Mason Appleton

Among the players with the worst injury luck is Appleton, who lost about half of the 2022-23 season due to wrist surgery. He ended the campaign with five goals, 11 assists, 71 shots on goal and 47 hits over 41 contests. The 27-year-old only avoided missing time in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, though he has steadily seen more ice time with the Jets over the last two years. Appleton may start the year in a third-line role, but he seems like a player with a chance to jump into the top six when injuries arise -- as long as he's not the one getting hurt. He hasn't scored enough historically to interest fantasy managers, so he need not be in most draft-day plans in standard formats this fall.

The Jets love Appleton so much that they went out and reacquired him this past March for a draft pick after losing him to the Kraken in the expansion draft a little less than a year prior. Appleton played in 68 games between his two stops, managing eight goals and 21 points, numbers right in line with what we have seen from him in the past. Appleton offers nothing in the hit or blocks departments and doesn't have a single power-play point in his four NHL seasons, so he won't be of much use to your fantasy team on draft day.

In his third NHL season, Appleton made a slight breakthrough with 12 goals and 25 points in 56 games for the Jets. The Wisconsin native thrived in a middle-six role after lingering on the fourth line during his first two campaigns, but he was quickly scooped up by the Kraken in their expansion draft. With the wing depth in Seattle, Appleton remains likely to slot into a third-line role, although he began his career as a center and could be deployed at that position. With a full campaign ahead, the sixth-round pick from 2015 could put up 35-40 points while logging north of 15 minutes of ice time per game. It remains to be seen if he'll earn any power-play time with Seattle -- Appleton's 6-foot-3 frame could make for a solid net-front presence if he earns time on the man advantage.

Appleton missed time due to injuries in 2019-20, accumulating just eight points in 46 contests in a bottom-six role. Unlike many of the Jets' forwards, Appleton doesn't play a very physical style, so his fantasy value is almost fully dependent on his scoring ability. The sixth-round pick from 2015 doesn't seem all that likely to make a big splash in 2020-21 -- he only has 18 points in 82 career appearances. With a 56-game campaign ahead, Appleton likely won't contribute more than 15 points, so most fantasy managers can find their depth scoring elsewhere.

Appleton made his NHL debut last year on Dec. 1 versus the Devils and never looked back, appearing in 36 games in which he registered three goals, seven helpers and 29 shots despite averaging a mere 8:12 of ice time. The Green Bay, Wisconsin native's solid showing in the back half of the season should give him the inside track on a spot in the bottom-six heading into the 2019-20 campaign. The Michigan State product has notched 98 points in 116 AHL contests and figures to be a potential sleeper pick if he can avoid spending time with the Moose this year.

Of all the prospects within the Jets' system, Appleton stands the best chance of forcing his way into the lineup this season. The playmaking center racked up a team-leading 66 points for AHL Manitoba last season and is capable of lining up on the power play. The Green Bay, Wisconsin native will likely start off training camp on the outside looking in, but should headline the short list of potential call-ups. If the guys ahead of him in the depth chart struggles -- Nicolas Petan, Andrew Copp or Marko Dano to name a few -- the team may decide to see if the 22-year-old can hold up under the bright lights of the NHL.