Matt Larkin’s 2026 playoff fantasy hockey top 150 player rankings
Playoff fantasy hockey pools are like regular-season pools in a funhouse mirror. You’re still trying to select the players you expect to perform the best, but most of the other standard laws don’t apply.
It’s prudent to select good hockey players, sure, but it’s far more important to find hockey players who will play many games. You need to study the teams in the postseason field as much as the players before drafting, as you’re aiming to maximize your volume and select guys from the clubs you expect to go deepest. Four rounds of a middle-six grinder or depth defenseman might net you more points than one series of a superstar. The Florida Panthers’ Nate Schmidt, playing on the third ‘D’ pair, got 12 points last postseason coming off a 19-point regular season; NHL scoring champion Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning got four playoff points after he logged 121 in the regular season.
A Schmidt will never outscore a Kucherov across a full regular season, but the small sample sizes in playoff pools allow for much more randomness, which can level the playing field and give casual players chances to beat the diehards.
Since player production isn’t traditional in a postseason pool format, ranking players isn’t, either. I can’t list everyone in order of true everyday fantasy value. Instead, I can conjure a highly subjective list factoring in how far I expect every team to go in the bracket. I will penalize some players because they have difficult paths and risk exiting the postseason with small game counts. The Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have produced some of the best fantasy assets this season, but two of those teams will be done after Round 1 thanks to the oh-so lovely playoff format.
The scoring system for these rankings: total points for players and wins for goalies, also worth one point each. We keep it simple because playoff pools tend to be casual and go simply on points.
Players marked with asterisks have injuries that could keep them out for the start of the postseason. Players with season-ending injuries are excluded altogether, naturally.
Good luck and, as always, hit me up (@MLarkinHockey on Twitter) if you notice any glaring player omissions.
TIER 0: McDavid & MacKinnon
Note: Leon Draisaitl would land in this tier if we knew he was 100 percent healthy enough for Game 1. If he’s cleared before you draft, take him in the top five. Among players with at least 50 career postseason games, only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux average more points per game in the playoffs than Connor McDavid, Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon. Even if these players’ teams get upset in Round 1, each is capable of 15 points in a single round, so we make an exception for the generational talents.
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
TIER 1A: Makar & Bouchard
Bobby Orr is the only defenseman in NHL history (min. 50 GP) with a higher playoff scoring average than Cale Makar or Evan Bouchard.
Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
TIER 1B: Superstar Player, Elite Team, Heavy Round 1 Favorite
These guys check all the boxes: fantasy studs on juggernaut teams expected to make it to Round 2 at least. Your high first-round picks.
Martin Necas, RW, Avalanche
Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning
Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
Jake Guentzel, LW, Lightning
Tage Thompson, C, Sabres
TIER 2: Superstar Player, Elite Team, Difficult Path
These players are all-world in the regular season. But if a superstar’s team has a challenging road through the playoffs, it has to give you some pause. How many games will the guys in this tier play? Some will light it up for multiple rounds, but some will head home after four to seven games.
Mikko Rantanen, RW, Stars
Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild
Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens
Jason Robertson, LW, Stars
Quinn Hughes, D, Wild
Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens
Matt Boldy, RW, Wild
Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars
Jake Oettinger, G, Stars
Cole Caufield, LW, Canadiens
TIER 3: Superstar Player, Good Team
This is a tricky tier. You’ll find Grade-A talent here, guys you wouldn’t hesitate to draft in the first round or two in the regular season. But some of these names could see their seasons end within two weeks.
Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers*
Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights
Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins
Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights
Clayton Keller, LW, Mammoth
Mitch Marner, RW, Golden Knights
Tim Stutzle, C, Senators
Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators
TIER 4: Elite Player, Elite Team
If you have a really strong hunch about the team any of these guys plays for, bump them into the next tier. A point-per-game producer or stud goalie who plays into the Conference Final and beyond could be a building block of your championship squad.
Scott Wedgewood, G, Avalanche
Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes
Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning
Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
Brayden Point, C, Lightning
Brock Nelson, C, Avalanche
Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes
Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes
Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Hurricanes
Nazem Kadri, C, Avalanche*
Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche*
Juraj Slafkovsky, RW, Canadiens
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Sabres
Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche
Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars*
Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Hurricanes
Roope Hintz, C, Stars*
Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild
Ivan Demidov, RW, Canadiens
Jakub Dobes, G, Canadiens
TIER 5: Elite Player, Good Team
Given the high-end talent here, it’s not the worst idea to grab someone from this tier in hopes he plays multiple rounds. But it would be risky to pick too many, as some of the teams reflected in here will go home early.
Dylan Guenther, RW, Mammoth
Cutter Gauthier, RW, Ducks
Leon Carlsson, C, Ducks
Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks
Nick Schmaltz, C, Mammoth
Drake Batherson, RW, Senators
Zach Hyman, RW, Oilers*
Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins
Jake Sanderson, D, Senators
Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights
Beckett Sennecke, RW, Ducks
Mikhail Sergachev, D, Mammoth
Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins
Logan Cooley, C, Mammoth
Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins
Dylan Cozens, C, Senators
Ivan Barbashev, LW, Golden Knights
Tomas Hertl, C, Golden Knights
Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights
TIER 6: Good Player, Elite Team
Some of these players are merely secondary scorers in regular-season pools, but they can be heroes in your playoff pools if their teams go all the way.
Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild
Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild
Brandon Bussi, G, Hurricanes
Brock Faber, D, Wild
Victor Hedman, D, Lightning*
Matt Duchene, C, Stars
Thomas Harley, D, Stars
Josh Norris, C, Sabres
Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning
Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche
Jackson Blake, RW, Hurricanes
Ryan McLeod, C, Sabres
Josh Doan, RW, Sabres
Logan Stankoven, C, Hurricanes
TIER 7: Superstar or Elite Player, Underdog Team
These players traditionally would rank WAY higher, but I’m predicting they play only one round. It’s not the worst idea to snag one player from this group in hopes that he puts up monster production even if it’s just for a week and half.
David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
Artemi Panarin, LW, Kings
Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins
Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings
Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins
Morgan Geekie, LW, Bruins
TIER 8: Good Player, Good or Underdog Team
This is my favorite tier. If you play the right hunch on the right Cinderella team and hit on a couple players in this group, you go all the way.
Karel Vejmelka, G, Mammoth
Troy Terry, RW, Ducks
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers
Egor Chinakhov, RW, Penguins
Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers
Connor Ingram, G, Oilers
Trevor Zegras, C, Flyers
Linus Ullmark, G, Senators
Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks
Anthony Mantha, RW, Penguins
Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers
Rickard Rakell, C, Penguins
Stuart Skinner, G, Penguins
Porter Martone, RW, Flyers
Dan Vladar, G, Flyers
JJ Peterka, LW, Mammoth
Rasmus Andersson, D, Golden Knights
Pavel Zacha, C, Bruins*
Thomas Chabot, D, Senators
Anton Forsberg, G, Kings
Quinton Byfield, C, Kings
Shane Pinto, C, Senators
Matvei Michkov, RW, Flyers
Carter Hart, G, Golden Knights
Chris Kreider, LW, Ducks
Claude Giroux, RW, Senators
TIER 9: Support Player, Elite Team
This is where you galaxy brain it. Do you bank on great per-game production from some highly skilled players on teams that might not go far in Tier 7? Or do you hope some of the guys below play 20 to 25 games and give you a dozen points?
Devon Toews, D, Avalanche
Mavrik Bourque, RW, Stars
Bowen Byram, D, Sabres
Alexander Nikishin, D, Hurricanes
Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres
Jason Zucker, LW, Sabres
Zach Benson, LW, Sabres
Taylor Hall, LW, Hurricanes
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Wild
Jamie Benn, LW, Stars
Marcus Johansson, LW, Wild
Ryan Hartman, C, Wild
Oliver Kapanen, C, Canadiens
Mike Matheson, D, Canadiens
Corey Perry, RW, Lightning
Brent Burns, D, Avalanche
Sam Malinski, D, Avalanche
K’Andre Miller, D, Hurricanes
J.J. Moser, D, Lightning
TIER 10: The Leftovers
A mixed-bag tier of upside players from teams with uphill climbs to go far in the playoffs and down-lineup role players on top contenders.
MacKenzie Weegar, D, Mammoth
Christian Dvorak, C, Flyers*
Mattias Ekholm, D, Oilers
Travis Sanheim, D, Flyers
Mason McTavish, C, Ducks
Jack Roslovic, C, Oilers
Josh Manson, D, Avalanche
Parker Kelly, C, Avalanche
Ross Colton, C, Avalanche
Jordan Staal, C, Hurricanes
Yanni Gourde, C, Lightning
Gage Goncalves, C, Lightning
Michael Bunting, LW, Stars*
Mattias Samuelsson, D, Sabres
Peyton Krebs, LW, Sabres
Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Bruins
Tyson Foerster, LW, Flyers
Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins
James Hagens, C, Bruins
Matthew Savoie, C, Oilers
Lawson Crouse, RW, Mammoth
Alex Laferriere, RW, Kings
Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
Fraser Minten, C, Bruins
Ridly Greig, RW, Senators
TIER 11: Goalie Usurpers
They aren’t projected to open the playoffs as their teams’ No. 1s. But if you have the bench space, they’re draftable as dice rolls or handcuffs. Ranked more by likelihood of seeing action than by talent, FYI.
Jesper Wallstedt, G, Wild
Alex Lyon, G, Sabres*
Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights
Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Avalanche
Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Hurricanes
Jacob Fowler, G, Canadiens
Darcy Kuemper, G, Kings
Arturs Silovs, G, Penguins
Top 150 at a glance
1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
2. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
3. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
4. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
5. Martin Necas, RW, Avalanche
6. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning
7. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning
8. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
9. Jake Guentzel, LW, Lightning
10. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres
11. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Stars
12. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild
13. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens
14. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars
15. Quinn Hughes, D, Wild
16. Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens
17. Matt Boldy, RW, Wild
18. Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars
19. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars
20. Cole Caufield, LW, Canadiens
21. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
22. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights
23. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins
24. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights
25. Clayton Keller, LW, Mammoth
26. Mitch Marner, RW, Golden Knights
27. Tim Stutzle, C, Senators
28. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators
29. Scott Wedgewood, G, Avalanche
30. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes
31. Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning
32. Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
33. Brayden Point, C, Lightning
34. Brock Nelson, C, Avalanche
35. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes
36. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes
37. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
38. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Hurricanes
39. Nazem Kadri, C, Avalanche
40. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche
41. Juraj Slafkovsky, RW, Canadiens
42. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Sabres
43. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche
44. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars
45. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Hurricanes
46. Roope Hintz, C, Stars
47. Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild
48. Ivan Demidov, RW, Canadiens
49. Jakub Dobes, G, Canadiens
50. Dylan Guenther, RW, Mammoth
51. Cutter Gauthier, RW, Ducks
52. Leo Carlsson, C, Ducks
53. Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks
54. Nick Schmaltz, C, Mammoth
55. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators
56. Zach Hyman, RW, Oilers
57. Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins
58. Jake Sanderson, D, Senators
59. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights
60. Beckett Sennecke, RW, Ducks
61. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Mammoth
62. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins
63. Logan Cooley, C, Mammoth
64. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins
65. Dylan Cozens, C, Senators
66. Ivan Barbashev, LW, Golden Knights
67. Tomas Hertl, C, Golden Knights
68. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights
69. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild
70. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild
71. Brandon Bussi, G, Hurricanes
72. Brock Faber, D, Wild
73. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning
74. Matt Duchene, C, Stars
75. Thomas Harley, D, Stars
76. Josh Norris, C, Sabres
77. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning
78. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche
79. Jackson Blake, RW, Hurricanes
80. Ryan McLeod, C, Sabres
81. Josh Doan, RW, Sabres
82. Logan Stankoven, C, Hurricanes
83. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
84. Artemi Panarin, LW, Kings
85. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins
86. Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings
87. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins
88. Morgan Geekie, LW, Bruins
89. Karel Vejmelka, G, Mammoth
90. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks
91. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers
92. Egor Chinakhov, RW, Penguins
93. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers
94. Connor Ingram, G, Oilers
95. Trevor Zegras, C, Flyers
96. Linus Ullmark, G, Senators
97. Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks
98. Anthony Mantha, RW, Penguins
99. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers
100. Rickard Rakell, C, Penguins
101. Stuart Skinner, G, Penguins
102. Porter Martone, RW, Flyers
103. Dan Vladar, G, Flyers
104. JJ Peterka, LW, Mammoth
105. Rasmus Andersson, D, Golden Knights
106. Pavel Zacha, C, Bruins
107. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators
108. Anton Forsberg, G, Kings
109. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings
110. Shane Pinto, C, Senators
111. Matvei Michkov, RW, Flyers
112. Carter Hart, G, Golden Knights
113. Chris Kreider, LW, Ducks
114. Claude Giroux, RW, Senators
115. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche
116. Mavrik Bourque, RW, Stars
117. Bowen Byram, D, Sabres
118. Alexander Nikishin, D, Hurricanes
119. Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres
120. Jason Zucker, LW, Sabres
121. Zach Benson, LW, Sabres
122. Taylor Hall, LW, Hurricanes
123. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Wild
124. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars
125. Marcus Johansson, LW, Wild
126. Ryan Hartman, C, Wild
127. Oliver Kapanen, C, Canadiens
128. Mike Matheson, D, Canadiens
129. Corey Perry, RW, Lightning
130. Brent Burns, D, Avalanche
131. Sam Malinski, D, Avalanche
132. K’Andre Miller, D, Hurricanes
133. J.J. Moser, D, Lightning
134. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Mammoth
135. Christian Dvorak, C, Flyers
136. Mattias Ekholm, D, Oilers
137. Travis Sanheim, D, Flyers
138. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks
139. Jack Roslovic, C, Oilers
140. Josh Manson, D, Avalanche
141. Parker Kelly, C, Avalanche
142. Ross Colton, C, Avalanche
143. Jordan Staal, C, Hurricanes
144. Yanni Gourde, C, Lightning
145. Gage Goncalves, C, Lightning
146. Michael Bunting, LW, Stars
147. Mattias Samuelsson, D, Sabres
148. Peyton Krebs, LW, Sabres
149. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Bruins
150. Tyson Foerster, LW, Flyers
On the bubble
Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins
James Hagens, C, Bruins
Matthew Savoie, C, Oilers
Lawson Crouse, RW, Mammoth
Alex Laferriere, RW, Kings
Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
Fraser Minten, C, Bruins
Ridly Greig, RW, Senators
Danila Yurov, C, Wild
Brandt Clarke, D, Kings
Nicolas Roy, C, Avalanche
Jack Drury, C, Avalanche
Mikael Granlund, LW, Ducks
Sam Steel, D, Stars
Esa Lindell, D, Stars
Yakov Trenin, C, Wild
Jared Spurgeon, D, Wild
Jacob Trouba, D, Ducks
Nick Paul, C, Lightning
Justin Hryckowian, RW, Stars
Casey DeSmith, G, Stars
Bobby Brink, RW, Wild
Owen Power, D, Sabres
Ryan McDonagh, D, Lightning
Zach Bolduc, LW, Canadiens
Alex Newhook, C, Canadiens
Vasily Podkolzin, RW, Oilers
Tommy Novak, C, Penguins
Sean Walker, D, Hurricanes
Noah Cates, C, Flyers
Casey Mittelstadt, C, Bruins
Marat Khusnutdinov, RW, Bruins
Hampus Lindholm, D, Bruins
Noah Hanifin, D, Golden Knights
Ben Kindel, C, Penguins
Justin Brazeau, RW, Penguins
Kris Letang, D, Penguins
Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers
Drew Doughty, D, Kings
Brett Howden, C, Golden Knights
Bradly Nadeau, C, Hurricanes
Trevor Moore, LW, Kings
John Marino, D, Mammoth
Jordan Martinook, LW, Hurricanes
Jaccob Slavin, D, Hurricanes
Noah Dobson, D, Canadiens*
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