This week is Bubble Keeper Week at Dobber Hockey, with the site's writers taking a closer look at players who fall into that tricky middle ground in keeper leagues. Not every player is an obvious pick, so depending on your format, you may be on the fence about whether they're worth holding onto. For Bubble Keeper Week, I like to look at a few of my own players who are on the bubble and walk through the logic behind why I'd keep one or more over another. Not every player is going to make an immediate impact, but some are worth holding onto for their potential future production. When I'm evaluating these players, I'm usually asking a few simple questions: What role can they realistically fill? When could they break out? How much room is there for their value to grow?

Context also matters. Your league format, roster size and team construction can all change how much value a player actually has, which is why there isn't always a clear-cut answer when it comes to these bubble keepers.

Mavrik Bourque

Mavrik Bourque is coming off a strong season in Dallas, setting career highs across the board with 20 goals, 21 assists and 41 points in 82 games. He also put 147 shots on net, which is encouraging because his production wasn't simply the result of an unsustainable shooting percentage. That makes him an interesting player to consider in deeper keeper leagues, although the biggest question now is whether he can carry that momentum over after being dealt to Nashville. The Predators clearly believe in Bourque, handing him a six-year, $33 million contract after acquiring him, which suggests they see him as an important part of the franchise moving forward. From a fantasy perspective, however, the situation is a little more complicated. Bourque is currently projected no higher than Nashville's second-line right winger with players like Luke Evangelista likely taking that top line role. Not to mention he also won't see top powerplay TOI either. He's also coming off a season where he spent some of his playing time along side teammates like Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, so there's no getting around the fact that his supporting cast is taking a step back. That's what makes Bourque a true bubble keeper for me. I'm not rushing to drop him, but I'm also not treating him as a must-keep. If Nashville gives him a permanent top-six role, puts him on PP1 or moves him to centre alongside one of their better offensive wingers, the upside becomes much more appealing. There are still plenty of moving pieces up front for the Predators, and Bourque is one of the players who could benefit the most if he's given a larger offensive role. For now, I'd lean toward keeping him in deeper leagues and seeing how his deployment develops.

Marco Rossi

Marco Rossi is another player I would be inclined to keep in a deeper keeper league, especially because I think his situation in Vancouver could give him a chance to re-establish himself as a legitimate top-six offensive player. Rossi was acquired by the Canucks in the Quinn Hughes trade and finished last season with 35 points in 57 games between Minnesota and Vancouver, including eight goals and 14 assists in 33 games with the Canucks. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but there is more to Rossi’s fantasy outlook than his production suggests. He has already shown he can produce at the NHL level, putting up 60 points in 82 games with Minnesota in 2024-25, including 24 goals and 36 assists, albeit on a much stronger team. However, at just 24 years old, I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Rossi yet, and the move to Vancouver could give him an opportunity to become a bigger part of the Canucks’ offensive core rather than continuing to fight for consistent minutes. The biggest question is once again deployment. If Vancouver gives Rossi a permanent top-six role and meaningful power-play time which are both likely to happen at least to start the season, I could see him getting back into the 55-60 point range, with 65-plus points as the upside if everything falls into place. Unlike some of the other players on this list, Rossi has already demonstrated that level of production, which makes him a much easier player to hold. In deeper keeper leagues, I would be holding Rossi rather than cutting bait and allowing another manager to potentially benefit if he breaks out. For me, he’s still a late-round breakout candidate, but he’s also one of the more comfortable keeps on this list.

Philip Broberg

Broberg is more of a defenseman breakout candidate, with his value tied heavily to his age, opportunity and the potential for his offensive game to take another step. He had a decent season with St. Louis, playing 81 games and recording 34 points, five more than the previous season. He also finished the year strong, which gives me some optimism that there could be more offensive production coming. The biggest thing working in Broberg’s favor is that he appears to have established himself as an important part of the Blues’ blue line. The problem, as it is with most defensemen in this fantasy range, is power-play opportunity. If Broberg remains primarily a second-unit option, it will be difficult for him to make a major jump from the mid-30-point range. However, if he can earn consistent PP1 time while playing top-pair minutes, I could see him pushing beyond 40 points and potentially reaching the 45-point range. The only competition ahead of him is Cam Fowler who did not play well for having majority share of the top powerplay unit ice time last season. All signs point towards Broberg taking over the top unit in the near future, although nothing has been confirmed just yet by the coaching staff. I’m currently looking at Broberg as a 35–40-point defenseman with 45-plus point upside if the power-play opportunity improves. He is someone I have in one of my keeper leagues and hope he see's that uptick in production. There is enough talent and opportunity here to keep him around and see if his role continues to grow in St. Louis.

Braeden Bowman

Unlike Rossi, Bourque or Broberg, I wouldn’t be rushing to hold Bowman based on what we’ve seen so far. He did show some legitimate NHL scoring ability last season. After Stone went down early, Bowman was recalled and found some success alongside Eichel, putting up 13 points in his first 20 games. That production didn't last as his numbers dropped off after that, so I wouldn't put too much stock into the early success. Granted, we did see enough flashes to suggest there could be something here, especially when you consider his size and offensive upside. The problem is finding a path to consistent opportunity. Vegas has a star-studded forward group with Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Brett Howden all competing for meaningful minutes. On a team built to contend, Bowman isn’t likely to simply be handed a top-six role because of his potential. That makes his immediate fantasy value difficult to justify. His AHL production has been respectable, and we saw last season that injuries can open the door for him, but he still needs to establish himself as a regular top-nine forward. If he earns a consistent NHL role coming out of camp, especially alongside one of Vegas’ established centres, I’d be much more inclined to hold and see where it goes. While there is some upside to be patient if you have the roster space, he's also the easiest player here to move on from on this list. I'd lean drop unless we see a lineup promotion, which is unlikely.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!