Beebs Bondy’s 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers
Finding value in the later rounds of your draft can be the difference between building a good fantasy team and a championship roster. Every year, players outperform their draft-day price because of increased opportunity, a larger role, a bounce-back season or simply being overlooked by the fantasy community.
With that in mind, each of Daily Faceoff’s four Fantasy Hockey analysts has identified their favourite sleepers for the 2026-27 season. These aren’t necessarily players we expect to become superstars, but players we believe are being drafted too late (or not at all) relative to their fantasy upside.
All Sleeper Lists:
Yaroslav Askarov (SJS – G) | ADP: 128.1 (73% Drafted)
I’ll be the first to admit I believe fantasy hockey goalies are voodoo, and Askarov is coming off an absolutely dreadful first season in San Jose last year. Still, the 24-year-old Russian netminder is far too talented, on far too good a roster, and in too fruitful a fantasy position not to intrigue me as the final goalie to fill out my rosters. His ceiling remains incredibly high, having been just a year removed from an impressive .923 SV% across 22 games with the Barracuda (AHL) in 2024-25, and he has shown he can be an effective NHL goalie at times. Askarov is currently going very late in drafts, near the final rounds, meaning you can close out your goalies if you happen to focus on other aspects earlier in your draft with a sure-fire starter with high potential on a team that should battle for a playoff spot. Add in that San Jose should improve defensively with the additions of Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse, and things seem to be trending in a better direction for the goaltender. Askarov’s competition in net is Alex Nedeljkovic and Eric Comrie, which suggests the Sharks still see him as their goaltender of the future, as they did when they traded a 1st-round pick and two assets for him in August 2024. If you’re in a league with saves, he should see 50+ starts and will likely get his share of rubber, making him an even more valuable asset in save-specific leagues.
Gabriel Vilardi (WPG – C/RW) | ADP: 144.9 (36% Drafted)
Despite being only one of 39 NHL players to finish 2025-26 with 30 goals and 30 assists, Vilardi is being taken in only 36% of leagues and has an ADP of 144.9. The 27-year-old is entering his eighth NHL season and his fourth in Winnipeg, expected to find himself in yet another solid fantasy position alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor on Winnipeg’s top line and power play. He proved last season he had what it takes to lock in his top power-play role, posting 13 PPG and 30 PPP alongside solid 5v5 production. Few options this late in drafts should lock in top minutes and provide elite goal and point totals alongside all-star linemates as Vilardi does. If he can keep improving his SOG as he has over the previous three seasons, he can take his game to an even higher level while providing a strong floor in point-related leagues.
Patrick Kane (CHI – RW) | ADP: 133.0 (24% Drafted)
Kane is back in Chicago after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus and finds himself in a fantastic fantasy spot atop a young Blackhawks lineup. The 37-year-old proved that, even at his age, he could remain fantasy-relevant in Detroit, where he put up 16 goals, 57 points and 169 SOG in just 67 games last season. With a fresh bill of health and playing with the likes of Connor Bedard and Anton Frondell, the veteran could be a solid way to close out your fantasy lineup if you’re feeling light on assists or power-play contributors. Kane may be in his 20th NHL season, but he is still an elite playmaker, surrounded by players hungry to prove Chicago is more than the bottom feeders it has been in years past.
Dylan Cozens (OTT – C) | ADP: 140.6 (6% Drafted)
Cozens’ first full season in Ottawa had its ups and downs, but it ultimately ended as a successful inaugural campaign in the Nation’s Capital. His 28 goals, 59 points, 204 SOG, 215 hits and 17:02 TOI/GP were incredibly impressive but showed there was a glaring need for more ice this season and even better numbers with an abundance of youth around him. The 25-year-old is a sneaky, full-category stuffer, finishing as one of only two players in the NHL last season with 200+ SOG and 200+ Hits. With Brady Tkachuk now out of the picture in Ottawa, the Senators’ coaching staff will look for new shoulders to lean on, and the towering forward should keep putting up useful fantasy numbers while occupying both Ottawa’s top power-play and top-six units. At a cheap ADP of 140.6, he’s easy to acquire late in drafts and should give your fantasy team a safe floor and intriguing ceiling as he looks to put up 200+ SOG for the fourth time in his seven-year career this season.
Bobby McMann (SEA – LW/RW) | ADP: 136.8 (2% Drafted)
McMann arrived in Seattle after last year’s trade deadline and took the fantasy world by storm, posting 10 goals, 14 points, 58 SOG, and 30 hits in just 18 games. Still, the category-filling forward is barely being noticed in fantasy drafts ahead of the 2026-27 season, being drafted in just two percent of leagues. The 30-year-old finds himself comfortable in Seattle with a full season ahead, expected to line up in Seattle’s top-six with a chance to crack their top power-play. Take last season’s 18-game stretch with the Kraken and extrapolate it across this year’s 84-game schedule, and McMann would have provided 47 goals, 65.3 points, 271 SOG and 140 Hits- strong fantasy numbers in banger leagues that you would love at the bottom of your lineups. Take McMann as a low-risk, category-filling option late in drafts that has the potential to provide solid numbers across the board while flying under the radar on draft day.
Viktor Arvidsson (DET – LW/RW) | ADP: —
Arvidsson’s first season in Boston likely would’ve ended as a 30/30 campaign if he hadn’t missed 13 games due to injury last year. When healthy, the veteran forward’s sneaky consistency led to him being one of the best late-season pickups in 2025-26, putting up 11 goals, 26 points, 51 SOG and a +12 plus/minus in the final 24 games of the season to finish top 35 in NHL scoring from February 10th on. He’s likely back in a fruitful fantasy position after signing a new two-year, $10 million contract with the Red Wings in the offseason, and is expected to be a top-six forward and key power-play contributor. The 13-year pro has consistently shown a tendency to shoot, finishing with 200+ SOG in four separate seasons and leading to four seasons with 25+ goals as well. If he can stay healthy for a full 84 games, the veteran could be in for a prime season and seems like an absolute steal at the bottom of drafts, regardless of league format.