Like real NHL teams, winning isn't just about having good players; it's about getting those players cheaply enough to gain a competitive edge. In standard fantasy leagues, a player's cost is measured by when you drafted them rather than by a cap hit, but the principle is the same. One of the best ways to end up with terrific value is to select a player who goes on to have a breakout season, and this article will help you do just that.
Before we dive in, let's establish one important definition: For the context of this article, a breakout candidate is a player who hasn't enjoyed any significantly fantasy-relevant seasons, but is believed to take a meaningful step forward in 2026-27. In other words, for this article, a player who has been good before but hasn't done anything special in recent years doesn't qualify. That would instead be a sleeper candidate for our purposes.
As a consequence, this list will skew towards younger players than a sleeper list would, based on our definitions. You should also note that those listed below won't include Calder Trophy-eligible players to avoid excessive overlap with a top rookies article. Egor Chinakhov, LW/RW, Pittsburgh Penguins To an extent, Chinakhov has already enjoyed his breakout, but because it only encapsulated half of the 2025-26 campaign, he might still fly under the radar in some leagues.
After beginning last season with just three goals and six points across 29 outings with Columbus, the Blue Jackets decided to cut their losses on the promising but still unproven forward by trading him to Pittsburgh. That immediately paid off for the Penguins, who got 18 goals and 36 points across 43 regular-season outings out of Chinakhov following the trade. A big part of his jump in productivity was thanks to the greater opportunity he had in Pittsburgh, especially because the Penguins would typically play him alongside at least one of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.
He should remain in Pittsburgh's top six for 2026-27, which makes his surpassing of the 50-point mark feasible and even hitting 60 points a possibility that can't be ignored. Taken with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Benson has slowly come along, providing 34 goals and 101 points across 211 career regular-season appearances with the Sabres. However, he trended upward with 43 points in the 2025-26 regular season, and Buffalo was encouraged enough by his development to lock him to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension over the summer.
There's a solid chance Benson will be on Buffalo's top line this campaign, but regardless of how the Sabres divvy up their top six, Benson is primed to take a significant step forward. His $7.5 million cap hit might feel like a risk right now, but it's one that has a high chance of paying off handsomely. I'm excluding Calder Trophy-eligible players from this list, but I won't completely exclude players gearing up for their first full NHL season.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
