The NHL Atlantic Division. Eight teams. Eight hidden gems to help win your league.
The Atlantic Division is the deepest and most competitive division in the NHL, which means it is also the division most likely to hide legitimate fantasy assets in plain sight. The stars get drafted early and the depth gets ignored. That is where the championships are won… in the middle rounds, on the players nobody is talking about, on the teams where the spotlight does not shine quite as brightly as it should.
Here is one sleeper from every Atlantic Division team for 2026-27.
Boston Bruins — JJ Peterka | LW
Boston acquired Peterka from Utah in a trade that sent the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft to the Mammoth. Some analysts flagged him immediately as a point-per-game candidate if he lands on Pastrnak’s line, a real possibility given the way the Bruins’ forward group is structured heading into camp. Peterka has scored at least 25 goals in each of his last three NHL seasons and is entering his prime at 24 years old on one of the most offensively dangerous power plays in the Eastern Conference. The supporting cast around him in Boston is the best he has ever had. His average draft position does not reflect that yet.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 65 Points
Expected: 75 Points
Ceiling: 82 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
Buffalo Sabres — Olen Zellweger | D
The Sabres acquired Zellweger from Anaheim this offseason and immediately handed him the keys to their power play from the blue line. It’s a role that was badly needed on a Buffalo team that finished in the bottom half of the league on the man advantage last season. Zellweger is 23 years old and one of the most offensively gifted young defencemen in the game. Some analysts specifically identified him as the potential power play quarterback two the Sabres have been missing, and with Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius developing up front around him, the offensive environment in Buffalo is meaningfully better than it was a year ago. He is being drafted as a late-round defenceman when he deserves to be drafted as a second-round one.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 45 Points
Expected: 55 Points
Ceiling: 62 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
Detroit Red Wings — Marco Kasper | C
The case for Kasper was built entirely on circumstance last season. A knee injury, positional uncertainty, and a coaching staff that bounced him between centre and wing with enough frequency that even the coach publicly acknowledged the role confusion. Stripped of all that noise, this is a 22-year-old centre who posted 19 goals in his rookie season and has every incentive in the world to remind the league what he is. Detroit’s roster is better around him than it has ever been. The contract year is the variable that turns a fringe roster spot into a breakout season more often than any other factor in the sport.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 45 Points
Expected: 55 Points
Ceiling: 62 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Bounce Back
Florida Panthers — Anton Lundell | C
Brady Tkachuk’s arrival in Florida is the biggest offseason story in the Atlantic Division, and the fantasy implication that nobody is talking about enough is what it does for Anton Lundell. Tkachuk steps into the top-six and commands defensive attention that has previously been directed at Lundell’s line. The 24-year-old Finnish centre is a legitimate two-way force who flies almost entirely under the radar. ESPN flagged him specifically as a sleeper at his position for 2026-27. The Panthers are built to contend again, the power play is among the league’s most dangerous, and Lundell’s role within it is quietly expanding. He is one of the most undervalued forwards in this entire draft class.
Projection Tier: 60 to 69 Points
Floor: 57 Points
Expected: 65 Points
Ceiling: 72 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Montréal Canadiens — Ivan Demidov | RW
Sixty-two points as a rookie on a team where the top two lines were already occupied by Caufield, Slafkovsky, and Suzuki…and Demidov is still being drafted outside the top 30 in most leagues. That is the sleeper opportunity in its purest form. He is 20 years old, signed to an eight-year extension through 2033-34, and playing in a Canadiens offensive system that produced five of the league’s top ten scorers last season. In his sophomore campaign with a full year of NHL experience behind him, a jump to 75-plus points is not aggressive. It is the natural next step for one of the most gifted young wingers in the game.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 65 Points
Expected: 75 Points
Ceiling: 82 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Ottawa Senators — Drake Batherson | RW
DobberHockey said it plainly this offseason: “If you never believed in contract years, now is the time.” Batherson hits unrestricted free agency next summer at 28 years old. He posted 71 points last season including a career-high 33 goals, and led the Senators in scoring. He now enters 2026-27 with an improved supporting cast and the contract year motivation. His average draft position in most leagues still does not reflect either of those realities.
Projection Tier: 80 to 89 Points
Floor: 75 Points
Expected: 83 Points
Ceiling: 90 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Tampa Bay Lightning — Jake Guentzel | LW
Guentzel arrived in Tampa Bay in 2024/25 and immediately became one of the most quietly productive forwards in the Eastern Conference, playing alongside Nikita Kucherov, one of the most elite distributors in the history of the sport. ESPN lists him as a legitimate sleeper for 2026-27 at his current average draft position, and the case is straightforward: a proven 35-plus goal scorer, a power play built around Kucherov’s playmaking, and two full seasons of chemistry with a Tampa roster that is built to win right now. His production ceiling in this situation is well above where most managers are currently valuing him. He is a bargain at his current ADP.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 65 Points
Expected: 75 Points
Ceiling: 83 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Stable
Toronto Maple Leafs — Jack Roslovic | C/RW
The arrival of Gavin McKenna reshuffles every line combination in Toronto’s forward group, and the beneficiary nobody is discussing is Jack Roslovic. McKenna’s potential presence on the top line pulls defensive resources away from the second and third lines, creating the kind of space and opportunity that a smart, versatile forward like Roslovic can exploit in ways that translate directly to fantasy production. He is a legitimate two-way centre who can play wing, contributes on the power play, and enters 2026-27 in the best offensive environment of his career (including his time with the Oilers). His name will not appear on many draft boards until the late rounds. That is the entire point.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 45 Points
Expected: 55 Points
Ceiling: 63 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Medium
Opportunity: 4/5
Trend: Trending Up
The Metropolitan Division sleepers are coming next. Stay tuned.
Statistics and analyst insights sourced from NHL.com, DobberHockey, ESPN Fantasy, Yahoo Sports Fantasy, The Hockey Writers, and FantasyAlarm, September 2026.
— The Add List +