Breakout Candidate: Dylan Samberg, D
We already saw some of it last season, but Samberg is really emerging as a reliable shutdown defenseman. It’s really unfortunate he will begin the season on the shelf with a fractured wrist, a season after he appeared in just 60 games. Samberg won’t put up enough points to be relevant in fantasy, but I do think he can be a good streaming option for blocks and hits.
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Buy Low Candidate: Jonathan Toews, C
We’re obviously taking a shot in the dark here, but Toews has largely been ignored in fantasy leagues. He’s been out of the league for two seasons so, naturally, there are a lot of questions about how effective he can be, especially in regards to his health.
However, the upside is Toews could be a 20-goal scorer and offer plenty of peripherals with shots and face-off wins. Linemate Cole Perfetti is really coming into his own as a playmaker, which should help Toews’ offensive output. On a team lacking in centers, Toews will get plenty of looks in the top six and on the power play.
Riser: Nikita Chibrikov, RW
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Chibrikov played just 34 games in the AHL and NHL combined last season due to injury, but he might have the most offensive upside among the Jets’ prospects. (We’ll give a shout out to Brad Lambert here, but I think Chibrikov is the better scorer). I don’t think the Jets will have space for him this season, but should the Jets need some secondary scoring, Chibrikov should be one of their first call-ups. He scored three points in four games with the Jets last season, so he can be a sneaky streaming option.
Faller: Gustav Nyquist, LW/RW
Maybe the Jets see something in him that I don’t, but I fail to see how a 36-year-old coming off a 28-point season can adequately replace Nikolaj Ehlers’ production on the second line. I get he’s a craft veteran playmaker with a lot of experience, but the Jets seem to be asking a lot of him. Nyquist’s regression last season from a 75-point season in 2023-24 season was one of the most obvious calls in fantasy hockey history, and there just aren’t a lot of reasons to think Nyquist will somehow be fantasy-relevant again.
All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com, hockeyviz.com, allthreezones.com, hockey-reference.com, eliteprospects.com unless otherwise noted.