Nick Paul

If you're looking for consistency, Paul is your man. He appeared in 80 games for a second straight season in 2022-23, finishing with 17 goals and 32 points, nearly identical numbers to the 16 goals and 32 points we saw from him a year prior. While it may seem like a reasonably productive season for the 28-year-old, Paul scored just one goal in his final 38 regular-season games. Signed through the 2028-29 campaign at a cap hit of $3.15 million, Paul will again return to his middle-six role for the Lightning in 2023-24. With a little more puck luck, the first 20-goal year of his career doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for Paul this season. Just don't expect more than 40 points overall from the 2013 fourth-round pick.

The Lightning always somehow find a way to acquire excellent complementary players despite the fact they never seem to have any salary cap room, so perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised they were able to swing a deal to get Paul from Ottawa in March. He appeared in 21 regular-season games for Tampa Bay the rest of the way, posting 14 points, before adding five goals and nine points in 23 postseason appearances. Paul signed a new seven-year, $22.05 million deal with the club in July. There isn't enough here to make the 27-year-old an attractive fantasy asset, but he's going to help the Lightning win hockey games.

Paul has been highly consistent over the past few campaigns, having finished with exactly 20 points in 56 games in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Paul is a big body (6-foot-3) and has turned into a valuable player for Ottawa, averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time per game (16:05) last season, but the scoring upside here is virtually non-existent. On the plus side, Paul is generally good for 100 hits per season and can play up and down the lineup for the Senators.

Paul was productive with 20 points, 122 hits and 24 PIM in 56 games for the Senators last season. A physical presence at 6-foot-4, the winger seems likely to skate in a bottom-six role in 2020-21. His scoring touch shouldn't be overlooked -- with a 56-game schedule ahead, he could push for 20 to 25 points while providing plenty of physical play. The big question for the 25-year-old is if he'll be able to keep an everyday role in the lineup. That will give fantasy managers pause in most formats, so it may be best to wait and see if he'll stick around with the big club before adding him to your virtual roster.

Paul has posted consecutive seasons of double-digit goals at the AHL level which might be enough for the Senators to give him a look rather than sending him straight down to there again. At 23 years old, he is the kind of player that the Senators need to evaluate and see if he can be part of their long-term plans. Perhaps he'll be given a chance to show he belongs, but that's about all you can hope for at this point. He's worthy of a flier in dynasty leagues, but nothing more.

Paul racked up 37 goals and 29 assists for OHL North Bay in the 2014-15 season, before making his professional debut for AHL Binghamton when his junior campaign concluded. The 19-year-old boasts an NHL-caliber frame at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, but he'll need to prove himself in Binghamton before being considered for a roster spot with the parent club.