Staffan Kronwall

Kronwall, the younger brother of Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, has the size and strength necessary to hone his defensive abilities. Even though he will never have the shot his brother does in Detroit, Niklas has good enough vision to chip in with decent assist totals from the back end. With a bit more consistency, he projects well as a stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL.

Kronwall finally got his change of scenery after being claimed by the Washington Capitals in February of 2009. He will move to the Calgary organization to start the 2009-10 season. He will likely wind up playing with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) while biding his time. Don't expect much in the way of fantasy value since he is mainly organizational depth and will only make an appearance if a Calgary blueliner struggles mightily or if injuries hit.

Kronwall continues to slip further and further down the depth chart in Toronto. A new team might be in the offing. But that won't alter his fantasy non-value.

The fantasy hockey potential in the Kronwall family was bestowed on brother Niklas of the Red Wings; Staffan isn't a guy you need to monitor. He'll likely spend a lot of this season in the minors and at 25, his opportunities are starting to decline.

Big, physical defense prospect scored just one point in 34 NHL games last season.

Kronwall is a big (6'3", 210 lb), crease-clearing defenseman who has become the toast of the Toronto media after levelling teammate Eric Lindros with a skull-shaking open-ice hit on the first day of training camp. He could compete for the sixth man spot, but he does not project to be an offensive (or fantasy) defender.