With the NHL season just five days away, fantasy draft season is coming to a close. Throughout the offseason, cases have been built for dozens of players around the league to fulfill the sleeper, breakout or bust label heading into this season. Now, with most drafts wrapping up, those long lists get narrowed down to a final five in each category, one last cheat sheet before rosters lock in for good.

Calling Martone a bust may seem far-fetched given his talent, but the concern here isn't ability, it's price. Martone posted 10 points in nine regular-season games last year, followed by five points in 10 playoff contests, and that limited sample has drafters penciling him in as a top-60 player with a near-guaranteed 70-point season.

That's an enormous assumption to make about a rookie. Martone is currently being drafted ahead of established stars like Connor Bedard, Lucas Raymond and Kirill Marchenko, and anything short of a truly historic season at that price would leave managers badly disappointed relative to the cost they paid.

It's never easy labeling a fan favorite like Zuccarello a potential letdown, but the case for a strong encore just isn't there for a winger about to turn 40. Zuccarello posted near point-per-game numbers last season at age 38, but much of that came from skating alongside one of the best players in the league.

Quinton Byfield is a talented young piece for the Kings, but expecting a 50-point player to replicate the production of a near-100-point linemate isn't realistic. Even so, Zuccarello is being drafted as high as pick 127, a range where safer bets and better sleepers remain available.

An underdog story is always easy to root for, but backing the right Bruins winger this season might mean looking past Geekie. Over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old Strathclair, Manitoba native has benefited enormously from heavy minutes alongside David Pastrnak, racking up 125 points in 158 games together.

That arrangement is now in jeopardy following the Peterka trade, with the only real path to staying alongside Pastrnak running through beating out Peterka for the job. Early signs point to Peterka, going roughly 30 picks later on average, holding onto that spot instead, which could spell trouble for Geekie's production this season.

Where there's smoke, there's fire, and Buffalo's known interest in acquiring Connor Hellebuyck suggests the organization isn't fully sold on its current crease situation.

Luukkonen is a perfectly capable option in net, but he's currently going around 115th overall in fantasy drafts, ahead of names like Jet Greaves, Yaroslav Askarov, Lukas Dostal and Linus Ullmark, none of whom carry the same risk of losing their job to a bigger addition. On top of that, Alex Lyon began cutting into Luukkonen's starts late last season and into the playoffs, and with a contract year of his own, he remains a threat to the crease.

At 34 and entering the final year of his contract, expectations are sky-high for Wedgewood after a spectacular season that saw him post a 31-6-6 record, a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. That's landed him as high as a top-seven goaltender on some boards, with an average draft position around pick 53.

The concern is his age, paired with a crowded Colorado crease, where he'll split time with the younger, capable MacKenzie Blackwood, who could easily take over if Wedgewood slips at all. Safer options like Jeremy Swayman, Brandon Bussi and Jacob Markstrom come off the board rounds later.

Montreal appeared to have found its long-term answer in net after Dobes helped carry the Habs to the Eastern Conference Final, and his career 2.77 goals-against average and .904 save percentage support that.

But rookie Jacob Fowler emerged as a legitimate threat behind him, posting a 2.43 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage after his call-up. Dobes is going as early as pick 82, and while a timeshare would still be workable, the downside if Fowler wins the job outright is a real risk not worth taking at that price.

A third-round pick who has quietly turned into one of the better value plays on the Kings, Laferriere has racked up 86 points across his last 159 games. Skating alongside Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar has helped fuel that production, but it was the Panarin trade that may have unlocked his best hockey yet.

Before the deal, the 24-year-old New Jersey native had a 0.47 points-per-game pace. After it, he exploded to a 0.67 pace that projects to 56 points over a full season. Going as late as pick 145, he's a low-cost bet worth taking.

San Jose made fixing its defense a clear priority this offseason, adding Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Michael Kesselring after finishing with a bottom-three back end that allowed 3.54 goals against per game a year ago.

Nobody benefits more from those additions than Askarov, who got his first real shot as a starter last season and looks poised to build on it in his second full year atop the depth chart. Despite that, his average draft position sits as late as pick 127, well behind names like Sergei Bobrovsky, Luukkonen and Kevin Lankinen, making him a real value.

There's a real chance the 19-year-old, who went seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, becomes an immediate difference-maker. He's already ticketed for a third-line role after a promising professional debut last season, and the biggest factor in his fantasy value will be how quickly he climbs the lineup past Casey Mittelstadt for minutes alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie.

Some platforms rank him just inside the top 200 players, but managers are already drafting him as early as pick 125, a gap that points to a growing belief a breakout is coming.

The story of Landeskog's return to the ice shouldn't be lost on anyone. The longtime Avalanche captain, still just 33, is back after years of battling injuries, and with a full offseason of training behind him, he has a real chance to rebuild toward his old form.

Even in a limited return last season, he posted 35 points in 60 games, a pace that projects to just short of 50 over a full slate. With top-six minutes and a spot on the top power play alongside MacKinnon and Makar all but guaranteed, he's going around pick 137 despite real upside.

Injuries have derailed Seguin's recent seasons, costing him 131 games over the past three years. But when healthy, he carries easy 50-point upside over a full slate, and arguably more, after racking up 21 points in just 20 games during the 2024-25 season before going down.

Now 34 and entering the final year of his contract, Seguin has real incentive to prove he can stay on the ice. In a best-case scenario, a fully healthy Seguin could finish with 60 to 70 points, and at pick 289 on average, he's worth monitoring on waivers.

The chemistry between Konecny and Porter Martone was obvious even in a small sample, with the pairing alongside Christian Dvorak combining for five goals scored against just one allowed. Given a full season together, that trio has a real chance to develop into one of Philadelphia's best forward lines in years.

Konecny has cleared 68 points in three straight seasons, and pairing him with arguably the most talented winger he's ever skated alongside all but locks in another finish inside the top 75. Despite that, he's currently being drafted outside the top 130 picks on average.

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that McCann, when healthy, has been a legitimate 60- to 70-point scorer in three of his last four seasons. A full offseason to recover could set the 30-year-old Stratford, Ontario native up for a bounce-back campaign.

McCann is currently sliding toward the tail end of most drafts, going around pick 144 on average and rostered in just 19 percent of leagues. If he can stay on the ice for a full season, clearing his 60-point floor and reclaiming top-100 fantasy value is well within reach.

For fantasy managers with injury reserve spots, Terry is one of the best stash candidates in the league. He'll be sidelined until mid-November or December, but that opens a window to roster a piece of Anaheim's lethal top line at a fraction of the usual cost.

Despite playing just 61 games last season due to injury, Terry still finished at a near point-per-game pace with 57 points. Some platforms now have him valued outside the top 300 heading into this season, a real discount for a player entering his prime.

The 28-year-old, hard-nosed defenseman is expected to miss the first six games of the season after being suspended for a slash on Buffalo's Zach Benson. When he returns, many may have already forgotten just how strong a season McAvoy was putting together last year, finishing with 61 points in 69 games while staying in the Norris Trophy conversation.

Between the suspension and a recent facial surgery, his average draft position has slipped to around pick 99, a notable discount given the names he's currently going behind.

Last season, both Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith spent the year lined up alongside veteran wingers Tyler Toffoli and Collin Graf, and each of those complementary pieces cleared 46 points as a result. 

With Marchment now signed to a significant five-year contract in San Jose, the physical, gritty winger looks like the next long-term fit alongside that young duo. A 45-plus point season has been the norm for Marchment throughout his career, and skating alongside two elite young talents while also drawing top power-play time could give him the most productive setup of his career. 

After a down year that saw him finish outside the top 200 fantasy players, Marchment looks like one of the better value plays available in the later rounds.

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