Over the next few days, we will be looking at the overall composite rankings for every position on the ice, using the rankings from Yahoo (Y!), ESPN, and Pete Jensen of NHL.com.

It should come as no surprise that Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is the consensus top forward, and should be considered the number one pick in any fantasy hockey draft. Full stop.

Teammate Evgeni Malkin, however, should not be overlooked; in 60 games played, he averaged 1.2 points per game, a pace that put him on track for 98 points, good for second overall in the NHL.

Steven Stamkos and John Tavares are also set to rebound from injury shortened seasons, and are elite-level players that possess the ability to carry any fantasy squad. Both players missed significant time, but ranked top-5 among all forwards in terms of points per game, and Stamkos was on pace to score 55 goals, which would have won him the Maurice Richard Trophy.

Two Ducks - Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf - finished top-5 in NHL scoring last season and should recreate their magic, while Claude Giroux remains a solid bet to top 80 points once again. In terms of other first-round pick options, the jury may be out in terms of how Alex Ovechkin will fare under new head coach Barry Trotz; his overall game (including plus/minus) should improve, but fantasy owners may see a reduction in overall production.

Astute fantasy owners may value the likes of Taylor Hall, Henrik Zetterberg, Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, and Phil Kessel higher than the average rankings may suggest, while players such as Chris Kunitz and Nathan MacKinnon could struggle to meet expectations.

Two players to keep a close eye on are Tyler Seguin and Patrick Kane. The young Stars center is having his tires pumped as a possible Art Ross candidate, while Kane could top the 90-point mark for the first time in his career.

Here's a look at the rest of the top 80 fantasy forwards.

Player Y! ESPN NHL.com Average Rank Sidney Crosby 1 1 1 1 Steven Stamkos 2 3 2 2.3 Corey Perry 3 8 3 4.6 Evgeni Malkin 4 4 8 5.3 Alex Ovechkin 5 2 9 5.3 John Tavares 9 5 5 6.3 Claude Giroux 8 6 6 6.6 Ryan Getzlaf 6 11 4 7 Patrick Kane 11 18 13 14 Tyler Seguin 14 12 19 15 Jamie Benn 13 22 15 16.6 Phil Kessel 15 19 21 18.3 Anze Kopitar 18 25 16 19.6 Patrick Sharp 27 13 22 20.6 Joe Pavelski 28 15 23 22 Jonathan Toews 19 35 17 23.6 Chris Kunitz 24 21 30 25 Taylor Hall 21 30 31 27.3 Zach Parise 30 24 37 30.3 Henrik Zetterberg 56 10 32 32.6 Nathan MacKinnon 39 44 18 33.6 Matt Duchene 33 32 38 34.3 David Backes 50 23 33 35.3 Pavel Datsyuk 45 39 24 36 Nicklas Backstrom 70 7 34 37 Logan Couture 26 47 43 38.6 Max Pacioretty 37 38 47 40.6 Patrick Marleau 43 42 44 43 Daniel Sedin 62 31 48 47 Patrice Bergeron 54 82 25 53.6 Eric Staal 36 86 42 54.6 Henrik Sedin 72 37 58 55.6 Marian Hossa 65 63 40 56 James Neal 35 69 76 60 Jarome Iginla 84 52 49 61.6 Jason Spezza 44 90 52 62 Gabriel Landeskog 58 68 64 63.3 Joe Thornton 67 91 35 64.3 Thomas Vanek 66 27 100 64.3 Martin St. Louis 59 81 53 64.3 Wayne Simmonds 61 88 50 66.3 Blake Wheeler 82 46 71 66.3 Ryan Johansen 71 93 41 68.3 Alexander Steen 75 43 90 69.3 Milan Lucic 78 79 54 70.33 Rick Nash 51 96 65 70.6 David Krejci 79 77 57 71 Marian Gaborik 80 74 61 71.6 James van Riemsdyk 60 75 80 71.6 Kyle Okposo 94 54 74 74 Jeff Carter 76 58 88 74 Jeff Skinner 52 57 118 75 Scott Hartnell 92 62 142 75.6 Ryan Kesler 68 111 51 76.6 Gustav Nyquist 103 78 83 88 Jonathan Drouin 112 64 94 90 Jordan Eberle 63 121 87 90.3 Jakub Voracek 85 102 93 93.3 T.J. Oshie 86 103 95 94.6 Paul Stastny 122 94 70 95.3 Brandon Dubinsky 97 87 103 95.6 Jaromir Jagr 130 83 81 98 Patric Hornqvist 96 110 99 101.6 Bryan Little 109 117 89 105 Evander Kane 83 160 78 107 Bobby Ryan 64 168 101 111 Alexander Semin 110 98 135 114.3 Andrew Ladd 107 133 113 116.6 Evgeny Kuznetsov 121 97 133 117 Kyle Turris 98 144 109 117 Johan Franzen 119 80 157 118.6 Chris Kreider 116 128 116 120 David Perron 144 100 120 121.3 Ryan O'Reilly 134 123 111 122.6 Mikko Koivu 165 114 104 127.6 Jason Pominville 124 164 108 132 Radim Vrbata 138 105 154 132.3 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 123 166 123 135.3 Joffrey Lupul 117 169 122 136 Matt Moulson 120 165 150 145

Up next in the series: defensemen.