Melanson cemented himself as an NHL option this year, appearing in 36 games for Seattle with two goals, three assists, and 32 penalty minutes. Those numbers undersell his fantasy relevance considerably. In leagues where hits are tracked, Melanson is already among the most productive players in the game – he ranked among the league leaders in raw hits while playing fewer than half the games of the players above him in total count, with a hits-per-60 rate that led the entire NHL. He is not a scorer and never has been, but a 23-year-old who generates that kind of peripheral production while holding an NHL bottom-six role is genuinely useful in the right format. If his ice time grows toward a regular third-line deployment, the cats-league value increases accordingly. Already rostered in every league that counts hits; acquire wherever he remains available.

Melanson has become an NHL staple this season, and likely has already been snapped up in every fantasy pool with hits as a category. The 22 year-old, former 50 goal scorer (2022-2023 split between the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL) is making his mark for throwing his body around.

The 6-0, 207 lb human missile is averaging nearly five and a half hits over 20 games for the Kraken, eclipsing the four and a half per game put up by Kiefer Sherwood. Sherwood is the known commodity, but in the small sample size this year, Melanson is posting better play driving numbers.

Melanson is seeing less than 10 minutes per night, which at the same time makes his hit numbers more impressive, but casts some potential uncertainty with his longevity of his role with the Kraken.

He is an immediate add in all leagues with hits, doubly so if there’s a salary cap. A rebuilding team could likely move Sherwood for Melanson and an extra piece, selling Sherwood as the surer commodity with more offense, but Melanson is a worthwhile, though not guaranteed investment.