Chris Clark

Clark had a forgettable 2009-10 campaign, but part of the blame can be put on a knee injury that he sustained in late March, 2010. Still, even when healthy, he hasn't been the same player offensively since his 2006-07 season with the Capitals, when he scored 30 goals to go along with 24 helpers. Employing Clark for fantasy purposes is like a shot in the dark, but the Blue Jackets will surely be more dependent on him than will fantasy hockey fans.

Clark missed most of all of the last two years with injuries, but did return to play in eight playoff games last season. As the team's Captain he has been a great leader in the locker room for this young team, and contributes enough offensively, when healthy, to really mean something. If he can stay healthy it will be a boost to the team, but do not see much fantasy value here.

After missing most of last season with a groin injury, the Capitals' captain returns and is should be 100 percent by the start of the season. This is great news for the Caps, as Clark provides great leadership for all the young talent on the team and hopefully can return to his pre-injury status, in which he had a 30-goal season. Last season he only played in 18 games tallying nine points. With both Michael Nylander and himself back, the team looks to start the season with two key veterans on the ice and healthy. He provides some value, but only in deeper leagues.

Clark’s value this season will be determined by his assignment. Clark put up career highs in goals (30), assists (24), points (54), power play goals (9), power play assists (7) and short-handed goals (4) while mainly skating on the team’s top line alongside Alexander Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus. The Caps brought in free agent Viktor Kozlov, however, to ostensibly serve as the first-line right-winger. Kozlov’s assignment isn’t set in stone, however, and the team doesn’t have a clear-cut second-line right winger, but it has been speculated that Clark may fall to what many consider his natural position: third-line winger. At best, his ceiling is as high as his 2006-07 numbers would indicate, but at worst, he could see a significant reduction in fantasy production. He certainly won’t see as much power play time as he did last season.

Clark had a career year in 2005-06, setting career highs in goals (20), assists (19), points (39), and plus-minus (plus-9). He did most of the damage at the end of the year skating on the Caps' top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus. Clark isn't your prototypical top line right-winger, however, and the club brought in Richard Zednik and estranged former first-round pick Alexander Semin to compete for scoring line ice time. Clark has the chemistry he developed with Ovechkin and Zubrus last season going for him, but he'll probably get edged out by the more talented Zednik or Semin to start the season and could wind up on the second or third line.

While Clark might be a somewhat enticing option due to the Caps' lack of scoring depth on the right wing and the fact he's score 10 goals in each of the past three seasons, he should take an appreciable hit in the plus-minus department that won't make him worthy of a pickup in those leagues that use it as a stat. His status has yet to be determined, but Clark will likely settle on the Caps' third line with center Jeff Halpern.