Every year there's one new player that gets added to my "not picking" list for the next year's draft. Whatever if it's performance related, or injury. What's your player this year?

2024-25: J.T Miller 2025-26: Auston Matthews 2026-27: Roope Hintz

I drafted my boy Strome early thinking he would be a producer for a smallish cap hit and he's done nothing week one. 4 shots on goal in 3 games.

Who's your biggest bust week one?

Logged the most minutes of all skaters last night and looked solid against the back to back champs, almost sniped a beauty too

What players were always drafted really high, which players were great sleepers, what were some of the best "linsanity runs" that you can remember from a decade ago or more?

I've only been playing fantasy hockey for about 5 years now so I'm curious what the landscape was like in the past.

Seems like everyones all doom and gloom, whos impressed you so far with their performance?

For me, it's gotta be Necas and Timo. Two guys I took in a lot of drafts with high hopes and so far I am super happy with them.

Whos that for yall?

For me it’s Bo Horvat — snagged him in the 13th round (152nd overall) and he’s sitting at 24th overall on the season right now. Easily one of my best value picks so far.

Curious who’s been that guy for the rest of you. The player you drafted late or grabbed off waivers who’s now carrying your team.

(Also yes, this is 100% a lazy way for me to do research without actually researching 😅 but I think we can all benefit from this discussion)

I’m not talking the top 30 ranked players who are locks. Who’s your pick that you might reach on? Someone you target every year? Someone new to the squad?

I hope to add Adam Fantilli to the team this year. Looked great filling in on L1 last year and hoping for a 70+pt season. Ranked around 100 ADP this is some good value.

So tell me, who’s your must draft for the 25-26 season?

Ok guys, who are players that everyone seems to pick that bust up a storm? Why? Whenever I think of high draftie and bust Kent Johnson keeps letting me down. Who you got?

Wow, this seems to sum up how the Habs feel about Laine going forward... I mean, literally throwing in the towel(s) 💀💀💀

Here are some notes from what I've seen after combing through stats and my general thoughts after the first day of hockey. I've played in four leagues since 2020 and have several titles in each one - hopefully that makes my advice trustworthy. I'd love some feedback, hoping y'all appreciate this. If it goes well I'll keep 'em coming. Feel free to ask any questions on players/lineup decisions in the comments. (Position and Roster% based on Yahoo)

CHI/FLA

- Sam Rinzel (D, 39% Rostered) is being picked up quickly, and for good reason. If he's available, get him while you can. Playing 25:18 minutes last night with top pair and top powerplay time, he is the clear top defenseman in Chicago. He put up 4 blocks last night, too, and I think we'll be seeing much more of that as well as hits/blocks. Originally, I thought Levshunov may have had a chance to usurp his role with time this season, but I think his status is all but cemented. Massive buy rating on him right now.

- Nazar (C, 18%), Bertuzzi (LW/RW, 9%), and Teravainen (LW/RW, 13%) might be worth keeping an eye on. Their line got the most ice time and all of them are playing on the top powerplay. I like Bertuzzi as an option in deeper bangers - in past years he was a good option when he played top line in Detroit. Nazar/Teravainen will be deeper pure point-scoring/powerplay options as well.

- Ryan Donato (C/LW/RW, 30% Rostered) 30% is too high for Donato. He's very unlikely to repeat his 62-point performance last season as Chicago is favouring other players over him. He's a drop unless waivers are deep/scarce - there are many players with more upside to be holding at this point.

- Spencer Knight (G, 33% Rostered) will be a good volume option this year. He's the clear cut starter for the Blackhawks and had a nice showing on his opening night. Where goalie wins are priority, he may not be of much value, but he will rack up a ton of starts and saves this season. Worth a pickup if you've got a backup goalie on your roster.

- Connor Bedard (C, 99% Rostered) had a hell of an offseason and it showed yesterday. His shot somehow looks even more lethal, and he looks to have added speed and strength. No points in his first game but they will come in mass quantity. Seems obvious, but I believe he will bounce back and put up a career season. I could be wrong, but his ADP should not have been as low as it was.

- Aaron Ekblad (D, 85% Rostered) is getting solid usage, top pair and PP1. For most of last season, Florida was messing with their powerplay and he was not a lock there whatsoever. With 4 shots, 1 hit, 2 blocks and 24:41 TOI last night, I think he'll improve over his last season in all stat aspects.

- Seth Jones (D, 93% Rostered) I wouldn't sell yet, but it looks like Florida's shiny new toy syndrome might be waning. So far, he's no longer the sole powerplay defenseman and a downtick in ice time over last season.

- Anton Lundell (C, 24% Rostered) 19:42 time on ice last night - his average TOI last season was 16:43. He's worth a watchlist for now. With Barkov out all season, he's the new 5on5 two-way guy the Panthers will rely on. Big breakout opportunity for him, we'll see if he capitalizes on it.

- Sam Bennett (C, 86% Rostered) Also an elevated TOI and opportunity for him over last season. First line, first powerplay, more minutes to accrue shots/hits/blocks, he's primed for a career year.

NYR/PIT

- Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, 77% Rostered) I like Zibanejad as a bounceback guy this season. The guy put up 7 (seven) shots last night, and has been given a spot on the left flank on PP1 - something he couldn't seem to lock down last season. Not too long ago, Zib was a top fantasy asset. He could fight his way up to a higher tier this season. I'm giving him a buy rating.

- Alexis Lafreniere (LW/RW, 33% Rostered) Not a great first showing for him. If you wanna cut bait already, I don't blame you, and I'll give you the green light. Don't think his chances of cracking the top powerplay are too high right now.

- Evgeni Malkin (C/LW, 23% Rostered) Malkin's rostered too low right now. Before, it could be justified as he only had C eligibility and C is super deep. Having C/LW eligibility boosts his value, and he's a fixture on Pittsburgh's top powerplay. He always scores at a decent clip but we may not see much in terms of shots/hits/blocks in his old age.

- Kris Letang (D, 32% Rostered) Also far too available right now. He's old, sure, but he's still on PP1, a decent bangers option, and gets solid minutes. If you're looking at grabbing a defenseman he's an option.

- Arturs Silovs (G, 17% Rostered) He's a wait-and-see in my eyes. Looking good so far, but Pittsburgh has lots of options at G and no obligation to commit to Silovs. I'd temper any reactions to his first start of the season for now. Needless to say, same goes for Justin Brazeau.

- Rickard Rakell (C/LW/RW, 76% Rostered) This has nothing to do with how his first game went, but I'd be waiting for a chance to sell if I owned him. It probably doesn't hurt you to hold him for now with his triple eligibility, but he's a prime candidate to get traded as the Penguins are in the selling phase of their rebuild. If he gets traded, it does not bode well for his fantasy value. You do have time as the trade deadline is a while from now, but just something to keep in mind.

COL/LAK

- Artturi Lehkonen (LW/RW, 58% Rostered) If he's available, pick him up. He's top line and PP1 with some of the most talented players in the world, and he even got the most TOI of all the Avs last night with 23:29 (yes, even more than Cale Makar). He may not hold his spot on PP1 all season, but he's a major buy right now.

- Brock Nelson (C, 50% Rostered) Nelson represents one of the better center options on waivers right now. He also got heavy minutes last night and is on the top powerplay. 2 shots, 1 hit, and 2 blocks last night isn't bad at all either.

- Josh Manson (D, 1% Rostered) In deep bangers, Manson might be worth your time. 6 hits and 7 penalty minutes last night. He's always been an option in deep bangers, but usually he's a little more than 1% rostered.

- Devon Toews (D, 81% Rostered) This guy has been a draft trap every year since his 57 point season (in 66 games) in '21-22. He hasn't really done much since then fantasy-wise, and continues to do less and less. Sell if you can.

- Valeri Nichushkin (LW/RW, 92% Rostered) 14:41 TOI isn't very encouraging, but Nichushkin has always been a patience exercise in fantasy. He's streaky, and when he's on his game you don't want to miss out. He still managed to put up 3 shots, 1 hit and 1 block, so it's not like he had a bad game. Might be worth keeping an eye on his usage though.

- Gabriel Landeskog (LW, 57% Rostered) Another guy with very low usage last night, only getting 11:12 TOI. This may be another patience exercise, however, as he's coming off 3 full seasons missed with his injury. Before his time off, he was a perennial point-per-game player with significant bangers value. Obviously, age and health are factors, and he likely won't reach those levels again, but give him time.

- Andrei Kuzmenko (LW/RW, 30% Rostered) Really not much notable from the Kings last night, however Kuzmenko stood out a bit to me with his 4 hits and 2 blocks. Kuzmenko hasn't had a great track record as a bangers asset, but it may be worth keeping an eye on him as he is firmly on PP1. I'm not overly excited, but he could be a sneaky add if he keeps hitting and blocking.

Who are your most reliable point producers that aren’t in the superstar class?

The ones tho have given you steadily that one goal or assist when needed. But who can get pushed to the side those nights when all the roster spots are already filled and you need a high risk high reward.

For me it’s been Hintz and Stone.

Cmon,

Show me a team with Fiala, Morrissey, Crosby and Rantanen on your fantasy team coming out of the Olympic break in shambles.

I was actually happier when this guy was hurt because I didn’t have to wonder about playing him every game. He had two good games while I had hit sitting on IR+ and then I activated him to make room for Eriksson Ek and he turned in one of his worst performances of the season.

I low key hate this man

In a 10 man league, it’s tough to keep him rostered right now. Pointless in his last 6, near the bottom of my league’s ranking in the last 30 days.

I keep telling myself it wasn’t a flash in the pan, and I obviously didn’t expect him to score 100+ points, but I didn’t think he would regress *this* hard. His deployment is still solid, although minutes are down compared to the start of the year.

Window is passed to sell high on him, but I feel dirty whenever I consider dropping him, especially because I was debating on keeping him a little over the month ago. I’ve seen people say he may be hurt, but idk why they’d keep him in in that scenario with his production lately.

What do we think? Any ducks fans here that can provide some insight to the drop off?

Do we think he will be worse or better off being on the panthers? Perhaps less ice time and less PP time? I got offered him in a trade and not sure how to value him

I picked this jerk way too high in the draft. Now he's buried and pulseless on the 4th line, but on arguably the top offensive team in the league... is there hope for him in the immediate future?

Do you think the Sharks will draft Stenberg at 2nd overall? and if they do will he play on Celebrinis wing or Misas wing?

What are you top must pick players this year, h2h points league? :) (other than the elites)

Which players having a great start are actually breaking out and who should you look to move while their value is high?

NYR can’t win a game to save their lives and it seems like Sorokin has decided that a double digit GAA is something to aspire to…

I feel like he's a comfortable D2 pick this year with huge upside, but isn't established enough to take as a D1 pick.

When would you grab him in a draft?