Christian Fischer

Fischer signed a one-year, $1.125 million contract with Detroit in the offseason after Arizona chose not to give him a qualifying offer. He has struggled to generate points since earning 15 goals and 18 assists in 79 games during his first full NHL campaign in 2017-18. However, he managed to get back on track somewhat in 2022-23 with 13 goals and 27 points in 80 appearances. That nearly matched his point total of 30 (14 goals, 16 assists) from his previous three seasons combined. Fischer also accounted for 122 shots on goal and 126 hits during the 2022-23 campaign. He has topped 100 hits in five of the past six years. Still, Fischer shouldn't be on the radar of many fantasy managers going into 2023-24 because of his extended scoring slumps and lack of power-play time.

The 24-year-old Fischer has settled in as a useful depth forward for the Coyotes, averaging upwards of 13 minutes of ice time per game while chipping in some secondary offense. Fischer had a breakout season as a 20-year-old, posting 15 goals and 33 points in 79 games back in 2017-18, but he has managed just 20 goals and 38 points in 179 games in the three seasons since. Fischer makes his biggest fantasy impact in the hits department. He's finished with more than 100 hits each of his first four full NHL seasons and that should continue this coming year. Fischer should continue to see regular minutes for Arizona given their lack of forward depth, but other than deep leaguers looking for hits, fantasy managers can pass.

Fischer's offense took another hit in 2019-20, as he was limited to just six goals and three assists in 56 contests. He appeared to break out with 33 points in 79 games in 2017-18, but he's not likely to replicate those numbers in a bottom-six role going forward. A natural right wing, Fischer has found himself behind Conor Garland and Phil Kessel on the depth chart, making an upward move unlikely. One positive is the 23-year-old's physical game -- he produced 140 hits last season. He'll need to score at a better pace to maintain his place in the lineup, as head coach Rick Tocchet has shown no hesitation to scratch Fischer when he slumps. Don't expect more than 20 points out of the Illinois native in 2020-21.

Fischer's production slipped in 2018-19, as the winger produced 11 goals, seven helpers and 124 hits in 71 games. All 11 absences were healthy scratches over the last two months of the season, as he seemed to fall out of favor with coach Rick Tocchet. Finishing cold didn't help Fischer -- he registered only three assists over his last 21 appearances of the year, and as such, he's likely to remain in a bottom-six role this season. He's recorded more than 100 hits in each of his two full seasons, though, giving him some appeal in formats that count defensive metrics.

Fischer bulged twine 15 times to complement 18 assists over 79 games in his first full NHL season last year. With the youthful Yotes needing confident skaters to get the puck on net, it was encouraging to see the Illinois native rank fourth on the team with 154 shots. Max Domi was shipped off to Montreal in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk this past June. This won't necessarily launch Fischer closer to a top-six role, though the power forward should be a mainstay on the No. 2 power-play unit to warrant a look in all season-long leagues. While Fischer needs to show more game-to-game consistency to be serviceable in DFS cash games, there's plenty of untapped potential for this under-the-radar winger who belongs to a small-market franchise.

A 2015 second-round draft pick by the Coyotes, Fischer has scored nearly a point per game playing with the U.S. National Team Development program. He will play this season at the University of Notre Dame.