Fantasy Hockey Tiers: Key Skaters to Target for 2025-26

The 2025-26 fantasy hockey season will be shaped by a handful of emerging skaters who are pushing into more valuable roles. With power-play usage, even-strength deployment and recent trends all shifting, managers need a clear view of who belongs where on their rest-of-season tiers. Let’s break down how Pavel Dorofeyev, Bowen Byram, Nico Hischier and Jack Eichel fit into your plans, and how to attack each situation across formats.

What’s New & Why It Matters

The biggest development here is the rise of Pavel Dorofeyev on the Vegas Golden Knights top power-play unit. He’s not just along for the ride; he’s become one of the league’s most dangerous finishers with the man advantage, ranking near the very top in power-play goals while skating in a top-six role. That combination of deployment and finishing touch is exactly what turns a fringe streamer into a potential season-long asset.

On the blue line, Bowen Byram has emerged as a key offensive driver for the Buffalo Sabres. Slotted as a top-four defenseman with secondary power-play time, he leads the team’s defensemen in goals and is riding a notable point streak at even strength. For fantasy, that means his value isn’t tied solely to PP production; he’s generating in the flow of play, which stabilizes his floor.

Up front for the New Jersey Devils, Nico Hischier continues to profile as a two-way center with sneaky scoring upside. The current emphasis is on his potential for goals and shot volume in upcoming games, which can quietly swing categories when he heats up.

Finally, Jack Eichel remains the offensive centerpiece in Vegas. He’s flagged here for his potential to post multi-point efforts in the near term, reinforcing his status as a high-end fantasy anchor whenever he’s healthy and locked into heavy minutes on the top line and first power-play unit.

Fantasy Implications

Points-Only

In pure scoring formats, these four skaters fall into distinct tiers based on ceiling and role.

Tier 1 – Elite Anchor: Eichel sits alone here. As the top-line, PP1 center for Vegas with realistic multi-point upside in any given matchup, he’s the kind of player you build your offense around. The fact that he’s being highlighted for upcoming big games only reinforces his status as a must-start in all situations.

Tier 2 – High-Upside Specialist: Dorofeyev belongs in the next tier as a power-play-driven scorer. His ranking near the top of the league in power-play goals, combined with a stable top-six role, gives him a strong points-only profile. There’s some volatility if his PP efficiency cools, but as long as he sticks on a strong PP1, his upside is closer to a mid-lineup staple than a fringe streamer.

Tier 3 – Solid Secondary Scorers: Hischier and Byram fit here, though in different ways. Hischier’s value comes from his ability to chip in goals and shots from a top-six center role on a talented Devils roster. He may not match the pure scoring ceiling of the elite names, but when he’s pushing the pace and shooting often, he can produce short bursts of top-tier value. Byram, meanwhile, drives offense from the back end. Leading Sabres defensemen in goals and riding a point streak at even strength suggests his instincts and confidence are trending up, making him a strong depth scorer on defense.

Categories / Bangers

Category leagues shift the lens slightly, emphasizing volume and multi-cat contributions.

Eichel remains a premium asset. His potential for multi-point outings helps in goals, assists and power-play points, and his role as a top-line center typically comes with strong shot volume. He’s an automatic start in any league that counts traditional scoring categories.

Dorofeyev is more specialized but still highly valuable. His power-play goal scoring is a direct boost to PPP and goals, and skating in a top-six role on a strong unit often brings a healthy number of shots. Managers in leagues that reward special-teams production should be especially interested, even if his peripheral categories like hits or blocks aren’t a focus.

Byram offers a nice blend for multi-cat blue-line needs. As a top-four defenseman with PP2 time, he contributes goals and points, but his value is amplified if your league counts peripheral stats like blocks or hits, which often come with heavier minutes. The key is that his offense is coming at even strength; that tends to correlate with steady ice time and opportunities to contribute across the board.

Hischier is a classic across-the-board contributor. Highlighted for goals and shots, he can help in G, SOG and potentially plus-minus on a strong Devils team. In deeper category leagues where center depth matters, his ability to chip in multiple categories makes him more than just a streamer when he’s rolling.

Dynasty / Keeper

In longer-term formats, the focus shifts to age, role stability and growth trajectory.

Dorofeyev is one of the more intriguing dynasty watchlist names. Earning a top-six, PP1 role on a contending Vegas squad and converting that into elite power-play goal production is a strong signal that the organization trusts his offensive game. If he can round out his five-on-five impact, his long-term ceiling is that of a consistent top-six scorer with premium special-teams usage.

Byram carries significant long-term appeal on the Sabres’ blue line. Leading team defensemen in goals and stringing together a point streak at even strength suggests he’s taking a step forward as an offensive defenseman. If his PP usage ever trends upward from PP2, he could jump tiers in dynasty rankings, but even as is, he profiles as a long-term hold with room to grow.

Hischier is already established as a core piece in New Jersey. For dynasty managers, the current emphasis on his goal and shot potential is a reminder that his offensive game still has room to spike in certain seasons. He’s a stable, high-floor center who can anchor your depth chart for years, even if he doesn’t always flirt with elite scoring totals.

Eichel remains a cornerstone asset in keeper formats. The expectation of multi-point games in the near term underscores that his offensive ceiling remains among the best at his position. As long as he holds the top-line, PP1 role in Vegas, he’s a long-term building block rather than a trade-away piece, unless you’re specifically retooling for age.

Who to Add / Stream / Watch

Pavel Dorofeyev – Add/Watch (standard & deep): Power-play goal machine on a strong PP1 in Vegas; worth adding where available and at least monitoring everywhere.
Bowen Byram – Add in deep, Watch in standard: Leading Sabres defensemen in goals with a recent even-strength point streak makes him a strong depth defense target.
Nico Hischier – Short-term stream/Watch: Highlighted for upcoming goals and shot potential; a strong streamer when you need center scoring and SOG.
Jack Eichel – Trade target (all leagues): Flagged for multi-point upside in upcoming games; explore buying high if your roster construction can support it using the NHL Trade Analyzer.

Fantasy Takeaways

Dorofeyev’s surge in power-play goals and top-six deployment pushes him from fringe streamer into a legitimate mid-tier fantasy winger with upside.
Byram’s even-strength scoring and goal lead among Sabres defensemen make him a strong depth add, especially in leagues that reward blue-line offense.
Hischier’s highlighted potential for goals and shots gives him short-term streaming appeal and steady value as a multi-cat center.
Eichel remains an elite fantasy anchor, with upcoming multi-point potential reinforcing his must-start, trade-target status.
Across formats, prioritize players with secure roles on top lines and power-play units, as seen with these four, to maximize both floor and ceiling.

Source: NHL.com. See the original for full details.