Blake Lizotte

Lizotte is potentially the player that will be most negatively impacted by the arrival of Pierre-Luc Dubois from Winnipeg. In 2022-23, Lizotte enjoyed most of his playing time as a third-line center and penalty-kill specialist, racking up 34 points, including a pair of shorthanded assists, in 81 games. He also tallied 96 hits, 60 PIM and a plus-11 rating to supplement his scoring. Going into 2023-24, Lizotte could either move to the wing to maintain his middle-six job, or he could line up as a fourth-line center, which would likely sap what little fantasy value he has. The 25-year-old is good enough to stick in the lineup, but he almost certainly won't be much of a fantasy asset this season. Managers should probably look elsewhere on draft day.

Lizotte played well for the Kings in 2021-22, posting ten goals and 24 points in 70 games while filling a bottom-six role for the club. He received just eight seconds worth of power-play time per game and managed just 74 hits, so there's no reason to get excited here from a fantasy perspective. Still just 24 years of age and signed for two more seasons at an extremely reasonable $1.675 cap hit, Lizotte will again help Los Angeles win hockey games in 2022-23, even if he won't be doing much for your fantasy squad.

Lizotte saw his first extended action in the NHL last season after appearing in only one game in 2018-19, scoring a modest six goals and 23 points in 65 games. He has exactly the tools you'd expect from an undrafted college free agent listed at 5-foot-7 and 172 pounds -- speedy, feisty, possesses an outstanding motor and work ethic -- and while Martin St. Louis may have made it to the Hall of Fame with that kind of profile, Lizotte is still a long way from even earning a top-six role on a rebuilding Kings roster. The 23-year-old does have a good array of offensive skills, although he might be a better facilitator than a finisher, but before he gets a chance to show what he can do on the attack, he'll need to prove he can physically handle the rigors of the pro game.