Fantasy championships are rarely built entirely in the opening rounds. The difference often comes later, when a player drafted outside the fantasy spotlight produces like someone taken several rounds earlier. Heading into the 2026–27 NHL season, changing line combinations, new teams, healthier veterans and overlooked category production have created several intriguing value opportunities.
These 17 NHL players stand out because their current draft prices appear modest relative to their roles, recent production or realistic upside. Some carry obvious risks, from injuries to shooting regression, but each has a credible path to outperforming where fantasy managers are currently selecting him. The names are presented as value candidates rather than a strict ranking.
Morgan Geekie — Boston Bruins
Morgan Geekie’s breakout no longer looks like a one-season curiosity. After scoring 33 goals in 2024–25, the Bruins forward raised the bar again last season with career highs of 39 goals, 29 assists and 68 points. He led Boston in goals and finished behind only David Pastrnak in team scoring. Geekie also spent much of the season in prominent offensive roles, giving him access to the kind of linemates that can turn an otherwise useful fantasy forward into a dependable weekly starter.
The interesting part is the price. Cross-platform draft data from Yahoo, ESPN, Fantrax and CBS has Geekie’s average selection around No. 118 overall. That means fantasy managers are not paying anything close to a 40-goal-player premium. Regression is a fair concern because Geekie has converted chances efficiently, but he does not need another 39-goal campaign to justify that cost. NHL.com projects 69 points for 2026–27. Even something in the neighbourhood of 30 goals and 60-plus points would make him useful at this draft position, particularly in formats where positional flexibility is valuable.
Roope Hintz — Dallas Stars
Roope Hintz’s 2025–26 season looks much less concerning once the context is included. A hamstring injury limited the Dallas centre to 53 games, yet he still produced 15 goals, 29 assists and 44 points. Nineteen of those points came on the power play, and he generated 126 shots despite the abbreviated season. Hintz had posted 67 points in 76 games the previous year, so his recent fantasy résumé is considerably stronger than a quick look at last season’s final totals might suggest.
That injury-shortened stat line appears to be influencing draft rooms. Hintz is going around pick 143 in combined major-platform ADP even though NHL.com projects him for 78 points. Dallas also remains loaded with high-end offensive talent, and Hintz is expected to stay in the top six with significant power-play exposure alongside players such as Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen. There is injury risk, and Dallas has enough depth that ice time can occasionally be spread around. Still, a healthy Hintz producing anywhere near the NHL projection would be unusually strong value for a player routinely available well after the first 100 selections.
Vincent Trocheck — Utah Mammoth
A change of address has pushed Vincent Trocheck into an interesting fantasy position. Utah acquired the veteran centre from the New York Rangers after he recorded 16 goals, 37 assists and 53 points in 67 games last season. Trocheck may not have the offensive ceiling of some younger centres, but his fantasy appeal has traditionally been broader than scoring alone. Utah general manager Bill Armstrong specifically highlighted his ability on faceoffs and around the net when discussing what the Mammoth were adding.
His cross-platform average draft position sits around No. 124, while NHL.com’s bargain list had him available even later in some drafts. The attraction becomes greater in formats that count faceoff wins, shots or other secondary categories. Utah can deploy Trocheck in offensive situations without asking him to carry the entire scoring burden, with Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Nick Schmaltz already capable of driving offense. NHL.com projects 59 points, which by itself would represent useful mid-to-late-round production. If the Mammoth give him meaningful power-play work as well, Trocheck could quietly provide considerably more fantasy utility than his draft slot implies.
Carter Verhaeghe — Florida Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe is the type of player whose draft price can fall faster than his underlying fantasy usefulness. Florida’s injury-plagued 2025–26 season disrupted much of its lineup, and Verhaeghe was among the Panthers who missed time. He nevertheless reached the 20-goal mark. NHL EDGE data also showed that Verhaeghe spent 45.8 percent of his tracked time in the offensive zone, placing him in the 92nd percentile among forwards. That matters on a Florida roster that is expected to be substantially healthier and deeper this season.
Despite that environment, Verhaeghe’s combined average pick is around No. 158, making him one of the more striking veteran discounts. NHL.com also specifically lists him among Florida’s potential fantasy bargains, with a conservative 55-point projection. That projection reflects a crowded forward group containing Aleksander Barkov, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and others. Competition for premium minutes is real. But at this price, Verhaeghe does not need to reclaim peak production. A healthy season featuring 20-plus goals, useful shot volume and exposure to Florida’s skilled forwards could comfortably outperform what is normally expected from a player drafted this late.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins remains attached to one of the most valuable fantasy situations in hockey. He recorded 20 goals, 36 assists and 56 points in 72 games last season, but the larger number for fantasy purposes was 29 power-play points. Eleven of his 20 goals also came with the man advantage. Edmonton’s power play converted at an NHL-best 30.6 percent, and Nugent-Hopkins continues to receive exposure to Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard on that unit.
Yet Nugent-Hopkins is falling to roughly pick 158 across the major fantasy platforms. NHL.com projects 65 points and notes that the veteran has previously demonstrated a much higher ceiling, including his 104-point season in 2022–23. Nobody should draft him expecting another triple-digit campaign, but that is not necessary at his current price. The attraction is role efficiency: Nugent-Hopkins can collect high-value points without needing to create an offense by himself. There is always some volatility when so much fantasy value depends on special teams, but securing a regular participant on Edmonton’s elite power play this deep in a draft remains an appealing gamble.
JJ Peterka — Boston Bruins
JJ Peterka’s first season after leaving Buffalo did not produce another personal scoring record. He finished 2025–26 with 25 goals and 22 assists for 47 points in 82 games with Utah after recording a career-high 68 points the previous season. Boston still valued him enough to surrender two first-round picks to acquire him during the offseason, and the Bruins’ projected deployment explains why fantasy managers should pay attention.
Peterka is expected to have an opportunity alongside David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, with NHL.com’s preseason analysis also identifying potential first-unit power-play exposure. He has scored 61 five-on-five goals over the past three seasons, tied for 16th in the NHL over that span. His combined average draft position, meanwhile, is around No. 170. NHL.com projects a rebound to 60 points. Pastrnak produced 100 points last season and has become one of hockey’s most reliable elite scorers, so simply earning sustained minutes beside him could dramatically improve Peterka’s opportunity. There is some uncertainty surrounding Boston’s exact combinations, but the acquisition cost suggests Peterka will receive every reasonable chance to become a major offensive piece.
Dylan Cozens — Ottawa Senators
Dylan Cozens may be even more valuable in category leagues than his 59 points suggest. The Ottawa centre finished last season with 28 goals, 31 assists, 205 shots and 215 hits while establishing career highs with 13 power-play goals and 29 power-play points. According to NHL.com, he was the only player in the entire league to record at least 25 goals, 200 shots and 200 hits. That combination creates a floor that pure scoring specialists cannot always match.
Cozens is being selected around No. 137 across the major platforms, and NHL.com projects him for 61 points. There is an important complication: Brady Tkachuk was traded to Florida, and Tkachuk assisted on more Cozens goals than any other Ottawa teammate last season. The Senators have attempted to replace some of that offense by adding William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky. Cozens therefore has both risk and opportunity. His scoring may not explode, but managers in leagues counting hits, shots, power-play points and faceoffs could receive value in several columns simultaneously. Players capable of filling that many categories rarely need career-high point totals to beat their draft position.
Dylan Strome — Washington Capitals
Dylan Strome is coming off the kind of decline that often creates fantasy discounts. After producing career highs of 29 goals and 82 points in 2024–25, he slipped to 19 goals and 58 points last season as Washington’s offense became less productive. His current cross-platform average pick has fallen to approximately No. 157, a dramatic price adjustment for a centre who demonstrated 80-point ability only two seasons ago.
Washington’s offseason makes the situation especially interesting. Alex Ovechkin is returning for another season, while the Capitals added Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner to a forward group that still includes Strome, Tom Wilson, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Aliaksei Protas. The increased depth could create competition for minutes, but it could also give Washington more productive combinations and better finishing options around its playmakers. NHL.com projects Strome to rebound to 68 points. At a draft cost approaching the later rounds, even that relatively conservative estimate would represent strong value. He may no longer be the automatic 80-point selection fantasy managers briefly imagined, but the market appears to have corrected far enough in the opposite direction to make him interesting again.
Gabriel Vilardi — Winnipeg Jets
Gabriel Vilardi keeps improving, yet fantasy draft rooms still appear reluctant to price in the progress. The Winnipeg forward established career highs across the board last season with 30 goals, 39 assists and 69 points while playing all 82 games. He also scored 13 power-play goals and generated 150 shots. Perhaps most encouragingly, he has now reached at least 20 goals in four consecutive seasons, suggesting the scoring touch is no longer a short-term development.
Despite those numbers, Vilardi’s average selection is around No. 155. NHL.com projects 71 points and notes that he should continue receiving exposure to Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele at even strength and on the power play. Vilardi has scored 25 power-play goals over the past two seasons, tied for 10th in the NHL during that span. Durability had once been one of the bigger concerns surrounding him, which helps explain some of the hesitation, but an 82-game campaign substantially changes that conversation. If he stays healthy and remains attached to Winnipeg’s premier offensive players, a repeat of roughly 30 goals and 70 points would make his current draft position look surprisingly inexpensive.
Nazem Kadri — Colorado Avalanche
Nazem Kadri’s return to Colorado creates a very different fantasy situation than the one he occupied in Calgary. The Avalanche reacquired their former Stanley Cup-winning centre at the 2026 trade deadline. At the time, Kadri’s shooting percentage sat at only 6.9 percent compared with a career rate of 10.8 percent, leaving an obvious statistical argument for positive regression. Colorado planned to use him behind Nathan MacKinnon while still giving him meaningful power-play opportunities.
NHL.com now projects Kadri for 66 points, while his average draft position is approximately No. 133. There is a trade-off. His overall ice time could be lower in Colorado than it was when Calgary relied on him as one of its primary offensive engines. On the other hand, the quality of his teammates has increased substantially. MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals last season, and the Avalanche also feature Cale Makar, Martin Necas and several other strong offensive options. Kadri does not need to become a top-line star again to provide value. Better linemates, power-play opportunities and a potential shooting-percentage rebound make a 60-plus-point season quite plausible at a manageable acquisition cost.
Victor Hedman — Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman enters the season as one of the more unusual fantasy discounts. The Tampa Bay captain was limited to 33 games last season and recorded 17 points before missing the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs while on a personal leave. NHL.com reported in August that Hedman had been skating regularly, felt healthy and was preparing to resume his role as a major part of Tampa Bay’s defense. Only one season earlier, he produced 66 points in 79 games.
Those circumstances have pushed his average draft price to roughly No. 106, and some individual platforms are allowing him to fall much farther. NHL.com projects 55 points. John Carlson’s arrival does complicate the special-teams picture because Carlson is expected to receive significant power-play responsibility, so Hedman’s days as an automatic fantasy cornerstone may be changing. Still, Tampa Bay led the NHL with 578 goals across the previous two seasons, and Hedman remains connected to an offense built around Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. At the right draft price, the gap between last season’s disrupted numbers and his established offensive history creates genuine rebound potential.
MacKenzie Weegar — Utah Mammoth
MacKenzie Weegar’s fantasy value has always been about more than points. Before Calgary traded him to Utah last March, the defenseman had 21 points in 60 games while ranking ninth among NHL defensemen with 130 hits and second with 143 blocked shots. After joining the Mammoth, he added seven points in 19 regular-season games and another five points in six playoff games. His first season in Utah therefore provided encouraging evidence that the new environment could help revive some of his offense.
The 32-year-old is being taken around pick No. 96 on average, which is earlier than several names on this list but still attractive for formats rewarding peripheral statistics. NHL.com projects Weegar for 47 points and identifies him as a potential Utah draft bargain. The Mammoth already have Mikhail Sergachev, so Weegar is not guaranteed monopoly power on the top special-teams unit. That limits the pure scoring ceiling. However, managers receiving hits, blocks, shots and respectable offense from one defense slot can build the rest of a roster differently. In category leagues, a player capable of contributing almost every night even when he does not score can be worth considerably more than his basic point total indicates.
Filip Hronek — Vancouver Canucks
Filip Hronek produced one of the most quietly useful all-around seasons among NHL defensemen in 2025–26. He established career highs with 49 points, 21 power-play points, 100 blocked shots and an average of 25:00 of ice time. Hronek also recorded 133 hits. NHL.com noted that only Hronek and Moritz Seider combined at least 45 points, 100 hits and 100 blocked shots last season, an unusually valuable statistical combination for multi-category formats.
Fantasy managers are still drafting him around No. 152 overall. That is especially notable because NHL.com projects another 50-point season. Vancouver’s blue line changed significantly following the Quinn Hughes trade, and Hronek averaged 25:23 after that deal while taking on an expanded role. He is expected to skate with Zeev Buium on the Canucks’ projected top pairing. Vancouver itself carries uncertainty, and Hronek should not be treated like one of fantasy hockey’s elite power-play quarterbacks. The attraction is price versus workload. A defenseman capable of approaching 50 points while producing triple-digit hits and blocks can provide meaningful weekly value without requiring an early-round investment.
Linus Ullmark — Ottawa Senators
Linus Ullmark’s final 2025–26 numbers tell only part of the story. He finished 28-12-8 with a 2.73 goals-against average, .891 save percentage and three shutouts in 49 starts. He also took a lengthy personal leave during the season. After returning and following the Olympic break, however, Ullmark went 12-4-3 with a .902 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average. Ottawa has since added Samuel Ersson as his backup and made organizational changes around goaltending development.
Ullmark’s average draft position is roughly No. 133, and NHL.com projects him for 31 wins — tied with several established starters in its preseason estimates. His recent overall save percentage creates legitimate risk, particularly because Ottawa’s team goaltending numbers were poor last season. The upside comes from volume and precedent. Ullmark has previously won the Vezina Trophy, and he remains positioned as Ottawa’s No. 1 goalie. Goaltenders are notoriously difficult to forecast, which makes paying premium prices uncomfortable. Taking Ullmark later gives managers access to a potential 30-win starter without using one of the draft’s most valuable early selections.
Dan Vladar — Philadelphia Flyers
Dan Vladar became one of fantasy hockey’s unexpected successes last season. After spending most of his career as a backup, he handled 51 starts for Philadelphia and established career highs with 29 wins, 1,162 saves and 1,283 shots faced. Most impressively, NHL.com reported that Vladar tied Scott Wedgewood for the NHL lead with a .927 save percentage at five-on-five. Philadelphia also limited opponents to 25.5 shots per game, the fourth-lowest figure in the league.
The Flyers acquired Joseph Woll during the offseason, meaning Vladar is unlikely to receive an uncontested workload. Even so, Philadelphia subsequently gave Vladar a five-year extension beginning in 2027–28, a significant indication of how the organization views him. He is being drafted around No. 148, while NHL.com projects 27 wins for the upcoming season. That makes him particularly intriguing as a second or third fantasy goalie. There is no need to assume another career season. If Vladar retains the larger share of a productive tandem and Philadelphia again suppresses shot volume effectively, his wins and ratio categories could comfortably justify such a modest acquisition cost.
Egor Chinakhov — Pittsburgh Penguins
Few players changed their fantasy outlook as dramatically during last season as Egor Chinakhov. He recorded only six points in 29 games with Columbus before being traded to Pittsburgh. After the move, he exploded for 18 goals and 18 assists in 43 games while averaging 15:37 of ice time, compared with just 10:18 in Columbus. His full-season totals — 21 goals, 21 assists and 42 points in 72 games — disguise how productive he became once the Penguins gave him a larger offensive role.
The market still has not fully caught up. Chinakhov’s combined average pick is around No. 184, one of the latest among the established NHL forwards on this list. NHL.com projects 62 points and lists him as a fantasy sleeper. His physical tools support the upside as well: NHL EDGE tracked his hardest shot at 99.03 mph, fifth among forwards last season. Pittsburgh’s projected lineup has Chinakhov in the top six, and the Penguins averaged 3.54 goals per game last year, third in the NHL. A full season resembling his post-trade production would represent an enormous return at this draft cost.
Alexis Lafreniere — New York Rangers
Alexis Lafreniere may finally have the combination of opportunity and price that fantasy managers have been waiting for. The former No. 1 pick finished last season with career highs of 24 goals, 33 assists and 57 points while averaging roughly 17½ minutes per game. He also supplied 161 shots and 84 hits. Those numbers are useful on their own, but his production after New York traded Artemi Panarin is the more intriguing signal.
From Feb. 5 onward, Lafreniere produced 12 goals and 25 points in 26 games, including nine power-play points. That late-season surge came as his power-play opportunity expanded. New York’s power play finished fifth in the NHL at 24.7 percent, and the Rangers were second in power-play offensive-zone time percentage. Despite that, Lafreniere’s combined average draft position remains around No. 157. There is competition for premium deployment following the Rangers’ other roster changes, so a breakout is not guaranteed. But a 24-year-old coming off a career-high 57 points, showing improved special-teams production and still available this late provides exactly the type of asymmetrical upside fantasy managers often seek.
