Ondrej Palat

Palat was always an overlooked member of a Lightning team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2019-20 and 2020-21 before falling to Colorado in the finals last season. Palat has finished with at least 15 goals and 40-plus points in three straight seasons. The Devils targeted Palat in free agency, ultimately agreeing to a hefty five-year, $30 million deal with the 31-year-old. New Jersey has a pair of excellent young centers in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, but they lack depth on the wing, which should lead to Palat securing a top-six role with the club in addition to receiving significant time with the man advantage. That should be more than enough to make Palat worthy of a draft pick in most fantasy formats.

Palat was arguably the largest beneficiary of Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos missing either all or most of the 2020-21 regular season. Palat's power-play time went way up, as he averaged 3:13 per night after posting just a 1:20 mark a season earlier. The end result was 20 points with the man advantage, by far the highest total of his career. Palat unquestionably helped fantasy managers this past season, finishing with 46 points in 55 games, but the 30-year-old would appear to be a major regression candidate for this coming year. Palat is a guy that rarely shoots the puck (111 shots a season ago) and you have to think the power-play time is going to drop with Kucherov and Stamkos healthy again. Fantasy players would be wise to treat Palat as a complementary piece as opposed to a main cog when building their lineups.

For the first time since 2016-17, Palat got back over the 40-point mark last year, registering 17 goals and 24 helpers in 69 outings. It was also the first time in the last three years in which the 29-year-old Czech didn't miss a significant chunk of time due to injury, though he still missed the 70-game mark for the fourth time in his last five campaigns thanks to the league going on hiatus. Between his previous injury history and lack of power-play production, the creative winger has enough red flags on his resume to give fantasy players pause. Still, a savvy manager could find plenty of value taking Palat in the middle rounds solely based on his first-line assignment with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.

Palat will be a top-six winger in one of the NHL's most potent offenses while also getting power-play time in 2019-20. So what's not to like? Well, sometimes things that glitter just aren't gold. Palat looked every part the young stud back in 2013-14 and 2014-15 when the "triplet line" excelled. But since then, Palat hasn't played a full season. In fact, he's more likely to miss a quarter of the campaign than come close to 82 games. Yes, he'll do better than his 34 points in 64 games last season, but you've been warned if you're planning to draft him. Make sure you have a contingency plan. You'll need it.

Palat had a long, frustrating 2017-18 season. A borderline dirty slash on the back of his skate left the winger sidelined for two months. When he's on the ice, Palat is one of the Bolts' best two-way players and has been a major factor in the team's success over the past few seasons. He scores timely goals. He never gets rattled. He suffocates the opponent's best players game in and game out. Plus, Palat does it all quietly and efficiently (no ego, no drama) and he figures to return to his 50-point production level in 2018-19. He'll skate on the second line with Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson with some power-play time, too. It all adds up to solid secondary fantasy value. Palat is the kind of guy you build a winning team around on the ice and in fantasy.

Palat is a first-line cornerstone and leader for the Bolts. He rebounded from an injury-riddled 40-point season in 2015-16 with 52 points, solid power-play production and good increases in both shots and hits in 2016-17. At 26, Palat remains in his prime and his speed, smarts and soft touch make him a virtual lock for another 50-plus point season, including strong contributions on the power play. His multi-categorical contributions put him squarely in the top-15 fantasy left wingers in the NHL. Palat inked a five-year contract extension that will keep him in a Lightning uniform through 2021-22, so keeper owners can rest assured of his role in the top six for at least another three or four seasons.

Like Triplet linemate Tyler Johnson, Palat struggled through injuries in 2015-16 to finish with just 40 points and a plus-10 rating in 62 games. It was a far cry from his two-way excellence of the previous two seasons – you know, the ones where he averaged better than 60 points and delivered a combined plus-63. But Palat remains a top scorer on one of the NHL's best lines and will return to his all-round excellence in 2016-17.

Palat is the third member of the Bolts’ fantastic Triplet Line -- depending on which side you count from. He, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov have uncanny chemistry, and they formed what was arguably the best 1-2-3 punch in the entire NHL last season. His skills aren’t as dramatic as the other two, but Palat's no slouch, either, having built on his 2013-14 breakout with an encore of 16 goals, 47 assists and a plus-31 rating in 75 games. With fast feet and a quick stick, he has the rare ability to make those around him better. But Palat's so much more than just a ‘glue guy’ – he delivers when it matters most. His eight postseason goals in the Bolts’ recent run were more than Steven Stamkos himself. Palat will deliver close to 20 goals, 60-plus points and a great rating while playing on the second-unit power play, too. And he’ll do it year after year after … you get the point. Now go get him.

This seventh-round pick not only electrified the Tampa Bay Times Forum, but he was so hot he almost melted the ice. Palat started on the third line and eventually played his way onto a scoring line. He became the Bolts' top two-way forward and one of its best on-ice leaders, as a rookie, nonetheless. And he just kept getting better and better as the season progressed, picking up 22 of his 59 points in the 18 games after Martin St. Louis was traded. He also finished an incredible plus-32 in 81 games, good enough for a tie for seventh in the NHL in that category. He's penciled in as the Bolts' No. 1 left winger and will get to play beside Steven Stamkos this season.

Palat absolutely exploded in the Calder Cup Finals this past season, ultimately leading all scorers with 26 points. His skill set isn't elite and he needs to build some strength given his skinny (180), 6-0 frame. But he can play a two-way game and is smarter than the average bear, which he showed in a 14-game audition with the Bolts last year. He'll compete for a full-time gig with the mother club.