Chandler Stephenson

The Golden Knights were crushed by injuries a season ago, but Stephenson did his part, playing in 79 games and posting a career-high 64 points, a whopping 29 more than any other prior campaign. The driving force behind Stephenson's career year was an increased role with the man advantage. He finished with 14 power-play points after managing just seven in parts of six seasons prior to last year. Stephenson's ability to play both center and wing makes him an extremely valuable asset for Vegas, but the expected returns of Jack Eichel and Mark Stone to full health this coming year make it unlikely he will be able to match the offensive production from a season ago.

In a matter of two seasons, Stephenson has gone from bottom-six castoff from the Capitals to top-line center with the Golden Knights, and that's not likely to change barring a trade before the season. The 27-year-old flourished between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty last year, to the tune of 14 goals and 35 points, both career highs. He also played a role on the power play, where he had five of his points. He's shown the ability to maintain a shooting percentage north of 15 percent, albeit on a fairly low volume as a pass-first option to more talented linemates. If he remains in his plum role, a 50-point campaign won't be out of the question in 2021-22, but he's a high-risk option if taken before the middle-to-late rounds in fantasy drafts.

Stephenson split last year between the Capitals and the Golden Knights, racking up 26 points in 65 games. While playing time was hard to find in DC, Stephenson was often a top-six option in Vegas, where he had 22 of his points in only 41 games. Part of that was the benefit of skating alongside Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone regularly, a job that may still belong to Stephenson in 2020-21. If he can maintain that plum assignment, the 26-year-old could approach the 35-to-40 point range, but his grasp on the role is tenuous. Cody Glass is his primary competition for playing time -- for potential alone, Stephenson is worth a late-round pick in most fantasy formats.

After a solid performance as a depth forward during Washington's Stanley Cup run, expectations were high for Stephenson entering 2018-29. He didn't rise to the challenge, posting a meager five goals and 11 points in 64 games - and an abysmal minus-13 rating. With a new crop of bottom-six forwards in the fold, the unsigned RFA could be the odd-man out on a cap-crunched Capitals team, and his fantasy value remains virtually non-existent at the moment.

Stephenson took a significant step forward in his career in 2017-18. The third-round pick from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft posted six goals and 18 points in 67 games while averaging 11:52 of ice time. He elevated his game in the playoffs, adding two goals and seven points over 24 contests. Though Stephenson spent much of the season on the wing, his two-way abilities and improving faceoff skills make him a prime candidate to inherit the fourth-line center position left vacant by Jay Beagle's departure in free agency, and his strong postseason efforts should help him maintain a consistent presence in the lineup. However, while such an assignment is great for keeping his hold on an NHL roster spot, he has a ways to go before he'll captivate a fantasy hockey audience.

After receiving a nine-game tryout at the NHL level (no points), the 23-year-old was returned to AHL Hershey for the balance of the 2016-17 season, recording a career-high 10 goals and 38 points in 72 games. Stephenson has been given plenty of opportunities to stick as a depth player for the Capitals over the last few seasons. No longer waiver eligible and with a thinner depth chart in front of him than in years past, the time is now for the former Regina Pat to lay his claim on a full-time NHL roster spot. However, he faces stiff competition on that front and therefore has extremely limited fantasy value at the moment.

Drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Stephenson concluded a successful four year career in the Western Hockey League, tallying 73 goals and 195 points in 230 career regular season games. The skilled forward will need to time to develop his game and will likely spend the balance of 2014-2015 in Hershey of the AHL, but may see limited action at the NHL level if injuries open the door for him to crack the lineup. Stephenson has the upside to be a serviceable top-6 forward at the NHL level if he develops properly.