2025-26 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 24 Primer And Pickups

This will be the last fantasy hockey head-to-head primer for the 2025-26 season and covers the rest of the regular season, which will end next Thursday, April 16.

Given only seven of the 16 playoff spots have been clinched, and as many as nine teams still in the wild card race, expect a frantic and exciting finish. This is also the part of the season where lineups can be difficult to predict; teams whose fates have already been decided may rest certain players or give rookies extended auditions.

The Sharks and Kraken are two teams still in the wild card race and have a league-high seven games remaining, though it’s going to be exhausting playing that many games in just 11 days. (I do feel the risk of injury right before the playoffs has been heightened for most teams with such a cramped schedule). The Sharks, in particular, should offer up the most plentiful streaming options due to their deeper offensive lineup and easier schedule.

The final regular season games for each team have been highlighted in yellow in the schedule matrix below with 10 teams finishing their season on Tuesday, 10 on Wednesday and 12 on Thursday. If your head-to-head league plays until the very last day of the season – I don’t recommend this kind of setup – note you’ll have fewer and fewer options as the season closes, meaning a player you wish to stream on Thursday may have to be picked up a day or two before the actual game.

One more note: The Islanders made a surprising coaching change Easter Sunday firing Patrick Roy and naming Peter DeBoer as head coach for the rest of the season and beyond. The Isles may have a favorable schedule with all games remaining played at home, but they do not play in Week 24 until Thursday and also close out the season on the earliest possible day on the next Thursday.

It's no coincidence the Isles made the coaching switch soon after losing to the Canes on Saturday in a game in which they were totally and completely outplayed. The break will give DeBoer a chance to get in a skate or two and implement changes, but that’s also a cause for concern for fantasy managers because it’s uncertain what lineup changes, if any, he will make. Do the Isles sacrifice a little offense for better defensive structure? Does he give Matthew Schaefer as much free rein as Roy did? How does he feel about Cal Ritchie? Does he go with Ilya Sorokin on both games of a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday?

Good luck and thanks for following along all season. Enjoy the final stretch of what has been an awesome regular season and enjoy the playoffs.

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. Games highlighted in yellow represent final regular season game.

Targets (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.

Quinton Byfield, C/LW, LA (54% rostered)

As the playoff races tighten, the Kings should be relying on Byfield a lot more despite his relative inexperience. Anze Kopitar centers Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe, but Byfield’s on the ice when the Kings need offense, and Byfield supplied two goals against the Leafs on Saturday in a key game. After Monday’s rematch against the Preds, the Kings face only divisional opponents for the rest of the season, which bodes well considering how weak the Pacific has been.

Ryan Hartman, C/RW, MIN (27% rostered)

Hartman is not an ideal 1C but coaches like him because he’s versatile and dependable, and it allows the Wild to play Joel Eriksson Ek with Matt Boldy on a separate line to balance out their offense. Hartman’s reaped the benefits of some amazing play from Kirill Kaprizov; he’s bagged six goals and 10 points in his past six games, and provides good shooting volume and faceoff wins.

Bobby McMann, LW, SEA (25% rostered)

The minutes have certainly come down with Jared McCann now back in his usual spot with Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers on L1, but McMann is still putting a lot of pucks on net. He’s providing more offensive opportunities than McCann, whose shooting volume and production have dipped, and Kaapo Kakko, who’s on a hot streak but also posted zero-shot games in five of their past nine games.

Egor Chinakhov, LW/RW, PIT (22% rostered)

Not a great schedule for the Pens with four games over six days – bonkers, if you ask me – but Chinakhov has excelled in his past four games with three goals and seven points while playing L1 with Sidney Crosby.

Alex Wennberg, C, SJ (10% rostered)

Wennberg is on a six-game points streak with five goals and three assists even though he doesn’t really shoot the puck all that much. As their L2 center and PP1 playmaker, however, he presents a lot of upside for points and faceoff wins. Wennberg is a safer and generally more reliable choice than Igor Chernyshov, or whoever is the flavor of the week, as the third wheel on Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s line.

Porter Martone, RW, PHI (8% rostered)

Martone will be a popular dark horse pick for the next fantasy season as a potential top-line player on an up-and-coming team. He scored his first NHL goal Sunday against the Bruins in overtime, clinching a much-needed point. He finished with two points and five shots in 17:12 TOI. If you need high-upside offense, Martone possesses elite talent and has already earned the coaches’ trust.

Matt Savoie, C/RW, EDM (6% rostered)

Making good on my pre-season pick to be a breakout player for Connor McDavid’s constantly rotating cast of wingers, Savoie is putting together a fine season with 33 points in 77 games, five (15% of his total) of which have been scored n his past six games. He’s lined up with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on L1 and PP1, and also playing a ton of minutes as a result.

Sam Malinski, D, COL (44% rostered)

It’s unclear how much time Cale Makar will miss due to injury, but there’s no sense in rushing him back given the Avs’ hold on the league’s top spot. Malinski has been promoted to the top pairing with Devon Toews, though it’s Toews who’s quarterbacking the power play. It’s not a huge missed opportunity, though, because the Avs power play has stunk all season, so the key value will be Malinski’s even-strength TOI. He’s played at least 21 minutes in each of his past three games and supplied three goals and five points during that span. He’s a vastly underrated second-pairing defenseman who’s played a big role in the Avs’ defense this season.

Cole Hutson, D, WSH (21% rostered)

A popular pickup after Hutson turned pro, and justifiably so with seven points in nine games entering Sunday’s matchup against the Rangers. The Caps still have a shot at the playoffs, though it’s rather slim, and that Hutson is playing significant minutes shows how much trust he’s gained and how valuable his offense has been. He won’t displace Jakob Chychrun, but Hutson’s been productive even without playing the prime scoring situations.

Charle-Edouard D’Astous, D, TB (5% rostered)

D’Astous has been featured periodically in this space and it’s worth noting he’s on a red-hot streak as the season winds down, scoring two goals and six assists in his past seven games. He doesn’t nearly have as much offensive upside as Darren Raddysh, but there’s definitely some pop. D’Astous regularly skates close to 20 minutes per game with PP2 duties.

Connor Ingram, G, EDM (27% rostered)

I don’t think Tristan Jarry’s a threat to steal the crease, and most likely it’ll be Ingram in net save for one game in a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other than next Monday’s game against the Avs, which may end up being meaningless for the Avs if they can clinch the league and division title, the Oilers’ schedule the rest of the way won’t be difficult. Their regular season finale against the Canucks on home ice might be the most lopsided matchup on the final Thursday.

Carter Hart, G, VGK (14% rostered)

So far it looks like ‘win and you’re in’ for the Knights’ three-goalie rotation, but Hart might have the inside track considering John Tortorella knows him back in their Philly days. It’s no secret goaltending has been an issue, so Tortorella may not be beholden to Adin Hill, and there’s no player he’s not afraid to sit regardless of their veteran status or cap number. A road game on Saturday in Colorado will be their stiffest test, but otherwise the Knights have arguably the easiest schedule for the rest of the season. If Hart is the No. 1, there are definitely a few wins to be picked up.

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