Each week, I will take a trip around the league and dig into the numbers to find insights that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions.
This week, the Rangers lost their star goaltender, plus strong starts to the season from Josh Anderson, Jack Roslovic, Fraser Minten, Mason McTavish, and much more!
#1 The New York Rangers got devastating news this week when they lost starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the season with a knee injury. Shesterkin is one of the premier goaltenders in the league, so he is virtually impossible to replace but, especially with Joonas Korpisalo injured, the Rangers have to turn to prospect Dylan Garand, a 24-year-old who was a fourth-round pick in 2020. Garand had a .901 save percentage in 148 AHL games, which doesn’t exactly scream surefire NHL success, but he is off to a good start with the Blueshirts, posting a .915 save percentage in his first five games this season.
#2 If the Rangers believe that they have a chance to compete for a playoff spot, then they may have to venture into the trade market. It’s a complicated situation, since the expectation is that Shesterkin would be ready to return to action next season, so the need is really for one season. Among goaltenders with expiring deals that might be available, St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Montreal’s Samuel Montembeault might be the most reasonable options. Binnington has lost the Blues’ starting job to Joel Hofer, but he has tons of experience including in premier international events. Of course, the Blues may not be racing to push Binnington out the door unless the Rangers can make a quality offer. Montembeault, on the other hand, is currently injured, but even when he’s healthy, he is likely the third-best goaltender in the Habs organization behind Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler (though Dobes’ .842 save percentage early in this season is not inspiring confidence). That could make Montembeault an easier get for the Rangers, but he also might not represent enough of an upgrade to make it worthwhile for New York.
#3 There has been talk about the Canadiens signing right winger Josh Anderson to a contract extension and he’s certainly helping his value with his production early in the season, producing six points (4 G, 2 A) with 15 shots on goal and 15 hits in seven games. He’s accomplished this while averaging just 13:34 of ice time per game, his lowest time on ice since 2016-2017, his first full season in the NHL. While his ice time may be down, recent injuries are offering Anderson a situation with better quality, skating on a line with Alex Newhook and Chris Kreider.
#4 There has naturally been some skepticism about Jack Roslovic holding a spot on the top line for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there’s no denying that he’s delivering in that role. Not only does Roslovic have five points (3 G, 2 A) in his past five games, but he also has 19 shots on goal, and that kind of shot generation is likely to bring sustained production, not least of all because he’s likely to stay in this role.
#5 Second year Boston Bruins centre Fraser Minten is building on his strong rookie campaign. Anchoring Boston’s second line, between Marat Khusnutdinov and J.J. Peterka, Minten had a couple of points on opening night then went four games without a point, but rebounded with five points (3 G, 2 A) with seven shots on goal in his past two games. There is opportunity down the middle of the ice with the Bruins if Minten continues to produce at his current point-per-game pace.
#6 Moving to St. Louis in the offseason seems to be the breath of fresh air needed to invigorate the career of Mason McTavish. He fell out of favour in Anaheim last season, to the point that he was a healthy scratch, but he is currently riding a five-game point streak, during which he has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 21 shots on goal. He’s centering the second line, between Connor McMichael and Jonatan Berggren, so McTavish is getting a decent opportunity but there is room for it to get even better if he continues to produce.
#7 New York Rangers winger Gabe Perreault flashed potential as a rookie last season, contributing 27 points (12 G, 15 A) in 49 games and was a prime candidate for a breakthrough season coming into 2026-2027. In his past seven games, Perreault has five points (2 G, 3 A) with 12 shots on goal and, importantly, is averaging 17:55 of ice time per game. At even strength, he’s skating on the Blueshirts’ top line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev, a good spot to continue his production.
#8 Another potential breakthrough player, Washington Capitals right winger Ryan Leonard had 45 points (20 G, 25 A) in 75 games as a rookie last season, and in his past five games, he has five points (1 G, 4 A) and 12 shots on goal. Even during that stretch, he’s only playing 14 minutes per game on a very deep Capitals roster, currently skating on the fourth line at even strength but bolstering his output with a role on the Capitals’ first power play unit.
#9 A first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2024, winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard managed one point in 14 games for the Red Wings last season, but had 44 points (20 G, 24 A) in 60 AHL games before adding eight points (4 G, 4 A) in eight playoff games, a decent indication that he could contribute offensively and he’s starting to show it. The Norwegian winger has four points (2 G, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal while playing nearly 17 minutes per game in the past four games. Brandsegg-Nygard is working on a line with Alex DeBrincat and Emmitt Finnie and with this recent bump in ice time he is becoming more interesting for fantasy managers.
#10 New York Rangers left winger Will Cuylle continues to provide well-rounded value for fantasy managers. He has six points (3 G, 3 A) with 16 shots on goal in his past seven games but sends his fantasy value over the top with 35 hits in those seven games. Cuylle has had back-to-back seasons with more than 300 hits and is on pace to surpass that number for a third straight season.
#11 Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn has stepped into a bigger role, playing more than 19 minutes per game after averaging 15:39 of ice time per game last season, and Quinn has contributed eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 22 shots on goal in eight games this season. He’s skating with Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund at even strength while also playing on the Sabres’ top power play unit.
#12 It’s not all good news for the Sabres, however, as defenceman Rasmus Dahlin suffered an upper-body injury against the Florida Panthers. He’s listed as day-to-day but there is some uncertainty about how quickly Dahlin can return to action. Owen Power has already been eating major minutes on the Buffalo blueline, but he has topped 28 minutes in each of the past two games with Dahlin injured.
#13 The defending Stanley Cup champions are dealing with some injury adversity early in the season. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal with miss 1-2 months with a torn calf and left winger Taylor Hall is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Those injuries present new opportunities. Mark Jankowski, who already has five goals in eight games, moves up the depth chart to take Staal’s spot in the lineup and top prospect Bradly Nadeau should slide into Hall’s spot alongside Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. The Hurricanes do have some hopeful news on the horizon as Seth Jarvis appears to be nearing a return from offseason shoulder surgery.
#14 As if the season hasn’t started poorly enough for the Philadelphia Flyers, but scoring winger Travis Konecny has landed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Konecny, who has had more than 60 points in each of the past four seasons, had three assists in five games before getting hurt and was playing 16:49 per game – it’s a small sample but that is his lowest average time on ice since 2020-2021. With Konecny out, second-year winger Denver Barkey has seen an uptick in playing time, topping 15 minutes in each of his past three outings.
#15 In Edmonton, the Oilers are going without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has yet to play this season due to a lower-body injury. He’s one of a handful of Oilers forwards who is injured, but there is some positive news, as Zach Hyman is expected to return to action on Saturday. The lack of proven depth up front has presented the Oilers with a challenge early in the season. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Vasily Podkolzin have scored 16 goals and Evan Bouchard has added six, while the rest of the Edmonton roster has scored nine.
#16 Carolina Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov was out of the mix during last season’s Stanley Cup run, but with Frederik Andersen gone to Edmonton (where he is injured), Kochetkov is splitting time in the Carolina crease with Brandon Bussi. Kochetkov has won each of his four starts and has a .911 save percentage, a level of performance that should give him a chance to claim a greater share of the goaltending starts for the Hurricanes.
#17 With all the turmoil surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and their stalemate with star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, it’s worth noting that Stuart Skinner’s play between the pipes has allowed the Jets to be patient while fielding offers for Hellebuyck. In five starts, Skinner has a 3-0-2 record with a .906 save percentage, which is an improvement on his play in recent seasons, and a solid performance in net does give the Jets a much more positive outlook. There were rumblings about Hellebuyck to the Los Angeles Kings, where Darcy Kuemper has a .847 save percentage in four starts. There is probably a deal that could be made between the two teams, and the Kings have enough of a veteran core that they could be interested in a 33-year-old goaltender with Hellebuyck’s impressive track record.
#18 The Edmonton Oilers may have found something resembling an answer for their goaltending woes. They acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres in the summer, and in his first start of the season he allowed seven goals on 22 shots in a 9-7 win over Vancouver. Since then, he has a .939 save percentage in four starts, giving him a clear edge over Tristan Jarry, who has a .837 save percentage in his two starts. Frederik Andersen is still on IR, and he may have some say before the season is done but, right now, it sure looks like Levi is the guy in the Oilers net.
#19 After signing with the Seattle Kraken in the summer of 2021, goaltender Philipp Grubauer fell flat, delivering four straight seasons of subpar goaltending, before bouncing back last season. Grubauer has continued where he left off in 2025-2026, posting a .910 save percentage in his first five appearances of this season. He may not become more than a tandem partner for Joey Daccord, but Grubauer’s play since the start of last season puts him in a vastly different class than the one he occupied in his first four seasons with the Kraken.
#20 It’s early in the season, so plenty of time for players to turn it around after a slow start, but some high-profile wingers have been slow out of the gate. Pavel Dorofeyev has four points (2 G, 2 A) in his first nine games for the Rangers, but he also has 28 shots on goal, and if he can keep putting more than three shots on goal per game, the goals tend to follow. Detroit’s Lucas Raymond has zero goals and four assists in seven games, with three assists coming in one game against Ottawa. Raymond has 21 shots on goal, though, so his slump should be ready to end soon. Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers has four assists and 15 shots on goal in eight games, which is not unlike his slow start to last season, when he had four assists and 28 shots on goal in his first 11 games, and he still finished the 2025-2026 campaign with a career-high 71 points.