Fantasy Hockey Feature: Connor McMichael is a difference maker

Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael currently leads the NHL in goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, totalling 12 goals overall. He is shooting 25%, and that will decline, but he leads forwards by individual expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, ranking in the top 10 at all strengths. Let’s dig into his history, what he’s doing this season, and what we can expect moving forward. 

McMichael was a late first-round pick in 2019, and there seemed to be a consensus on his draft value: Bob McKenzie at TSN, Scott Wheeler at The Athletic, Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News, and our own Cam Robinson (then at Dobber Prospects) all had McMichael ranked somewhere between the end of the first round and middle of the second round. Paraphrasing from some contemporary reports at the time, McMichael had