In fantasy hockey, nothing hits quite like adding a league-winner to your roster. And, beautifully, league-winners come in all shapes and sizes – sometimes, they're waiver wire pickups who heat up just in time for fantasy playoffs; others, they're speculative early-season adds who blossom into elite talents over the long haul.

In the early going, several players have shown flashes of becoming potential league winners in 2025-2026, thanks to impressive early-season production, prime deployment, or a perfect mix of both. With favorable schedules this week, these players could be worth adding to your squad. But here's the catch: if they continue performing at this level, they could soon become too good to drop – and might just win you your league.

(Statistics courtesy of Frozen Tools)

Dawson Mercer, C/RW, New Jersey Devils

Mercer has been devilishly good to start the season with five points (three goals, two assists) in his first five games. Like last year, the Devils' 2020 first-round pick has mostly skated on the second line alongside Timo Meier and captain Nico Hischier, while also seeing time on the Devils' formidable top power-play unit.

While it's unclear if and/or how Stefan Noesen will be incorporated into the Devils' power-play scheme upon his return from injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe didn't shy away from sticking Timo Meier on PP2 last season, and could fall back on a similar strategy whenever Noesen rejoins the lineup.

Given New Jersey's four-game schedule this week (including three games on Light Days), managers should have no trouble slotting Mercer into their lineups. And with yet another week of stellar play potentially on the way, Dawson Mercer might be here to stay.

Zach Benson, LW, Buffalo Sabres

After missing Buffalo's (forgettable) first three games to start the season, Zach Benson exploded for four points (zero goals, four assists) in his season debut last Wednesday in an 8-4 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators. Benson followed up his electric performance with another assist on Saturday and one on Monday night, brining his season total to six assists in three games.

In Benson's first three games, the Sabres' 2023 first-round pick has mostly played alongside Jiri Kulich and Tage Thompson at even strength while skating on the Sabres' top power-play unit.

With three Sabres games remaining this week (one on a light Wednesday slate and a home-and-home with Toronto on Friday and Saturday), Benson makes for an intriguing add. As a key part of Buffalo's offence, Benson is one to keep an eye on, both this week and beyond.

Dmitri Voronkov, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets

Dmitri Voronkov has caught fire to begin the 2025-2026 campaign, recording five points (two goals, three assists) in his first five games. Like the first half of last season, Voronkov has skated on Columbus' top line alongside Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko and has been recently moved to the team's top power-play unit.

Following a pedestrian start to last season, Voronkov went bonkers during the second quarter, registering 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 22 games, but managed just 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in his final 39 games. Notably, Voronkov's offensive dip in the back half of the year coincided with Sean Monahan's unfortunate wrist injury, which ended up requiring surgery and forcing Monahan out of action for nearly 30 games. However, with Monahan healthy to begin the season, the Voronkov-Monahan-Marchenko trio is finally back together again, which ranked 26^th in xGoals among forward lines last season.

Following tonight's tilt with the powerhouse Dallas Stars, the Blue Jackets will take a couple days off before facing the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and Saturday, respectively. If your squad needs a player who brings a physical edge with offensive upside, Voronkov might be your man – both this week and, perhaps, this season.

Mackie Samoskevich, RW, Florida Panthers

Unlike the other players featured in this article, Mackie Samoskevich hasn't gone on a tear so far – in fact, with no points in his past four games, Mackie's currently featured on Dobber's Cold Players list. So, where's the appeal? Right here:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when it comes to fantasy hockey, deployment is everything. While there's certainly a wide range of talent in the NHL, an "unskilled" player benefiting from ample ice time at even strength and on the power play will almost always be more valuable than a "skilled" player suffering from limited minutes. With this in mind, even the possibility that Samoskevich carves out a long-term role on Florida's top power-play unit makes him worthy of a speculative add, especially in leagues that value hits and shots (he's an underrated source of both).

After battling with the Boston Bruins tonight, the Panthers will return home to face the Penguins on Thursday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. While it's a small sample size, Boston's power play has been great in the early going (90%, 6^th overall); Pittsburgh's penalty kill has been so-so (78.95%, 17^th overall) and Vegas' poor (66.67%, 29^th overall). With an opportunity to find a rhythm against a range of penalty-killing competition, the Cats' new-look PP1 might be here to stay – and if that's the case, it might be time to pounce on Mackie.

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That's all for this week! Follow me on X @SmoothE27 for more fantasy hockey content and analysis, and feel free to DM me with any questions about your team.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Eastern Edge on Tuesday, October 28. Have a great week everyone!