The team will reportedly make an announcement Tuesday.
Toews registered 60 points in 70 games last season while finishing 15th in Selke Trophy voting and also added five goals with four assists in nine postseason contests.
Chicago's center depth will be put to the test early, as the Blackhawks expect phenom Kirby Dach to miss the first four-to-five months after undergoing wrist surgery.
Dylan Strome, who remains an unsigned restricted free agent, is projected as the team's top center to begin the campaign, followed by offseason additions Carl Soderberg and Lucas Wallmark.
The first few picks of a fantasy draft typically gain the most attention, but they are also normally the easiest to make. It's hard to make a truly bad decision when choosing between the league's biggest stars in the opening rounds.
Generally, the way to win your league is by hitting on players late in the draft who will provide top-end value. Here are seven sleepers who can lead your fantasy team to a title.
Brandon Saad, LW/RW, Avalanche
Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
2021 Yahoo ADP
58
21
12
33
167.7
Saad has quietly been a steady producer throughout his career, hovering around the 20-goal and 50-point mark each year. He's in an excellent situation this year, playing on a stacked Colorado Avalanche team. Saad figures to kick off the season on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, and the trio should combine to provide some much-needed secondary scoring to the club. If he finds himself on the ice with Nathan MacKinnon, he'll be even better. Saad's a versatile winger who will look to be a key player for one of the league's top teams.
Josh Anderson, RW, Canadiens
Jamie Sabau / National Hockey League / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
2021 Yahoo ADP
26
1
3
4
178.9
Expectations are sky-high for Anderson with the Montreal Canadiens after he inked a seven-year, $38.5-million deal. Anderson ranked 43rd in the league in hits and added 46 goals and 77 points during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He's adamant that he's fully recovered from the shoulder injury that limited him last season, which means the bruising winger can return to his days of delivering in multiple categories. Montreal desperately needs someone to step up and score goals this season, and all eyes will be on Anderson to answer the call.
Kaapo Kakko, RW, Rangers
Jared Silber / National Hockey League / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
2021 Yahoo ADP
63
10
13
23
163.5
Kakko's rookie season was rather forgettable for a second overall pick, but it can really only get better. He looked like one of the best players on the New York Rangers' roster when the club briefly partook in the league's return to play during the summer. The Rangers have an abundance of wingers, but Kakko will certainly be given a chance to crack the top six, and if he can secure his spot, he has the potential to put up some serious numbers.
Alex Tuch, LW/RW, Golden Knights
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
2021 Yahoo ADP
42
8
9
17
166.9
Tuch led the Vegas Golden Knights in goals (eight) during the team's postseason run and did so while playing less than 16 minutes per game. He was hampered by an injury during the regular season but set career highs of 20 goals and 32 assists the year before. The 24-year-old contributes in multiple categories across the board and is poised for another solid season on one of the league's most dominant puck-possession teams. He can find himself playing a much bigger role if Max Pacioretty or Jonathan Marchessault is moved before the season due to cap concerns.
Robert Thomas, C/RW, Blues
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
2021 Yahoo ADP
66
10
32
42
N/A
Thomas continues to fly under the radar as he enters his third NHL campaign. It isn't exactly clear where Thomas will be slotted in the lineup this upcoming season, but he could find himself skating on the top line with Vladimir Tarasenko set to miss some time. He's still just 21 years old and coming off a strong sophomore season after a solid rookie campaign. He could be one of the biggest bargain picks of the year.
Matt Grzelcyk, D, Bruins
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
Yahoo Fantasy ADP
68
4
17
21
167.5
It remains to be seen whether Zdeno Chara will return to the Boston Bruins for another year, but Grzelcyk will be in line for a massive increase in workload if the veteran walks away. Grzelcyk could have the first crack at playing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the team's top defensive pairing and also be tasked with manning the second power-play unit. The 26-year-old set a career high of 21 points last season and will look to build on that with a much larger role.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Ducks
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
2019-20 season stats
GP
G
A
P
Yahoo Fantasy ADP
70
8
26
34
154.0
After a few underwhelming seasons, Shattenkirk looked like his old self last year. He finished the campaign with the 39th-most shots on goal among defensemen (131) and was tied for 31st in points in just under 19 minutes of ice time per game. He followed that up with a dominant postseason, during which he posted 13 points in 25 games and was an integral player on the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup-winning squad. He seems set to start the season paired with Cam Fowler on the Anaheim Ducks and should be fed offensive-zone starts and power-play time as a result.
Chicago Blackhawks forward and former captain of Team Canada at this year's world juniors Kirby Dach will miss approximately four-to-five months after undergoing successful surgery to repair a right wrist fracture, the team announced Monday.
Dach suffered the injury during Canada's exhibition game against Russia.
The 26-year-old was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline last season. Athanasiou appeared in nine regular-season games with his new club, recording one goal and one assist. He went pointless in four postseason contests.
Athanasiou spent his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings prior to joining the Oilers. The team selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He amassed 83 goals and 71 assists in 294 regular-season games with Detroit.
"It definitely lights a fire under my ass," Atkinson told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "The season before (Panarin left), I had 41 goals, and so right away (in 2019-20) people are like, 'He's nothing without Panarin.' I mean, seriously.
"(Panarin) is a great player, no doubt. But I had f------ (35 goals) the year before Panarin and (27) the year before that. People are pretty quick to turn the page without really knowing what's up.
"And shit like that ... that really fuels my fire."
Atkinson played on Panarin's line in 2018-19 when he racked up the aforementioned 41 markers, which set a personal best and tied a franchise record. Panarin inked a seven-year deal with the New York Rangers the following summer, after which Atkinson produced only 12 goals and 14 assists across 44 games in 2019-20.
However, Atkinson collected at least 20 goals in four straight seasons before the Chicago Blackhawks traded Panarin to Columbus prior to the 2017-18 campaign. Atkinson registered 53 points in 2015-16 and 62 points the following season.
Atkinson's lackluster 2019-20 numbers can also be attributed in part to bad luck, as he posted a career-low shooting percentage (8.1%). He's averaged 11.5% in that department over his nine NHL seasons.
The 31-year-old has played his entire career with the Blue Jackets, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2008 draft.
Lundqvist will undergo an aortic valve replacement, as well as an aortic root and ascending aortic replacement.
Earlier in December, the 38-year-old announced he would not play the upcoming season due to a heart condition. Doctors advised him to sit out the campaign after weeks of tests.
The Capitals signed the veteran netminder to a one-year, $1.5-million contract on Oct. 9.
Lundqvist spent his first 15 seasons with the New York Rangers, who bought out the final year of his contract in late September.
He ranks sixth on the NHL's all-time goaltending wins list and holds franchise records in games played, victories, and shutouts.
