Derek Ryan

After tallying at least 10 goals (and 29 points) in each of his first four full NHL seasons, the late-blooming Ryan's productivity tailed off dramatically in 2020-21, thanks in part to a career-low shooting percentage of 5.4. He signed a free agent contract in the offseason with Edmonton, a team that has long been searching for more consistent, competitive play out of its third line. Ryan, who turns 35 in December, will likely get the first crack at centering that unit and should be a good bet to land back in double-digit goal-scoring territory this season.

Ryan had 10 goals and 29 points in 68 games last year while primarily being deployed in a bottom-six role. The 33-year-old center had posted back-to-back 38 point campaigns prior to last campaign, but was likely to fall short of that mark even before the NHL season was put on pause. It's not impossible for Ryan to get back over the 30-point threshold, but there will be competition for jobs in the Flames' bottom six after a slew of depth signings during free agency. Nonetheless, expect Ryan to remain in the lineup most nights due to his versatility and penalty-killing skills. His impact in fantasy will likely be limited to deeper formats, where his steady scoring can help shore up a lineup.

Don't let the bottom-six usage fool you -- Ryan has recorded a respectable 38 points in each of his last two seasons. He also went plus-21 with seven power-play points and four shorthanded points in 2018-19. Ryan can play on any line under coach Bill Peters, and that versatility allows him to be far more productive than most checking-line centers. Fantasy owners can expect the 32-year-old to top 35 points for a third straight season in 2019-20, with five to eight of those tallies coming on the man advantage. Ryan isn't much of a physical player -- he's only topped 50 hits once during his first three full NHL campaigns -- so his value outside of standard formats will depend on which categories are counted.

After three seasons with the Hurricanes where he scored a combined 67 points in 147 games, (primarily in a bottom-six role), Ryan signed as a free agent with the Flames in July, inking a new three-year, $3.1 million contract. With the Flames, Ryan is reunited with Bill Peters, who was Ryan's coach for all three of his seasons in Carolina. Looking ahead, Ryan is expected to fill a similar checking-line role in Calgary, lining up behind Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk as the team's third-line center.

After spending over a decade playing at various levels outside the NHL, including the AHL, WHL and Europe, the undrafted Ryan finally landed a full-time gig with the Hurricanes last season, playing in 67 games and scoring 29 points in a mostly third-line role. Fittingly, Ryan was nominated as a finalist for the NHL’s Bill Masterton trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey, and was eventually re-signed by the Hurricanes to a one-year, $1.42 million contract in July. Ryan is expected to reprise his checking-line center role once again in Carolina next season and is a good late-round draft candidate in the deepest fantasy formats.