Joonas Donskoi

Opportunity abounds for Donskoi after he was selected in the Kraken's expansion draft. The Finn will likely slot in as the second-line right wing, a role he had a taste of at times with the Avalanche but never truly got to own. He's been a consistent threat to put up a point total over 30, doing so in five of his six NHL seasons. A reduced talent level in Seattle could suppress Donskoi's production, but it could also let him thrive as a more featured member of the offense. Expect the 29-year-old to be consistent as usual with roughly 35 points, a positive plus-minus rating and over 100 shots on net while logging at least second-unit usage on the power play. He'll have solid appeal as a mid-to-late round option in standard fantasy drafts.

Donskoi was a steady contributor while skating in a middle-six role for the Avalanche in 2019-20, picking up 16 goals and 17 helpers while averaging 16:15 of ice time in 65 appearances. The 28-year-old Finn should continue to produce at a similar rate in 2020-21, but that won't make him anything more than a decent depth option in most fantasy formats.

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.