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New York Rangers: Are any players viable for fantasy hockey?

By Nicholas Zararis

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 22: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 22, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 22: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 22, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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EDMONTON, AB – MARCH 3: Kevin Hayes #13 of the New York Rangers skates during the game against the Edmonton Oilers on March 3, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Hayes
EDMONTON, AB – MARCH 3: Kevin Hayes #13 of the New York Rangers skates during the game against the Edmonton Oilers on March 3, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Hayes /

Number four: Kevin Hayes

If you’re a strong believer in a coaching change helping a player’s production, Kevin Hayes is your guy this upcoming fantasy season. In spite of Alain Vigneault’s every effort to torpedo Hayes’ offensive production, the forward managed to set a career high in goals playing the toughest minutes of his NHL career. There is a very real argument that Hayes was miscast as a defensive zone starting center and his true role is as a play maker.

As a rookie, Hayes led the entire league in primary assists with the right situation around him. Now, with a coach who recognizes how good of a two way player Hayes is in David Quinn, the recipe for a career season is there. In addition to having a new coach, the Boston native is playing for a new contract or auditioning himself for a trade.

Hopefully, like any coach should, Quinn prioritizes putting his players in a position to succeed over protecting his own job like Vigneault. An important part of Hayes’ fantasy value will be how he starts the season. There is a serious case that Hayes is the best trade chip at the center position that could be available. If he gets off to a hot start, Hayes could be dealt to a contender and further up his production.

Expecting Hayes to reproduce his goal scoring of a year ago is probably a fool’s errand, however, his overall offensive production stands to improve. Shooting for 50 points and 20ish goals out of Hayes is a realistic expectation for the forward going into his fifth season as a pro. Hayes is another fringe player that could potentially go undrafted and serve as a waiver wire flyer in a shallow league. In a deeper league, Hayes might be a solid bench guy that gets the right spot start.

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