Let's be honest: The overwhelming majority of fantasy leagues are won by early round picks. That said, all it takes is the ability to find one or two sleepers throughout your draft to turn the tide completely in your favor. Some of the names below are well known, others are quite obscure. Regardless, each possesses the ability to outperform their average draft position, making them potentially highly intriguing selections.
1) Alexis Lafreniere (F, NYR): This is the most obvious one. Lafreniere, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, has yet to break out in six NHL seasons. Yet from February 5th on last season, or the day Artemi Panarin was traded to the Kings and Lafreniere was elevated to the No. 1 power play unit, he had 12 goals and 25 points – including nine with the man advantage – in 26 games. He's a priority target for me in drafts this year. I expect upwards of 30 goals and 65-70 points.
2) Roman Kantserov (F, CHI): Kantserov led the KHL in goals last season with 36 in 63 games as a 21-year-old. He signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks in May and will be on the roster to start the season. Kantserov should be leaned on heavily throughout the year, particularly early on when Connor Bedard is recovering from his shoulder injury. Kantserov is a dark-horse Rookie of the Year candidate.
3) William Eklund (F, OTT): Eklund was often lost in the shuffle in San Jose. He posted 58 and 53 points over each of the past two seasons but has never scored more than 17 goals in any one campaign. I think that changes in his first year in Ottawa. The Senators are deceptively thin up front following the trade of Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers. I expect Eklund to help fill the void in a major way.
4) Jaden Schwartz (F, COL): Injuries limited Schwartz to 50 games last season, but he's supposedly fully healthy after inking a three-year, $9.75 million deal with Colorado in free agency. He has a real chance to open the year as the club's No. 2 left wing, which would have him skating alongside names such as Gabriel Landeskog and either Brock Nelson or Nazem Kadri. Schwartz is an ideal final-round dart throw.
5) Simon Nemec (D, CGY): This is a tough one. The Flames are the least talented team in the NHL, but Nemec is going to get all the minutes he can handle after being acquired from the Devils and signing a five-year, $36.25 million contract in July. He's a fine pick in leagues that value scoring numbers, although he's likely essentially going to be unplayable in formats that place an emphasis on plus/minus rating.
6) Stuart Skinner (G, WPG): Skinner's career has been full of ups and downs, but he's still likely better than your average NHL backup. He's a stretch as a starter on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, but I think he'd be fine in a lower-leverage setting. There's still a chance Connor Hellebuyck is traded prior to the start of the year. If he is, and Skinner takes over as the No. 1 man in Winnipeg, I think he's going to provide legitimate fantasy value.
7) Luca Cagnoni (D, SJ): Cagnoni isn't even a lock to make the Sharks, so this is a pure dart throw. That said, he has 95 points in 131 AHL games over the course of the past two seasons, and San Jose doesn't have a traditional power-play quarterback on their roster. Youngster Sam Dickinson and veteran Dmitry Orlov are options to fill the role, although Cagnoni is better suited than both.
8) Viggo Bjorck (F, WPG): The No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 draft, Bjorck has everything you would want in a potential top-six pivot, other than the fact he's 5-foot-9. The small stature aside, Bjorck has produced everywhere he's played and Winnipeg's center depth is horrific. He must beat out names such as Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron to have a meaningful role come Opening Night.
9) Arturs Silovs/Sergei Murashov (G, PIT): I don't pretend to know what the Penguins plan to do in goal for this coming season. Silovs has never performed well in extended duty and Murashov has all of five NHL games under his belt. A committee of some sort is likely, although there's some upside here if either can secure the gig on a semi-full-time basis.
10) Vasili Podkolzin (F, EDM): Podkolzin scored 19 goals in 82 games last season after managing 26 in 219 games over the course of his first four years in the league. He will almost certainly open the year as Edmonton's No. 2 left wing, meaning he will likely be playing alongside Leon Draisaitl. Toss in the fact that Podkolzin has notched 200-plus hits in back-to-back seasons, and you could do far worse with your final draft pick.
11) Joel Hofer (G, STL): Jordan Binnington is a franchise legend, but the Blues appeared to realize late last season that the 33-year-old is in the twilight of his career. They leaned on Hofer increasingly and he produced (24-13-6, 2.61 GAA, .909 save percentage). I expect things to trend in a similar direction this season.
Luke Evangelista (F, NJ):
You never heard a word about Evangelista last season despite the fact he posted 56 points in 81 games. He added 17 points with the man advantage despite his shooting percentage being a career-low 6.8 percent. If that number reverts to the mean, he should finish with closer to 20 goals than 12, meaning a 65-plus point performance is within reach.
