Anthony Beauvillier

Those waiting for Beauvillier to have a breakout season may need to begin tempering their expectations. The 25-year-old recently completed his sixth year with the Islanders, posting a dozen goals and 34 points in 75 games, numbers right in line with what we've seen from Beauvillier in the past. The former No. 28 overall pick (2015) did manage a career-high 11 points with the man advantage last year, but that just underscores how ineffective Beauvillier was at even strength. The 7.8 shooting percentage Beauvillier registered in 2021-22, the lowest of his career, suggests there's some positive regression coming in the goals scored department, but it still likely won't be enough to make him a desirable fantasy option in anything other than deep formats in 2022-23.

Beauvillier collected 15 goals and 28 points in 47 contests last season, per-game scoring rates that were both the best of his career. That translates to a 26-goal, 49-point campaign if those numbers were extrapolated over a normal 82-game season, the type of production that fantasy managers would be thrilled with given his expected draft position. If nothing else, the 24-year-old Beauvillier should be able to push for 20 goals while slotting in on one of New York's top-two lines.

Beauvillier didn't quite break out like we thought he would in 2019-20, opting for Twitter fame instead of success on the ice, and ultimately finishing with another sub 40-point season. The speedy winger tantalizes with his quickness, but he has yet to harness and use it to full effect. Having said that, he did make some improvements last year. He was a better shooter and finisher, and he earned more minutes, a bump to 17:16 per game from the previous campaign's 14:39. An optimist would see this and, while also taking into account he's entering a contract year, believe Beauvillier's due for a breakout, and there aren't a lot of arguments against it. The youngster has 20-plus goal potential and will likely be available after the middle rounds -- virtual managers could certainly do worse than Beauvillier at that stage in the draft.

The 22-year-old put together a pretty strong third NHL season in 2018-19, but he did take a slight step back, posting 18 goals, 28 points and a plus-1 rating in 81 games. In 2017-18, Beauvillier posted 21 goals, 36 points and a plus-2 rating in 71 contests. He had more shots on net last season, but he regressed in the shooting percentage department, going from 15.9 percent in 2017-18 to 11.5 in 2018-19. Assuming he sees an uptick in that area, Beauvillier is a candidate to hit the 20-goal mark again in 2019-20, and he contributes in other ways in deeper formats, too. The 2015 first-round pick had 87 hits and 35 blocked shots in 2018-19, and he's improved in the faceoff circle in each of his first three campaigns.

Fueled by a strong finish of seven goals in his last nine games, Beauvillier ended the 2017-18 campaign with 21 goals and 36 points. While the overall numbers were impressive, Beauvillier is extremely streaky. In addition to his hot finish, he had a seven-game stretch in January where he scored eight times, meaning he notched just six goals in the other 55 contests. He went through two separate 12-game goalless droughts and had only two points during a 20-game stretch in November and December. Any owner who drafts Beauvillier has to anticipate these hot and cold streaks, and since it appears that he'll lose supremely talented linemates Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle following the offseason departure of John Tavares, his upside in the fantasy realm is capped.

Beauvillier made the jump straight from juniors to the NHL last year, and although the results -- nine goals and 24 points with a plus-1 rating in 66 games -- didn't really move the fantasy needle, they offer some promise for the future. It’s comforting that he was able to hold his own defensively, albeit in a bottom-six role, and Beauvillier began to pick up the pace on offense toward the end of the season, collecting nine points on 35 shots in his final 16 games. A smaller forward at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, he nonetheless plays a relatively physical game, and he offers significant offensive upside for the Isles and fantasy owners. Now the question is how he'll be deployed in his sophomore campaign; the versatile 20-year-old is blocked at center by John Tavares and Brock Nelson, so he may have a better shot at top-six minutes if he shifts to the wing. For now, the wisest move from a fantasy perspective is to expect modest improvement in 2017-18 rather than a full-blown breakout.

Beauvillier has nothing left to prove in the QMJHL after racking up 82 goals and 173 points in 114 games over the past two seasons. He can flat-out fly on the ice and knows how to light the lamp. The only negative to his game is his size -- he's slightly built at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, and will likely have to put on muscle and weight to survive the grueling NHL season. Beauvillier can play center or wing, and we all know that versatility can only help when it comes to making an NHL team. That will not happen this season, however. His best chance to begin his career in Brooklyn would seem to be 2017-18 if everything goes according to plan. With John Tavares, Matthew Barzal, Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson currently ahead of him on the center depth chart, his future with the club could indeed be at left wing.

The Islanders thought enough of Beauvillier to trade back into the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to select him. Beauvillier is undersized at 5-foot-10 and 173 pounds and will certainly have to put on weight to survive the grueling NHL season, but no one has ever questioned his heart or determination. He can skate with anyone and sees the ice extremely well. His upside is a second-line center who can feed the puck to his wings, but that won’t be realized for several years. He’ll remain at the junior level for the upcoming season.