2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Bold Predictions: Igor Shesterkin bounces back, Alex Ovechkin finally falls off among hot takes

It flew under the radar last season because the Rangers were one of the NHL's worst teams, but Shesterkin was again their best player. The fact he managed a 25-19-6 record along with a 2.50 GAA and .912 save percentage, given the defense in front of him, is remarkable. GM Chris Drury went out this offseason and acquired a new No. 2 pair, bringing in Marcus Pettersson from Vancouver and Sean Durzi from Utah. That bumps Braden Schneider to the third pair where he belongs and brings stability to the entire group. I think the result is a dominant Shesterkin year. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the only goaltender I'm taking ahead of Igor in drafts this fall.

Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, has scored 30-plus in all but one of his 21 NHL seasons. Yet, he had just 32 last year despite playing in all 82 games and turned 41 years old this past September. Toss in the fact that the Caps brought in Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch this offseason, and I see a somewhat decreased role for "The Great 8."

This must be taken with a grain of salt. I still think Tkachuk will be an excellent player who will help the Panthers win hockey games. That said, there's a ton of mouths to feed offensively in Florida , unlike his previous team in Ottawa . He could have a real impact even if his offensive numbers are down some, which I'm expecting.