Josh Anderson

Anderson tends to be one of the streakiest players in the league. There will be times in which he looks like a legitimate top-line winger, and others during which he disappears for a month. He finished the 2021-22 season ice cold, managing just four goals and eight points through his final 26 games. For the year, Anderson posted 19 goals and 32 points in 69 games, as well as an unsightly minus-25 rating. His plus-minus rating should get better in 2022-23 assuming Montreal improves as a team, but Anderson's 2018-19 performance with the Blue Jackets in which he tallied 27 goals and 47 points is starting to appear like an aberration as opposed to a sign of things to come. You can likely find a better option on draft day.

Anderson's first year in Montreal was a tale of two seasons. He started very quickly, posting nine goals and 11 points through his first 13 games with his new club. It was all downhill from there. In Anderson's final 33 games, he managed just five goals and six points. Anderson was also no better (5 goals, 6 points) in 22 postseason contests. He's going to have peaks and valleys because he isn't a natural point producer, and he'll be nearly impossible for fantasy managers to use if he keeps up that level of inconsistency. It's likely safe to mark Anderson down for 20 goals and 100-plus hits this coming year, but that's about it.

Anderson broke out to the tune of 27 goals, 20 assists, 230 shots on goal and 214 hits in 82 games with the Blue Jackets in 2018-19, but he was limited to just 26 games with Columbus due to a shoulder injury last season, and he struggled mightily when in the lineup, finishing the campaign with a measly one goal and three assists. The Canadiens clearly believe the 26-year-old winger is capable of returning to the form he displayed during his breakout year, as they dealt Max Domi to the Jackets in exchange for Anderson this offseason, and then signed him to a seven-year, $38.5 million extension shortly thereafter. The 6-foot-3 power forward is expected to be deployed on Montreal's second line and second power-play unit in 2020-21. If he's able to get back to producing at a 20-plus goal, 40-plus point pace, he'll be a valuable fantasy asset, particularly in formats that reward his substantial hit totals. Still, virtual managers shouldn't invest anything more than a late-round pick in Anderson due to the high level of uncertainty surrounding him heading into the upcoming campaign.

The 25-year-old power forward played a full 82-game schedule for the first time in his career last season, and strong production followed. Anderson set career highs in goals (27), points (47), plus-minus (plus-25), shots (230) and hits (214), and the front office's decision to protect him over William Karlsson in the Vegas expansion draft now looks a lot more palatable. Anderson may just be scratching the surface of his potential, too. His blend of size, speed and aggression makes him a fit off the wing on any scoring line, and there will be plenty of opportunities in Columbus after all their offseason losses in free agency. Last year's scoring came with minimal power-play time; if Anderson can earn a regular spot with the man advantage, his production could take another leap.

The Blue Jackets' front office took some flak for the decision to sacrifice William Karlsson to the Golden Knights in the expansion draft in order to protect Anderson given Karlsson's breakout, but the move may look a little more reasonable in the long run. The 24-year-old power forward had 18 goals and 29 points in 61 games prior to suffering a knee injury that ended up costing him 17 games down the stretch, supplying a physical edge up front that an aging Brandon Dubinsky had trouble providing. The Jackets' depth on the wing could keep Anderson in a third-line role in 2018-19, and as of yet he hasn't received a lot of power-play time, so a breakout of his own could be unlikely. Nonetheless, as the veterans on the roster move on, he figures to fill a key top-six role down the road.

The young power forward took a big step forward in his development last year, playing a full NHL season for the first time and scoring 17 goals despite a lack of power-play opportunities or a top-six role. Also, the Blue Jackets front office consider Anderson an important enough building block that they sent a first-round pick to Las Vegas to keep him from being selected in the expansion draft. While it’s tough to see the 23-year-old moving up the depth chart any time soon given the talent Columbus possesses on the wings, Anderson could help make the team’s third line one of the most dangerous in the NHL if he continues to improve in 2017-18.