Brock McGinn

McGinn is a bottom-six forward who can chip in offensively but is now 29 years old and consequently likely without upside. He had 12 goals, 19 points, 21 PIM, 84 hits and 43 blocked shots in 75 contests between Pittsburgh and Anaheim last season, making it the sixth time over the last seven years that the veteran has finished a campaign in the 15-30 point range. Expect more of the same from McGinn in 2023-24 as he's projected to serve on Anaheim's fourth line while receiving little to no power-play ice time. The only potential complication is McGinn missed Anaheim's final four contests last season with an upper-body injury, and it's not clear if he'll be ready for training camp.

McGinn debuted in Pittsburgh in 2021-22 after spending his first five NHL campaigns with Carolina. He became a key player for his new club, posting a dozen goals in 64 games, his highest total since the 2017-18 season. McGinn sees virtually no time with the man advantage and posts middling hit totals for a bottom-six grinder, so his fantasy value is extremely limited. That said, he should again be a solid depth piece for the Penguins in 2022-23.

McGinn arrives in Pittsburgh as the replacement for Brandon Tanev, who was lost to the Kraken in the Expansion Draft. The two forwards are similar, although McGinn has a better track record as a scorer with a little less physicality. The 27-year-old McGinn was limited to just 13 points and 44 hits in 37 contests last season, and his career high is 30 points in 80 games in 2017-18. It's a little late in his career to expect a breakout campaign -- fantasy managers who want to roster McGinn should expect 25 points, 100 hits and a third-line role for the winger. Anything more is icing on the cake.

McGinn saw another dip in production last year with just 17 points and 80 hits in 68 contests. That correlated with an average ice time of 13:12 per game, his lowest total in the last three seasons. While only Jesper Fast was added to the mix in free agency, it's unlikely McGinn sees anything more than bottom-six minutes in 2020-21. It's a role he plays fairly well in the real world, but it's unlikely he breaks the 20-point threshold this season, which makes the modestly physical winger a no-go for most fantasy managers.

McGinn is a bottom-six winger with some scoring touch, but it's probably not enough to put him on the fantasy radar in standard leagues. He regressed to 10 goals and 26 points last season after recording 16 goals and 30 points in 2017-18, and McGinn's not a big source of rough stuff, though he has managed to lay a respectable 137 hits in each of the past two seasons. With little opportunity to move up the lineup given Carolina's forward depth, the team's 2012 second-rounder is probably looking at a return to his production from two years ago as the best-case scenario.

McGinn took a sizeable step forward in 2018-19 – his first full season in the NHL – doubling his output from 16 points to 30 (16 goals, 14 assists). He spent most of the season on the third line, but was occasionally used in a top-six role, averaging 14:30 per game – more than a two- minute spike from the previous season. McGinn was used quite sparingly on the power play (0:30), but took full advantage in the handful of games when he saw more meaningful minutes, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist. McGinn is likely to remain in a checking-line capacity as the right side of the Canes' roster is currently jammed with the likes of Teuvo Teravainen and Justin Williams, not to mention Andrei Svechnikov – this year's second overall draft pick, who is likely to join the roster sooner rather than later. For now, McGinn will remain one of the league's better third-line wingers, but it's likely just a matter of time before he gets promoted to a scoring role.

After starting the 2016-17 season at AHL Charlotte with nine points in eight games, McGinn turned enough heads to warrant a call-up in November as an injury replacement. To his credit, the 23-year-old winger wound up securing himself a regular spot in the Hurricanes’ lineup, missing only 13 games from November to the end of the regular season. Scoring-wise, McGinn didn't fare too badly (seven goals, nine assists) considering he averaged just 12 minutes per game in a bottom-six role. However, most of his scoring came in short bursts, including a seven-point, three-game stretch in January, and a pair of goals on the last day of the regular season. Overall, McGinn doesn't warrant much fantasy consideration at this stage of his career, as he projects to fill a similar checking role this season.