Henri Jokiharju

Although Jokiharju was an offensive force in the WHL, the 24-year-old has assumed a shutdown role in the NHL. He's averaged 21:28 of ice time over the last two campaigns, but despite his heavy use, he's yet to surpass the 20-point milestone in a single season and finished 2022-23 with just three goals and 13 points in 60 outings with the Sabres. It doesn't help that the presence of blueliners Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on Buffalo's roster means Jokiharju doesn't have a clear path to any meaningful power-play minutes. Unlike other defensive defenseman, Jokiharju isn't a great source of hits or blocks, having recorded just 63 and 58, respectively, last year. All that combines to make him a poor fantasy option who shouldn't be drafted outside of the deepest of leagues.

Jokiharju quietly had a nice season for the Sabres in 2021-22. A first-round pick (29th overall) of the Blackhawks in 2017, Jokiharju managed 19 points in 60 games last year while averaging nearly 22 minutes (21:55) of ice time per game. Jokiharju's upside is quite limited, especially with Owen Power now in the fold, but Joki spent a good chunk of last season playing alongside Rasmus Dahlin and it wouldn't be surprising to see Buffalo go back to that pairing considering it worked well. Jokiharju has far more value to the Sabres than in fantasy circles.

This will be Jokiharju's fourth NHL season and he'll play the entire year at age 22. There's still some upside here, but the early returns haven't been positive. Playing on a poor, rebuilding team hasn't helped matters. Jokiharju managed just three goals and eight points in 46 games a year ago. He also finished with a minus-11 rating, which considering how bad Buffalo was, isn't all that terrible. The Sabres thought enough of Jokiharju's progression to sign him to a three-year, $7.5 million contract prior to the start of training camp. The deal locks the Finn into a prominent role on the Buffalo blue line for years to come, but that's not a role that will produce much fantasy value.

Jokiharju was a full-time player for the Sabres last season, picking up 15 points while posting a minus-6 rating and averaging 17:13 of ice time in 69 contests as a bottom-pairing option. The 21-year-old Finn will continue to be a regular in Buffalo's lineup in 2020-21, but his limited even-strength role and complete lack of power-play usage will keep him off the radar in all but the deepest of fantasy formats.

Jokiharju had a promising start to his rookie campaign in 2018-19, notching 12 assists while averaging 18:59 of ice time in 38 appearances with the Blackhawks, but the organization ultimately felt that it would be in his best interest to continue to develop in the AHL for the remainder of the season. He proceeded to show why Chicago was willing to spend a first-round pick on him in 2017 during his time in the minors, posting a respectable two goals and 17 points while registering a plus-7 rating in 30 contests. However, the Finnish blueliner was drafted when coach Joel Quenneville was still at the helm, and simply didn't fit new head coach Jeremy Colliton's system, so the Blackhawks decided to cut ties with the 20-year-old in July, trading him to the Sabres in exchange for Alexander Nylander. Jokiharju has top-pairing potential, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him start the 2019-20 campaign with Buffalo's AHL affiliate. He's definitely worth a stash in dynasty formats, but the 6-foot defender is probably still at least a year away from fantasy relevancy, so there's no reason for owners in re-draft leagues to spend a pick on him this season.

Jokiharju is a Finnish blue-line prospect binded by a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. The mobile skater crafted 21 goals and 98 helpers for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks between 2016-18, but his sublime offensive skils could help him secure a spot on Chicago's Opening Night roster to start the 2018-19 campaign. With the Blackhawks sending 2018 eigth overall pick Adam Boqvist back to junior, that's even more evidence that Jokiharju could skip the AHL entirely and contribute to the parent club right away. It's clear that Jokiharju is worth more than a dynasty stash.