Joonas Donskoi

Donskoi had his best season yet as an NHLer in 2018-19, matching his career high in goals (14) and plus/minus (plus-10) while establishing a new career best in points (37). The 6-foot Finn spent the first four years of his career with San Jose, but will now be suiting up for the Avalanche after inking a four-year, $15.6 million deal with Colorado this offseason. The Avs have a ton of depth up front, so Donskoi will likely have to settle for a bottom-six role this year, but he should still be able to post double-digit goals, 30-plus points and 100-plus shots in 2019-20, making him a viable depth option in deeper formats.

Donskoi had another solid yet unspectacular season in 2017-18, picking up 11 goals and 32 points while averaging 14:58 of ice time in 66 games. The 26-year-old winger's versatility makes him a solid option up front for the Sharks, but it's unlikely that he'll suddenly evolve into a 45 point player at this stage in his career. Donskoi's two-way game makes him a valuable asset for his real-life NHL club, but his lack of offensive upside and middling role with the Sharks keeps him safely off the radar in most fantasy settings.

The offseason departure of long-time Shark Patrick Marleau should thrust Donskoi into a role that's more conducive to fantasy points. He's known as a smooth dangler -- someone who can weave through traffic and create scoring chances. While the Finn only averaged 14 minutes of ice time between his first two NHL campaigns, his impressive Corsi-For percentage of 53.2 shows that he can be a valuable cog in transition. The Sharks were able to swing a two-year, $3.8 million extension for Donskoi in May, and he's projected to skate on the third-line left wing while assuming a role on the No. 2 power-play unit. All things considered, the upside makes him tempting, but time may be running out to acquire "Donks" for pennies on the dollar in the fantasy realm.

At the age of 23 in his first NHL season, Donskoi was on the older side for a rookie but was able to make an immediate impact after six years of professional seasoning in Finland with Karpat. He spent a good chunk of his time on a scoring line with studs Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, putting up 11 goals and 36 points in 76 contests. Between Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward, Mikkel Boedker and Donskoi – among others – the Sharks have no shortage of secondary scoring options behind their big guns, so Donskoi will get plenty of different opportunities to build upon his success. Obviously, if he lands another plum role on a scoring line then his fantasy stock will carry more weight, so a wait-and-see approach might be in order until a better idea of the Sharks’ line combinations surfaces.