Fantasy hockey top 10 bounce-back candidates
Hamilton, Landeskog can return to past elite form; season preview podcasts
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NHL.com identifies the top 10 fantasy hockey bounce-back candidates for the 2025-26 season. For more coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.
NOTE: Players on the top 10 bounce-backs list are listed in order of NHL.com top 200 fantasy rank.
1. Dougie Hamilton, D, NJD
Yahoo average draft position: 71.8
Hamilton had 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) through his first 59 games last season but an injury in early March muted what was a bounce-back season after playing in only 20 games in 2023-24. The ceiling for the 32-year-old is his 2022-23 performance when he was among the defensemen leaders in goals (22; second), points (74; fourth), power-play goals (eight; tied for first) and shots on goal (275; first).
2. Gabriel Landeskog, F, COL
Yahoo ADP: 158.2
Landeskog provided an immediate emotional lift when he returned to the Avalanche lineup in Game 3 against the Dallas Stars in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. After missing three years because of a knee injury, he had four points (one goal, three assists) in five playoff games to provide a glimpse of what we can expect when healthy. Landeskog is capable of being a top forward, scoring at least 30 goals twice and at least 20 nine times in his 12 NHL seasons.
3. Noah Dobson, D, MTL
Yahoo ADP: 81.5
Dobson, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Islanders on June 27 and signed an eight-year contract with the Canadiens, had 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games last season. Dobson had an NHL career-high 70 points, 60 assists and 24 power-play points in 2023-24 and has had at least 10 goals in four straight seasons. During that same time frame, Dobson ranks 10th in points (209 in 308 games), is tied for 10th in power-play points (77), and ranks eighth in shots on goal (766) among defensemen.
4. Miro Heiskanen, D, DAL
Yahoo ADP: 86.1
Heiskanen had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and averaged 25:10 of ice time (sixth in NHL) through 50 games when a knee injury sustained on Jan. 28 in a collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone forced him to miss the rest of the regular season. Heiskanen, who finished in the top 10 of voting for the Norris Trophy in each of the previous two seasons (seventh in 2022-23, 10th in 2023-24), is expected to return to the top defensive pair at even strength and the second power play.
5. Elias Pettersson, F, VAN
Yahoo ADP: 66.9
Before he scored 15 goals in 64 games last season, Pettersson had three straight 30-goal seasons, reaching a career-high 39 in 80 games in 2022-23. Pettersson could lead Canucks forwards in ice time if given a top line, top power play role and is also capable of covering hits and blocked shots; he was the only forward in the League with 70-plus hits and 70-plus blocks in fewer than 70 games last season.
6. Mathew Barzal, F, NYI
Yahoo ADP: 144.2
Barzal, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 1, had 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 30 games last season and was averaging a career-high 20:21 ice time per game. Known more for his playmaking abilities, Barzal had a career-high 23 goals, 54 hits and 240 shots on goal in 2023-24. He has had at least 50 points in six of his past eight seasons and has hit the 80-point mark twice over that span.
7. Mika Zibanejad, F, NYR
Yahoo ADP: 133.6
Zibanejad will start the season in a new position, moving from center to right wing, on a line with Ragers captain J.T. Miller who seemed to spark his second-half resurgence last season (33 points over his final 32 games playing wing on Miller’s line). Zibanejad, who was a point-per-game player over the prevous three seasons (244 points in 244 games from 2021-22 to 2023-24), is also expected to remain on the first power play where he ranks fifth in the NHL in goals (104) since 2017-18.
8. Jeremy Swayman, G, BOS
Yahoo ADP: 112.6
After splitting the starts with Linus Ullmark for his first three full NHL seasons, Swayman had a career-high 58 starts and faced at least 30 shots in 21 of them last season. While the number of losses (29, tied for second most in NHL) and save percentage (.892; .910 in career) failed to meet expectations, Swayman should have the workload to prove last season was the outlier and the previous three seasons were more of his true standard of play.
9. Thatcher Demko, G, VAN
Yahoo ADP: 97.0
Injuries caused Demko to go from setting NHL career highs in wins (35), save percentage (.918), goals-against average (2.45) and shutouts (five) while being named a Vezina Trophy runner-up in 2023-24 to starting only 23 games last season. The 29-year-old, who signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal on July 1 that starts in 2026-27, will share time with backup Kevin Lankinen to give Vancouver a top-end goaltending tandem for the foreseeable future.
10. Andrew Mangiapane, F, EDM
Yahoo ADP: 189.0
Mangiapane signed with Edmonton as a free agent this offseason, and while he has not had more than 17 goals since scoring 35 in 82 games for the Calgary Flames in 2021-22, his potential exposure to elite forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl make him an intriguing bounce-back candidate.
Other bounce-back candidates to consider:
Juuse Saros, G, NSH (ADP: 102.6)
Carter Verhaeghe, F, FLA (ADP: 120.9)
Erik Karlsson, D, PIT (ADP: 126.2)
John Gibson, G, DET (ADP: 165.2)
Chris Kreider, F, ANA (ADP: 172.1)
Trevor Zegras, F, PHI (ADP: 190.0)
Josh Norris, F, BUF (ADP: 181.8)
