Booth signed a professional tryout agreement with the Red Wings in September. Detroit features a wealth of scoring options up front, but the veteran -- who's added 231 points in 502 career games between the Panthers, Canucks and Maple Leafs -- has had to overcome serious concussion problems over the years and likely won't garner an official contract with his hometown team if Andreas Athanasiou ends up re-signing as a restricted free agent.
Booth is the latest reclamation project for the Leafs and they're hoping to coax him into some solid production. Yes, he once delivered 60 points in a season, but that was back in 2008-09 and he's only broken 30 points once in the subsequent five years. He's an injury waiting to happen, but the Leafs hope he can play solid minutes in the bottom-six. He might even slide up to the second line if he's healthy when Joffrey Lupul inevitably hits the IR. Watch camp carefully, though. The Leafs desperately need a second-line right winger and while he would have to play his off-wing to do it, Booth may get a look. Mike Santorelli probably has the inside track there, but stranger things have happened.
Booth’s 2012-13 campaign was cut short by an array of injuries, including a season-ending ankle injury which required surgery in March. He totaled just three points and had a minus-3 rating in the 12 games he managed to see ice. He should be ready for training camp. But aside from a 60-point outburst in 2008-09, Booth hasn’t proven to be much more than a deep league option throughout the majority of his career. Still, he did show some flashes with Vancouver back in 2011-12, and if he proves healthy, there’s a chance he could carve out a big enough role on the second and third lines to be worth a look in deeper formats.
Booth was traded from Florida to Vancouver less than a month into the 2011-12 season. The change of scenery seemed like a great opportunity for Booth to return to his 60-point production from 2008-09, but an MCL sprain that sidelined him for over a month in the middle of the season ended up derailing his momentum. He finished his first stint in Vancouver with 29 points (16 G, 13 A) in 56 games. Despite the so-so finish in his first stint with the Canucks, Booth remains a decent sleeper heading into the 2012-13 season. He should lineup on the Canucks’ second line, which will eventually pair him with Ryan Kesler, who won’t return to the lineup until December. A top-six spot on one of the league’s higher scoring teams will give Booth the opportunity to post some of the best scoring totals of his career if he can stay healthy.
Booth led the Panthers with 23 goals this past season and will look to build upon a successful 2010-11 campaign with an even higher point production in the upcoming season. With the addition of a few more pieces to the Panthers lineup and being fully recovered from the brutal concussion suffered in 2009-10, Booth should be expected to score in the 30-plus goal range, making fantasy owners quite happy.
Booth sustained a nasty concussion that wiped out a huge chunk of his 2009-10 campaign. Had he not been limited to just 28 games, you might have witnessed Booth lighting the lamp on a frequent basis. Assuming he makes it through the next season with a healthy noggin, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect 30 goals out of him.
Booth continued to exceed expectations, leading the Panthers in goals (31) and power-play goals (10), while finishing second in points (60). The question now becomes, where’s the ceiling for this second-rounder out of Michigan State? The fact that Booth is still only 24 years old lends to the belief that there’s still growth to be had, meaning 70 points isn’t out of the question this season.
Booth created his own ascent last season by working his way onto the Panthers’ second line and producing consistently from there on out. As a result, the 23-year-old winger ended up second on the team in goals (22) and first in game-winners (6). True, a 40-point winger isn’t something to get overly excited about, but consider that he was barely producing a pulse while playing on checking lines until the latter half of November. His spot in the top six is all but assured in the near future and if he ever figures out how to score on the power play (he did so just once last year), 55 points seems like a reasonable goal.
Booth was a pleasant surprise in his rookie season out of Michigan State, eventually earning a full-time promotion to the big club. While there is some offensive potential with Booth, his role will continue to be as a fourth-line forward. His fantasy value will be minimal for the time being.
Booth should spend his rookie season with AHL Rochester. The second-round draft pick's last four years have been at Michigan State, where he fought off a handful of injuries while establishing himself as a solid, all-around forward.
