For the most part, people are pretty happy with what Martin St. Louis brought to the table when he joined the New York Rangers in the middle of the season. He was able to contribute at a pretty high level, and that helped them get all the way to the Stanley Cup finals.
However, now that he is 39 years of age, there is only so much to expect out of him in general. People in fantasy hockey need to be realistic, especially when they step back and look at his production.
On the 2 teams he played for in 2013-2014, St. Louis was able to score 30 goals and pass out 39 assists. That is pretty nice production for an aging star, but most of it came before he joined the New York Rangers.
He was able to have a bit of a resurgence in the postseason, but that can’t be expected out of him during a long regular season. He should be able to fall in line and be a decent contributor on whatever line he ends up playing for, but that does not mean he is going to be the same type of standout everyone is used to.
Realistically, people in fantasy hockey should not expect any more than around 60 points out of him for the year. He is no longer going to be one of the leagues top scorers, especially with a strong supporting cast surrounding him.
The good news is that New York will not be counting on him to carry the offense much like the Tampa Bay Lightning in the past. He can focus more on being a leader out there on the ice, and that means deferring to some of the younger talent along the way.
The minutes for St. Louis will probably be limited to most during even strength play. He is still a top 6 winger on the New York Rangers, but he is at his best when he is on power plays. They will probably use him more in those situations than wasting his production on even strength opportunities.
By: Matt Moriarty
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