Most teams are vying for the same sleepers in your standard one-year fantasy hockey league. At that point, are they sleepers anymore? Once the pool reaches 14 teams, 16 teams, lists begin to vary. Finding that one deep sleeper for your fantasy hockey league is what we live for. This week we’ll review deep sleepers for the Eastern Conference.
In one-year leagues, I am not a big fan of drafting rookies. There is too much uncertainty and risk. In deeper leagues, rookies become a more realistic option. The player pool becomes more depleted. For this article, I will be excluding a lot of rookies from consideration. Players like Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks, Matvei Michkov, LW, Philadelphia Flyers, Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks aren’t sleepers, let alone deep sleepers for your fantasy hockey league. We’ll skip over them.
Eastern Conference Deep Sleepers for Your Fantasy Hockey League
Nick Robertson, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
It’s the combination of his displeasure in Toronto, the trade request, and the fact he was drafted five years ago, that he is listed as a deep sleeper. Everywhere you turn there’s another tweet or post about Robertson being a bust, wanting out of Toronto, and needing a fresh start. Nothing suggests he’s about to pop.
The Leafs have a new coach in Craig Berube. The second-ling left-wing spot is up for grabs. The only thing assured is Robertson will get a legitimate chance to make the team and get looks on that line.
Last year was his first healthy season as a professional. It was the first time he played in more than 15 NHL games in a season. In just 11:23 ice time, Robertson was on pace for 40 points, averaging .48 points per game. He ranked 13th in average ice-time amongst Leafs forwards, yet finished 6th in points per 60 minutes.
Robertson has 50-point potential this season, even from the third line. He won’t his his breakout threshold of 200 games played until halfway through the 2025-26 season, so expectations are tempered.
Opportunity is knocking for Robertson, we’ll see if he answers.
Jordan Greenway, RW, Buffalo Sabres
At 6’6″, and 230 pounds, Greenway is a monster. He’s also sitting on 401 career NHL games played. Otherwise known as, the breakout threshold for exceptionally sized players.
Greenway saw a big boost in ice time last year, receiving a career-high of 17:15 per game. This was an increase of almost four minutes per game from the 2022-23 season and 2:32 per game more than his career average. He also averaged 1:17 on the power play over the last 35 games of the season.
There is no shortage of skilled players on the Buffalo Sabres or in their system. We can look at Greenways’ ice time and usage over the last 35 games of last season to get a feel for where he maxes out in this lineup. A second-line player receives about a minute per game on the second power-play unit.
The Sabres had a down year, almost to a player. Greenway’s production will benefit from his teammates having a bounceback season. With his size, Greenway offers tantalizing breakout potential. Especially in multicast leagues, where he had 140 hits and 64 penalty minutes in 67 games.
Greenway did produce 32 points in 56 games with the Minnesota Wild back in 2021-22, a 47-point pace. He needs a few things to go right but a 55-point campaign isn’t out of the question.
It’s the last couple years of disappointment that makes Greenway a prime deep sleeper for your fantasy hockey league.
Michael Eyssemont, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Eyssemont gives me low-key Michael Bunting, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins, vibes.
The Lighting depth chart for right wing after Nikita Kucherov is pretty shallow. Cam Atkinson, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning, stands as Eyssimont’s primary competition for the spot on the second line. Atkinson is the more natural choice for the second line, based on his pedigree. However, he’s now 35 and coming off a season where he averaged .40 points per game, an 82-game pace of 33 points.
Eyssemont was a productive forward in the NCAA. From Freshman to Junior, he produced identical .83 point-per-game seasons. As a Senior he produced 39 points in 39 games.
It took him four seasons in the AHL to convert his offense into points, with 42 in 58 games. In his third NHL season, he won’t hit his breakout threshold until March 2025.
Brandon Hagel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning, has the final forward spot on the first power play unit. This puts Eyssimont in line for a spot on the second unit that gets used sparingly. Tampa Bay leans heavily on their first unit.
Realistically, we’re looking for Eyssimont to improve his production from 25 points last year to around 40.
Keep an eye on his deployment. If he lives in the bottom six and averages 13 minutes per game, 40 points is a touch high. If he grabs a spot on the second line and creeps toward 15 minutes per game, he should pass 40 points and could creep toward 50.
I really like Eyssimont. I also like that he has really flown under the radar to this point. There might not be a bigger fantasy hockey sleeper than him this year.
Kaapo Kakko, RW, New York Rangers
Here we are again, an underachieving young forward staring down a second-line opportunity.
As a former second-overall draft pick in 2019, his inclusion as a deep sleeper demonstrates how far Kakko’s stock has fallen.
He did reach 40 points in 2022-23 and appeared to be ready to take another step forward in his production. Instead, he took a step back last year. His production dropped to 19 points in 61 games, a .31 point per game pace, the lowest of his career.
At 300 career games, Kakko has already surpassed his breakout threshold. This means his ceiling has dropped. The thing with thresholds, though, they aren’t 100% accurate. Some players just take longer.
Entering his sixth NHL season it really feels like it this is the make-it-or-break-it season for him in New York. The pedigree is there. I just can’t shake the feeling Kakko has the potential to become a 70-point player.
If he can grab the second-line wing spot and run with it from camp, we could see Kakko break 50 points and possibly challenge for 60.
This is a real home run swing. There’s a stronger likelihood that Kakko will disappoint and produce 35 points. Yet, we can’t ignore the ‘what if’ with this one.
Jack Drury, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Drury had a strong first full season in the NHL. Even if the offense dried up in the second half of the year, with just eight points over his final 31 games.
When I look at the Hurricanes depth chart, I can’t help but think there is a lot of opportunity for Drury to carve out a sizeable role for himself.
I don’t believe Jesper Kotkaniemi, C, Carolina Hurricanes, is good enough to be the team’s second-line center. With Jordan Staal now, 35 years old and sliding down the depth charts, there is a lot of room for Drury to bully his way into that second-line center role. Being strong on faceoffs is an extra feather in his cap.
Last year, he averaged 12:17 of ice time. That is barely third-line minutes. When looking at his game log though, the final two games of the season stood out. He played 15:48 and 16:52 in those two games, including 2:55 and 6:10 on the power play. The Hurricanes need Drury to take over the second-line center role. Currently, it is a sore spot in that line-up.
This will be a fun battle to watch in camp. He could see his production spike to 50 points if his average ice time surpasses 15 minutes per game. Dare I say, Drury’s development is a huge key to the Hurricanes’ overall success this season.
Note:
The players I’ve selected all have one thing in common, opportunity. There is room for each player to move up a line and take on a much bigger role with their respective teams. Very little is guaranteed with the deep sleepers suggested. But that is exactly why they’ve been chosen. With risk comes reward.
That will do it for the Eastern Conference. I’ll be back over the next few days with a look at fantasy hockey deep sleepers for the Western Conference.
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