Which NHL players are ready to take the next step in the 2026-27 season? In the later rounds of your fantasy draft, which player do you expect to elevate his game, maximize his potential, and provide surplus value to your roster?
Those are some of the biggest questions fantasy managers ask themselves. As part of the countdown to the 2026-27 fantasy season, we're here to count down the top 10 breakout candidates.
Only one caveat: No rookies are featured on this list, since a breakout is defined as a player who is projected to perform significantly better than their past results. So if you’re looking for Porter Martone or Gavin McKenna, look out for the Sleeper Picks article.
Player positions provided by Yahoo Fantasy. 1.
Gabriel Perreault, RW, New York Rangers We saw flashes last year when Perreault went on a scoring binge with 19 points in 23 games to close out the season. Even with the acquisition of Pavel Dorofeyev, it would make sense to at least have Perreault start the season on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere; they were the Rangers’ best line down the stretch last season.
The Hockey News' Fantasy Guide has pegged Perreault to finish with 47 points on a low-scoring team, but a 60-point season is not out of the question for one of the league’s top prospects if he can leverage his chemistry with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, while joining the top power-play unit. 2.
Bowen Byram, D, Chicago Blackhawks Byram wanted a chance and now he’s got it. With no one ahead of him on the depth chart, the 25-year-old will be tasked with playing a lot of minutes on an inexperienced and thin blue line.
The key number to watch as an indicator for Byram’s offensive production will be shooting volume; it has to spike dramatically to around two shots per game for him to at least reach the 50-point plateau. In the past, he’s often carried the puck and controlled the play but taken far too few scoring chances himself.
Look out for a career-best season from Byram. 3.
Michael Misa, C, San Jose Sharks Misa averaged just under 13 minutes per game in his rookie season but made the most of it, scoring at a 1.88 points per 60 minutes rate at 5-on-5 (min. 500 TOI) according to Natural Stat Trick.
That puts him in the same range as Mika Zibanejad (1.89) and Rickard Rakell (1.87). The Sharks didn’t make any major moves up front over the summer, which bodes well for Misa's potential playing time.
The Sharks also lack depth down the middle and there’s a chance Misa pushes his way up to be the No. 2 center if Alex Wennberg becomes an offensive black hole for long stretches. THN's Fantasy Guide is projecting Misa to score 59 points this season, placing him third on the Sharks.
Over/Under: McKenna, Martone And Other NHL Rookie Point Projections With the 2026-27 NHL season boasting an impressive class of rookies, Tony Ferrari gives his predictions on how many points some of the top first-year players will finish with at the end of the year. 4.
Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota Wild I ranked Wallstedt ninth on the top 10 goalies list heading into the season and we’re doubling down on a huge season from'The Wall of St. Paul'. Not only will he be the undisputed starter while Filip Gustavsson recovers from injury, it’s a contract year for Wallstedt.
If the 23-year-old becomes a bona fide starter, he could end up starting at least 50 games with a good chance to win 30 of them, which is a milestone only six goalies managed to reach last season. 5.
Mavrik Bourque, C/RW, Nashville Predators A trade to the Predators isn’t ideal for Bourque’s fantasy value because he won’t be able to play with Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene, but the upside is potentially more playing time and a stable role as their No. 2 center. The tough part will be figuring out who Bourque plays with, especially for an above-average skater on a team that isn’t particularly quick and has trouble moving the puck up the ice.
However, the Predators also have no shortage of quality wingers, from experienced vets to promising young prospects such as Matthew Wood. 6.
Logan Stankoven, C/RW, Carolina Hurricanes It’s a common refrain for players on the Hurricanes, but it’s all about ice time. Stankoven proved he can be a bona fide scorer in the playoffs and led the team with 11 goals in 19 games after his ice time increased to 17:12 per game (having a few overtimes helps) from 15:27 per game during the season.
The drawback is a lack of time on the top power-play unit, but if Stankoven can get more overall ice time and shoot the puck as often as he did in the playoffs, a 60-point season is attainable. Carolina Hurricanes Sign Captain Jordan Staal To One-Year Extension The Carolina Hurricanes will be bringing back their captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner for an additional season.
7. Matvei Gridin, LW/RW, Calgary Flames Gridin made the Flames out of camp last season and played a handful of games before spending the next three months in the AHL, but upon his return made an impact right away.
His play trended upward all season, and he scored 14 points in 22 games while averaging 17:15 minutes per game in April on an offensively-challenged team. The Flames will continue to have a lot of trouble scoring goals, which certainly hampers Gridin’s fantasy value, but he’s a sneaky late-draft option who could be a valuable depth scorer in deep leagues.
Look for Gridin, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato to form the core of the Flames’ top power play. THN's Fantasy Guide is projecting the trio to lead the Flames’ forwards in scoring if Jonathan Huberdeau is excluded, who’s still recovering from hip surgery and expected to miss the start of the season.
8. Calum Ritchie, C/RW, New York Islanders A name to keep in your back pocket in the late rounds of deeper leagues, Ritchie was the key prospect acquired from the Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade.
After a slow start to the season, Ritchie had strong finish, scoring 14 points in 22 games, including four power-play goals. Ritchie played over 17 minutes in two of the four games after Peter DeBoer was hired, which bodes well for his playing time coming season where he’s expected to skate alongside top playmaker Mathew Barzal.
NHL Off-Season Rankings: No. 23, New York Islanders TheHockeyNews.com's current series ranking the off-seasons of every NHL team continues with Team No. 23 – the New York Islanders. The Islanders suffered one major departure this summer, and they've made few additions.
Did the Isles do enough to get back into the playoff mix in 2026-27? 9.
Marco Kasper, C/LW, Detroit Red Wings It was an incredibly disappointing and frustrating sophomore season for Kasper, who saw his play dip across the board after a promising 19-goal rookie season. However, the underlying stats showed a player who didn’t get a lot of offensive opportunities and experienced a lot of back luck.
His 6.9 shooting percentage was abnormally low, his second assist rate cratered, and his defensive zone starts increased even though his shooting rate, first assist rate, hits rate, and face-off winning percentage all improved. There’s a lot going on with the Red Wings right now — no permanent solution for the GM position and no captain — and if Dylan Larkin is indeed traded, Kasper could be a huge beneficiary.
Look for Kasper to score at least 40 points this season with potentially close to 200 hits. 10.
Zeev Buium, D, Vancouver Canucks Buium's eight-year extension raised eyebrows — rightfully so coming off a rookie season where he scored 26 points and didn’t garner a single Calder vote — but he is a big part of the Canucks' future and fits the mold of the new-age defenseman with his sublime skill and skating.
What stands between Buium and being the quarterback on the top power-play unit right now is the underrated and ultra-dependable Filip Hronek, but that may change if the Canucks elect to use Hronek in a matchup role or eventually trade him as part of their ongoing rebuild. Half of Buium’s 26 points…