Mikko Rantanen

Rantanen surpassed the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career last season while compiling 55 goals and 50 assists across 82 games. He also operated at a 100-point pace in 2021-22 and 2020-21, but missed the milestone due to injuries and a shortened season, respectively. Rantanen ranked third in the NHL in goals during the 2022-23 campaign and tied for eighth in the league with 37 power-play points. He also placed 10th overall with 306 shots on net. If Rantanen can remain healthy, he should be able to surpass the 100-point mark again during the 2023-24 season.

Many members of the Avalanche played the best hockey of their respective careers a season ago, and Rantanen was no exception. His 36 goals, 92 points, 254 shots on goal and plus-35 rating were all new high-water marks for the talented Finn. Perhaps the most encouraging sign of all was the fact Rantanen played 75 of Colorado's 82 regular-season games, his most since the 2017-18 campaign. The Avalanche remain the best team in the NHL and investing in their offense is always a good idea. Rantanen - who will be just 26 years old in late October - is a prime example of that. He should threaten the 40-goal mark while averaging well over a point-per-game this coming season.

One of the league's top wingers, Rantanen led all Avalanche skaters with 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) in 52 contests last season. The Finn was one point ahead of center Nathan MacKinnon, as that dynamic duo's line with Gabriel Landeskog remains one of the most consistent scoring threats in the NHL. In Rantanen, fantasy managers can expect consistency, as he never went more than three games without a point last season. He'll be a top-five option at right wing, and he provides the potential to produce north of a point-per-game pace while chipping in 30-to-40 power-play points. One concern -- he's never played 82 games in a season, usually missing at least a few games to injury.

Rantanen is one of the best right wingers in the game and his trajectory is only going up. He has it all -- elite skills, enormous size, extraordinary vision and excellent speed. And he was on a 110-point pace last season before crashing awkwardly into the boards in mid-February. Yes, Rantanen has had a few injuries already in his short career. But a broken leg and separated shoulder aren't worrisome. His 21-point playoff outburst (15 games) proved that with ease -- it was a better performance than certified stud Nikita Kucherov. Rantanen delivers in every major fantasy category, other than PIM. He's a first-round fantasy selection in every format.

Rantanen let loose his crease-crashing frame en route to back-to-back 80-plus-point seasons with the Avalanche -- an otherworldly total comprised of 60 goals and 111 assists since the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Averaging more than four minutes of ice time on the power play -- as was the case last year (4:05) -- helped the right winger drop an astounding 33 man-advantage points through 74 games. Despite sustaining a fractured leg in Round 2 of the 2019 playoffs, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder still generated a goal and four assists to mask the injury, and the bigger concern from a fantasy standpoint is not knowing how long it could take the Avalanche to re-sign the restricted free agent. After all, Rantanen is sure to command a huge payday once he pens his first major contract.

One of just four players to post an even strength Corsi For percentage over 50 percent (50.24) on the Avalanche's roster last season, Rantanen predictably posted his best season of his short NHL career with 84 points -- 29 goals and 55 assists -- over 81 games. Still only 21, there's plenty of room for development and improvement on his numbers, finishing with an even rating on the campaign despite his offensive outburst. With the Avalanche returning a young, talented top line that also includes Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, it's reasonable to anticipate that Rantanen will remain on par or outpace his production from a season ago. The addition of Philipp Grubauer between the pipes should only help his rating, as well.

Rantanen was one of the few positives to come out of Colorado’s disastrous 2016-17 season, emerging as a likely top-six forward for years to come with a team-leading 20 goals and 18 assists in 75 games. The 10th pick in the 2015 draft finished with a minus-25 rating, but there were actually six other Avalanche players that did just as poorly or worse. While his team’s expected shortcomings will do Rantanen no favors in that category again this year, the 20-year-old’s scoring upside makes him worth a gamble on draft day.

Selected by the Avalanche with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Rantanen is a crafty playmaker with nifty hands who sees the ice very well. The 18-year-old is currently listed at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, and after Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Noah Hanifin, he may have the best chance of any of this year's draft picks to open the season in the NHL. It's still more likely that Rantanen spends another year abroad before joining the Avalanche in the second half of 2015-16 or even the following season, as he still doesn’t use his size to his advantage as much as he should. But there's no denying the winger's offensive abilities, which he showcased time and time again during the World Junior Championships, scoring four times in five games for the Finnish squad. He now joins an organization ripe with young offensive talent, and in time, he may establish himself as one of the best of the lot.