Fantasy hockey top 10 draft bargains
Value picks who can outperform average draft position; season preview podcasts
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NOTES: There are separate preseason draft lists for sleepers, rookies, breakouts and bounce-backs. Players are listed in order of NHL.com fantasy rank. These picks are a collaborative effort by Pete Jensen, Chris Meaney and Troy Perlowitz.
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1. Gabriel Vilardi, F, WPG
Average draft position: 126.2
The 26-year-old set NHL career highs in goals (27), assists (34), points (61), power-play goals, (12; led team), power-play points (25), shots on goal (130) and average ice time (18:08 per game) last season, his second with Winnipeg. Vilardi, who has had at least 20 goals and an 18.0 percent shooting percentage in each of his past three seasons, is just outside NHL.com's top 50 forwards but is attainable much later in drafts.
2. Dylan Strome, F, WSH
Average draft position: 128.6
Strome has set new NHL career highs in goals and points in each of his three seasons with the Capitals, including 29 goals (fourth on team) and 82 points (led team) last season. Strome, who's Washington's No. 1 center with exposure to elite goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin and is a fixture on the top power play, remains an underrated option in drafts that usually falls outside the top 100 overall.
3. Sean Monahan, F, CBJ
Average draft position: 173.6
Monahan, who was limited to 54 games last season because of a wrist injury, was productive when healthy with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists), including 14 on the power play. Monahan, who led Columbus forwards in average ice time (19:01 per game), remains an all-situations center who wins his share of face-offs and plays on both of the team’s top special teams units. He is an injury bounce-back candidate and a fringe top 100 overall player in NHL.com’s fantasy rankings.
4. Sam Montembeault, G, MTL
Average draft position: 107.8
The Montreal Canadiens starter led them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season with NHL career bests in wins (31; tied for sixth), goals-against average (2.82), shutouts (four; tied for seventh) and games played (62; third). With the addition of defenseman Noah Dobson and physical forward Zack Bolduc, the Canadiens have a chance to take another step forward. Montembeault, who also ranked highly in saves (1,513; sixth in NHL) last season, is a clear value pick considering he's going 19th among goalies on average in drafts.
5. Morgan Geekie, F, BOS
Average draft position: 167.5
After scoring 22 goals in his first 180 NHL games prior to joining the Bruins in 2023-24, the 27-year-old has 50 goals in 153 games over the past two seasons with Boston. Geekie, who signed a six-year contract to remain with Boston this offseason, set NHL career highs in goals (33), assists (24) and points (57) in 77 games last season. He was quietly tied for second in the League in 5-on-5 goals (26) last season with elite exposure to Pastrnak on the top line and could have an even higher ceiling if his power-play point production (nine last season) improves.
6. Mikael Granlund, F, ANA
Average draft position: 178.2
The offseason additions of Granlund (signed three-year contract) and Chris Kreider (acquired from New York Rangers) should boost the Ducks’ top-nine forward group and address their power-play struggles from last season; they were last on the power play (11.8 percent) and 30th in goals per game (2.65). Granlund, a five-time 60-point producer, was relied upon heavily last season with the San Jose Sharks; he ranked among the top 75 overall fantasy players in standard leagues (45 points, 15 on power play, in 52 games) before being traded to the Dallas Stars on Feb. 1.
7. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, CAR
Average draft position: 125.7
The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is paired with promising rookie Alexander Nikishin in training camp and, over the past two seasons combined, ranks among the leaders at his position in points (101 in 151 games; 13th), power-play points (56; fifth) and assists (84; 15th). Gostisbehere plays for one of the safest fantasy teams and has a high fantasy ceiling (three-time 50-point producer; career-high 65 in 2017-18) skating on the first power play with talented forwards Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and offseason addition Nikolaj Ehlers.
8. Frederik Andersen, G, CAR
Average draft position: 149.8
Andersen is a top-10 fantasy goalie when healthy, but it's been four seasons since he started at least 40 games (51 in 2021-22) and seven since he started at least 60 games (60 in 2018-19 with the Toronto Maple Leafs). But, over Andersen's past 50 starts, he's 33-15-2 with a .911 save percentage and five shutouts. Andersen also plays behind a defense that allowed the fewest shots on goal per game (24.9) last season, a category they have been the best in the NHL at each year since the arrival of coach Rod Brind’Amour in 2018-19.
9. Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA
Average draft position: 120.3
Ekblad bounced back in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 points (four goals, nine assists), four on the power play, in 19 games and has collective upside with teammate Seth Jones over a full season with each player attainable in the mid-to-late rounds. Ekblad, who has had three seasons of at least 15 goals with his best season coming in 2021-22 (57 points, 20 on power play, in 61 games), will be relied upon for offense with the injury absences of forwards Matthew Tkachuk (expected out until December) and Aleksander Barkov (expected to miss entire regular season).
10. Artturi Lehkonen, F, COL
Average draft position: 163.4
Since joining the Avalanche in 2021-22, Lehkonen has missed time because of multiple injuries but has 70 goals and 139 points in 194 games, which are 82-game paces of nearly 30 goals (29.58) and 59 points (58.75). Lehkonen is a fixture in the Avalanche's top six with elite center Nathan MacKinnon and other high-end forwards Martin Necas, Valeri Nichushkin, Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog and also covers hits (725 in 590 career games), making him a perennial fantasy draft bargain.
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Other injured players worth stashing in all leagues:
Matthew Tkachuk, F, FLA
Average draft position: 63.3
Injury note: Tkachuk had surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle on Aug. 22 and is expected to be out until at least December.
Zach Hyman, F, EDM
Average draft position: 116.1
Injury note: Hyman (wrist) is expected to be out until at least November.
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Other potential fantasy bargains to consider:
Tyler Seguin, F, DAL (165.2)
Pierre-Luc Dubois, F, WSH (166.2)
Tony DeAngelo, D, NYI (166.7)
Tyler Toffoli, F, SJS (173.4)
Ryan Donato, F, CHI (183.7)
Troy Terry, F, ANA (N/A)
Pius Suter, F, STL (N/A)
