Fantasy Hockey Drafts: The training camp battles to keep an eye on

By Jason Chen, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports

Whatever observations made during training camp end up being moot about a month into the season, but once in a while, a narrative will surface that can become a storyline for an entire season. Rookies emerge, veterans breathe extra life into their careers and European imports test their mettle. Here are some of the top training camp battles as the 2018-19 season gets underway, and how they’ll affect your Yahoo Fantasy season.

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From Pup to Coyote

Dylan Strome is entering the NHL later than his 2015 draft peers, but it’s not an indictment of his ability. The lanky center has played 28 games over two years and none of them have been memorable, but he did score 53 points in 50 games for AHL Tucson. He projects to be a No. 1 center, but the Coyotes are currently set at that position. That means Strome may have to start on the wing where he will face some internal competition with Brendan Perlini, Vinnie Hinostroza and veteran Michael Grabner. Obviously Strome has the most upside, but the Coyotes won’t just hand him a role, which may hurt his fantasy value in the short term.

The New Core

The Sabres are building a new nucleus around Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt, and they’re hoping they have another core player in Alex Nylander. He was excellent at the Prospects Challenge and looked like the elite playmaker the Sabres envisioned when they drafted him eighth overall. The past two seasons were challenging for Nylander, who dominated at two consecutive World Juniors but struggled in the AHL. He’s shown good chemistry with Mittelstadt, but there’s plenty of competition with prospects Tage Thompson, Justin Bailey, Nick Baptiste and Evan Rodrigues looking for jobs. Dahlin, on the other hand, is assured of a roster spot and will open the season with Jake McCabe, but he will still have to work his way up to unseat Rasmus Ristolainen as the No. 1.

Carolina’s Goaltending Problem

They got rid of Cam Ward, but goaltending remains an issue. Scott Darling is looking to rebound from a disastrous season after going 13-21-7 with an .888 save percentage, and the once-promising Petr Mrazek signed a one-year deal to try and get his career back on track after being discarded by Detroit and Philadelphia in rapid succession. Darling has the edge because the Hurricanes have invested much more money in him than Mrazek, but he doesn’t have a good grip on his job. If Darling can even be the worst version of his Chicago self, it would make a big difference and increase his fantasy value from waiver-wire fodder to deep bench stash. In the meantime, pray Alex Nedeljkovic works out.

Going for a Spin

Niklas Kronwall has one, maybe two seasons left in him, so it’s time for the Red Wings to kick their youth movement into high gear. There will be roster spots up for grabs at camp and on defense, the battle that will be watched most closely is between Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski. Hronek, a second-round pick, scored 39 points in 67 games with AHL Grand Rapids and he could bring some much-needed offense from the back end. Cholowski, a first-round pick, is a former WHL star entering his first pro season, but he’s shown a veteran’s calmness and makes smart decisions with the puck. Joey Hicketts is lurking as well, but he’s considered a distant No. 3.

The Lonely Island

Thomas Greiss is the incumbent starter on Long Island even after a disastrous 2017-18 that featured a 3.82 GAA and .892 save percentage. The Islanders are committed to Greiss for another two years, leaving them little choice but to bring in Robin Lehner as insurance. Lehner was generally good with the Sabres but fell out of favor in his final season with a 3.01 GAA and .908 save percentage. Injuries, personal issues and inconsistency plagued him. Lehner has a little more experience as a starter than Greiss and is the more viable long-term option given he’s five years younger, but it’s a position in flux for the foreseeable future.

It’s All About Crosby

Once again, everyone’s trying to figure out who will be on Sidney Crosby’s right wing. With Jake Guentzel locked in on the left side, Dutch-born sniper Daniel Sprong is getting the first crack. The former second-round pick missed a lot of time due to a shoulder injury two years ago but scored 32 goals in 65 games in the AHL last season. Sprong doesn’t have a lot of competition for a top-six role, but the old favorites, including Patric Hornqvist, are still kicking around. It’s difficult to keep up with Crosby and he’s very demanding of his linemates, but if Sprong sticks he might score 25 goals.

Vancouver’s Youth Movement

There are two burning questions at Canucks camp: who will play with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, and will Elias Pettersson play center? Two-thirds of the first line is set, but the left side is up for grabs with three candidates in Sven Baertschi, Nikolay Goldobin and Brendan Leipsic. Baertschi is the incumbent, having played with Horvat in the past, but skill-wise doesn’t offer the playmaking ability of either Leipsic or Goldobin, who has the inside track as the most skilled of the trio. It’s a highly-coveted role that should provide a lot of scoring opportunities to whomever wins it. Meanwhile, Pettersson looked outstanding at center at the Young Stars game recently and is penciled in to start the season up the middle, but it’s a grueling job in the NHL. The Canucks can elect to shelter Pettersson by playing him on the wing, but that could mean pairing him up with a center who’s a black hole on offense, such as Brandon Sutter. One thing is for sure: the Canucks’ power play has the potential to be dynamite with Pettersson and Boeser lining up opposite each other.