Mitch Marner arrives in the 17–32 tier with Vegas, pairing him with Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev to boost multi-category upside and power-play production. Braden Point and Sam Reinhardt offer solid two-way floors on balanced teams, while Sidney Crosby remains a durable, 80+ point anchor with steady peripherals. Artemi Panarin and Clayton Keller provide high-end scoring ceilings in top-six roles, with Jake Gensel and Roope Hintz offering reliable 80–90 point ranges and solid peripherals as late-round seeds.

Rasmus Dahlin stands out as a high-floor defenseman who contributes across categories, and Andre Vasilevskiy remains the keystone goalie behind a strong Tampa Bay core. This slice favors high-volume shooters and elite PP specialists, with the Vegas stack a realistic pivot for leverage. The goaltending slate should be navigated with Vasilevskiy as a reliable anchor in this phase of drafts.

Overall, this second-round window rewards players who carry multi-cat appeal, top-line assignments, and strong power-play upside, while balancing health and team context as the season looms.

Kale Makar sits atop a sprawling, offense-heavy era for defensemen, with Quinn Hughes nudging him as the session’s closest challenger. Adam Fox anchors the Rangers’ puck-driving backbone, and Thomas Harley’s breakout season is a marquee storyline for Dallas. Charlie McAvoy, Evan Bouchard, and Zack Werenski form a formidable mid-range tier, while Gustav Forsling, Rasmus Dahlin, Jacob Slavin, and Erik Karlsson round out a defensive corps that now defines fantasy value as much by transition play as by shut-down ability.

The dialogue underscores that the Norris conversation is as much about skating, gap control, and power-play impact as raw points. Heiskanen and Karlsson surface in lighter spots, reminding us mobility and IQ still swing fantasy upside, even if pure totals don’t always shout. Oilers fans especially should note Bouchard’s ascent, a reminder that elite defensemen now pace the fantasy game from the back end.

In practice, owners should lean into players who eat minutes, run the top power play, and push transition plays. The top five or six names are likely to be the season-long anchors, with the rest offering robust complementary value depending on team context and minutes. This top-10 map signals a shift: offense now defines a defenseman’s fantasy ceiling as much as his defensive chops did a decade ago.

Rangers prospects steal the spotlight in two rookie games against Philadelphia as Brian Offman faces the stiffest scrutiny of his career. First-round pedigree, a four-year wait, and a goal-starved track record push Offman under a microscope to prove he can anchor the franchise’s future. The camp buzz centers on him, Scott Morrow, and Gabe Perau, with Dylan Roi, Adam Edstrom, and Victor Mancini showing mid-/long-term potential. The series also spotlights deeper dark horses like Ardum Gonchar, Carrie Terren, and Noah Laba, all aiming to turn heads and push for a pro-ready breakout this season.

Mike Sullivan’s blunt push for Adam Fox establishes a clear, playoff-level standard: Fox must return to elite form to reach his Olympic goals, with no Ranger-favoritism in play. Fox’s Four Nations Ice-time shifts and the coach’s Norris-caliber expectations frame a season-long push to elevate his game after last year’s downswing, anchored by a potential top partnership with Gavrikov that could unlock Fox's offensive ceiling.

Meanwhile, the Rangers shake up their leadership: Blake Wheeler returns in a hockey-ops advisory role, and three in-house promotions—Ryan Martin to associate GM, Jim Sullivan to assistant GM, and Ryan Clo back in the mix—signal a front office built for a mix of veteran insight and analytics. For fantasy, Fox’s motivation and a stronger, more diverse braintrust around him could lift the team’s upside this season.

Vincent Trocheck faces a pivotal bounce-back season as the Rangers lean on him for two-way grind, faceoffs, and special-teams leadership after a down year. A best-case path envisions him driving a feistier, more accountable locker room, potentially as captain, while Lafrenière and Panarin rejoin him to revive the top line and a revamped power play and penalty kill. Durability and workload are weighed against wear and tear, with Edstrom and Mancini advancing as depth pieces who could accelerate a sharper, more dangerous Rangers core.

Key themes: leadership voids, a more aggressive in-game persona for Trocheck, and a team-wide commitment to bite and pace under a new coach. If Trocheck bounces back, the Rangers’ top three (Lafrenière-Panarin-Trocheck) could reclaim elite status and lead the charge toward a return to the playoffs, with improved special-teams play and a more competitive overall identity.