Rickard Rakell

Describing Rakell's 2023-24 campaign as anything other than disappointing would be an understatement considering he recorded just 37 points in 70 regular-season contests. Those numbers are a far cry from the 60 points he put up the prior campaign, a number that included 21 power-play points. Despite the slump, the Penguins did little in free agency to impact the Swede's role for the upcoming campaign, as he figures to remain entrenched on the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin. Having said that, a continued lack of production from Rakell could see youngsters like Valtteri Puustinen pushing for a bigger role and possibly even supplanting Rakell on the second power-play unit.

Rakell settled in nicely during his first full season with the Penguins. He scored 28 goals and 60 points in 82 games, including career highs in goals (11) and points (21) with the man advantage. It was the first time in his career suiting up in at least 80 games and it resulted in his second-highest offensive output. The 30-year-old winger is expected to have a top-six role during the 2023-24 campaign, spending most of his time skating alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Rakell should maintain his spot on the top power-play unit as well, giving him a decent ceiling for a mid-round pick.

Rakell's decade-long run with the Ducks came to an end last season with a trade-deadline move to the Penguins. He fit in well with his new club, registering 13 points in 19 games following his arrival. Unfortunately for both Rakell and the Pens, he was injured in Game 1 of Pittsburgh's playoff run, ultimately being sidelined until their eventual Game 7 loss to the Rangers. Eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, Rakell inked a new six-year, $30 million deal with the Pens. Rakell should fill a second-line role for the club this coming year, although he will also likely be relegated to their No. 2 power-play unit, making it difficult to project him for much more than 20 goals and 45 points over the course of a full year.

Streaky as ever, Rakell had four stretches of four or more games without a point in 2020-21. That resulted in the Swede missing the 10-goal and 30-point marks for the first time since 2013-14 when he was just breaking into the NHL. Rakell's 69-point performance in 2017-18 looks more like an outlier with each passing year -- at this point, it's tough to expect more than 50 points out of the 28-year-old in a full season. With his high shot volume, anything can happen, and he's likely due for a bounce back on shooting percentage after collectively shooting 8.0 percent over the last three seasons. However, with the Ducks in a rebuild, he'll need his linemates to be productive as well. He'll also need to make a bigger impact with the man advantage, as he had just four power-play helpers despite seeing 2:09 per game in that situation last year.

Rakell notched 15 goals and 42 points in 65 contests last season, just one point shy of matching his output from the previous year. The 27-year-old pivot hasn't been immune to the Ducks' struggles over the last couple of seasons -- his 69-point effort in 2017-18 remains the highest of his career by a wide margin. The Swede will have every chance to regain his 30-goal form in 2020-21, as he's expected to see top-six minutes and plenty of power-play time. The 27-year-old should also pump roughly 200 shots on goal and add 100 hits over the course of a full 82-game slate, making him a useful option in many fantasy formats.

After two consecutive 30-goal campaigns, Rakell took a large step back in 2018-19, notching an underwhelming 18 goals and 43 points in 69 games. The 26-year-old was limited to a 9.3 shooting percentage on 194 shots last year, the second lowest mark of his career. The Swedish forward will likely continue to average roughly three shots on goal per game, but he'll also be facing the opposition's best defenders on a regular basis due to the Ducks' lack of talent up front. Nonetheless, if he's able to return to his career average shooting percentage, Rakell should be good for at least 25 goals and 50 points in 2019-20, making him a high-end depth option in most fantasy formats.

The Swedish winger paced the Ducks in goals in back-to-back seasons, lighting the lamp 33 and 34 times, respectively. Rakell also fired a career-high 230 shots on goal in 2017-18 to finish with a 14.8 shooting percentage. If the Ducks can figure out a flow for their power play, Rakell will easily top the 18 points he produced with the man advantage last season and could approach the 40-goal mark. The 25-year-old is still underrated to some degree, so fantasy owners may be able to let him fall a bit before selecting him, but don't miss out on Rakell's value at left wing.

Rakell broke out in 2016-17 with 33 goals and 51 points, and his 1.54 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five were a league-high mark among all skaters with at least 1,000 minutes. That's an impressive showing, and the 24-year-old Swede fulfilled his fantasy upside while proving to be a valuable and coveted asset for years to come. However, it will tough for him to be as efficient a goal scorer after posting an 18.6 shooting percentage and 19.3 mark at five-on-five. It will likely take an uptick in ice time and shot volume to top last season's goal total since repeating his shooting percentage will be next to impossible.

Rickard who? Rakell seemingly came out of nowhere last season to rattle off 20 goals after finding twine just nine times in his first 93 NHL contests. Slotted behind household names Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler down the middle, the Swede’s affinity for lighting the lamp in 2015-16 provided the Ducks with a rare third-line scoring threat and a solid center option for their second power-play that allowed Kesler to play the wing on their top unit. Rakell will look to build upon that success this season, which shouldn’t be too much of a stretch given his shooting percentage was a very realistic 11.8 with 169 shots on goal last year. Furthermore, as long as he’s completely over the appendix issue that cost him the final seven games of the campaign, and if projected linemates Mason Raymond and Ryan Garbutt are able to produce with decent regularity, Rakell should be in a good spot to further increase his scoring output at the age of 23.

Rakell made a splash in his first full NHL season, putting up nine goals and 31 points in 71 games. Despite averaging just 12:34 of ice time, the 22-year-old still managed two power-play tallies, 105 shots on goal, and a plus-6 rating. While the Ducks are crowded up front, especially with the offseason additions of Chris Stewart, Carl Hagelin and Shawn Horcoff, Rakell is a crafty scorer who hasn't reached his ceiling yet as a fantasy contributor. If he can stick on a line with quality linemates and see power-play time, Rakell is likely to take another step forward in 2015-16. The Swedish sniper is a former 28-goal scorer in the OHL and knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. While it’s unlikely he lands a top-six role next season, Rakell could find himself on fruitful ground as the third-line center behind Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler. Look for Rakell to see increased ice time this season and make a fair run at surpassing his 2014-15 point total.

The 21-year-old from Sweden saw increased playing time during his second NHL season and even contributed four assists in 18 games. He will look to secure a more regular role in 2014-15 and become a bigger factor as he enters the final year of his entry contract. His first NHL goal should come this year. And who knows -- he might even find himself in the role of third-line center by season's end.

Rakell was the Ducks' first-round pick -- 30th overall -- in 2010. He does have some latent offensive ability, but that's not the reason the Ducks snagged him. He plays a remarkably mature, two-way game for a teenager, and will be a dominating checker in the NHL. He'll kill penalties, smother the opposition's best sniper and play in each game's most critical moments. He won't arrive in the NHL until at least 2014, and when he does, he'll immediately focus on that checking role. The offense -- maybe even an accompanying 50-point season -- could come when he's 27 or 28.