With Caleb Desjardins sidelined today, I'm stepping in for the Top 10 for this week. Since this was unplanned, I'll dispense with the preamble. I will say this – most of these guys won't be cheap. But they will be cheap-ER.

JT Miller, New York Rangers

Yes, Miller's 90-point days are behind him. And probably his 80-point days. But right now, keeper league owners aren't touching him with a 10-foot pole. He's 33. He just dropped from 103 points (in 2023-24) to 70 to 53. He's on a team that's sinking like a stone. He's treated like an aging 55-point player, with little upside. But I think he's worth taking a flyer on for such a low price. He had 31 points in his last 33 games, and seemed to really find his form, despite the team's play. I can see him posting between the low-60s and the mid-70s. That's a steal, if you're only paying the price of a 55-point guy.

Egor Chinakhov, Pittsburgh Penguins

This one is not so much of a secret, as everyone in your league knows how well he did upon arriving in Pittsburgh. For me, the only holdback on this guy is his health – and he stayed healthy with the Penguins. If that holds (a big if), I think he will get 65-plus. Because of the injury concern, value him at 65 and see if his owners will treat him like the 42 points he ended up getting. He had 36 points in his last 42 contests. The metrics suggest the latter pace was too high, and it probably was, which is why I shifted him down to 65.

Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets

Fantilli had a career-high 59 points, but after three years in the league with high expectations, he is probably acquirable. His owners, who fell in love with him two years ago have probably loosened their grip. He just passed his BT of 200 games, and had 34 points in the last 43 and he definitely has another gear for a breakout. Even paying a 65-point player price for him will see you coming out ahead.

Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues

Here we go again with this guy and his superstar pace down the stretch. We just gotta keep him out of the infirmary! It is also clear that Dylan Holloway played a big role in his surge – because when he was healthy as well, it pushed Thomas to another level. Thomas generally plays 72 or 73 games, so this 64-game nonsense was hopefully just a blip. In 72 games Thomas can easily get 90-95 points, provided Holloway is healthy too. Thomas had 35 points in his last 26 games.

Matt Duchene, Dallas Stars

He's 35. He was injured. He only got 45 points. However, he had 82 points the season prior and he actually finished this one with 38 points in his last 33 games, including playoffs. He needed a month or so to regain his form, and when he was back in the swing of things, he was even more productive than his point-per-game year. You can acquire him cheaply and get sneaky-good point-per-game value out of him.

Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils

By this point, not only are you sick of his injuries, but his owner is, too.  He finished the season with 77 points despite missing 21 games, just a shade under his career high points-per-game rate. Should we read anything into the fact that he didn't get injured on the ice this season? I think it's at least… something? Hughes had 55 points in his last 39 games. His production is still on the climb. I think he's worth taking a chance on, to at least see what his price is at. It may surprise you.

Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers

For over a year now, possibly two, fantasy owners have long given up on Lafreniere's promise. He passed his BT season three years ago, and all we've seen out of him is 57 points. But he really took off after the Artemi Panarin trade, and posted 28 points in his last 27 games. I think those are legit numbers for him, he just needed a role upgrade. Everything has changed for him – new linemates, different zone starts, better ice time, a full minute more of PP time.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens

Another young player that fantasy owners were growing restless about. But they were sated by this year's breakout of 73 points. He started with just nine in his first 20 games – if you picked him up at that point, kudos to you. I think his owner is going to want 85-point value for him. Even 90. Hardly what you'd call "buy low". But actually: I think it is. He had 64 points in his last 62 games, so he's already "proven" at that value. Pay it. Because there's another gear here. He'll blow past that rate, and on a team like this with the future that they have before them – I don't see why 100 points won't be a regular thing with him. He's only 22!

Dylan Holloway, St. Louis Blues

Coming off a 63-point breakout year, Holloway suffered an injury early on. He still managed 51 points after a bit of a slow start. Still only 24 and very much underrated in fantasy circles, he found magic with Thomas down the stretch. Holloway exploded for 34 points in his last 26 games. I do worry about his durability (ditto for Thomas), but when they are in the lineup together it's true magic. As long as we get 70 games of that situation, this is an 80- or even 85-point player.

Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

I may have been wrong in the Team Celebrini vs. Team Bedard debate, but I'm still a heavy Bedard backer and I believe he'll get on the same level as Celebrini in short order. Prior to his injury, he was actually ahead of Macklin Celebrini in the scoring race for a couple of days. His 1.09 points per game is a career best. That being said, that full-season pace is for just 89 points. Most fantasy owners believe he's going to be that type of player – 85 to 95 points with a couple of pops up to 100 or 105. If that's the price, then pay it. Because to me that's his floor. I think he'll be a Top 5 points guy and we'll start to see that in the coming season, health permitting. To wit: Bedard is entering his BT season. The cavalry is coming – Anton Frondell is already here, and KHL superstar Roman Kantserov (the guy taking down some of Kirill Kaprizov's U22 KHL records) is on the way (contract negotiations underway, so not firm yet). And the young players around him are another year older. It's coming, best to get him now.