NHL Power Rankings: Fantasy playoff performers to target from each team
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Sean Allen
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Victoria Matiash
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Victoria Matiash
Fantasy Hockey
- ESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010
- Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
While the NHL regular season doesn’t end until Apr. 18, the playoffs are underway in many fantasy leagues this week.
To help you win a title in your league, we called in ESPN fantasy analysts Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash to highlight a prime playoff performer from each club — and in many cases, they are players who are available in a large majority of ESPN leagues.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published March 15. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games. Available percentages are in ESPN fantasy leagues as of Thursday.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 68.12%
Brandon Montour (15.3% available): After a slow start due to returning from injury, Montour has started to round back into the form that took the league by storm last season, including 15 points in his past 14 games.
Next seven days: @ NYR (March 23), @ PHI (March 24), vs. BOS (March 26), vs. NYI (March 28)
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 68.31%
Linus Ullmark (6.3% available): If the Bruins keep the strict rotation they’ve had for the bulk of the season, Ullmark gets the Flyers, Bolts, Predators, Panthers, Penguins and Senators to close the fantasy campaign. It’s not a great schedule, but it’s better than what Jeremy Swayman would face.
Next seven days: @ PHI (March 23), @ FLA (March 26), @ TB (March 27)
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 67.39%
Artturi Lehkonen (36.4% available): After a brief illness, Lehkonen is back on track, continuing to contribute on a new-look scoring line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin. The veteran winger serves as a second-tier alternative to largely unavailable heavyweights Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin.
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (March 22), vs. PIT (March 24), vs. MTL (March 26), vs. NYR (March 28)
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 67.39%
Laurent Brossoit (90.5% available): Thanks to a pair of consecutive shutouts, Winnipeg’s No. 2 has more fantasy points (37.4) than Vezina Trophy favorite Connor Hellebuyck (37.4) this past month, despite starting half as many games. Brossoit should see more action in offering Hellebuyck rest down the stretch.
Next seven days: @ NYI (March 23), @ WSH (March 24), vs. EDM (March 26), vs. VGK (March 28)
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 68.57%
Casey DeSmith (88.2% available): With Thatcher Demko sidelined, Vancouver’s crease belongs to the fantasy risk/reward understudy. Whether the Canucks manage to hang on to the top spot in the Pacific will depend on how DeSmith fares in that assignment.
Next seven days: vs. CGY (March 23), vs. LA (March 25), vs. DAL (March 28)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 68.57%
Jack Roslovic (93.7% available): With the rest of the fantasy-relevant offense spoken for, Roslovic has been a welcome addition to the Rangers’ top six. After three goose eggs to start his Rangers tenure, he had four points in four games.
Next seven days: vs. FLA (March 23), vs. PHI (March 26), @ COL (March 28)
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 67.14%
Seth Jarvis (31.2% available): Already living large with his forged partnership with Sebastian Aho that keeps him at the top of the depth chart, Jarvis has also developed a bond with trade deadline arrival Jake Guentzel.
Next seven days: @ WSH (March 22), vs. TOR (March 24), @ PIT (March 26), vs. DET (March 28)
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 65.67%
Calvin Pickard (96.7% available): The Oilers’ backup is starting to spell Stuart Skinner more often as his club marches toward the postseason. And why not? With a fantasy-friendly 3-1 record, .951 save percentage and 1.49 goals-against average through four starts in March, Pickard is proving a more than suitable substitute.
Next seven days: @ TOR (March 23), @ OTT (March 24), @ WPG (March 26), vs. LA (March 28)
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 66.43%
Wyatt Johnston (53.7% available): Up until Wednesday’s meeting with the Coyotes, Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven‘s center had scored in four straight. Before that run, Johnston’s collection of four goals and five assists in six contests — including one extra rambunctious affair in San Jose — earned his managers an equally substantial haul of fantasy points.
Next seven days: vs. PIT (March 22), @ ARI (March 24), @ SJ (March 26), @ VAN (March 28)
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 60.15%
Matt Roy (37.4% available): A gem in leagues that reward blocks and hits, the Kings’ blueliner offers plenty of both. In fact, no skater in the league is blocking more shots these days. Toss in a few points, and Roy is the club’s most valuable fantasy defender.
Next seven days: vs. TB (March 23), @ VAN (March 25), @ EDM (March 28)
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 61.43%
Gustav Nyquist (62.3% available): The chemistry developed with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly is helping the veteran enjoy his most productive season yet. That is paying substantial fantasy dividends, especially as the season wears on. Unlike Forsberg, Nyquist remains available in around two-thirds of ESPN leagues.
Next seven days: vs. DET (March 23), vs. VGK (March 26), @ ARI (March 28)
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 58.70%
William Karlsson (25.2% available): Although experiencing a slight lull of late, Karlsson is averaging 2.3 fantasy points per game, nearly equal to that of Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault since the final week of February.
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (March 23), @ STL (March 25), @ NSH (March 26), @ WPG (March 28)
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 59.42%
Anthony Duclair (81.8% available): Sometimes you trade for the wrong winger at the deadline, and sometimes you trade for the right one. Duclair fits like a glove in Tampa Bay’s top six, with three goals and two assists in five games.
Next seven days: @ LA (March 23), @ ANA (March 24), vs. BOS (March 27)
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 63.97%
Timothy Liljegren (94.6% available): He’s being rolled out on the power play more often of late. Liljegren had 14.2 fantasy points across his past six games. If he can keep it up, the Leafs have the best schedule for defensemen in the fantasy championship round.
Next seven days: vs. EDM (March 23), @ CAR (March 24), vs. NJ (March 26), vs. WSH (March 28)
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 56.43%
Cam York (76.6% available): Prior to Feb. 25, York had spent some time in the doghouse, averaging under 20 minutes of ice time per game. Since then, he has been putting in 22-plus minutes and earned a whopping 36.5 fantasy points.
Next seven days: vs. BOS (March 23), vs. FLA (March 24), @ NYR (March 26), @ MTL (March 28)
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 55.71%
Lucas Raymond (63.5% available): The Red Wings have missed the injured Dylan Larkin, but Raymond has stepped up. The schedule could also make Raymond a last-minute stealthily good option, as Detroit closes the season with a double date with the Canadiens.
Next seven days: @ NSH (March 23), @ WSH (March 26), @ CAR (March 28)
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.29%
Marc-Andre Fleury (76.7% available): Sure, Wednesday’s loss to the Kings was ugly, but anomalously so. The better of Minnesota’s two goalies for weeks, Fleury deserves substantial credit for his club staying in the periphery of the wild-card race. Upcoming tilts with the Blues, Sharks, Knights and Senators should help Fleur add to his total.
Next seven days: vs. STL (March 23), vs. SJ (March 28)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 55.15%
Dylan Strome (32.6% available): You could try to catch lightning in a bottle with Connor McMichael or Hendrix Lapierre, but don’t overlook the steady production Strome has provided all season.
Next seven days: vs. CAR (March 22), vs. WPG (March 24), vs. DET (March 26), @ TOR (March 28)
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 55.00%
Jake Neighbours (93.9% available): A fresh fixture on the Blues’ No. 1 line, the 21-year-old winger is stringing together a nice stretch of contributions to the scoresheet. That helps Neighbours serve as an attractive fantasy contributor for a club that’s still mathematically in contention for a wild-card spot.
Next seven days: @ MIN (March 23), vs. VGK (March 25), vs. CGY (March 28)
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 52.90%
Kyle Palmieri (86.5% available): In 23 games since Patrick Roy took over as coach, Palmieri has 11 goals. That’s the same number he had in 45 games prior to the coaching change. Also note that the Islanders have a particularly good schedule in the fantasy championship rounds.
Next seven days: vs. WPG (March 23), vs. NJ (March 24), @ FLA (March 28)
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 52.21%
Nazem Kadri (40.2% available): Calgary’s top center isn’t showing any signs of easing up, despite his team’s position in the standings. Registering an exceptional number of shots on net, Kadri earns valuable fantasy points even when he doesn’t score — which he still does more often than not.
Next seven days: @ VAN (March 23), vs. BUF (March 24), @ CHI (March 26), STL (March 28)
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 50.00%
Bowen Byram (32.4% available): In seven games as a Sabre, Byram has 15.2 fantasy points (2.17 per game), which is 14th among all defensemen since he made his debut. Life as Rasmus Dahlin‘s partner looks good.
Next seven days: @ CGY (March 24), vs. OTT (March 27)
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 51.43%
Timo Meier (14.1% available): It’s worth checking your league’s waivers, as Meier might have been dropped following his slow start, because he now looks like his vintage self. Since Feb. 27, only Nathan MacKinnon, Roman Josi and Mikko Rantanen have more fantasy points.
Next seven days: vs. OTT (March 23), @ NYI (March 24), @ TOR (March 26)
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.74%
Bryan Rust (45.7% available): The Pens are in the doldrums, but Rust has offered fantasy hope recently. After his latest injury absence, he needed two games to shake the, ahem, rust off before potting five points in his past four.
Next seven days: @ DAL (March 22), @ COL (March 24), vs. CAR (March 26), vs. CBJ (March 28)
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 50.00%
Eeli Tolvanen (23.4% available): While his bare scoring numbers won’t dazzle fantasy managers, Tolvanen’s tendency to dish out hits and block more shots than most forwards helps pad his value as a well-rounded player.
Next seven days: @ ARI (March 22), vs. MTL (March 24), vs. ANA (March 26), vs. ANA (March 28)
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 44.93%
Kaiden Guhle (59.5% available): The Canadiens have a tough remaining schedule for the forwards and goalies, but the defense could be fine. Guhle has been the best on the blue line lately, using physical play to average 2.03 fantasy points per game since Feb. 27.
Next seven days: @ SEA (March 24), @ COL (March 26), vs. PHI (March 28)
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 44.20%
Nick Schmaltz (70.8% available): Scoring 1.20 points per game since Feb. 19, Clayton Keller‘s linemate is averaging 2.4 fantasy points over that same stretch — more than the Coyotes’ top forward himself. An underrated fantasy player, Schmaltz is still competing hard down the stretch.
Next seven days: vs. SEA (March 22), vs. DAL (March 24), vs. CBJ (March 26), vs. NSH (March 28)
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 44.12%
Drake Batherson (28.5% available): Batherson has been leaned on more at the top of the depth chart since the trade deadline, but he has been steady. He isn’t the best player on your fantasy team, but he earns his place most weeks.
Next seven days: @ NJ (March 23), vs. EDM (March 24), @ BUF (March 27), vs. CHI (March 28)
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 42.03%
Alexander Nylander (94.9% available): Of all the late-season trades we had projected to have the most impact, this was not among them. Nylander has found new life with the Jackets, starting in the bottom six and pushing his way to the top of the depth chart.
Next seven days: @ COL (March 22), @ VGK (March 23), @ ARI (March 26), @ PIT (March 28)
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 36.43%
Radko Gudas (46.4% available): If the shot-blocking defender recovers from his current upper-body injury sooner than later, Gudas will continue to reward managers by virtue of what he does best. Otherwise, there’s presently little fantasy value to mine from this struggling Ducks team at any position.
Next seven days: vs. TB (March 24), @ SEA (March 26), @ SEA (March 28)
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 30.71%
Philipp Kurashev (91.9% available): Benefitting from regular reps in a ripe role, Connor Bedard‘s winger is unsurprisingly thriving while competing alongside the game’s brightest young star, both at even strength and with the extra skater. But unlike Bedard, the 24-year-old is largely available in ESPN leagues.
Next seven days: @ SJ (March 23), vs. CGY (March 26), @ OTT (March 28)
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 28.26%
Mikael Granlund (79.9% available): Centering a top unit within a bare-bones lineup, the veteran forward is seeing hefty on-ice minutes and averaging more than 2.5 fantasy points per game since February’s end. While the Sharks aren’t scoring much altogether, Granlund is often involved when they do.
Next seven days: vs. CHI (March 23), vs. DAL (March 26), @ MIN (March 28)
The San Francisco Giants acquired three-time All-Star Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in a stunning trade that sent a player Boston once considered a franchise cornerstone to a San Francisco team needing an offensive infusion.
Boston received left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and Rookie League right-hander Jose Bello.
The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday evening.
The Giants will cover the remainder of Devers’ contract, which runs through 2033 and will pay him more than $250 million, sources told ESPN.
The trade ends the fractured relationship between Devers and the Red Sox that had degraded since spring training, when Devers balked at moving off third base — the position where he had spent his whole career — after the signing of free agent Alex Bregman. The Red Sox gave no forewarning to Devers, who expressed frustration before relenting and agreeing to be their designated hitter.
After a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas in early May, the Red Sox asked Devers to move to first base. Devers declined, suggesting the front office “should do their jobs” and find another player after the organization told him during spring training he would be the DH for the remainder of the season. The day after Devers’ comments, Red Sox owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City, where Boston was playing, to talk with Devers.
In the weeks since, Devers’ refusal to play first led to internal tension and helped facilitate the deal, sources said.
San Francisco pounced — and added a force to an offense that ranks 15th in runs scored in Major League Baseball. Devers, 28, is hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, tied for the third most in MLB. Over his nine-year career, Devers is hitting .279/.349/.509 with 215 home runs and 696 RBIs in 1,053 games.
Boston believed enough in Devers to give him a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January 2023. He rewarded the Red Sox with a Silver Slugger Award that season and made his third All-Star team in 2024.
Whether he slots in at designated hitter or first base with San Francisco — the Giants signed Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million deal last year — is unknown. But San Francisco sought Devers more for his bat, one that immediately makes the Giants — who are fighting for National League West supremacy with the Los Angeles Dodgers — a better team.
To do so, the Giants gave a package of young talent and took on the contract that multiple teams’ models had as underwater.
Harrison, 23, is the prize of the deal, particularly for a Red Sox team replete with young hitting talent but starving for young pitching. Once considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison has shuttled between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento this season.
Harrison, who was scratched from a planned start against the Dodgers on Sunday night, has a 4.48 ERA over 182⅔ innings since debuting with the Giants in 2023. He has struck out 178, walked 62 and allowed 30 home runs. The Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester after the trade was announced.
Hicks, 28, who has toggled between starter and reliever since signing with the Giants for four years and $44 million before the 2024 season, is on the injured list because of right toe inflammation. One of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, Hicks has a 6.47 ERA over 48⅔ innings this season. He could join the Red Sox’s ailing bullpen, which Breslow has sought to upgrade.
Tibbs, 22, was selected by the Giants with the 13th pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State. A 6-foot, 200-pound corner outfielder, Tibbs has spent the season at High-A, where he has hit .245/.377/.480 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in 56 games. Scouts laud his command of the strike zone — he has 41 walks and 45 strikeouts in 252 plate appearances — but question whether his swing will translate at higher levels.
Bello, 20, has spent the season as a reliever for the Giants’ Rookie League affiliate. In 18 innings, he has struck out 28 and walked three while posting a 2.00 ERA.
The deal is the latest in which Boston shipped a player central to the franchise.
Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February 2020, just more than a year after leading Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title and winning the American League MVP Award.
Devers was part of that World Series-winning team in 2018 and led the Red Sox in RBIs each season from 2020 to 2024, garnering AL MVP votes across each of the past four years. Devers had been with the Red Sox since 2013, when he signed as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He debuted four years later at age 20.
Boston is banking on its young talent to replace Devers’ production. The Red Sox regularly play four rookies — infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Carlos Narvaez — and infielder Franklin Arias and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia are expected to contribute in the coming years.
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Alden Gonzalez
Shohei Ohtani will make his long-awaited return to pitching on Monday night in a matchup against the division-rival San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced.
Ohtani, 21 months removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, will be used as an opener, likely throwing one inning. Because of his two-way designation, Ohtani qualifies as an extra pitcher on the roster, giving the Dodgers the flexibility to use a piggyback starter behind him.
That is essentially what will take place in his first handful of starts — a byproduct of the progress Ohtani has made in the late stages of his pitching rehab.
Ohtani, 30, initially seemed to be progressing toward a return some time around August. But he made a major step during his third simulated game from San Diego’s Petco Park on Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches over the course of three simulated innings and compiling six strikeouts against a couple of low-level minor leaguers.
Afterward, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it was a “north of zero” chance Ohtani could return before the All-Star break. When he met with reporters prior to Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants — an eventual 5-4 victory — Roberts said it was a “possibility” Ohtani could pitch after just one more simulated game.
After the game, Roberts indicated the timeline might have been pushed even further, telling reporters it was a “high possibility” Ohtani would pitch in a big league game this week as an opener, likely during the upcoming four-game series against the Padres.
“He’s ready to pitch in a big league game,” Roberts told reporters. “He let us know.”
If you’re just getting back home from your Father’s Day activities, you had better sit down, because Sunday evening’s Boston Red Sox–San Francisco Giants trade is a doozy.
Rafael Devers, second among third basemen and seventh among hitters in fantasy points this season, is headed to the Giants, traded minutes before their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston’s return includes pitchers Kyle Harrison, who was the Giants’ scheduled starting pitcher Sunday night (subsequently scratched), pitcher Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and pitching prospect Jose Bello.
Expect Devers to continue to serve in a designated hitter-only capacity with his new team, considering his season-long stance, which is primarily an issue for his position eligibility for 2026. He might factor as the Giants’ future first baseman if given a full offseason to prepare for the shift to a new position — or it could happen sooner if he has a change of heart in his new environment.
As for the impact on Devers’ numbers, the move from Fenway Park to Oracle Park represents one of the steepest downgrades in terms of park factors, specifically run production and extra-base hits. With its close-proximity Green Monster in left field, Fenway Park is a much better environment for doubles and runs scored, Statcast reflecting that it’s 22% and 10% better than league average in those categories, respectively, compared with 8% worse and only 2% above par for Oracle Park.
Devers is a prime-age 28, with a contract averaging a relatively reasonable $31.8 million over the next eight seasons, and he’s leaving a Red Sox team where his defensive positioning — he has played all but six of his career defensive innings at third base — was a manner of much debate, to go to a team that has one of baseball’s best defensive third basemen in Matt Chapman (once he’s healthy following a hand injury). Devers’ unwillingness to play first base probably played a big part in his ultimately being traded, and it’s worth pointing out that one of the positions where the Giants are weakest is, well, also first base.
2:02
Perez: Devers gives Giants a ‘really good offense’
Eduardo Perez, David Cone and Karl Ravech react to the Giants acquiring star 3B Rafael Devers from the Red Sox.
Devers’ raw power is immense, as he has greater than 95th percentile barrel and hard-hit rates this season. He has been in that tier or better in the latter in each of the past three seasons as well. He’s at a 33-homer (and 34 per 162 games) pace since the beginning of 2021, so the slugger should continue to homer at a similar rate regardless of his surroundings. He should easily snap the Giants’ drought of 30-homer hitters, which dates back to Barry Bonds in 2004. Devers’ fantasy value might slip slightly, mostly due to the park’s impact on his runs scored and RBIs, but he’ll remain a top-four fantasy third baseman.
If you play in an NL-only league, Devers is an open-the-wallet free agent target. He’s worth a maximum bid, considering he brings a similar ability to stars you might invest in come the July trade deadline, except in this case you’ll get an extra month and a half’s production.
Harrison is an intriguing pickup for the Red Sox, though in a disappointing development, he was immediately optioned to Triple-A Worcester. A top-25 overall prospect as recently as two years ago, Harrison’s spike in average fastball velocity this season (95.1 mph, up from 92.5) could be a signal of better things ahead. Once recalled to Fenway Park, his fantasy prospects would take a hit, as that’s a venue that isn’t forgiving to fly ball-oriented lefties, but he’d be a matchups option nevertheless.
Expect Hicks to serve in setup relief for his new team, though he’d at best be fourth in the Red Sox’s pecking order for saves.
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