Fantasy hockey sleeper picks with EDGE stats

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Breakout candidate for each team

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NOTES: Sleepers, players who are usually attainable around the top 120 overall or later, are underrated fantasy options who can exceed their average draft positions (ADP) this season.

Anaheim Ducks

Cutter Gauthier, F: The No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft was tied with Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers for the rookie lead in even-strength goals (18) last season and tied with Alex Killorn for Anaheim’s lead in that category. Gauthier had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) over his final 27 games last season and has the potential to eclipse the 30-goal mark in his second season given his high shot volume (190 shots on goal; second on Ducks behind Frank Vatrano’s 234). Per NHL EDGE stats, Gauthier ranked among the forward leaders in 20-plus mph speed bursts (200; 95th percentile), average shot speed (64.13 mph; 93rd percentile) and midrange goals (10; 90th percentile). — Troy Perlowitz

Boston Bruins

Elias Lindholm, F: The 30-year-old finished his first season in Boston with 11 points (five goals, six assists) over his final 11 games. Lindholm found chemistry during that span on the top line with elite goal scorers David Pastrnak (43 goals; fifth in NHL) and Morgan Geekie (33 goals; tied for 26th in NHL); that trio combined to score 15 goals when on the ice together at 5-on-5 for the Bruins over those final 11 games. Per NHL EDGE stats, Lindholm ranked among the forward leaders in high-danger shots on goal (70; 93rd percentile), long-range shots on goal (17; 86th percentile) and total skating distance (226.41 miles; 85th percentile). — Troy Perlowitz

Buffalo Sabres

Jiri Kulich, F: He had 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) in 62 games as a rookie last season and mostly played on a line with elite forward Tage Thompson, who led the NHL in 5-on-5 goals (33) last season. Kulich, 21, is expected to remain Buffalo’s top-line center and should receive more power-play ice time after the Sabres traded wing JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. Per NHL EDGE stats, Kulich ranked in the 83rd percentile in 20-plus mph speed bursts (141) and 91st percentile in average shot speed (63.11 mph) among forwards last season. — Chris Meaney

Calgary Flames

Zayne Parekh, D: The rookie scored a midrange goal in his NHL debut, which was his only game last season, and joins a deep group of fantasy defensemen for Calgary, which also has MacKenzie Weegar and another proven point producer in Rasmus Andersson (career-high 50 points in 2021-22). Parekh, who led Ontario Hockey League defensemen in goals (33) and points (107 in 61 games; fifth among all skaters in league) last season for Saginaw, joins goalie Dustin Wolf among NHL.com’s top 40 keeper rankings and should be considered a fringe top five rookie for this season. — Pete Jensen

Carolina Hurricanes

Taylor Hall, F: The 33-year-old veteran was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24 and finished the regular season strong with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in his final 19 games. Hall, a seven-time 20-goal scorer who won the Hart Trophy in 2018, should see top-nine and power-play usage for the Hurricanes, who reached the Eastern Conference Final last season. Per NHL EDGE stats, Hall scored 12 of his 18 goals from high-danger areas last season and ranked among the forward leaders in average skating distance per 60 minutes (10.21 miles; 92nd percentile), 20-plus mph speed bursts (162; 88th percentile) and long-range shots on goal (22; 92nd percentile). — Troy Perlowitz

Chicago Blackhawks

Sam Rinzel, D: The No. 25 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft was promoted to the Blackhawks near the end of last season and finished with five assists, three on the power play, 22 shots on goal and 12 hits in nine games. Rinzel ranked second on Chicago in average ice time (23:22 per game) and even-strength ice time (19:28 per game) and was tied for third in power-play ice time per game (2:24). The rookie defenseman could start the season on the first power-play unit, and, per NHL EDGE stats, finished in the 80th percentile among defensemen in average skating distance per 60 minutes at all strengths (8.80 miles) and 85th percentile at even strength (9.00). — Chris Meaney

Colorado Avalanche

Brock Nelson, F: The center had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 19 games, three on the power play, after being acquired by the Avalanche from the New York Islanders last season. He’s expected to remain on the second line, where he could bring exposure to talented wings in Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen and/or Gabriel Landeskog. Nelson is a three-time 30-goal scorer from his time with the Islanders and, per NHL EDGE stats, ranked among the forward leaders in total skating distance (259.89 miles; 97th percentile), midrange shots on goal (77; 93rd percentile) and 20-plus mph speed bursts (171; 91st percentile) last season. — Pete Jensen

Columbus Blue Jackets

Boone Jenner, F: He didn’t make his season debut until Feb. 22 because of shoulder surgery but was still productive last season with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) and 70 shots on goal in 26 games. Jenner (199 career goals) is one goal away from joining Rick Nash (289) and Cam Atkinson (213) as the only players to score 200 goals for the Blue Jackets in their history. He has a high fantasy ceiling for Columbus, which led the NHL in 5-on-5 goals last season (201), especially given his strong hits coverage (2.2 per game in career). Per NHL EDGE stats, Jenner ranked among the League leaders in high-danger goals in both 2023-24 (18; 94th percentile) and 2022-23 (17; 92nd percentile). — Troy Perlowitz

Dallas Stars

Lian Bichsel, D: The defenseman had nine points (four goals, five assists), 39 shots on goal and 155 hits in 38 games as a rookie last regular season. In 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Bichsel led the Stars and ranked eighth in the NHL with 75 hits. He had at least four hits in nine of those games, including 13 in one game against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round. Bischel could be one of the League leaders in hits over a full season, and, per NHL EDGE stats, ranked in the 92nd percentile among defensemen in average shot speed (74.33 mph) last season. — Chris Meaney

Detroit Red Wings

John Gibson, G: The veteran goalie has bounce-back potential with the Red Wings after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks. Among those who played at least 25 games last season, Gibson ranked fourth in even-strength save percentage (.930 in 29 games). Gibson has had a high fantasy ceiling in the past; he had three seasons of at least a .920 save percentage and 40 games played for the Ducks, with his best performance coming in 2017-18 (31 wins, .926 save percentage, four shutouts in 60 games). Per NHL EDGE stats, Gibson ranked second in long-range save percentage (.990) behind Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (.991) last season. — Pete Jensen

Edmonton Oilers

Isaac Howard, F: The Oilers acquired the 21-year-old in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 8. Howard led the NCAA in points per game (1.41; 52 in 37 games) last season for Michigan State University and won the Hobey Baker Award. He is expected to challenge for a middle-six forward spot as a rookie after the Oilers’ offseason departures, including forwards Corey Perry (signed with Los Angeles Kings), Evander Kane (traded to Vancouver Canucks) and Connor Brown (signed with New Jersey Devils). Howard is among NHL.com’s top 10 fantasy rookies for this season, and, per NHL EDGE stats, the Oilers led the NHL in high-danger shots on goal (703) and ranked second in 20-plus mph speed bursts (2,250) last season. – Troy Perlowitz

Florida Panthers

Mackie Samoskevich, F: He was among the NHL rookie leaders in points (31 in 72 games; 11th), power-play points (11; sixth) and hits (134; eighth) last season. Samoskevich, who only played four games for the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, could see top-six usage with forward Matthew Tkachuk’s injury concern (torn adductor muscle and sports hernia injury). Samoskevich frequently played on the second line with center Sam Bennett last season and saw time on the top power-play unit when Tkachuk was injured. Per NHL EDGE stats, Samoskevich ranked among the forward leaders last season in 22-plus mph speed bursts (14; 94th percentile), 20-plus mph bursts (173; 91st percentile), top skating speed (23.12 mph; 89th percentile) and offensive zone time percentage (46.8; 95th percentile). — Chris Meaney

Los Angeles Kings

Andrei Kuzmenko, F: The forward had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 22 games last season after being traded to the Kings on March 7; the only other player moved before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline who had more points than Kuzmenko was Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars (18 in 20 games). Kuzmenko, who played mostly on the top line and first power play with center Anze Kopitar and wing Adrian Kempe, has bounce-back potential considering he scored 39 goals in his first NHL season with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. Per NHL EDGE stats, Kuzmenko ranked highly among forwards in top shot speed (92.47 mph; 90th percentile) and offensive zone time percentage (45.8; 92nd percentile). — Troy Perlowitz

Minnesota Wild

Mats Zuccarello, F: The 38-year-old had nine points (two goals, seven assists), four on the power play, over his final seven games last regular season, proving he can still produce when healthy. He’s expected to remain on Minnesota’s top line with elite wing Kirill Kaprizov at even strength and on the first power play with Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek. Zuccarello is a three-time 20-goal scorer and eight-time 50-point producer and, per NHL EDGE stats, ranked among the forward leaders in long-range shots on goal (25; 94th percentile) and average shot speed (61.55 mph; 85th percentile) last season. – Troy Perlowitz

Montreal Canadiens

Zack Bolduc, F: The 22-year-old forward covered categories for the St. Louis Blues last season with 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists), seven power-play goals, 12 power-play points, 120 shots on goal and 108 hits in 72 games. After the 4 Nations Face-Off (Feb. 22), Bolduc led NHL rookies in both goals (13 in 26 games) and power-play goals (six) and was tied for first in his class in power-play points (nine) with his new Canadiens teammate, defenseman Lane Hutson. Bolduc is expected to play center on Montreal’s second line with two goal scorers in rookie Ivan Demidov and wing Patrik Laine. Per NHL EDGE stats, Bolduc ranked highly among forwards in top shot speed (92.10 mph; 88th percentile), average shot speed (61.82 mph; 86th percentile) and midrange goals (10; 90th percentile) last season. — Chris Meaney

Nashville Predators

Jonathan Marchessault, F: Known for his strong category coverage, Marchessault ranked second on the Predators in assists (35), points (56), even-strength goals (17), power-play points (23) and shots on goal (206) last season. Considering Marchessault had a career-high 75 points with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023 (25 points in 22 games during that postseason), he should be considered a prime fantasy bounce-back candidate. Per NHL EDGE stats, Marchessault ranked highly among forwards in all three shots by location categories: high-danger shots on goal (66; 91st percentile), midrange shots on goal (54; 84th percentile) and long-range shots on goal (20; 90th percentile). — Pete Jensen

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Sleepers for the rest of the teams will be added later in September:

New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Utah Mammoth
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets