Continuing with Bubble Keeper Week, here are five more forwards that I have the option of keeping at a certain price in one of my leagues. The relevant rules for this league were covered in yesterday's Ramblings, as is what Bubble Keeper Week is if you're not familiar.

Zuccarello delivered 54 points in 59 games last season — a 0.92 points‑per‑game pace, his best since 2021‑22. He also recorded 20‑plus power‑play points in four of the past five seasons, reinforcing how much of his value comes from power-play production. Those are legitimately strong numbers, but several indicators suggest his outlook could slip in 2026‑27.

First, the power‑play environment is a downgrade. Minnesota operated as a top‑five unit at 25.2%, while Los Angeles sat in the bottom five at 17.0%. Even if the Kings try to carve out a PP1 role for Zuccarello, there's no guarantee he earns or keeps it. On top of that, he loses Kirill Kaprizov as a linemate at both even strength and on the man advantage — a major hit to his assist‑driven production.

Durability is another concern. Zuccarello hasn't reached 70 games in any of the past three seasons, and he'll be 39 years old on opening night. Availability risk is now a core part of his profile.

If he stays healthy, Zuccarello can still match last year's output. But because his scoring is heavily assist‑weighted, his projected point totals don't offer enough upside to justify a keeper‑level investment. In many formats, he's more likely to be a watchlist or waiver‑wire candidate than a player worth protecting.

Jake DeBrusk

DeBrusk was essentially a one‑category specialist last season — and that category was power‑play scoring. As noted earlier this summer, 19 of his 23 goals came on the man advantage, with only Wyatt Johnston and Pavel Dorofeyev producing more power‑play goals league‑wide. Outside of that, his fantasy profile is thin. He doesn't generate many assists, and his minus‑32 rating — tied for the fifth‑worst in the NHL — is a major drag in any format counting plus/minus.

With the Canucks in a rebuild, DeBrusk is a logical trade candidate. But a move wouldn't necessarily help his fantasy value. On a deeper team, he's far from guaranteed PP1 deployment, and without top‑unit minutes his scoring floor drops sharply.

This league doesn't award bonus value for power‑play production, though goals do carry more weight than assists. Even so, there's little reason to expect a significant jump from last season. DeBrusk has reached 50 points only once in his career and has never hit 30 goals, despite being viewed as a goal‑scoring winger.

He's a player I might revisit later, but only at a lower price in open free‑agent bidding.

Gage Goncalves

Goncalves' 2025‑26 campaign was his first true full NHL season, and he held his own with 11 goals and 33 points in 74 games. His deployment bounced around throughout the year, but the most intriguing wrinkle was that his most common even‑strength line combination came alongside Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, even if it accounted for only about 14% of his minutes. That stretch mattered: Goncalves closed the season with 17 points in his final 24 games, a run that made him a worthwhile late‑season waiver add.

His surge wasn't accidental. Goncalves' ice time climbed from 11–12 minutes per game to over 15 minutes, and he even earned the occasional look on Tampa Bay's top power‑play unit. The usage spike aligned with the production bump gives him a legitimate foothold heading into 2026‑27.

There's a realistic path for Goncalves to spend extended time in the top six again, though cracking PP1 would require several things breaking perfectly in his favor. The drop‑off from skating with Kucherov and Point to potentially playing with depth options like Yanni Gourde or Ilya Mikheyev is significant, so his fantasy value will hinge heavily on where he lands in the lineup.

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Goncalves has deep sleeper appeal, especially in formats that reward late‑season momentum or lineup volatility. Still, he profiles best as a waiver‑wire or streaming option, with upside that depends almost entirely on deployment. Keep an eye on his linemates early, as that will tell you everything you need to know.

Alex Newhook

Like Goncalves, Newhook was a late-season addition. I was hoping to capitalize on Newhook's second-half return from a broken ankle, but he instead remained stapled to my bench as I secured a league title with other players. Before the injury, Newhook had started the season with 12 points in 17 games playing on a line with super rookie Ivan Demidov. After the injury? Just 13 points in 25 games. In Montreal's Conference Final run, Newhook finished with seven goals and 10 points in 19 games, which seems like about a normal point pace for him.

In the Fantasy Guide, Newhook is identified as Montreal's player on the hot seat (which could also mean that Kirby Dach's ship has sailed). Newhook has never reached 35 points in a season, but part of that issue has to do with him being a Band-Aid Boy. In two of the last three seasons, Newhook has failed to reach 60 games. Yet time waits for no one, injuries or otherwise. At age 25, Newhook doesn't have a ton of time left to become a permanent top-6 fixture in the Canadiens' lineup.

Newhook also benefitted from a high shooting percentage in both the regular season (21.3%) and the playoffs (21.2%). If 20% becomes closer to the norm instead of an outlier as a result of taking shots more carefully, Newhook could reach 20 goals. Factor in injury avoidance and the right linemates, and Newhook could still be a breakout player if everything falls into place. The calculation to keep him is simply too high in this league, though.

William Karlsson

I had kept Karlsson (not that Karlsson, if you are familiar with the podcast) after he played just 53 games in 2024-25. Karlsson was hit even harder with injuries in 2025-26, appearing in just 14 games. Although he returned for the second round of the playoffs, Karlsson suffered a broken wrist during the Stanley Cup Final. Based on the timeline for the latest injury, Karlsson will probably be getting back to 100% once training camp starts.

A surprise 43-goal scorer during the initial Vegas Golden Misfits season of 2017-18, Karlsson has only reached 20 goals twice and 30 goals once since that time. Part of that is due to the fact that Karlsson has often been used in a defensive role, as his offensive zone start percentage has been below 50% for the past four seasons. That is particularly low for a team whose top scorers typically have an OZ% of 60% or higher.

Now at age 33, Karlsson's long-term outlook isn't that promising given the age and diminishing returns. The upside is that he could still produce a bit if he centers Mitch Marner, as he had during the playoffs (9 PTS in 15 GP). Yet for the reasons I listed above, I simply have no reason to hang onto Karlsson any longer.

Next week, I will cover defensemen and goalies that I need to make a decision on.

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