For consistency, the cheat sheet is set to the same categories noted in NHL.com\u2019s introduction: goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, hits and blocked shots for skaters and wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where we\u2019re lower<\/p>\n
Valeri Nichushkin, Colorado Avalanche<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 82 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 278<\/p>\n Nichushkin leads the way with the most significant gap in value between rankings. Last year\u2019s scoring dip contributes to that, especially on the power play. The Avs have a new coach leading the power play, which could turn things around, but his usage is another question mark. While Nichushkin\u2019s generally a PP1 staple, he shifted to the second unit in favor of Gabriel Landeskog late in Round 1 of the playoffs last spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n That power play deployment will be key, along with whether his five-on-five impacts can rebound. Unlike years past, he wasn\u2019t a positive on Colorado\u2019s expected goal generation. Maybe last year\u2019s roster turnover had something to do with it. So the rebound potential is there, it just shouldn\u2019t be bet on too early in the draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 123 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 294<\/p>\n Marchand was a much better player than his regular-season scoring in Boston showed last year \u2014 his underlying numbers showed positives, but his surroundings held him back. His play in Florida, however, showed what he has left in the tank with Conn Smythe-caliber play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Marchand\u2019s regular-season value for 2025-26 is probably somewhere between those two levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n Age is the elephant in the room for the 37-year-old. Matthew Tkachuk\u2019s absence in the season\u2019s first half (ish) is another curveball to navigate. Tkachuk\u2019s absence could put more emphasis on Marchand in the matchup game, which he didn\u2019t face as much in the playoffs as part of the third line.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bottom line?\u00a0Don\u2019t let last year\u2019s playoffs inspire\u00a0too early a pick for Marchand. If you miss out on him, there are other middle-six options to consider in Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 112 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 250<\/p>\n We tend to exercise more caution with rising stars, like Demidov. Yes, his arrival was highly anticipated. And yes, he delivered very quickly in two regular-season games to kick off his NHL career. But having a successful rookie season isn\u2019t the same as a successful fantasy season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The cheat sheet projects 21 goals and 53 points, which is respectable for a rookie. He can push the pace even more if he stays on the top power-play unit. The addition of Zachary Bolduc may add more second-line production. Still, compared to seasoned second-liners, it may not be enough for Rounds 7-10 (for those outside of dynasty leagues, at least).\u00a0<\/p>\n Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 73 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 197<\/p>\n If Dorofeyev ends up riding shotgun with Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel on the top line, he will do a lot of offensive damage this year.<\/p>\n A top-loaded approach just hasn\u2019t been Vegas\u2019 style. Instead, he probably stays on Tomas Hertl\u2019s wing on the second line \u2014 which doesn\u2019t necessarily hurt his value \u2014 it\u2019s where Dorofeyev had a breakout year due to shot volume and goal-scoring ability. However, expectations are different than if he had a first-line role.<\/p>\n Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 65 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 163<\/p>\n Playoff Bennett is an entirely different animal than regular-season Bennett \u2014 and the latter is the one managers will be drafting over the next couple of weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bennett scored 22 points in 23 playoff games, accumulating 106 hits, translating to a rate of 78 points across an 82-game season. Remember, Bennett has only once reached the 50-point milestone in the regular season. On top of that, he\u2019ll start the year without Tkachuk driving the second line.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bennett\u2019s Conn Smythe-caliber play may give him more juice in the regular season, but not the same amount as Playoff Bennett.<\/p>\n Where we\u2019re higher<\/p>\n Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 178 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 87\u00a0<\/p>\n It makes perfect sense why Saros\u2019 (and Jeremy Swayman\u2019s) value has dipped on NHL.com\u2019s rankings: his play has trended down, and so has the quality of the team around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saros\u2019 goals saved above expected (minus-4.68) and 0.895 save percentage were career lows last year. And his numbers weren\u2019t super inspiring in 2023-24, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n But this is a big year for Saros. It\u2019s Year 1 of his eight-year extension in Nashville. So, the pressure is on him to show that the Vezina-caliber goalie from seasons past is still there. He\u2019s been a game-changer before, even when the team around him underwhelmed, so now is the time to show his ceiling.<\/p>\n Seth Jones, Florida Panthers<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 153 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 62<\/p>\n Peripherals matter with category scoring, and Jones chips in across the board. The Panthers may not face the same shot volume as the Blackhawks, but Jones should still help in the blocks category. While he isn\u2019t a high-end scorer, he should still contribute offensively. Jones took reps on the first power-play unit last spring with the Panthers, and there wasn\u2019t an obvious offseason signing to replace him. So, while he didn\u2019t thrive in that role in Chicago, he is playing alongside more high-octane forwards in Florida who can drive scoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 138 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 49<\/p>\n Pettersson is one of the trickiest players to analyze. In 2022-23, he showed what a difference-maker he could be with a 102-point season, and he carried that energy through two-thirds (ish) of the 2023-24 season. But that\u2019s where his game started trending down, before outright plummeting in 2024-25.<\/p>\n Some roster tweaks and a coaching change could help Pettersson get back on track, but there is no guarantee it will help. He\u2019s played through numerous coaches, and the Canucks\u2019 offseason was somewhat underwhelming. But it goes beyond his surroundings, and one bad stretch isn\u2019t all holding Pettersson back.<\/p>\n The skill is still there. And the model accounts for more than just last year (it\u2019s the past three years, weighed for recency and adjusted for age). So choosing the right spot to pick him depends on each manager\u2019s belief in his talent translating at the pace of a true first-line center again.\u00a0<\/p>\n Adam Fox, New York Rangers<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 102 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 16<\/p>\n Between a disappointing regular season in New York and the 4 Nations Face-Off, the perception of Fox\u2019s game has shifted significantly over the past year. But even when factoring in categories like hitting, to which Fox doesn\u2019t contribute much, he still ranks 16th by our cheat sheet.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rangers\u2019 2024-25 season was chaotic and dismal. Fox alone couldn\u2019t elevate a sinking ship, but he is still a No. 1 defenseman who quarterbacks a top power play. Expect the Rangers to stabilize under a new-look coaching staff, with Fox playing a key role.\u00a0<\/p>\n Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> 164 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 103<\/p>\n The problem with a categories league is that some managers must look for specialists in the peripheral categories \u2014 shot blockers who don\u2019t contribute much else, big hitters or players with limited value.\u00a0<\/p>\n McAvoy\u2019s scoring may not be as prolific as other top defensemen, but his blend of contributions brings value, especially in a categories league (in a points league, we have him a bit lower at 129).\u00a0<\/p>\n The team around him may underwhelm, but McAvoy tends to share the ice with David Pastrnak at even strength, which bodes well for some scoring potential. And he could keep getting reps on PP1, unless Mason Lohrei officially takes over this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Honorable mentionsStuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> \u2014 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 89<\/p>\n Lastly, we will take a quick look at two players who fell outside NHL.com\u2019s top-200 overall. Skinner\u2019s game is as chaotic as it gets. Managers are likely tired of dealing with his erratic results, which have led to him losing the starter\u2019s net at times. But until Edmonton acquires a true No. 1, the net (mostly) belongs to Skinner \u2014 the quality of the team around him should help elevate his numbers enough from a fantasy context.\u00a0<\/p>\n Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/b><\/p>\n NHL:<\/strong> \u2014 | The Athletic:<\/strong> 77<\/p>\n Rielly is a flawed No. 1 defenseman and doesn\u2019t play a super physical game. But what he can add offensively outweighs that enough for consideration. His role on the Leafs\u2019 top power-play unit is the key \u2014 Toronto ranked top-10 in expected and actual goal generation on the advantage last year. While the power play will look different without Marner, there is a lot of talent up front to maintain the production.<\/p>\n Data via Evolving-Hockey<\/a>, HockeyViz<\/a>, HockeyStatCards<\/a>, All Three Zones<\/a> and Natural Stat Trick<\/a>. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer<\/a> on these numbers.<\/p>\n (Photo of Brad Marchand: Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whenever fantasy hockey season rolls around, there is a ton of content to absorb.\u00a0 It\u2019s always great to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":217811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[3000,293,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-217810","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-fantasy-hockey","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115184929131877620","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-07-at-10.25.04\u202fPM.png\")
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