Brandon Montour

Montour split last season between the Sabres and Panthers, totaling seven goals and 18 points over 50 appearances. Over the last two seasons, he's combined for 36 points after eclipsing the 30-point mark in each of the previous two campaigns. Despite the decreasing offensive production, the 27-year-old defenseman averaged 20:29 of ice time per contest and posted a career-high 7.4 shooting percentage on 94 shots in 2020-21. Montour will once again see top-four minutes on a strong offense and could be a minor power-play contributor this year.

Montour drew into 54 games with Buffalo last season, posting 18 points and a plus-13 rating while averaging 19:30 of ice time per contest. The 26-year-old blueliner should skate on the Sabres' second pairing while seeing occasional deployment with the man advantage in 2020-21, and he could threaten the 20-point mark despite the shortened schedule, but that won't make him anything more than a fringe bench option in most fantasy formats.

Montour's 2018-19 season was a mixed bag. While he scored a career-high 35 points between the Ducks and Sabres, the 25-year-old blueliner's three-point increase compared to 2017-18 was accompanied by some drops elsewhere. His rating fell from plus-16 to minus-20, and Montour's power-play production was halved from 12 points to six. Montour will have a hard time carving out meaningful power-play minutes with Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of him on the blue-line pecking order, but he can still be a valuable asset on the back end for a hopeful Buffalo team.

Montour finished his first full NHL season with nine goals, 32 points (12 on the power play) and 160 shots on goal in 80 games. In turn, the Ducks rewarded Montour with two more years under contract at $3.388 million annually. The 24-year-old's power-play ability is what sets him apart from Josh Manson as the team's top right-handed defenseman, and the Ducks could desperately use an uptick from Manson -- they finished 23rd in the league by converting 17.8 percent of their opportunities with the man advantage. Montour is a value add in deeper leagues and should be on the top of lists if he's still (somehow) available in keeper formats.

With 89 points (25 goals) through 104 AHL games over the past two seasons, Montour's future is bright. He's currently being deployed as a depth defenseman and watches from the press box some nights, which makes this a sneaky time to buy low on the promising youngster. While Montour is likely still a year or two away from being a reliable asset in yearly settings, don't be surprised if he immediately shines once he's handed a larger role.