The 2026-27 bounce-back board starts with a familiar Toronto name. Auston Matthews is coming off a season that looked nothing like his usual scoring profile, but the underlying volume still points to a major rebound if he can stay in the Maple Leafs lineup.
Matthews posted career lows with 27 goals, 53 points and 12 power-play points while appearing in only 60 games. His 11.9 percent shooting rate was also his lowest, a sharp departure for a player who has scored 30 or more goals in nine of 10 NHL seasons and owns two 60-goal campaigns.
Quick scan: 2026-27 bounce-back cases
- Matthews has led active NHL players at 0.62 goals per game for his career.
- Connor Hellebuyck is suspended by Winnipeg after failing to report to camp and has publicly sought a trade.
- Jacob Markstrom joined Florida in a June 30 trade from New Jersey.
- Nazem Kadri finished last season in Colorado after a deal with Calgary.
- Jordan Kyrou and JJ Peterka landed in Washington and Boston, respectively, during the offseason.
- Vegas could return Shea Theodore to its first power-play unit after Pavel Dorofeyev was moved to the Rangers.
Even through 37 missed games across the last two seasons, Matthews stands alone in the League with 488 shots, 87 hits and 170 blocks during that stretch. He has topped 325 shots in three of the past five years and ranks second among NHL skaters in shots per game, at 4.01, since entering the League in 2016-17.
In Winnipeg, Hellebuyck’s numbers fell hard last year: 23 wins in 57 appearances, a .895 save percentage and no shutouts. The win total was his lowest since his 2015-16 rookie season, and he had never previously finished a season without a shutout.
The larger sample remains formidable. From 2022-23 onward, among goaltenders with at least 125 games played, Hellebuyck leads the NHL with 144 wins in 244 games, a .916 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average. He also sits second in saves with 6,387 and shutouts with 17.
His 2024-25 season brought both the Hart and Vezina trophies after a 47-12-3 record, 2.00 GAA, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts. The current training-camp suspension and trade request leave his landing spot uncertain, but the three-time Vezina winner still carries the ceiling of the top fantasy netminder if the situation clears.
Brayden Point’s 50 points and 18 goals for Tampa Bay came in just 63 games amid multiple injuries. It was his lowest point total since the shortened 2020-21 schedule, while the goal output matched his smallest total since his rookie year.
Point has enough recent scoring muscle to make that a temporary dip. He scored 51 goals and 95 points in 2022-23, owns four 40-goal seasons, and has scored 157 times in 303 games since that career year. His 67 power-play goals over the last five seasons rank sixth in the NHL.
Zach Hyman still managed 31 goals despite playing only 58 games for Edmonton. The Oilers winger has reached 30 three times in his career and remains one of only five NHL players since 2022-23 averaging at least 3.00 shots, 0.50 goals and 0.90 hits per game.
That mix keeps Hyman’s floor high even after missed time. His 54-goal season in 2023-24 was third-best in the League, and a healthier year alongside Edmonton’s attacking core could put another big goal total in reach.
Markstrom gets a new crease in Florida after the Panthers acquired him from the Devils on June 30. The fit is attractive: Florida has allowed only 27.0 shots per game over the past two combined seasons, tied for the NHL’s third-lowest figure, while spending substantial time in the offensive zone.
The veteran has won at least 20 games in nine consecutive seasons. His lone 30-win campaign came with Calgary in 2021-22, when he earned 37 victories, and Florida’s structure gives him a realistic route toward a second season at that level.
Kadri’s 2025-26 totals were muted at 16 goals and 50 points in 77 games, but his Colorado finish offered a better signal. In 16 games after the Avalanche brought him in from Calgary, he recorded four goals, five assists and six power-play points.
Colorado projects to use Kadri in its top six and on the first power-play group. He produced personal bests of 87 points, 59 assists and 29 power-play points with the Avalanche in 2021-22, and he has recorded at least 240 shots in four of the past five seasons while delivering 50 or more hits in each of the last five.
Kyrou’s move from St. Louis to Washington provides another change-of-scenery case. He scored 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games for the Blues last season, after four straight seasons of at least 67 points and three consecutive years with 30 or more goals.
His 10.4 percent shooting percentage was his lowest since 2019-20. Kyrou had 36 goals in 2024-25 and a career-best 37 in 2022-23, and he has exceeded 235 shots in three of the last four years. A top-six assignment and first-unit power-play work with the Capitals would give him a cleaner runway.
Theodore slipped to 39 points in 70 games for Vegas, his first season below 40 points since 2018-19. Still, the 31-year-old has twice crossed 50 points and has reached double-digit goals four times.
Vegas scored 58 power-play goals last season, sixth in the League, and finished at 24.6 percent with the extra man. With Dorofeyev now in New York and the Golden Knights having leaned on five forwards for much of last year, Theodore could again run the top unit from the blue line.
Peterka arrives in Boston after scoring 25 goals in all 82 games for Utah, despite averaging only 15:59 per night. That was a steep reduction from his 18:11 average with Buffalo in 2024-25, when he had 27 goals and set a career high with 68 points.
He has scored at least 25 goals in three straight seasons and ranks tied for 16th in the NHL with 61 five-on-five goals since 2023-24. A possible first-line and top-power-play role alongside David Pastrnak, who collected 100 points last season, and Pavel Zacha, coming off a career-high 65, creates a chance for Peterka to establish new offensive marks.
Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley rounds out the group after an injury-affected season of six goals and 36 points in 70 games. His 5.3 percent shooting rate sat well below the 9.4 percent he posted in 2024-25 and 10.4 percent from 2023-24.
Harley produced 16 goals and 50 points in 2024-25 after putting up 15 goals and 47 points the year before. Over the last three seasons, he is the only NHL defenseman with at least 37 goals, 393 blocked shots and 139 hits. With Miro Heiskanen’s fantasy production having fluctuated over the years, Harley has a path to reclaiming the Stars’ most valuable blue-line role.
