Fantasy hockey sleepers, draft bargains for 2026-27
Potential late-round steals based on average draft position, EDGE stats; season preview podcasts
© Connor Hamilton/NHLI via Getty Images
---
MORE FANTASY COVERAGE 📈
Top 250 | Forward | Defensemen | Goalies
Keeper / dynasty | Top 10 rookies
---
FANTASY SLEEPERS
1. Egor Chinakhov, F, PIT
Average draft position (ADP): 133.5
Chinakhov set NHL career highs in points (42 in 72 games), goals (21), assists (21), power-play points (eight) and shots on goal (140) playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets last season. Chinakhov had a breakout stretch with 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) and 15:37 per game in 43 games for Pittsburgh after having six points (three goals, three assists) and 10:18 per game in 29 games with Columbus prior to the trade. Per NHL EDGE stats, Chinakhov led NHL forwards in average shot speed (65.49 mph) among those who had at least 100 shot attempts last season (282). He also ranked fifth among forwards in both hardest shot (99.03 mph) and 90-100 mph shot attempts (12) and was a standout at his position in 80-90 mph shot attempts (77; ninth), average shot speed (65.49; 98th percentile), max skating speed (23.63 mph; 97th percentile), 20-plus mph speed bursts (193; 94th percentile), 22-plus mph bursts (29; 98th percentile), mid-range goals (94th percentile) and long-range shots on goal (29; 96th percentile). Chinakhov showed great chemistry with Evgeni Malkin, who was quietly tied with Sidney Crosby for Pittsburgh’s lead in points per game (1.09) last season.
2. Joel Hofer, G, STL
Average draft position: 128.7
The St. Louis Blues goalie set NHL career bests in wins (24-13-5 record), goals-against average (2.61) and shutouts (six; second behind Ilya Sorokin’s seven) last season. After the NHL season resumed following the 2026 Winter Olympics, Hofer was among the goalie leaders in wins (12-2-2 record; tied for most), save percentage (.933; third among goalies with at least 10 games played) and goals-against average (2.04; third) from Feb. 25 to the end of the regular season. Hofer, who had a .910 save percentage last season, has a .909 save percentage over 115 career NHL games. Per NHL EDGE stats, Hofer ranked highly among goalies in long-range save percentage (.984; 93rd percentile), mid-range save percentage (.906; 86th percentile) and 5-on-5 save percentage (.915; 81st percentile) last season. The 26-year-old has a chance to be the full-time starter with the Blues after Jordan Binnington posted career lows in goals-against average (3.33) and save percentage (.873) last season.
3. Anthony Mantha, F, NJD
Average draft position: 141.5
Mantha, who signed a two-year contract with the New Jersey Devils in the offseason, had career highs in points (64 in 81 games) and goals (33) with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Mantha led the Penguins in 5-on-5 goals (25; tied for sixth in NHL) last season in mostly a secondary role. Per NHL EDGE stats, Mantha was quietly tied for fifth in the entire League in high-danger goals (24) last season and also ranked in the 98th percentile among forwards in both hardest shot (95.95 mph) and 90-100 mph shot attempts (seven). Mantha could be a late-round fantasy steal once again in a top-six role with either center Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
4. Mason Marchment, F, SJS
Average draft position: 132.5
Marchment, who signed a five-year contract with the San Jose Sharks in the offseason, scored at a 31-goal pace after joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in December; he was tied for second on the team in goals (15 in 39 games) and was third in points per game (0.82; 32 points) over that span with the Blue Jackets. Per NHL EDGE stats, Marchment ranked highly in mid-range shots on goal (44; 79th percentile), mid-range goals (six; 79th percentile) and average shot speed (56.17 mph; 78th percentile). Marchment, who frequently played on Columbus’ top line with Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko last season, has a chance to play on the Sharks’ top line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Marchment has scored at least 19 goals in each of his past three seasons and averaged 91 hits per season over his past six. Marchment also provided strong hits coverage (84) last season.
5. Valeri Nichushkin, F, CBJ
Average draft position: 140.0
Nichushkin was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on June 25 after having 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 72 regular-season games last season and four points (two goals, two assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 31-year-old is a three-time 20-goal scorer and won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022 (had 15 points, including nine goals in 20 games that postseason). Nichushkin has bounce-back potential after being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets with more ice time (17:44 per game last season; his lowest since 2020-21) and could be a difference-maker on the first power play; his career highs in both goals (28) and power-play goals (16) came in only 54 games during the 2023-24 season. Per NHL EDGE stats, Nichushkin scored 11 of his 17 goals last season from high-danger zones and ranked in the 95th percentile among forwards in both max skating speed (23.50 mph) and long-range shots on goal (26). The power forward could also round out the top line with Kirill Marchenko (27 goals) and Adam Fantilli (24 goals), Columbus’ two leading goal-scorers from last season, making Nichushkin worth prioritizing in late rounds (fantasy average draft position: 142.9).
6. Blake Coleman, F, MIN
Average draft position: N/A
A four-time 20-goal scorer, Coleman could slot into Minnesota's top-six forward group after being acquired by the Wild from the Calgary Flames this offseason. Despite being limited to 69 games last season, Coleman was one of two players with at least 20 goals and 150 hits (162) in fewer than 70 games (other: Brady Tkachuk). Coleman, who’s 34 years old, is a category coverage specialist; he has had at least 100 hits in each of the past nine seasons, and his four shorthanded goals last season ranked tied for second in the entire NHL (behind Ryan McLeod’s five). Per NHL EDGE stats, Coleman has ranked in the 90th percentile or higher among forwards in high-danger shots on goal in all five seasons of the League’s puck and player tracking era (since 2021-22). Coleman could be the missing piece for the Wild, who are coming off their first playoff series win since 2015, and is a high-floor fantasy option attainable late in drafts (going undrafted on average) or off the waiver wire.
7. Zayne Parekh, D, CGY
Average draft position: 138.8
Parekh, the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, had back-to-back 33-goal seasons as a defenseman in the Ontario Hockey League (2023-24 to 2024-25) and has the potential to emerge as an upper-echelon fantasy defenseman in the years ahead. Six of Parekh’s nine points in 37 games last season came on the power play, and the 20-year-old should compete with Nemec for a spot on the first man-advantage unit. Per NHL EDGE stats, Parekh excelled in offensive zone time percentage (45.5; 94th percentile among defensemen) last season. Parekh, like Simon Nemec (No. 2 pick in 2022 NHL Draft), is a breakout candidate who can take on an expanded role after MacKenzie Weegar (to Utah Mammoth) and Rasmus Andersson (to Vegas Golden Knights) were both traded last season.
8. Bobby McMann, F, SEA
Average draft position: 138.9
After being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 6, McMann was a high-impact fantasy player for the Kraken; he had 14 points, including 10 goals, 58 shots on goal and 30 hits in 18 games following the trade. Although it was a small sample size with a new team, McMann led Seattle in goals per game (0.56), points per game (0.78) and shots on goal per game (3.22) last season. Per NHL EDGE stats, McMann ranked seventh in the entire League in max skating speed (24.25 mph) and was also a standout at his position in 20-plus mph speed bursts (267; 98th percentile), high-danger goals (15; 90th percentile) and mid-range goals (nine; 89th percentile) last season. The 30-year-old, who quietly scored a career-high 29 goals last season, is a potential fantasy draft bargain (average draft position: 132.2) who could shatter his previous NHL career high in points (46) and emerge as one of the more valuable category coverage players in the League.
9. Yaroslav Askarov, G, SJS
Average draft position: 127.8
The 24-year-old is coming off an up-and-down season, in which he set NHL career highs in games played (47) and shots faced (1,341); Askarov was 12-9-1 with a .902 save percentage in 22 games through Dec. 20, before finishing the season with a 9-11-3 record and a .865 save percentage over the 25 games thereafter. While Askarov was in a timeshare with Alex Nedeljkovic (30 years old), he could emerge as the No. 1 option for the Sharks as early as this season. San Jose enters this season in the midst of a seven-season playoff drought but has a promising young core considering the team led the NHL in percentage of goals scored by 23-and-younger players (52.6) last season. Per NHL EDGE stats, Askarov ranked third among rookie goalies in quality starts (19; starts with greater than .900 save percentage) behind Jakub Dobes (25) and Jesper Wallstedt (23). Askarov is a high-upside target as a third or fourth fantasy goalie option in later rounds.
10. Chris Kreider, F, MTL
Average draft position: 134.1
Kreider, who's 35 years old, signed a one-year contract with Montreal on Sept. 12 to complement their young core with a power forward who covers many fantasy categories. Kreider, who scored an NHL career-high 52 goals with the New York Rangers in 2021-22, the start of three straight seasons of at least 30 goals (36 in 2022-23, 39 in 2023-24), has scored 22 goals in each of the past two seasons. Last season with the Anaheim Ducks, Kreider still was a productive player with the man-advantage with eight power-play goals and 17 power-play points. Kreider started training camp on the top line with elite forwards Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, giving the veteran ideal exposure to outperform his average draft position.
---
POTENTIAL DRAFT BARGAINS
Morgan Geekie, F, BOS (ADP: 111.7)
Roope Hintz, F, DAL (ADP: 118.7)
Vincent Trocheck, F, UTA (ADP: 132.5)
Carter Verhaeghe, F, FLA (ADP: 133.4)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F, EDM (ADP: 139.2)
JJ Peterka, F, BOS (ADP: 139.4)
Dylan Cozens, F, OTT (ADP: 141.7)
Dylan Strome, F, WSH (ADP: 142.4)
Gabriel Vilardi, F, WPG (ADP: 144.8)
Nazem Kadri, F, COL (ADP: 145.9)
Victor Hedman, D, TBL (ADP: 90.5)
MacKenzie Weegar, D, UTA (ADP: 112.8)
Filip Hronek, D, VAN (ADP: 139.8)
Spencer Knight, G, CHI (ADP: 132.9)
Linus Ullmark, G, OTT (ADP: 134.2)
Jet Greaves, G, CBJ (ADP: 118.9)
Jake Allen, G, NJD (ADP: 134.9)
---
DEEP SLEEPERS
Marco Rossi, F, VAN (ADP: N/A)
Luke Evangelista, F, NJD (ADP: 145.5)
Igor Chernyshov, F, SJS (ADP: 131.4)
Tyson Foerster, F, PHI (ADP: 132.7)
Matvei Gridin, F, CGY (ADP: N/A)
Jack Roslovic, F, TOR (ADP: 128.6)
Philip Broberg, D, STL (ADP: 134.4)
Luca Cagnoni, D, SJS (ADP: N/A)
Zeev Buium, D, VAN (ADP: 137.3)
Sam Malinski, D, COL (ADP: 140.8)
Akira Schmid, G, FLA (ADP: N/A)
Joseph Woll, G, PHI (ADP: 132.2)
Jacob Fowler, G, MTL (ADP: 150.6)
Dustin Wolf, G, CGY (ADP: 138.9)
Fantasy Hockey Rankings and Picks
NHL.com has fantasy hockey player rankings, projections, essential lists and podcast analysis.
