. Dylan Guenther, RW, Coyotes

226. Tomas Tatar, LW, Devils

227. Josh Anderson, RW, Canadiens

228. James van Riemsdyk, LW, Flyers

229. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Kraken

230. Cole Perfetti, RW, Jets

231. Phillip Danault, C, Kings

232. Alex Killorn, LW, Lightning

233. Yanni Gourde, C, Kraken

234. J.T. Compher, C, Avalanche

235. Kirby Dach, C, Canadiens

236. Adam Henrique, LW, Ducks

237. Karel Vejmelka, G, Coyotes

238. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames

239. Sean Durzi, D, Kings

240. Erik Gustafsson, D, Capitals

241. Daniel Sprong, RW, Kraken

242. Dominik Kubalik, LW, Red Wings

243. Kent Johnson, C, Blue Jackets

244. Max Domi, C, Blackhawks

245. William Karlsson, C, Golden Knights

246. Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks

247. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Kings*

248. Jack Roslovic, C, Blue Jackets

249. Pheonix Copley, G, Kings

250. K’Andre Miller, D, Rangers

Shayne Gostisbehere should be healthy in time to get traded by the March 3 deadline, meaning he’ll land on a better team in a puck-moving role, just like Klingberg. Stash ‘Ghost Bear’ if you have room…Kirill Marchenko’s hilarious Cy Young stat line of 13-0-0 in 28 games comes while shooting an NHL best 25 percent, so let’s not get carried away…Cheer for Cam Talbot to get healthy and get traded to a starter-needy team like the Kings… his fantasy value would skyrocket…Josh Anderson may be the one beneficiary of the Cole Caufield injury. Past seven games: three goals, 19 shots, 22 hits…Oliver Bjorkstrand is a deep-league buy low. He’s scoring on a career-worst 7.1 percent of his shots. He was at 13.2 percent in the previous four seasons combined…I know J.T. Compher has settled in a bit as Colorado’s No. 2 center, but I could see the Avs addressing that need at the trade deadline and pushing him back down the depth chart. He’s J.A.G.…Max Domi has been a nice story, but keep in mind he’ll play down the lineup if he gets traded, crushing his fantasy value.

251. Mikael Granlund, RW, Predators

252. John Carlson, D, Capitals*

253. Conor Sheary, RW, Capitals

254. Justin Schultz, D, Kraken*

255. Dmitry Orlov, D, Capitals

256. Alexander Barabanov, RW, Sharks

255. Ivan Provorov, D, Flyers

266. Ivan Barbashev, C, Blues

267. Jordan Staal, C, Hurricanes

268. Marcus Johansson, LW, Capitals

269. Taylor Raddysh, RW, Blackhawks

270. Brady Skjei, D, Hurricanes

271. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Hurricanes

272. Ryan Strome, C, Capitals

273. Lukas Reichel, C, Blackhawks

274. Ryan Johansen, C, Predators

275. Ross Colton, C, Lightning

276. Seth Jones, D, Blackhawks

277. Morgan Frost, C, Flyers

278. Dan Vladar, G, Flames

279. Sam Montembeault, G, Canadiens

280. Anthony Beauvillier, LW, Canucks

281. Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars

282. Joonas Korpisalo, G, Blue Jackets

283 Conor Garland, RW, Canucks

284. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers

285. Charlie Coyle, C, Bruins

286. Blake Coleman, LW, Flames

287. Joel Farabee, LW, Flyers

288. Calle Jarnkrok, LW, Maple Leafs

289. Owen Power, D, Sabres

290. Pavel Francouz, G, Avalanche

291. Casey Mittelstadt, C, Sabres

292. John Gibson, G, Ducks

293. Stefan Noesen, RW, Hurricanes

294. Shane Pinto, C, Senators

295. Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres

296. Matias Maccelli, LW, Coyotes

297. Jaccob Slavin, D, Hurricanes

298. Anthony Mantha, RW, Capitals

299. Antti Raanta, G, Hurricanes

300. T.J. Oshie, RW, Capitals

John Carlson seems like a long shot to play again this season after taking a puck to the head/ear. He’s still too good to drop if you have room on your IR…Taylor Raddysh is up to 20 goals in 69 games as a Blackhawk dating back to last season’s trade…Lukas Reichel can’t seem to stick in the NHL, but I have to think he at least does after Chicago guts its roster at the Trade Deadline. He’s talented enough to be a deep-league flier for the fantasy playoffs…Any chance the Canucks give Anthony Beauvillier a little top-six love? Can’t hurt to keep an eye on his deployment with his new team. He’s still only 25…Wyatt Johnston has been quite an efficient shooter and scorer in limited ice time. If his minutes were to increase, he could suddenly bust out. Owen Power the real-life player looks extremely promising, but his game isn’t translating to fantasy category juice just yet.

On the Bubble

Marcus Foligno
Cam Fowler
Jordan Martinook
Jake Walman
Frank Vatrano
Sam Steel
Ridly Greig

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Matt Larkin’s midseason top 300 fantasy hockey player rankings for 2022-23

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