The wings, right and left, can make or break your fantasy hockey season. There are centers on almost every team, and you can pick up serviceable center-men throughout any fantasy draft. The wings, and I mean the really, really productive variety are less common. There will be streak here and there, and some guys get in a groove, but outside of your top ten wings in the NHL, you’ll find the pickings to be slim.

Phil Kessel and Patrick Kane pose another interesting pair of wingers in the Versus Series that seem to be trending in opposite directions. Kessel hit the league in 2006-07 during some dark days in Boston. He established himself as a decent speedy winger with the Bruins, but seemed to play with a “me first” attitude. He would overcome testicular cancer in his rookie season, but would fall out of favor and get traded to Toronto.

With a new lease on life and his career, Kessel has set career highs in points over each of the last two seasons with the Leafs. Last season was especially productive as Kessel took his play to a new level. He hit career highs in goals, assists, points and most importantly games, which he tied with 82. Not that Kessel isn’t durable, but he has missed significant time in half of his six seasons.

Kessel fits the mold of sniper well and you will benefit solely from his skill set on the offensive front. Don’t expect hits, blocked shots or penalty minutes from Phil the thrill as most of those stats are compiled merely by accident.

Speaking of wings who avoid contact, unless it’s at a frat party. Sorry. Had to get that one out of the way. That brings us to Chicago’s Patrick Kane. The super-talented winger has been making headlines over the last year, but for all of the wrong reasons. Kane’s career has taken an interesting arc so far, with a career high in all stats during the Blackhawks Stanley Cup run in 2010. Since he lifted Lord Stanley, Kane’s numbers have spiraled down to career lows last season.

Kane will still pull the trigger on his shot, but seems to be suffering from a dip in confidence. This season could be a crossroads for a talent that was scoring at a point-per-game pace at one point. Chicago’s roster is full of talent, so there shouldn’t be any pressure on Kane to “carry” the Hawks anywhere. He’s pretty much the same player that Kessel is to the Maple Leafs. Count on him for offense only, and a much better plus/minus since Chicago is way better than Toronto from a collective defense standpoint.

The better play here is Kessel, simply because he seems hungrier to succeed, and has consistently improved his stats. A Stanley Cup at age 21 may have been a curse for Kane who just hasn’t been the same player since. A roll of the dice for Kane could provide massive dividends if he finds his groove again. He has shown pockets of his ability over the past two years, but doesn’t have the consistency you want in a fantasy winger.