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A fantasy draft sleeper? McDavid hypes up newcomer Ryan Strome

Dallas Stars v New York Islanders

UNIONDALE, NY - OCTOBER 25: Ryan Strome #18 of the New York Islanders skates against the Dallas Stars at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on October 25, 2014 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Stars 7.5. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Go through Yahoo’s Fantasy Hockey draft analysis and it will take a while to find Ryan Strome.

He currently has an average draft position of 167, right in between sophomore Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and Rangers forward J.T. Miller.

But Strome may soon see a boost to his ADP after Connor McDavid, the top-ranked player for obvious reasons, spoke highly of the 24-year-old forward as a potential fantasy draft sleeper heading into his first season with the Edmonton Oilers.

“I think it could be [Strome], honestly,” McDavid recently told NHL.com. “He’s a guy that is going to come in and I think he’s going to get a pretty good opportunity to play with some good players and maybe take a little bit of power-play time and help. I think he’s going to do well with it.”

The Oilers traded proven regular season scorer Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders in June, while getting Strome in return. The latter had 17 goals and 50 points in his sophomore season, but hasn’t been able to match that same production in the two years since, as he’s dealt with injury and was made a healthy scratch at times by former Islanders coach Jack Capuano.

The prospect of playing with McDavid and/or Draisaitl is an exciting one for Strome, but exactly where he fits into the lineup will be determined over the next few weeks.

His ability to play both wing and center should give Edmonton flexibility to move other forwards -- particularly Leon Draisaitl -- around the lineup. Draisaitl spent significant time last season on a line with McDavid but he can also play in the middle and may be used as the Oilers’ No. 2 center at times throughout the season.