2025-26 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 21 Primer And Pickups

If you’ve made it this far into the fantasy hockey season – congratulations, that means you probably made the playoffs.

Week 21 figures to be a lot easier to navigate than Week 20 with slightly more games on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Last week, managers were probably scrambling to fill roster slots on those days but finding few quality options.

The team to avoid this week will be the Blues, who play just twice. It’s unfortunate because they have the easiest schedule in Week 21 with games against the Flames and Canucks, and their top line with Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas has really been great, and Philip Broberg is an under-the-radar option on defense.

Speaking of schedules, the importance of planning is even more paramount in fantasy playoffs. Matches will likely be tight, and managers will want to take advantage of days where there are few games on the slate to gain an edge.

Of note, the Blue Jackets and Habs do not have any more games on Monday, Wednesday or Fridays. From a schedule planning POV, they have the least value for the rest of the season. They each have five games on Monday, four games on Thursday and four games on Saturday remaining, and unless you have top of the lineup players – Kirill Marchenko, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Zach Werenski, etc. – it’s more likely than not you’re benching their remaining players because there are so many other options. That will dampen the values of their depth scorers, including potentially Ivan Demidov unless he goes on an absolute tear.

If you’re still hunting for those Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun games, note the Rangers are your best bet with 11 games remaining on those days. The next highest total is eight games, and that’s the Avs.

Teams that are good at home or on the road is something to note as well. The Bruins are nearly unbeatable at home but bad on the road (12-14-5), and 10 of their remaining 16 games are on the road. The Mammoth, on the other hand, are similarly much better at home than on the road, but nine of their remaining 16 games are at home. It’s something to consider.

Good luck.

All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are as of Sunday morning.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, STL (33% rostered)

Dylan Holloway is rostered in the majority of leagues so he ‘graduates’ from this list, but the Blues’ top line has been excellent. Snuggerud provides points and shots in bunches, and it’s a favorable schedule for the rest of the season with the 11th-easiest schedule, per tankathon.com. In nearly 100 minutes together at 5-on-5, they’re posting an astonishing 59.39 CF% and 53.52 xGF%.

Alex Lyon, G, BUF (51% rostered)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, BUF (44% rostered)

You’ll get the odd game where the Sabres engage in a shootout – it happens because the Sabres are an offensively-inclined team anyway – but for the most part, both Lyon and Luukkonen are excellent options, especially for wins. The Sabres’ second-half charge has been incredible, and they’re not showing signs of slowing down. Last season, they finished third-last in the East.

Connor Ingram, G, EDM (24% rostered)

Roster and start Ingram at your own risk since the Oilers’ goaltending woes are a symptom of their overall poor defense, and not necessarily poor goaltending alone. Ingram is definitely the far better option than Tristan Jarry, but his overall numbers aren’t very good. What you’re looking for from Ingram is wins, but that’s about it. Just be prepared for some blowout games.

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Bobby McMann, LW, SEA (25% rostered)

An incredible debut for McMann, who scored two goals and three points with 18:04 TOI in his long-awaited Kraken debut. He replaced Jared McCann on L1, putting him in a good situation with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. If McMann stays in this spot, his fantasy value has increased significantly because he didn’t play such a role with the Leafs consistently. McMann provides goals, shots and hits for multi-category value.

Mavrik Bourque, C/RW, DAL (12% rostered)

The offensive production hasn’t been explosive but Bourque is still in a good situation playing L1 with Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. He’s scored two goals and eight points in his past seven games, though he’s stuck on PP2. The Stars are steamrolling their opponents and Bourque should have plenty more opportunities to score.

J.T. Compher, C, DET (1% rostered)

With Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp out of the lineup, Compher takes over. Marco Kasper has far more long-term potential, but in this key stage of the season, Todd McLellan will likely lean on Compher’s versatility and experience a lot more. He played 19:26 in Tampa and 22:03 in Dallas, scoring a goal with two blocks and 27 face-off wins. Larkin and Copp are out for another two weeks, which means the Red Wings (and your fantasy team) may need to lean on Compher, who’s centering Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat on L1, and playing PP2 with Kasper. Compher had more fantasy value last season with multi-position eligibility, but I digress.

Alex Nedeljkovic, G, SJ (8% rostered)

With Yaroslav Askarov out, it’s Nedeljkovic’s turn to be the starter. He’s capable of holding down the fort for short stretches, and he’s won two games in a row with four goals allowed on 68 shots (.941 SP). It’s obviously a dice roll because the Sharks aren’t that good yet and tend to get in some high-scoring track meets, but certainly there’s a chance for Nedeljkovic to pick up some wins.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Bo Groulx, C, TOR (0% rostered)

Impressive debut for the AHL standout, who’s playing significant minutes for the Leafs. He has some offensive pop – 50 points in 54 AHL games this season – but offers peripherals with face-off wins and hits, and that will be valuable in multi-category leagues. I’m not convinced Groulx can keep this up, especially his offensive production, but the minutes he’s getting presents a short-term streaming opportunity.

Cole Hutson, D, WSH (0% rostered)

No word on when Hutson will make his NHL debut but the 2024 second-round pick is regarded as one of the best prospects among the new-age defensemen who excels in offensive situations and on open ice, much like older brother Lane. The 2025 World Junior gold medallist will certainly see NHL action before the end of the season, but it may be a limited role playing behind Jakob Chychrun. Sometimes, though, you just never know and Hutson might provide some outsized fantasy value as the Caps prepare for the following season.

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