There’s always a risk to making trades directly after the draft, but there are some players who could generate a large return due to their fantasy hockey value last year. Listed below are three players who are worth selling high before the season starts.
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Fantasy Hockey Sell-High Players (After You Draft Them!)
Pavel Dorofeyev – New York Rangers
Pavel Dorofeyev posted a career-high in points playing on the Vegas Golden Knights last season. In 82 games, the Russian scored 37 goals and 27 assists to surpass his previous career-high of 52 points. However, this off-season, Dorofeyev became a free agent and signed an $11M contract with the New York Rangers, a team that finished near the bottom of the standings last year. Dorofeyev is going to be relied upon to be the driver of New York’s offense, but it remains to be seen if he can continue his productivity without Vegas’ help.
Coming into this year, the 25-year-old’s stats are attractive, but if you’re worried about his production slipping on a new team, trading him early could result in a favorable return. Additionally, Dorofeyev doesn’t offer much value outside of scoring and would be worth offloading for a player who can contribute to peripheral categories along with producing offensively.
Brandon Bussi – Carolina Hurricanes
Brandon Bussi just became a Stanley Cup Champion, and fantasy managers who rostered him should take advantage of his recent success. The 28-year-old goaltender is useful for collecting wins, but the same cannot be said for other categories. For five straight seasons, the Hurricanes have led the league in fewest shots against per game. Carolina’s attention to its defensive play is what led them to win Lord Stanley, but it means their goaltenders rarely face more than 25 shots on any given night.
The risk with Bussi is the number of goals he could allow without too many shots. The Hurricanes could still win the game, but if he lets in two or more goals, his save percentage will quickly decline. Therefore, it’s best to flip Bussi for a goaltender that will accumulate more saves in order to record a better save percentage, even if it comes at sacrificing a few wins.
Steven Stamkos – Nashville Predators
Steven Stamkos hasn’t been the same player since he left the Tampa Bay Lightning and joined the Predators. However, last year he shocked fans by scoring 40 goals for the eighth time in his career after an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign. Stamkos has garnered more interest from fantasy managers due to his recent performance, but the 36-year-old shouldn’t be trusted to improve upon his metrics from last season.
Despite scoring 42 goals last year, Stamkos still recorded one of the lowest point totals of his career, along with being a -17 on the ice. Additionally, the two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner has a history of injuries, and now that he’s on the wrong side of 35, managers should be wary about his health this year. Before the season begins, it would be wise to use Stamkos’ goal-scoring pedigree to obtain a younger forward who is not only proven to be consistent, but is less injury-prone.
The value of Dorofeyev, Bussi, and Stamkos might not return if regression ensues, making them all great options to trade for game-changing assets before the puck drops. Stay tuned for more fantasy hockey advice as we approach the 2026-27 NHL season.
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