2026-27 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 4 Primer And Pickups

Rarely do I focus on one specific player in the intro, but I think Connor Hellebuyck deserves an exception.

On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Hellebuyck’s suspension by the Jets for not participating in training camp due to a trade request ends this coming Friday, Oct. 23. As discussed on other outlets and based on captain Adam Lowry’s comments, however, it does not seem like a reunion between the Jets and Hellebuyck can be consummated, and the Jets have some leeway to dole out a “disciplinary suspension of reasonable length” under the CBA to keep Hellebuyck away from the team even if he decides to return.

Hellebuyck was the eighth goalie off the draft board based on his Yahoo ADP of 55.2, which suggests his fantasy value fell due to his holdout despite being a top-five goalie. Fantasy managers who saw him slip and took a swing on him hoping to get him as a value pick knew there was a chance Hellebuyck would not play at all. (In a long-time keeper league I’m in, Hellebuyck was picked 95th). It was a reasonable gamble, but certainly a high-risk, high-reward proposition.

The question right now and in the foreseeable future is if fantasy managers should cut bait on what might be a completely wasted pick and use that roster spot for another player/goalie, or keep holding onto Hellebuyck and hope the situation gets resolved.

In both scenarios, because the situation seems to have no clear conclusion, we’re way past the point of seeing Hellebuyck as a potential value pick at 55.2 ADP, and now instead hoping to salvage at least some fantasy value out of him.

The Jets have a lot of leverage and given the way Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson (more on him below) have held down the fort, there’s no urgency for the Jets to welcome Hellebuyck back or to trade him below their asking price.

The Jets make decisions slowly, and for a small market that has a reputation for being a place nobody wants to play, giving into a star player’s trade demands might as well be a death knell for all future player negotiations. In many ways, this whole saga is a franchise-altering tipping point. Personally, and I’ve mentioned this before, but I think it’s more likely than not Hellebuyck sits out the entire season.

Okay, on to Week 4 where five teams (ANA, COL, MIN, SJ, TOR) will play four games and five others (BUF, CBJ, CGY, CHI, WSH) will play two games. It’s again another week where the off-days are really light, with 11 games on Tuesday and 12 each on Thursday and Saturday.

The team that I would focus most on is the Wild, who take a swing through the West with stops in Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver, none of whom can keep pucks out of their net. The Wild are really banged up right now, but that’s all the more reason to stream the likes of Bobby Brink or Maxim Shabanov, who’s recently been skating on PP1.

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 from the 2026-27 season.

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

Mason McTavish, C, STL (47% rostered)

McTavish extended his scoring streak to six games Saturday and he’s been the most impressive Blue so far this season. Forming the ‘McDouble’ line with Connor McMichael and Jonatan Berggren, McTavish seems to be on a mission to prove his doubters wrong after being traded from the Ducks. He’s provided ample points, shots, hits and faceoff wins this season. According to moneypuck.com, the Blues’ second line ranks 17th out of 64 lines in the league (min. 40 TOI) in expected goals per 60 minutes.

Alex Laferriere, C/LW/RW, LA (40% rostered)

Laferriere lined up as the 1C on Saturday when the Kings went with an 11-7 lineup and the results were encouraging: a goal with two shots, two blocks and nine faceoff wins. This is great for Laferriere’s fantasy value but not good for the Kings, who are too old, too slow, and very bad at scoring.

Jack Quinn, RW, BUF (29% rostered)

Quinn was one of my top sleeper picks this season and he’s making good with five points in his past two games and averaging a point per game. The Sabres have a lot of depth up front but Quinn has cemented a top-six role and on PP1. This is shaping up to be a big breakout season for the fifth-year pro who scored 20 goals and 51 points last season while averaging 15:39 TOI/GP; he’s averaging 19:34 this season.

Pyotr Kochetkov, G, CAR (55% rostered)

Last chance for Kochetkov, who’s now 5-for-5 this season and will likely draw the start in Vancouver on Tuesday. It bodes well for Kochetkov’s future fantasy value when he started three straight games, which hints that perhaps Rod Brind’Amour isn’t as stuck on his goalie rotation as previously thought. Don’t think Kochetkov will get significantly more starts than Brandon Bussi, but the timeshare is clearly leaning his way.

Jacob Fowler, G, MTL (52% rostered)

With each passing game, it seems more and more like Fowler is going to supplant Jakub Dobes as the No. 1 goalie. It’s still uncertain if that’s going to be the case, but this may be your last chance to pick up Fowler. A home date against the Sharks and a roadie in Chicago are enticing matchups.

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

Carter Verhaeghe, LW, FLA (39% rostered)

I’ve been on the Verhaeghe bandwagon for a while, having highlighted him as a potential sleeper, and early on the returns weren’t promising. However, a hat trick Saturday against the Kraken now gives Verhaeghe five goals and six points in his past three games while skating with Sam Reinhart and Lars Eller. I’m a little hesitant to declare Verhaeghe a season-long hold based on one scoring binge – he’s 31 years old playing fewer minutes each season – but his fantasy value is clearly increasing. Favorable matchups in Pittsburgh and Chicago await later this week.

Ryan Leonard, RW, WSH (37% rostered)

The Caps are still shuffling lines to see what works and that’s the only reason why Leonard’s not a season-long hold just yet. However, if he continues to play like this – seven points in eight games – I don’t see why the Caps don’t make him a fixture in their top six with Leonard on one line and Dylan Strome on another.

Boone Jenner, C/LW, WSH (17% rostered)

Not sure how long Pierre-Luc Dubois will be out for and the Caps keep switching up their lines looking for offense, but Jenner’s hot streak might continue with four goals in his past five games. He’s a multi-category contributor with hits and faceoff wins, and the spike in shooting volume is a big bonus.  

Kent Johnson, LW/RW, CBJ (15% rostered)

That’s now a goal in three straight games and four in his past five for Johnson, who’s always had tantalizing puck skills but could never put it together consistently. Johnson drew praise from Rick Bowness for his off-season training and plays L1 and PP1 with Adam Fantilli and Matthew Knies. Johnson is not a season-long hold, however, until he shows more. The Jackets’ forwards lack an elite play driver and often struggle on offense to generate quality scoring chances, which will hurt Johnson’s ceiling.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, DET (14% rostered)

The Red Wings’ second line has been a bit of a revelation so far this season considering it’s Alex DeBrincat with Emmitt Finnie, a sophomore, and Brandsegg-Nygard, a rookie, even though they have a lot more veterans who can play in the top six. MBN has scored five points in his past five games, but also stuffs the scoresheet with shots and hits (31, 16th in the league). In deep multi-category leagues, MBN could be a very useful depth player.

Bradly Nadeau, LW, CAR (1% rostered)

A proven scorer in the AHL with 115 points in 120 career games, Nadeau was called up following injuries to Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal. He’s currently skating L2 with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, and on PP2 with Stankoven. Nadeau’s line was dominant against the Jets, generating 16 shot attempts in 12:06 TOI at 5-on-5, per naturalstattrick.com. A gifted offensive player who can really shoot the puck, Nadeau provides the potential for both points and hits on a very good team. It’s a pretty easy upcoming schedule despite the Canes being on a road trip.

Filip Chytil, C, VAN (0% rostered)

When Chytil plays, he’s a very good player. He played a bit more Saturday in Tampa (20:31) because Marco Rossi (illness) was out, but even with a healthy roster, Chytil is a key top-six player for the Canucks. He’s registered two assists, two shots, two hits, two blocks and 11 faceoff wins in two games since returning to the lineup. The danger with Chytil is obviously his extensive history of concussions.

Neal Pionk, D, WPG (36% rostered)

With Josh Morrissey now out week-to-week, Pionk is the no-brainer pickup. He’ll fill in for Morrissey on the power play and see increased minutes. Pionk offers multi-category coverage with the potential for 40 points and at least 100 blocks and 100 hits.

Dmitry Orlov, D, SJ (11% rostered)

I kind of suspected this would happen with Orlov back on PP1 because Luca Cagnoni just isn’t good or consistent enough yet to stay in that role. It’s far too important of a role to just give to a rookie and hope he can figure it out. Orlov has three points in his past two games, two of which were scored on the power play.

Orlov will have plenty of fantasy value in deeper leagues as long he can stay on PP1, but he also doesn’t profile as your typical PP1 QB and I expect multiple players to rotate through that role all season. I do also wonder when the Sharks will try Sam Dickinson in that spot.

Alex Nedeljkovic, G, SJ (9% rostered)

Depending on how the next two games go – the Sharks play back-to-back in Toronto and Montreal – we might see Nedeljkovic take over the net for awhile. Yaroslav Askarov has really struggled this season and this is an important season for the Sharks as they try to take the next step. Nedeljkovic has had excellent stretches in the past, though it’s never lasted beyond a brief stretch. Nedeljkovic is worth a speculative stash in case he earns more starts.

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

Trevor Connelly, LW, VGK (10% rostered)

Connelly is a matchup-dependent streamer but a pretty good one because he gets a lot of quality minutes (ie. power play) despite his low overall ice time. He scored his third goal in five games Saturday against the Pens and provides offense in bunches.

Maxim Shabanov, RW, MIN (9% rostered)

Shabanov had a rough season on Long Island last season but he’s off to a great start thanks to a promotion to PP1. There’s no doubt he’s the worst and most replaceable player on that unit, but the talent surrounding him is elite. The Wild face two of the league’s worst penalty kills (Oilers and Canucks) and the Flames in Week 4.

T.J. Hughes, RW, COL (3% rostered)

For what it’s worth, the Avs have stuck with Hughes on PP1 even though he hasn’t generated a ton. (He’s a good offensive player who reads the plays well, but he also doesn’t play at a pace the Avs like to play). At least he scored his first NHL goal Saturday against the Pens, his second point of the season, though neither have come on the power play. But with four games in Week 4, Hughes could be worth the gamble. The Avs power play still isn’t scoring at maximum potential, but it seems better than last season.

Clay Stevenson, G, WPG (3% rostered)

The more Stevenson plays, the more confident the Jets should be in him. He was excellent with 34 saves (.919 SP) despite the loss against the defending Cup champions on Saturday, and he should draw one more start this week. Stuart Skinner will likely get the bulk of the work, but don’t forget Stevenson while looking for goalies to stream. Per naturalstattrick.com, both Skinner and Stevenson are providing slightly above-average goaltending.

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