Some believe that youth is king in fantasy hockey, but that doesn’t make all youth guaranteed keepers.

Last week, Dobber writers focused on bubble keepers for many of their leagues. In my column, I looked at the top 10 bubble keepers in points-only leagues. 

It wasn’t until after the column was submitted that I realized my list mostly consisted of older players. The youngest came in at 26 years old, while seven of them were above 30. 

Of course, not all bubble keepers are older veterans. Oftentimes, a slower start to a player’s career can leave a player or prospect on a fantasy GM’s bubble list. How long are you willing to keep a young player before you lose patience and want to drop him?

Part of it is the sunk cost fallacy: Basically, a fantasy general manager may be reluctant to drop a player because they’ve put so much effort into them (ie- using a high draft pick, refusing to trade the player when he first started struggling, constantly hyping the player up in the forums, etc.). All that plays a role in choosing to keep the player, even though none of that should factor into the final decision. 

To bookend Bubble Week, below are 10 players (including prospects) the age of 25 or under that are bubble keepers. 

10. Jesse Puljujarvi

It just hasn’t happened for Puljujarvi. Even though advanced stats love him, he just can’t produce, no matter where he is playing or who he is lined up with. The 25-year-old has managed to post more than 25 points in a season exactly one time, and that was 36 points in 2021-22. A move to Carolina didn’t help either, and he finished with only 16 points in 75 games between the two squads a year ago. As a bigger player, it might take 400 games before he figures it out and reaches his breakout threshold, which is still another season away. He’s still unsigned as an unrestricted free agent. Depending on when your keeper deadline is, it may be an easier choice if he hasn’t signed by then. 

9. Alex Turcotte

Big things were expected for Turcotte when the Kings took him with the fifth-overall pick back in 2019. Since then, his scoring has regressed (less than a point-per-game in the NCAA and then flailing numbers in the AHL). He’s also seen the Kings accelerate their rebuild, trading or signing for top talent (Philip Danault, Kevin Fiala and Pierre-Luc Dubious). Turcotte has also been passed over by other prospects (Quinton Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev), and he has also dealt with injuries. He isn’t contributing in other stats, whether in the NHL or AHL, and averaged seven minutes a night with the Kings in four games last season. However, there is an allure of a fifth-overall pick finally breaking out. 

8. Nolan Foote

In my dynasty league made up of Dobber forum members, we get to keep 30 players. Foote was one of my last drops and my toughest bubble keeper. He’s only 22 years old, and hasn’t made the squad. Even if he does make the Devils full-time this season, where exactly can he slot in? There is no space in the top nine for the next couple of years, so at best, we’re looking at a fourth-line role, and fourth-line players can easily be replaced in and out of the lineup. Especially since Foote doesn’t produce a lot of peripheral stats. 

7. Jesperi Kotkaniemi

There is talk that Kotkaniemi could be the second-line center in Carolina this year, but I’m not sure how much that will translate into offense for the 23-year-old. Maybe he gets another boost and reaches 20 goals and 50 points for the first time in his career? Last year, 20 goals and 50 points with a minimum of 70 games played would have put him right in the Tyler Seguin/Kevin Hayes/Michael Bunting/Tomas Tatar/Bryan Rust area of production (although they are all significantly older). Kotkaniemi was far and away the worst for shots, but did lead that group in hits. None of those players are bona fide keepers either.

6. Cody Glass

Glass is the perfect example of a young bubble player. He was great in juniors and the AHL, but didn’t get a full-time role in the NHL until this past season, in which he put up 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games. His ice time increased as the season went on (from 11:33 per night at the start of the season to 17:26 by the end of the campaign). However, what’s his next step? He doesn’t contribute much in other categories, so you’re hoping for a breakthrough in points. Can the 24-year see another significant increase in production and finish with 50 points? And if he does, are 50 points good enough in your league?

5. Alex Newhook

Depending on your league, if Newhook is a bubble player, you may be better off dropping him now and hoping you can pick him up off waivers or a future draft down the line. His best season has seen him put up 33 points, so he hasn’t yet delivered on his early potential. On the downside, he’s now with a team in Montreal that doesn’t score as easily as Colorado and doesn’t have the same elite players as the Avs. Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher are the only current forwards that have notched 50 points as a Hab, so expecting Newhook to reach that mark may be a stretch. But as a plus, Newhook should get consistent top-six minutes and power-play time for the first time in his career. 

4. Filip Zadina

A month ago, before he was waived by Detroit and signed with San Jose, Zadina would have been an easier drop. He has struggled since he was drafted by Detroit back in 2018, which makes it even more amusing that he once said he would make teams pay for passing on him in the draft (“I told my agent if they pass on me, I'm going to fill their nets with pucks,” is what he is quoted as saying). This year, he could be in a top-six role in San Jose, depending on what happens with the Sharks rookies. There are still plenty of questions about Zadina, but he is poised for his 200-game breakout season this year. 

3. Erik Brannstrom

The former first-round pick of Vegas and a key part in the Mark Stone trade hasn’t developed the way many had hoped. In 74 games last year, he tied a career high in goals with two, and set a new high in points with 18, all while averaging one shot per game. As it stands for this season, he may not even be a top-six option on defense, depending on how well either Jacob Bernard-Docker or Lassi Thompson performs throughout training camp. He’s got no shot at manning the top power-play unit any time soon, and at this point, his career for the next few years may simply be the sixth defenseman on an NHL squad. 

2. Samuel Girard

At 416 NHL games played, Girard is the most veteran name on this list, but he just turned 25 in May. I mentioned this last week as well, but generally, you want defensemen who can reach 40 points. Girard has never reached that mark, but he does have three seasons with at least a 40-point pace. The problem is he is the fourth option for offense with Colorado, as Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Bowen Byram are all ahead of him for offensive opportunities. Aside from blocked shots, he also doesn’t contribute much in other fantasy-related categories. 

1. Kailer Yamamoto

The 24-year-old has been a massive disappointment since his 26 points in 27 games back in 2019-20. That was his streak right before Covid hit and shut everything down for months. When the league came back for the play-in/playoffs, he went cold (zero points in four games), and he never seemed to recover. Despite significant playing time at even strength with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, he maxed out at a 20-goal, 40-point season. Now he’s in Seattle, and hopes are he can recover. Seattle has a great track record of getting players to reach career highs or have their best season in years, so maybe the same can happen for Yamamoto.