McGinn keeps on racking up the frequent flyer miles, as he finds himself with the Panthers -- his fourth organization in the last two years following a rare training-camp trade with the Coyotes in September. Ginner's fantasy ceiling is quite low considering the man entering his 10th year has never cleared 38
points in a single season, though he can hold his own on the power play and has enjoyed triple-digit hit totals the past two seasons. It's not like McGinn is a can't-miss fantasy forward, but if you're partial to him as a Panthers fan, consider queuing him in drafts for the last pick; he'll likely be available.
McGinn has to be hoping he's found a new home after landing on his fourth team in the past three years. His time split between Buffalo and Anaheim last season saw the gritty winger light the lamp 22 times to go with 17 assists and 33 PIM. All in all, it was his most productive campaign, and now the 2007 second-round pick joins an up-and-coming roster. McGinn may be designated to a bottom-six role at first, but the winger has the ability to push for a larger workload. However, as a 28-year-old who's never cleared 40 points in a season, his fantasy value's relatively low even in leagues that count his solid output in the hits category.
Coming off a 19-goal season in 2013-14, McGinn was expected to come through with a big season for the Avalanche, but back surgery limited him to just 19 games. At 26 years old, McGinn is entering his prime, and will be looking to put a disappointing season behind him with a fresh start in Buffalo. He's not particularly gifted offensively, but his gritty style and willingness to go to the dirty areas gives him a lot of chances to bury rebounds. McGinn is a good fit for a bottom-six role, and together with Cody McCormick and David Legwand, could help form a solid checking line.
Fresh off signing a new two-year, $5.9 million contract in the offseason, McGinn will look to build upon his success from 2013-14. In 79 games last season, the former Shark smashed his career high in every offensive category, piling up 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points, five power-play goals, three game-winners and 167 shots-on-goal. Much of McGinn's improvement can be attributed to a solid supporting cast, as he spent the majority of his even-strength time with studs Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly, and to a lesser extent with John Mitchell and Max Talbot. Looking ahead, changes to the Avs top-six forward corps (namely the addition of Jarome Iginla and subtraction of Paul Stastny) mean that McGinn could bounce around again in 2014-15, with an assignment on the second line beside a marquee name like Nathan MacKinnon or the third line beside a blue-collar veteran like Mitchell both very real possibilities. Wherever he slots in, McGinn will be in good shape to challenge his career high in points as the Avs are still very much stacked up front and will be motivated to defend their Central Division crown.
The Avs are waiting for this second-round pick to finally break out and put together a career year. In 2012-13, McGinn delivered 11 goals and 11 assists in 47 games, but half of those came in the first 14 games of the year. One word -- streaky. McGinn has never topped 25 points in a season, but should build on that total alongside rookie sensation center Nathan MacKinnon.
After being traded by San Jose to Colorado at last year’s trade deadline, McGinn had an immediate impact on the ice, scoring 13 points in the Avs’ final 17 games. In Colorado, McGinn went from third-line checker to second-line scorer, and he saw much more ice time per game (17-18 minutes) than he did in San Jose (12-13 minutes). It will be interesting to see whether McGinn can continue to put up the same kind of numbers over a full season – don’t be surprised if he gets bumped back down to a third-line role this season.
McGinn is a physical winger still looking for a full-time role in the NHL. Over the past three seasons, his playing time has been divided fairly evenly between the Sharks and minor league affiliate Worcester. He'll have to be more consistent in order to be an everyday player at the NHL level, but even if he passes that test, McGinn would likely be confined to the lower lines in 2011-12. Be patient with No. 64 as he continues to grasp the nuances of the NHL.
Last year, McGinn was a regular on the team shuttle that sends players to and from the AHL, but he did stay in San Jose for 59 games in the 2009-10 season. He's an accurate shooter and as a result, his goal total figures to rise in the coming years. Unfortunately for fantasy owners looking to employ McGinn in non-keeper leagues, Team Teal is stacked with talented forwards, giving the team the option to nurture the 22-year-old prospect. Once he's given a full schedule to work with, a 35-point season could fall next to his name on the stat sheet (but it probably won't happen in 2010-11).
McGinn got his travel on last season. He bounced around from San Jose to minor league Worcester on a number of occasions, which is simply par for the course when it comes to promising prospects. McGinn is a versatile player with a decent amount of upside so you can expect him to be more involved with the parent club in 2009-10.
Boom or bust is the name of the game for McGinn, who owns a wealth of offensive potential and also plays with an edge. He's awfully inconsistent but that may be because of his age. He needs a lot of time to develop.
