Matt Larkin’s midseason fantasy hockey top 300 player rankings for 2025-26
I owe you an apology, fantasy hockey players. Year after year, I failed you when you needed me most. I was annually releasing a midseason top 300 rankings update after the All-Star or 4 Nations break – in late January to early February. By that point in the fantasy calendar, most leagues are deep into their stretch runs, their trade deadlines imminent, and GMs in need of lifesavers have already drowned.
No more. We sit in Week 10 of the fantasy hockey season. Most head-to-head leagues have 20-21-week regular seasons before their playoffs begin, and roto formats end after 23-24 weeks. We’re at or approaching actual midseason of the fantasy calendar, so let me make things right by releasing rankings now.
If you followed my pre-season top 300, you’ll know the rankings reflect the following stat categories: goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, goals-against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts.
The difference now is that we must be more reactive than we are before a season starts. Some hot first halves reflect the legitimate levelling up of some prodigious talents; think Leo Carlsson with the Anaheim Ducks. Meanwhile, some players’ regressions have to be taken seriously, too, like that of the New York Rangers’ J.T Miller. We’ll see plenty of trends reverse, with cold streaks turning to hot streaks in the second half and vice versa, but we also have to adjust some of our player appraisals based on what we’ve seen so far this season.
With that, I present the midseason top 300. Injured players slated to return during the season are marked with asterisks.
1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
2. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
3. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
4. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
5. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning
6. Kirill Kaprizov, RW, Wild
7. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
8. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Stars
9. Macklin Celebrini, C, Sharks
10. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets
11. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights
12. Martin Necas, RW, Avalanche
13. Connor Bedard, C, Blackhawks
14. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars
15. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs
16. Leo Carlsson, C, Ducks
17. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks
18. Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets
19. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators
20. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
21. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
22. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars
23. Logan Thompson, G, Capitals
24. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets*
25. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres
26. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning*
27. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers
28. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs
29. Matt Boldy, RW, Wild
30. Mitch Marner, RW, Golden Knights
31. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers
32. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers
33. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes
34. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Avalanche
35. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins
36. Lucas Raymond, RW, Red Wings
37. Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars
38. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets
39. Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings
40. Cole Caufield, RW, Canadiens
41. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens
42. Tim Stutzle, C, Senators
43. Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning
44. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
45. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals
46. Jake Guentzel, LW, Lightning
47. Clayton Keller, LW, Mammoth
48. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings
49. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes
50. Jack Hughes, C, Devils*
My top three are unchanged…MacKinnon remains God, and while McDavid has outscored Draisaitl, the latter remains a better bet for more goals going forward…Makar has widened the gap between himself and the next best blueliner…Celebrini and Bedard could both be first-round picks by next fall, but I have Celebrini slightly higher as I trust his supporting cast more for the balance of the season…Even in a down year for the Jets, Connor is his stud self. Is he the decade’s most underrated fantasy asset?… I surprised myself with Necas this high, but there’s little reason to expect his production to dip while he’s stapled to MacKinnon…I had Matthews lower at first given he’s not the same player as he was even two years ago, but I corrected the ranking given the “bad” Matthews still averages 40 goals and 88 points per 82 games since the start of last season… If we expand Carlsson’s stat line to his strong second half last year, he has 67 points in his past 61 games…Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy would be my No. 1 and 2 goalies if healthy, and I think they’ll still be difference makers in the second half, but their slightly depressed rankings reflect their injury statuses…At this point we’re rooting for an in-season real-life trade of Quinn Hughes, which feels increasingly likely…His brother Jack Hughes is still a top-10 fantasy commodity when he’s in the lineup, which is oh-so rarely these days…
51. Brayden Point, C, Lightning
52. Cutter Gauthier, RW, Ducks
53. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings
54. Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens
55. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals
56. Josh Morrissey, D, Jets
57. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Blue Jackets
58. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers*
59. Darcy Kuemper, G, Kings
60. Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs
61. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Red Wings
62. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders
63. Jakob Chychrun, D, Capitals
64. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs
65. Morgan Geekie, RW, Bruins
66. Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks*
67. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
68. Linus Ullmark, G, Senators
69. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins
70. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils
71. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators
72. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers
73. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars
74. Matthew Schaefer, D, Islanders
75. Brad Marchand, RW, Panthers
76. Bo Horvat, C, Islanders
77. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning*
78. Zach Hyman, RW, Oilers
79. Adam Fantilli, C, Blue Jackets
80. Kevin Fiala, LW, Kings
81. Roope Hintz, C, Stars
82. Vincent Trocheck, C, Rangers
83. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators
84. Nico Hischier, C, Devils
85. Adam Fox, D, Rangers*
86. Matvei Michkov, LW, Flyers
87. Will Smith, RW, Sharks
88. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks*
89. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues*
90. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Hurricanes
91. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers
92. Nazem Kadri, C, Flames
93. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche
94. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Hurricanes
95. Roman Josi, D, Predators
96. Shea Theodore, G, Golden Knights
97. Robert Thomas, C, Blues
98. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights
99. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Mammoth
100. Thomas Harley, D, Stars
Point has four goals this season? On 8.0 percent shooting? Talk about a screaming buy low…Only Brady Tkachuk generates more shots on goal per 60 at 5-on-5 than Gauthier. Don’t sell high on Gauthier…This rank may seem high for Seider, but remember my stat categories; he’s on pace for a 60-point, 194-shot, 153-hit, 161-block season. A combo king…Wilson’s shooting percentage doesn’t seem sustainable, but neither did last year’s. We probably need to accept him as a top-end fantasy power forward at this point…Since the start of last season, Marchenko averages more points per game than Tage Thompson, Sebastian Aho and Matt Boldy, to name just a few players. It’s time to put some respect on Marchenko’s name…Fantilli and Michkov both went nuts in the second half last year. I’d bet on talent and make lowball offers to their frustrated owners…It might feel like Kadri is experiencing an age-related decline on a bad team, but all his individual play-driving metrics are normal. He’s a bounce-back candidate over the winter, especially if he’s traded in real life…Kochetkov is such a hard player to rank. He’s been great this season but has also struggled to stay healthy and shares the Carolina Hurricanes’ net with Freddie Andersen and the streaking Brandon Bussi…since Thomas and Stone are the same player in fantasy, delivering mostly just assists and empty calories, I may as well rank them side by side.
101. Valeri Nichushkin, LW, Avalanche
102. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Wild
103. J.T. Miller, C, Rangers
104. Dylan Guenther, RW, Mammoth
105. Trevor Zegras, C, Flyers
106. Ivan Demidov, RW, Canadiens
107. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers
108. Beckett Sennecke, RW, Ducks
109. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers
110. Jacob Markstrom, G, Devils
111. John Carlson, D, Capitals*
112. Spencer Knight, G, Blackhawks
113. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers
114. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Canadiens
115. Tomas Hertl, C, Golden Knights
116. JJ Peterka, LW, Mammoth
117. Gabe Vilardi, RW, Jets
118. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins
119. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers
120. Nick Schmaltz, RW, Mammoth
121. Ivan Barbashev, LW, Golden Knights
122. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild
123. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights
124. Morgan Rielly, D, Maple Leafs
125. Jake Allen, G, Devils
126. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders
127. Logan Cooley, C, Mammoth*
128. Jared McCann, LW, Kraken
129. Dylan Strome, C, Capitals
130. Dylan Holloway, LW, Blues
131. Patrick Kane, RW, Red Wings
132. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
133. Frank Nazar, C, Blackhawks
134. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Blackhawks
135. Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks
136. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Hurricanes
137. Joseph Woll, G, Maple Leafs*
138. Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins
139. Noah Dobson, D, Canadiens
140. Rasmus Andersson, D, Flames
141. Seth Jones, D, Panthers
142. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings
143. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks
144. Jet Greaves, G, Blue Jackets
145. Brandon Montour, D, Kraken
146. Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights*
147. Anthony Stolarz, G, Maple Leafs*
148. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks
149. Joey Daccord, G, Kraken
150. Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild
Aggressive ranking for Wallstedt, right? But this was the player he was always supposed to become. And he’s almost singlehandedly pulled the Minnesota Wild back into the playoff hunt, so why not give him a larger share of the starting pie?… As my colleague Paul Pidutti explains in his Father Time story, Miller shows many signs of decline…Believe in Sennecke. All these young Ducks are doing sustainable things right now…I know Slafkovsky isn’t “No. 1 overall pick” good, but 20 goals, 50 points and 150-plus hits can help us in fantasy every year…Dorofeyev’s streakiness is frustrating, but goal scorers are like that. He got 20 percent of his goals in a nine-game stretch last year, for what it’s worth. He’ll get hot again…Cooley is a top-100 player if healthy, but he’s out indefinitely with no set timeline to return, so I’ve ranked him cautiously…Kane and Gostisbehere: two overlooked veterans averaging give or take a point per game apiece on their respective clubs. Underrated assets…Good luck trying to figure out which Toronto Maple Leafs goalie to trust for the balance of the season. Is it the injured Woll, the injured-worse Stolarz or the piping-hot Dennis Hildeby?… Jones is quietly back to being a solid all-around fantasy defenseman who helps in all categories…Greaves is top-eight in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60. He can play.
151. Kiefer Sherwood, RW, Canucks
152. Brock Nelson, C, Avalanche
153. William Eklund, LW, Sharks
154. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes
155. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks
156. Luke Hughes, D, Devils
157. Matt Duchene, C, Stars
158. Dustin Wolf, G, Flames
159. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild*
160. Vince Dunn, D, Kraken
161. Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks
162. Brock Faber, D, Wild
163. Josh Norris, C, Sabres*
164. Anton Lundell, C, Panthers
165. Jack Roslovic, RW, Oilers*
166. Yaroslav Askarov, G, Sharks
167. Brandt Clarke, D, Kings
168. Alexis Lafreniere, RW, Rangers
169. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Sharks
170. Jackson Blake, LW, Hurricanes
171. Will Cuylle, LW, Rangers
172. Drew Doughty, D, Kings
173. Chris Kreider, LW, Ducks
174. Karel Vejmelka, G, Mammoth
175. Jakub Dobes, G, Canadiens
176. Stuart Skinner, G, Oilers
177. Emil Heineman, LW, Islanders
178. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames
179. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils
180. Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers
181. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche
182. Boone Jenner, C, Blue Jackets*
183. John Gibson, G, Red Wings
184. Cam Talbot, G, Red Wings
185. Rickard Rakell, RW, Penguins*
186. Dylan Cozens, C, Senators
187. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning
188. Aliaksei Protas, LW, Capitals
189. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins*
190. Shane Pinto, C, Senators*
191. Josh Doan, RW, Sabres
192. Ryan Leonard, LW, Capitals*
193. Dmitri Voronkov, LW, Blue Jackets
194. Jake Neighbours, LW, Blues
195. Scott Wedgewood, G, Avalanche*
196. Pavel Buchnevich, RW, Blues
197. Ryan O’Reilly, C, Predators
198. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins*
199. Jacob Touba, D, Ducks
200. Pavel Zacha, C, Bruins
We’d all agree 191 hits are an excellent full-season total, right? Since the start of last season, Sherwood has 191 more hits than the No. 2 hitter in the NHL. He’s a one-man category tilter with 31 goals over that span to boot…Landeskog is back, but more real-life back than fantasy back, as he’s playing on the second line and averaging 15 minutes a night…just when it seemed Dobes had control of the Habs’ net, he’s imploding just as much as Sam Montembeault, leaving an opening for mega-prospect Jacob Fowler…if the Detroit Red Wings’ Gibson and Talbot aren’t careful, Sebastian Cossa will do the same to them…Heineman is this year’s Will Cuylle, tracking for a 27-goal, 292-hit campaign. Heineman is available in 62 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go get him.
201. Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins
202. Cole Perfetti, RW, Jets
203. Filip Hronek, D, Canucks
204. Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
205. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators*
206. Sean Monahan, C, Blue Jackets
207. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars
208. Andre Burakovsky, RW, Blackhawks
209. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes
210. Zach Benson, LW, Sabres
211. Dawson Mercer, C, Devils
212. Dan Vladar, G, Flyers
213. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues
214. Juuse Saros, G, Predators
215. Steven Stamkos, C, Predators
216. Sam Montembeault, G, Canadiens
217. Carter Hart, G, Golden Knights
218. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames
219. Artyom Levshunov, D, Blackhawks
220. Alexander Nikishin, D, Hurricanes
221. Tristan Jarry, G, Penguins
222. Zeev Buium, D, Wild
223. Bobby McMann, LW, Maple Leafs
224. Casey DeSmith, G, Stars
225. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, Blues*
226. Eric Comrie, G, Jets
227. Victor Olofsson, LW, Avalanche
228. Jaden Schwartz, LW, Kraken*
229. Jordan Eberle, RW, Kraken
230. Matty Beniers, C, Kraken
231. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Maple Leafs
232. Claude Giroux, RW, Senators
233. Marco Rossi, C, Wild*
234. Mikael Granlund, LW, Ducks
235. Connor McMichael, C, Capitals
236. Marcus Johansson, LW, Wild
237. Charlie Lindgren, G, Capitals*
238. Matthew Wood, RW, Predators
239. Mike Matheson, D, Canadiens
240. Jason Zucker, LW, Sabres*
241. Luke Evangelista, RW, Predators
242. Emmitt Finnie, LW, Red Wings
243. Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Predators
244. Matt Coronato, RW, Flames
245. Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Blackhawks*
246. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche
247. Hampus Lindholm, D, Bruins
248. Brent Burns, D, Avalanche
249. Justin Faulk, D, Blues
250. Bowen Byram, D, Sabres
Monahan hasn’t recaptured last year’s magic, but he’s still centering PP1 for the Columbus Blue Jackets. You could do worse for a third or fourth center in deep leagues…I’d tread carefully with Mercer. Strong start to his year, but what happens to the depth chart when Jack Hughes comes back? Is Mercer a third-liner and back on the wing?… Adin Hill was reported as “out a few months” a month ago, meaning Hart will have short-term value for the Vegas Golden Knights and fantasy managers into the New Year…I hate disrespecting Rossi with this rank, but he’s hurt and the Wild are never trustworthy with their deployment of him…It’s not a coincidence that I have three Seattle Kraken forwards back to back to back. This team is a black hole of waiver fodder even among their top six.
251. K’Andre Miller, D, Hurricanes
252. Jake Walman, D, Oilers*
253. Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres
254. Simon Nemec, D, Devils
255. Mattias Ekholm, D, Oilers
256. Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers
257. Michael Bunting, LW, Predators
258. Simon Edvinsson, D, Red Wings
259. Braedan Bowman, RW, Golden Knights
260. Sean Couturier, C, Flyers
261. Olen Zellweger, D, Ducks
262. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Sabres
263. Jacob Fowler, G, Canadiens
264. Logan Stankoven, C, Hurricanes
265. Danila Yurov, C, Wild
266. Alex Laferriere, RW, Kings
267. Conor Garland, RW, Canucks
268. Corey Perry, RW, Kings
269. Anders Lee, LW, Islanders
270. Taylor Hall, LW, Hurricanes
271. Jake DeBrusk, LW, Canucks
272. Dennis Hildeby, G, Maple Leafs
273. Sebastian Cossa, G, Red Wings
274. Mackie Samoskevich, RW, Panthers
275. Anthony Mantha, LW, Penguins
276. John Klingberg, D, Sharks
277. Evander Kane, LW, Canucks
278. Ryan McLeod, C, Sabres
279. Nino Niederreiter, LW, Jets
280. Daniil Tarasov, G, Panthers
281. Arturs Silovs, G, Penguins
282. Evan Rodrigues, LW, Panthers
283. Neal Pionk, D, Jets
284. Arseny Gritsyuk, LW, Devils
285. Ryan Donato, C, Blackhawks
286. Devon Cooley, G, Flames
287. Alexander Wennberg, C, Sharks
288. Matt Savoie, RW, Oilers
289. Ross Colton, RW, Avalanche
290. Alex Steeves, LW, Bruins
291. William Karlsson, C, Golden Knights*
292. Joel Hofer, G, Blues
293. Charlie Coyle, C, Blue Jackets
294. Brandon Bussi, G, Hurricanes
295. Ryan Donato, C, Blackhawks
296. Leevi Merilainen, G, Senators
297. Jonathan Quick, G, Rangers
298. Shane Wright, C, Kraken
299. Tyson Foerster, RW, Flyers*
300. Vladislav Gavrikov, D, Rangers
Is Nemec a thing now? He’s taken over PP1 with the New Jersey Devils and has the pedigree of a No. 2 overall pick…The Montreal Canadiens are desperate in goal, and the callup of Fowler was serious. He’s their goalie of the future and maybe even the present if he plays well…Josh Norris is nicked up, and every time that happens, McLeod elevates to the Buffalo Sabres’ second line and returns fantasy value…With guys like Bowman and Steeves: hey, we don’t know if they’ll remain first-liners, but we may as well pick them up and use them in deep leagues while they are. We might have said the same thing about Finnie at the beginning of the year, and he’s still there. Gritsyuk is scoring at north of a 40-point pace despite TOI south of 15 minutes a game. I’d like to see him get a larger opportunity.
On the bubble
Mattias Samuelsson
Calvin Pickard
Eetu Luostarinen
Parik Laine*
Viktor Arvidsson
Anthony Beauvillier
Sam Malinski
Oliver Kapanen
Casey Mittelstadt
Zack Bolduc
Alex Killorn
Aaron Ekblad
Sergei Murashov
Noah Hanifin
Isak Rosen
Brayden Schenn
Elvis Merzlikins
Frank Vatrano
Morgan Frost
Akira Schmid
Bradly Nadeau
Kris Letang
Fabian Zetterlund
Zayne Parekh
Justin Brazeau
Michael Misa
Berkly Catton
Nick Robertson
Ethen Frank
Nick Lardis
Matvei Gridin
Easton Cowan
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