The Pacific Division. Eight teams. Eight hidden gems to help you win your league.
The Pacific Division is a fascinating mix of Stanley Cup contenders, ambitious rebuilds, and young rosters on the verge of something special. Vegas, Edmonton, and Los Angeles are all built to compete. Anaheim and San Jose are developing at a pace that is making the rest of the division nervous. And somewhere in all of that noise, eight players are sitting quietly on draft boards waiting to be taken in the later rounds. Here is one sleeper from every Pacific Division team for 2026-27.
Anaheim Ducks — Cutter Gauthier | LW
ESPN ranked Gauthier 42nd overall in their early fantasy rankings and he is still going well outside that number in most leagues. It’s a gap that represents one of the cleaner values on any draft board in the Pacific Division. The former fifth overall pick stepped into Anaheim’s top-six two seasons ago and showed exactly the kind of offensive instincts that made scouts rave about him coming out of Boston College. He plays alongside Leo Carlsson, now the highest-paid player in NHL history at $18 million per year, on a Ducks offence that is building into one of the most dangerous young attacks in the Western Conference. Gauthier is a left-handed power forward with a lethal shot and a compete level that makes him effective in every situation. His ADP is a gift. Take it.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 69 Points
Expected: 79 Points
Ceiling: 89 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Calgary Flames — Dustin Wolf | G
Wolf enters 2026-27 as Calgary’s confirmed number one goaltender and one of the most compelling goaltending values in the entire draft. ESPN and Yahoo Sports both have him ranked as a legitimate starter. He is 24 years old, in the prime developmental window for goaltenders, and on a Flames team that improved defensively last season and is trending in the right direction under their current system. Wolf has elite positioning and rebound control that make him effective even on nights where the team gives up more shots than ideal. He is being drafted as a backup in most leagues when his workload and talent level project him as a clear starter. The only knock is that he plays for the Flames. Yes they improved defensively, but it could be a rough season so keep that in mind.
Projection Tier: 20 to 29 Wins
Floor: 24 Wins
Expected: 28 Wins
Ceiling: 32 Wins
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Edmonton Oilers — Matt Savoie | RW
Savoie played all 82 games in his first full NHL season, posted 18 goals and 37 points with a plus-6 rating, and earned one of the most coveted endorsements available to a young player in hockey. After a March win over Utah, Connor McDavid said of his linemate: “He’s playing well. He’s doing a lot of really good things. He plays with a lot of energy, he’s got a great motor on him, he keeps pucks alive, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Savoie is entering the final year of his entry-level contract… another contract year candidate who has every incentive in the world to take the next step, especially on a team built around two of the greatest players in the history of the sport. The upside is significant. The price in most drafts is almost nothing.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 45 Points
Expected: 55 Points
Ceiling: 63 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Moderate
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
Los Angeles Kings — Quinton Byfield | C
Byfield quietly had one of the most impressive second halves of any player in the Pacific Division last season. NHL.com flagged him as a playoff sleeper after he set career highs in both goals and shots, averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game for the first time in his career, and posted 16 points including 11 goals over a red-hot 16-game stretch entering the postseason. He is 23 years old, playing top-line minutes on a Kings team that finished with one of the better records in the Western Conference, and he is still being drafted conservatively in most leagues relative to what his production ceiling suggests. A full, healthy 84-game season at his current trajectory projects toward 70-plus points. His average draft position does not reflect that yet.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 65 Points
Expected: 72 Points
Ceiling: 80 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
San Jose Sharks — Will Smith | C/RW
Will Smith posted 59 points in 69 games last season alongside Macklin Celebrini…and is still being drafted outside the top 30 in most leagues. That is one of the more glaring market inefficiencies on any fantasy draft board heading into 2026-27. Smith is 21 years old, entering his third NHL season, on the most exciting young roster in the Pacific Division, playing alongside a centre who led the Sharks in every offensive category by a comfortable margin. The supporting cast around Smith is also meaningfully better with Ivar Stenberg arriving. A leap toward 75-plus points is a realistic projection, not an aggressive one.
Projection Tier: 70 to 79 Points
Floor: 65 Points
Expected: 75 Points
Ceiling: 82 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
Seattle Kraken — Bobby McMann | LW
NHL.com flagged McMann specifically as one of their top sleeper picks of the entire offseason, and the numbers from his post-trade performance last season make the case emphatically. After arriving from Toronto in March, he immediately led Seattle in goals per game, points per game, and shots per game: posting 10 goals in just 18 games and giving the Kraken exactly the high-energy, high-danger scoring threat they had been missing all season. He signed a six-year, $34.5 million extension with Seattle, locking in at $5.75 million per season through 2031-32, a contract that signals the organization’s belief in him as a top-six piece of their future…on a team full of top 6 forwards. His max skating speed ranked seventh in the entire NHL last season. He is fast, physical, and produces at an elite rate when given consistent opportunity. Seattle will give him that opportunity from game one to be the top, top 6 forward.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 45 Points
Expected: 55 Points
Ceiling: 63 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
Vancouver Canucks — Liam Öhgren | LW
Öhgren enters 2026-27 on the back of his first genuine taste of NHL life : 18 points in 51 games after arriving from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes trade, and with a situation that sets him up for the breakout season his talent has always suggested was coming. The BRO Line is back intact — Rossi at centre, Boeser on the right, Öhgren on the left, giving him the most stable and productive line combination of his career for a full 84-game season. Caleb Malhotra is heading to Boston University rather than joining the NHL roster, which means Öhgren does not have to share top-six opportunity with an incoming first round pick. He is 22 years old, Swedish, skilled, and entering his first full NHL season with a defined role and proven linemates.
Projection Tier: 40 to 49 Points
Floor: 38 Points
Expected: 44 Points
Ceiling: 53 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: High
Opportunity: 4/5
Trend: Trending Up
Vegas Golden Knights — Ivan Barbashev | LW
Barbashev is the definition of a player the fantasy community takes for granted: a consistent, reliable secondary scorer on one of the best teams in the NHL who goes undrafted in most leagues despite 40-plus point potential every single season. He plays in all situations for Vegas, contributes on both the power play and penalty kill, and does it year after year without fanfare or headlines. The Golden Knights are built to compete again in 2026-27 and Barbashev will be right in the middle of their offensive attack as he has been throughout his time in Vegas. He is not going to win you a week on his own. He is going to be there every week, quietly accumulating points. Late-round reliability on a contending team is exactly what championship rosters are built on.
Projection Tier: 50 to 59 Points
Floor: 50 Points
Expected: 58 Points
Ceiling: 62 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 4/5
Trend: Stable
All four divisions are now complete. The full 32-team sleeper guide is coming soon in one combined article.
Statistics and analyst insights sourced from NHL.com, CBS Sports, ESPN Fantasy, PuckPedia, Yahoo Sports Fantasy, The Hockey Writers, and StatMuse, September 2026.
— The Add List +