It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Connor McDavid tops our fantasy forward rankings for 2022-23. Only 25 years old, he’s got four 100-point seasons under his belt, and if his production continues at a similar pace for another decade, he will almost certainly go down as one of the NHL’s all-time greatest players. For this season, McDavid’s prospects have improved in one critical area. With Jack Campbell between the pipes, Edmonton’s defense should be improved, and with it, McDavid’s plus-minus rating.
Maple Leaf stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are in the opposite situation, with Campbell departed for Edmonton and a new tandem of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov between the pipes. If we’re looking at the past few seasons to be any indication, Murray is unlikely to contend for a Vezina Trophy, and it’s fair to expect the Leafs’ plus-minus ratings to take a hit if he secures the starting job. However, if Samsonov’s offseason training with Igor Shesterkin bears fruit and he’s able to realize his immense potential between the pipes, allowing Campbell to depart could easily turn out to be a blessing in disguise, for Samsonov’s upside (in 2022-23 and beyond) exceeds Campbell’s.
In Florida, it’ll be really interesting to see whether newcomer Matthew Tkachuk plays on a line with star center Aleksander Barkov… either way, the duo should see plenty of ice together on the Panthers’ first power play unit. Florida players delivered huge plus/minus ratings in 2021-22, but with all of the offseason changes, that may not remain the case.
In Vegas, Jack Eichel’s first season was a significant disappointment, but if he can rebound to his prior point-per-game production (or better), it could go a long way towards helping the Golden Knights rebound from their first playoff-less season.
As for breakouts, here’s a short-list of players who should be on your radar in the season’s early weeks, all are good bets to enjoy big statistical jumps in 2022-23:
- Jack Hughes
- Trevor Zegras
- Mathew Barzal
- Josh Norris
- Brock Boeser
- Alexis Lafrenière
Without further ado, here are our top 150 forwards for 2022-23…
