Fantasy: 5 players to target on the Edmonton Oilers

With your fantasy draft just around the corner, theScore's Ian McLaren and Darren Kritzer take a look at 5 players you should consider drafting this season.

Top Targets

Taylor Hall

Hall quietly climbed into the ranks of the NHL's elite last season, recording 27 goals and 53 assists in 75 games, good for seventh in total points. On top of that, his 1.07 points per game slotted him behind a list that included the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Getzlaf, Tavares and Stamkos. Full stop.

Hall also led the NHL in Individual Points Percentage (the percentage of goals scored while a player is on ice that the player had a point on) with an astounding rate of 98.1; Alex Ovechkin was a distant second at 87.9 percent.

In short, Hall equals offense, and is central to Edmonton's ever-developing attack.

 Draft him, and draft him early.

Jordan Eberle

Eberle's career point per game average of 0.80 eclipses that of Hall's, and he has proven to have a knack for the net in his first four NHL seasons with a shooting percentage of 14.3. 

While one might expect that to drop off at some point, the fact he's sustained it through 275 games suggests Eberle's shots are quality in nature, leading to a higher than normal rate of success.

The 24-year-old scored 28 goals and added 37 assists in 80 games last season, and led all Oilers' forwards with a 46.2 Corsi For rating at even strength, which, while not good, signaled he largely drove possession up front, with improvement in this area expected moving forward.

Eberle should be good for at least 25 goals and 65 points once again.

Justin Schultz

General manager Craig MacTavish said Schultz has "Norris Trophy potential" after signing him to a one-year contract extension, but the nature of the deal suggests the 24-year-old needs to take his game to another level.

Schultz recorded 19 goals and 41 assists in his first two NHL seasons, making him roughly a 10-goal, 30-assist man to date. In a quest to live up to his billing, he's expected to hit that next level sooner than later, and fantasy owners can benefit from what will hopefully be a breakout season all around in Edmonton.

Proceed With Caution

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Nugent-Hopkins possesses all the talent in the world, and showed it early by posting 52 points in his first 56 NHL games. Since then, his production dropped off, scoring only 23 goals and adding 57 assists in 120 games. 

The knock is size and durability, meaning while fantasy owners can benefit Nugent-Hopkins' high-end skill set, there's always the chance he'll be sidelined due to injury. Pick him up, but don't put all your eggs in his basket.

Take A Flier On

Teddy Purcell

Acquired in a deal involving Sam Gagner, the 28-year-old quietly put together a few solid seasons for the Tampa Bay Lightning, recording 64 goals and 194 total points in 291 games since 2010-11, good for averages of 18 goals and 55 points over the course of 82 games.

Purcell missed only three regular season games over the past four seasons, and consistently got the puck on net, averaging two shots per game and boasting a Corsi rating of 51.6.

If he meshes with the kids, Purcell could be a productive fantasy option with a late round pick.

[Stats courtesy Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com]