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October 7, 2025
Connor McDavid made headlines one day before the 2025-26 NHL season gets underway as he signed a two-year contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Fantasy hockey managers are familiar with McDavid’s prowess on the ice, and the three-time Hart Trophy winner is expected to go off the board early in 2025 Fantasy hockey drafts. The same can be said about Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who has increased Fantasy hockey value after he led the NHL with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) in 78 regular-season games last season.
You can’t talk about Fantasy hockey without talking about Nathan MacKinnon, who is one of several Colorado Avalanche players expected to be drafted early in Fantasy hockey pools. Should you select MacKinnon or one of his teammates early in your Fantasy hockey draft? Before making any 2025-26 Fantasy hockey picks, check out the Fantasy hockey rankings 2025-26 from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model was created by Mike McClure, a predictive data engineer and professional daily Fantasy player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s used his prediction model to simulate the entire 2025-26 NHL schedule 10,000 times and identify the top Fantasy hockey sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025-26 Fantasy hockey picks
One of the 2025-26 Fantasy hockey sleepers SportsLine has identified: Predators forward Steven Stamkos. The 35-year-old got off to a slow start in his first campaign with Nashville and only scored 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 82 games, his lowest numbers since his rookie season. However, the model was encouraged by Stamkos’ late-season push and thinks he has more Fantasy hockey value than his ADP suggests.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner scored 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in his last 24 games of the 2024-25 season, which included five power-play goals and one game-winning marker. Teaming up alongside youngster Fedor Svechkov, he can help the second-year centerman take on a larger role and get the Predators more offensive zone time. McClure’s model values Stamkos at No. 24, which greatly exceeds his ADP of 105.
Another surprise: Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider is one of the top Fantasy hockey breakouts this season. The German blueliner, 24, has flown under the radar in his first few years in the NHL given Detroit has spent the last decade-plus in a rebuild. His improved play last season encourages the model that he will have a big 2025-26 campaign.
Seider was forced to take on a bigger role last season when the Red Wings traded fellow defenseman Jake Walman. Even with more responsibilities, Seider improved on defense — a career-low minus-5 — as well as on special teams — a career-high 24 power-play points — while averaging a career-high 25:04 minutes per game. His ADP is over 110 but the SportsLine model values him at No. 46, making him an intriguing player to consider for Fantasy hockey managers. See the full rankings right here.
How to find proven 2025-26 Fantasy hockey rankings
The model has also made a surprising call on Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, who faced a league-leading 1,751 shots against last season. You can only see the latest Fantasy hockey rankings 2025-26 here.
So what’s the exact value of every NHL player in the 2025-26 Fantasy hockey rankings? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy hockey rankings, all from a DFS pro who has won more than $2 million in his career and has simulated the entire NHL season 10,000 times, and find out.