Ryan Lomberg

Lomberg won't light up the scoresheet often. He set career highs with 12 goals and eight assists in 2022-23. What he provides in spades is grit, as he racked up 149 hits and 88 PIM from his fourth-line role last year. The winger fits the high-speed, high-intensity brand that the Panthers are embracing in recent years, and it seems like his place in the lineup is fairly safe. However, fantasy managers can't expect him to get much more than the 20 points he produced last year. That means he won't be an option in most formats outside of deep ones where toughness is valued at a premium.

After playing just 45 games over the course of his first three NHL seasons combined, Lomberg suited up for 55 games for the Panthers last year. He managed nine goals, nine assists, and 117 hits. Lomberg skated almost exclusively on Florida's fourth line when suited up, averaging a little over 11 minutes (11:25) per game. Lomberg brings some energy to the Florida lineup, but that's about it. He has no fantasy value in any format.

Lomberg produced 20 points in 21 games with AHL Stockton last year, but the Flames let him depart in free agency. The Panthers pounced with a two-year, one-way contract for the physical 26-year-old winger, who will likely feature in a depth role in 2020-21. Lomberg is an ideal taxi squad candidate -- a hard-nosed player who can step into a bottom-six role on an emergency basis when the need arises. That said, fantasy managers will have virtually no use for him, as he has yet to prove himself at the NHL level and is unlikely to do so this season.

Lomberg spent most of the 2018-19 campaign with AHL Stockton, posting 12 goals and 17 helpers in 58 games. He also made four appearances with the big club, going scoreless while averaging just 6:59 of ice time per contest. The 24-year-old received a qualifying offer from the Flames, so they clearly want him to stick around, but he'll likely reprise his role as a fringe NHLer in 2019-20, which means he won't have any fantasy value.

The University of Maine product uncorked 26 goals and 57 points in 125 games with AHL Stockton over the last two seasons, and Lomberg even got his first taste of NHL action with the Flames in 2017-18, racking up 15 penalty minutes and notching an assist over a seven-game span. This next campaign will be a contract year for Lomberg, who will likely spend most of his time riding cramped buses versus spacious planes. Such is life on a two-way contract, and even if Lomberg manages to garner some NHL time, he's unlikely to show up on the scoresheet most nights.