Kyle Connor

Winnipeg was of one the NHL's greatest disappointments last year, but the team's struggles didn't impact Connor in the least, as the speedster broke out to the tune of career-best marks in goals (47), assists (46), points (93), and shots on goal (317). Connor's 28 points with the man advantage were particularly encouraging, as additional power-play production only serves to enhance his already immensely high floor. It's scary to think what Connor's potential might be if the Jets are able to get some bounce-back performances from the likes of Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Either way, Connor, who will turn 26 in December, should produce at a high level.

Equal parts scorer and playmaker, Connor provides a balanced scoring approach at left wing. He produced 26 goals, 24 assists and 166 shots on net in 56 contests last season, taking only a marginal step back on his scoring pace. The Michigan native has never shot lower than 15 percent in a full NHL campaign, and he's virtually guaranteed top-six minutes and first-unit power-play time with the Jets. The 24-year-old has room to grow heading into the 2021-22 season, and there's a good chance he could challenge for his first 80-point season if all goes well. He won't provide much physicality, but the offense alone is worth an early-to-middle round pick.

While more prominent names like Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine may garner most of the Jets attention when it comes to fantasy drafts, it's actually Connor who leads the team in goals over the last three seasons with 103 in 229 appearances, including three straight 30-goal campaigns. In terms of his overall point total over that stretch, the speedy winger still trails Scheifele and Wheeler, but he's closing in on Laine in terms of pure fantasy value at this point. If there's a knock on Connor's game, it's the fact that only 17 of his 73 points last season were scored with the man advantage, despite averaging 3:18 of power-play ice time, primarily with the No. 1 unit. Still, the goal-scoring youngster could be in line to reach both the 40-goal and 80-point thresholds in 2020-21, assuming the league plays a full 82-game season.

After a breakout 2017-18 campaign, there was some speculation that Connor may have been a flash in the pan or a beneficiary of circumstance playing with elite talents Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. However, the youngster carried his own again last year, once again topping the 30-goal mark while frequently slotted into a second-line role away from the Jets' superstars. The speedy winger figures to slot into the first line again to start the season and is a lock for the No. 1 power play, and any demotion to another line will probably be related to jumpstarting other players and not about Connor himself. If he continues to grow in his development, a 40-goal campaign is certainly not out of the question heading into 2019-20.

Connor's first full season in the NHL was a resounding success, as the dynamic winger ranked 27th (tied with four others) in league scoring with 31 goals complementing 26 assists and 11 power-play points to cap off the 2017-18 regular season. The Michigan native's rate of offensive production tapered off a bit in the playoffs (0.58 points per game), but it should be known that he's only 21 years old with plenty of room to grow on a lethal top line that also features Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine -- those two had 161 points between them last year. While there's no doubt that Connor will have plenty of fanfare in the fantasy realm after finishing fourth in the Calder Trophy voting, it's conceivable that as many as five Jets could be drafted ahead of him based on experience level alone which renders the young sniper a true bargain.