Any player who's with his third team through his first five years raises some red flags. Wolski's effort on a night-in, night-out basis has been called into question. And while his arrival in New York seems to have helped the consistency of his efforts, he must still prove it's not just temporary. Wolski should be given first dibs at the top line with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik, in training camp. He is worth a mid-to-late round draft pick in most fantasy formats.
If Wolski can continue the same type of production that he had at the end of 2009-10, the Coyotes' season will be a bright one. After underperforming to the point of being inconsistent with the Avalance, the change of scenery has helped Wolski immensely. Since being traded to the Coyotes, Wolski has averaged a point per game and current reports out of Phoenix indicate that he might skate on the top line with Shane Doan and Ray Whitney. Wolski has a knack of making plays and scoring goals and with more ice time, he should have a stellar year.
With injuries to both Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny last year, the Avs were forced to use Wolski at center for much of the season, which happens to be the position he played in junior before being converted to a winger. For the most part, the Avs liked what they saw of Wolski in the center spot; however, following the trade of Ryan Smyth, the team now needs him more on the wing than at center. Perhaps not having to switch gears from one position to the other will result in more consistency for Wolski, who after posting 50 and 48 points his first two full seasons in the league, dropped to 42 points last year. Look for Wolski to post a modest increase this year and wind up in the 50-point range.
Now that he has two full years of NHL experience under his belt, the Avs will be counting on Wolski to take a big step forward this season. Wolski spent some time last season playing with Joe Sakic and Andrew Brunette, and will likely be called upon again to fill a top-six roster position this year, likely as the No. 2 left wing behind Ryan Smyth. After posting 50 and 48 points, respectively, the past two seasons, look for Wolski to post a modest increase this year and wind up in the 55-60 point range. Wolski has great offensive instincts and all the tools needed to become a premier forward in the NHL - he just needs to keep an eye on his defensive responsibilities, as he was a healthy scratch a handful of times last season for falling short in that department.
Wolski will open the season on the first line with Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth, but will not be given a lot of rope by coach Joel Quenneville. The coach sat Wolski a few times last season for lack of effort and not using his size. If he learned from his rookie season, Wolski could be a 25-30 goal scorer.
The 20-year-old began the 2005-06 regular season with Colorado (two goals, four assists in nine games), but it was decided Wolski would be better off developing in the minors. That turned out to be a good move, as Wolski is coming off a 128-point season (47 goals, 81 assists) for Brampton and led the Battalion to the OHL playoffs before joining the Avs in the postseason. After scoring a goal in the opening playoff game against Dallas, Wolski's playing time shrunk as the youngster played like a rookie. This season, the Avalanche will count on him to help replace some of the offense the club lost when it traded winger Alex Tanguay during the offseason. Colorado is deep at left wing, but Wolski should see plenty of ice time in 2006-07.
Wolski, the 21st pick in this year's draft, has a legitimate chance at making the Avs' roster. Wolski has size (6-3, 200), strength along the boards, and a nice scoring touch.
