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Raffl was limited to 11 points in 44 games last season, both marks either matching or setting new career lows. Raffl saw an uptick to third-line usage after the Flyers dealt him to the Capitals, but it didn't lead to more production. The 32-year-old winger joined the Stars in the offseason, and he'll likely have to compete for a fourth-line role in 2021-22. Raffl adds a bit of physicality, typically logging around 90 hits over a full season, but he's only reached the 30-point mark once in his career. Without a power-play role, it's tough to see the Austrian doing enough to interest fantasy managers in most formats.
Raffl managed to produce 20 points in 58 contests last year, his fifth year of at least 20-point production in seven seasons. A stable bottom-six option, Raffl had the lowest hit output of his career with just 73 in 2019-20. Physicality is one of the 32-year-old forward's calling cards -- without it, he's just a marginal depth scorer. Fantasy managers in deeper formats can still rely on Raffl to fill out their benches in 2020-21, but don't expect much of a scoring boost, as he isn't likely to feature on the power play. Roughly 20 points and 90 hits would constitute an acceptable performance from the Austrian this year.
The 30-year-old turned his 2018-19 season around with several strong weeks following the All-Star break, but then failed to post a point while recording a minus-9 rating in the final 12 games of the campaign. Overall, Raffl registered just six goals and 18 points in 67 contests last season. The Austrian winger will likely post similar numbers while skating in a bottom-six role in 2019-20, so he can safely be ignored in all but the deepest of fantasy formats.
The 29-year-old found a home playing a good portion of last season on the second line next to center Valtteri Filppula. However, Filppula departed in free agency and signed with the Islanders, and the Flyers have enough young forwards that it's likely Raffl will be pushed into a fourth-line role. Raffl scored 13 goals and 22 points while averaging just 13:15 of ice time, and he's tallied at least 13 goals in three of the last four years receiving about the same amount of playing time. A fourth-line role would cap his upside, but owners can probably expect Raffl to reach double-digits in the goal category again.
Coming off a brutal 11 points in 52 games over the course of an injury-shortened 2016-17 season, Raffl may get a chance to contend for a top-six role with the Flyers simply by virtue of the club’s lack of options, but it seems almost certain that they'll find an apter solution. They're stuck with the 28-year-old Austrian for two more seasons, though, so look for him to occupy a role on the third or fourth line, offering negligible fantasy value.
Raffl is a good player for a good team to have – a gritty winger who can get under the opposition’s skin with both his hits and his offense. The Austrian set a new career high with 31 points last season, yet didn’t come close to duplicating the prior year’s 21 goals (and only added three points) despite playing in 15 more games. In truth, he’s a third-line talent who’s miscast in his projected role as part of the Flyers’ top six; the 27-year-old may get that job to start out, but it would be no surprise to see him fall in the pecking order sooner rather than later.
Despite missing 15 games due to injury, Raffl still had a very successful season, finishing fourth on the Flyers with 21 goals. The 26-year-old slotted in perfectly on the top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, leading all Flyers forwards with a plus-6 rating. While he was used only sparingly on the power play, Raffl made the most of his 14:12 total average ice time, showcasing his ability to finish at the net and dish out hits (172). Raffl did only have seven assists last season and probably won't control the puck enough when he's on the ice with the team's two stars to show much further upside as a point provider, but if he can stick on the top line and find a spot on the Flyers’ second power-play unit, another 20-goal season could easily be in the offing for the Austrian winger.
Raffl had a solid rookie campaign with the Flyers last year, notching nine goals and 13 assists in 68 games. His value for this coming season is going to largely depend on his linemates. He showed brilliance last year when slotted on the top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, and was equally impressive on the Brayden Schenn-Wayne Simmonds line. With the departure of Scott Hartnell and Tye McGinn in the off-season, he may be able to snag that coveted top-line spot out of camp. But he could also slot as far down as the third line. Given where most draft projections put him, Raffl might very well be the best late-round pick this year. Go ahead and roll the dice on him.
Raffl is crossing over to North America after playing several seasons in Sweden's second league. He raised some eyebrows during the World Championships last year, scoring two goals in seven games. Prior to that, he posted 46 points in 49 games with his club team. He'll likely spend some time in the AHL to hone his skills. If he continues to impress, a late season call-up isn't out of the question.
