Celebrini's 122 points, Shesterkin's 32 wins and five new draft boards: NHL offseason digest, Aug. 17–24
Five new NHL.com fantasy boards, a Columbus goalie injury, and Washington's RFA talks reshape the NHL offseason watchlist before preseason.
The draft board moved again from Aug. 17–24, even though the regular-season calendar stayed empty. NHL.com published five new 32 in 32 fantasy previews, led by Macklin Celebrini's 122-point projection, Ottawa's new runway for William Eklund and a deeper Pittsburgh value pocket. Columbus also added a goalie health question, while Washington opened contract talks with two important young forwards. 123
The 2026–27 preseason begins Sept. 19 and the regular season opens Sept. 29. The week therefore produced zero regular-season games, scores, weekly skater or goalie leaderboards, and wild-card movement. The useful catch-up is a draft-board update: which projection already has a role behind it, and which one still needs a training-camp confirmation? 4
The board in one screen
- Best new ceiling: Macklin Celebrini is projected for 122 points and ranked No. 4 in NHL.com's fantasy rankings. The projection follows a 115-point season, a Sharks single-season record. 1
- Cleanest role-based jump: William Eklund is projected for 65 points and is listed as an Ottawa breakout candidate after the Senators traded Brady Tkachuk. NHL.com expects Eklund to have a path to the top line and first power-play unit. 2
- Most useful goalie question: Igor Shesterkin carries a 32-win projection after tying for the League's best save percentage among goalies with at least 50 games last season. Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins sits at the other end of the risk scale after shoulder surgery put him out indefinitely. 35
- Best late-round cluster: Pittsburgh's Egor Chinakhov has a 62-point breakout projection, while Arturs Silovs is projected for 23 wins and could open the season as the Penguins' primary starter. Both roles need camp confirmation. 6
Five new draft boards, compared
These projections come from NHL.com's 2026–27 preseason fantasy pages published Aug. 19–23. The ranks are preseason fantasy ranks from those pages, not game-week performance rankings.
| Team | Lead projection | Upside or value | Confirmation that changes the fantasy read |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | Macklin Celebrini: 122 points, No. 4 overall | Ivar Stenberg: 56 points, No. 161; Michael Misa: 53 points, No. 177 | Celebrini and Will Smith already have a documented connection, while Mason Marchment is expected to join them on the top line. Stenberg's rookie value depends on his NHL role; Misa's value depends on whether he stays on the top power play. 1 |
| New York Rangers | Igor Shesterkin: 32 wins, No. 42; Mika Zibanejad: 79 points | Pavel Dorofeyev: 65 points, No. 78; Gabe Perreault: 57 points | Dorofeyev joins a Rangers power play that ranked fifth at 24.7% last season. Zibanejad finished last season with 25 points in his final 22 games while playing with Perreault and Alexis Lafreniere. 3 |
| Ottawa | Tim Stützle: 86 points, No. 50; Drake Batherson: 77 points | William Eklund: 65 points, No. 144; Shane Pinto: 50 points | Eklund's top-line and first-power-play route is the central camp question after the Brady Tkachuk trade. Eklund also reached at least 50 points in each of the past two seasons. 2 |
| Philadelphia | Porter Martone: 68 points; Travis Konecny: 68 | Trevor Zegras: 64 points; Matvei Michkov: 57 | Martone is expected to start on the top line and first power-play unit after producing 15 points in his first 19 NHL games. Dan Vladar's 27-win projection may become a tandem decision with Joseph Woll. 7 |
| Pittsburgh | Sidney Crosby: 90 points, No. 45; Erik Karlsson: 70 | Egor Chinakhov: 62 points; Arturs Silovs: 23 wins | Chinakhov's chemistry with Evgeni Malkin gives the breakout projection a clear lineup reason. Silovs becomes a draftable late-round goalie if Pittsburgh confirms him as the primary starter. 6 |
The five pages separate two fantasy questions that often get blended together. A projection estimates a player's full-season output. A role confirmation tells a manager whether the player will receive the line, power-play share or starts needed to reach that estimate.
Breakout candidates with a path
The names below are preseason breakout candidates. Their cases come from a documented role change, a recent production pattern or a specific lineup connection.
| Player | Verified evidence | Fantasy relevance |
|---|---|---|
| William Eklund, Ottawa | Eklund has posted at least 50 points in each of the past two seasons. Ottawa's page identifies him as a breakout candidate after the Brady Tkachuk trade and points to a possible top-line and first-power-play role. 2 | His No. 144 preseason rank leaves room for a climb. The climb needs first-unit deployment, not only the departure of a star winger. |
| Pavel Dorofeyev, New York Rangers | Dorofeyev scored at least 35 goals in consecutive seasons and is tied for second in NHL power-play goals over the past two seasons. The Rangers' power play ranked fifth last season. 3 | The 65-point projection has a role-based explanation. His draft value rises if he holds a first-unit spot alongside Zibanejad or J.T. Miller. |
| Egor Chinakhov, Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh lists Chinakhov as a breakout candidate with a 62-point projection. NHL.com also notes his chemistry with Malkin. 6 | The projection is a bet on a productive veteran center creating a larger offensive role. Managers should wait for line and power-play confirmation before paying for the full 62 points. |
| Gabe Perreault, New York Rangers | Perreault is listed as a breakout candidate with a 57-point projection. He played with Zibanejad and Lafreniere during Zibanejad's strong finish, when Zibanejad recorded 25 points in 22 games. 3 | The available evidence supports a watchlist spot. A top-six role would matter more than the prospect label itself. |
| Ivar Stenberg, San Jose | Stenberg, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, led SHL teenagers in scoring with 33 points in 43 games and produced 10 points in seven games at the 2026 World Junior Championship. NHL.com projects 56 points. 1 | The projection gives him immediate redraft relevance, but his line and power-play assignment will determine whether the No. 161 rank is a bargain or a reach. |
Health, contracts and development checks
Elvis Merzlikins needs a timetable. Columbus said Merzlikins is out indefinitely after shoulder surgery. The team plans to reevaluate him in a few weeks. Merzlikins went 14-11-3 with a 3.40 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage in 30 games last season. Columbus opens training camp Sept. 16 and the regular season Oct. 1, so the timing of the reevaluation will shape the Blue Jackets' goalie board. 5
Washington started the next contract clock. The Capitals have begun talks with Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif before both forwards become restricted free agents next offseason. Leonard is entering the final season of a three-year entry-level contract with a $950,000 average annual value after producing 45 points in 75 games as a rookie. Sourdif is entering the final season of a two-year, $1.65 million contract after recording 35 points in 78 games last season. Washington has announced conversations, not terms, so the fantasy impact is roster security rather than a new player price. 8
Cruz Lucius is a development stash. Anaheim signed the 22-year-old right wing to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2027–28 season after acquiring him from Pittsburgh for future considerations on Aug. 19. Lucius produced 15 goals and 31 assists in 36 games for Arizona State in 2025–26 and made the NCHC First All-Star Team. NHL.com supplied no NHL fantasy projection, so the useful takeaway is organizational opportunity rather than a draft recommendation. 9
Games and standings: what this week could add
The preseason schedule begins Sept. 19, and the regular season begins Sept. 29. That calendar leaves the Aug. 17–24 window with zero game results, player game logs, weekly skater or goalie leaders, team streaks, conference points and wild-card shifts. 4
The playoff-picture implication is therefore a roster question rather than a standings question. Ottawa's Eklund deployment, Philadelphia's Vladar-Woll split, Pittsburgh's Silovs workload, Columbus' Merzlikins timetable and the Rangers' Dorofeyev power-play role are the variables that can change a team's opening-month profile. The actual wild-card race begins after those roster decisions meet real game results.
Watchlist for the next update
- Draft anchors: Celebrini at 122 projected points, Crosby at 90, Stützle at 86, Shesterkin at 32 projected wins and Konecny at 68 points. These players have either established production or a stable role behind the projection. 12367
- Late-round upside: Eklund, Dorofeyev, Chinakhov, Perreault and Stenberg. Each has a named reason to rise and a deployment detail that still needs to be confirmed.
- Goalie decisions: Shesterkin remains a high-end foundation; Silovs, Vladar, Woll and Columbus' eventual starter require workload clarity. Merzlikins' reevaluation is the next concrete checkpoint. 567
- Contract watch: Leonard and Sourdif have talks underway, while Lucius has signed in Anaheim. The next useful updates are a Washington agreement, a training-camp role for Lucius and a clearer Blue Jackets goalie plan. 89
- Wait for camp: First power-play units, top-six lines and goalie rotations will decide which preseason projections become actionable fantasy prices.
The next meaningful shift will come when these projections meet actual ice time. Until Sept. 19, the draft board is still being written by roles, health and opportunity rather than game results.
References
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