Frank Vatrano

Vatrano has made a career out of being a serviceable middle-six forward, but he was able to surpass those expectations last season by recording 37 goals and 60 points to go along with his 85 PIM, 78 blocked shots and 156 hits. His offensive jump can be credited to playing for the lowly Ducks, which led to him averaging a personal-best 18:21 of ice time compared to his career average of 14:46. That increased workload led to him firing 272 shots -- easily the most of his career -- which allowed him to hit that high goal total despite his good, but not exceptional 13.6 shooting percentage. Looking ahead, though, Cutter Gauthier might challenge for a top-six spot this season, and some of those minutes might come at Vatrano's expense. The 30-year-old Vatrano isn't a priority for the Ducks compared to the young forwards, but he's still a helpful veteran to plug in as needed on the rebuilding squad. Anticipate a bit of a regression offensively, but not a collapse.

The Ducks were hoping to bolster their middle-six when they signed then-unrestricted free agent Vatrano to a three-year, $10.95 million contract in the summer of 2022, and things largely went as planned. He recorded 22 goals and a career-high 41 points along with 66 PIM, 86 hits and 75 blocked shots in 81 contests. The only real blemish was his minus-29 rating, due in large part to the rebuilding team around him. The 29-year-old is in an interesting position with Anaheim. The Ducks have some promising young centers in Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras, but aren't as solid on the wings, especially because veteran forwards Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg are entering the final season of their respective deals, making their futures in Anaheim uncertain. Vatrano enjoyed a career-high 16:41 of ice time last season, and there's the potential there for his blend of skill and grit to earn him continued favor.

Vatrano began last season in Florida before an eventual trade to the Rangers in the middle of March. He appeared in each of New York's final 22 regular-season games, posting eight goals and 13 points. Vatrano spent virtually all of that time and the duration of the Rangers' extended postseason run on their No. 1 line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. New York couldn't afford to re-sign Vatrano and he ended up inking a three-year deal with the Ducks worth a shade under $11 million. The Massachusetts native would appear to be in line for an increased role on the power play with his new club, giving Vatrano a real shot to crack the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career and the first since 2018-19.

Vatrano had a strange season. He tallied an impressive 18 goals in 56 games for the Panthers, but just two of them came on the power play and he managed just eight assists all season. Vatrano has always been a guy who shoots the puck a ton so it's not surprising to see him score at that rate despite an 11.4 percent shooting percentage, the second highest of his career. Vatrano doesn't have enough upside to warrant anything more than a late-round selection on draft day, but a 20-goal, 200-shot, 100-hit season should be well within reach, and that can help fantasy players depending on the format of their leagues.

Vatrano put up another solid campaign in 2019-20, notching 16 goals and 34 points in 69 appearances. He's getting close to being a consistent 0.5 points-per-game player, but he hasn't quite reached that mark yet. The 26-year-old Vatrano will be counted on to replace some of the offense the Panthers lost with the offseason departures of Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman in 2020-21. That translates to a second-line role for Frankie V, which could lead to him challenging the 30-point mark in the shortened campaign. He'll also be more of a factor on the power play and should remain a strong contributor in hits and shots on goal.

Vatrano finally managed to stick in the NHL for a full season in 2018-19, and he established himself as a productive player with 24 goals and 39 points in 81 games. The 5-foot-9, 201-pound forward flings rubber on net at every opportunity and finished with 208 shots last season, so Vatrano figures to once again be a nice source of goals and shots. That's enough to be a useful fantasy asset, even if the rest of his game is nothing special.

Acquired from the Bruins prior to the 2018 trade deadline, Vatrano was impressive in a limited showing with Florida; he scored five goals and eight points in 16 games after battling a lower-body injury. He played in 25 games for Boston prior to the trade, averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time per game and scoring just two goals. The 5-foot-9 winger sniped 36 goals in as many games at the AHL level during the 2015-16 season, so he does have the potential to be a solid scoring option. Vatrano should be locked into a bottom-six role entering his age-24 season, though there's a bit of offensive upside here.

In 44 games with the Bruins in 2016-17, Vatrano notched 10 goals and 18 points, but the hard-shooting winger’s season debut didn't come until Dec. 22 thanks to September foot surgery. Now in the final year of his rookie deal, Vatrano approaches camp looking to stay healthy and make a run at a key role up front in Boston. The 23-year-old’s most tangible weapon on offense is a deadly shot that he gets off quickly, and so long as he continues to refine his all-around game, Vatrano could lock down some top-six opportunities as well as power-play time. Of course, prospects such as Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson and Danton Heinen have similar aspirations, so Vatrano will need to look sharp this fall in order to secure a consistent enough role to merit fantasy consideration.

In 39 games with the Bruins in 2015-16, Vatrano notched eight goals and 11 points, but during his stints at the AHL level, he was a top sniper, recording 36 goals and 55 points in 36 contests for Providence.Vatrano, whose surprising ascent last season is partly attributable to improved conditioning, has presumably earned a shot at a full-time job with the big club this coming season. His most notable weapon on offense is a deadly shot that gets sent off quickly and as long as the 22-year-old continues to refine his all-around game, he figures to be a key cog up front for Boston in 2016-17, thanks to his upside as a goal scorer. Whether that upside translates into fantasy utility out of the gate depends on where he lines up for the B’s and if he sees his share of power-play time.