Fantasy Hockey 2025-26 – Dylan Berthiaume’s Must-Draft Players
Fantasy hockey drafts are won and lost on the margins. Every manager knows the stars in the first couple of rounds, but the real difference-makers are often the players who provide value at the right draft slot. That’s what our MUST-DRAFT picks are all about: spotlighting the skaters and goalies that are highlighted on our draft lists, and should be on your list too. These are players whose production, opportunity, and upside make them nearly impossible to pass on at their current average draft position (ADP). Whether it’s a proven star who is undervalued, a breakout candidate ready to explode, or a steady contributor who’s better than the name recognition suggests, these are the MUST-DRAFT players who can tilt your league in your favour.
More Must-Draft Player Lists:
- Brock Seguin’s Must-Draft Players
- Nick Szeman’s Must-Draft Players
- Beebs Bondy’s Must-Draft Players
- Matt Larkin’s Must-Draft Players
Kirill Marchenko | Columbus Blue Jackets | RW | ADP: 112.0
Heading into last season, Marchenko was labeled in fantasy circles as a cheap source of goals that could throw in the odd assist and be a worthy streaming play when the schedule lined up accordingly. Boy, were we wrong. The young Russian winger quickly introduced himself as one of the breakout stars of the season. He racked up four goals and seven assists in his first seven games and, quite frankly, never looked back. Marchenko shattered his previous career highs, tallying 31 goals and 43 assists across 79 games. He established himself as an elite play driver, and scoring chances seemed to follow him wherever he went, and Columbus was a much better team for it.
The Blue Jackets averaged 29 scoring chances per 60 with Marchenko on the ice at 5v5, compared to just 23 when he wasn’t out there. Whether it was Adam Fantilli or Sean Monahan centring Marchenko didn’t seem to matter all that much, and that bodes well for Marchenko’s chances of sustaining or even building on this breakout campaign. Marchenko also did almost all of his goal scoring at even strength, which again suggests even brighter days could be ahead for the 25-year-old. He finished the season with 29 goals at even strength (tied for the seventh most in the NHL), and two on the power-play. Some positive regression for his 5% shooting percentage on the man advantage could help Marchenko threaten 40 goals. Add on the possibility of increased ice time and the continued growth of Columbus’ young core, and the sky really is the limit for Marchenko’s 2025-26 fantasy season.
Carter Verhaeghe | Florida Panthers | LW | ADP: 113.5
Last season, Verhaeghe became the latest victim of one of the most fickle stats in the game: shooting percentage. After posting goal totals of 42 and 34 in the previous two seasons, Verhaeghe managed to find the back of the net just 20 times across 81 games. The good news, at least for his fantasy stocks heading into the 2025-26 season, is that it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Panthers winger fired 242 shots on goal, the 17th most in the league. Of course, converting on those attempts is where he fell short. Verhaeghe finished the year with an 8.3% shooting percentage – the worst of his career by a wide margin, and a far cry from the 14.9% he shot across his first five seasons.
Shot volume is a much more repeatable and reliable statistic than shooting percentage, which is why it’s a much stronger indicator of future goals. Of course, there can be real factors that contribute to a sudden drop in shooting percentage, such as an underlying injury, but it’s hard not to chalk up Verhaeghe’s disappointing regular season to poor puck luck when you look at what he was able to do in the postseason. He posted 23 points in 23 games on the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run, shooting 13.5% in the process. Verhaeghe’s career regular season shooting percentage? 13.4%.
Look for that positive regression to continue into the 2025-26 season, where Verhaeghe projects to be one of the biggest value picks in fantasy at his current ADP of 113.5. Buy the dip and draft him with confidence.
Joel Eriksson Ek | Minnesota Wild | C | ADP: 135.5
It’s all about draft cost. Eriksson Ek entered last year with an ADP of 63 and was arguably one of the biggest busts of the season. Now entering the 2025-26 fantasy draft season, the pendulum has swung fully the other way. His ADP plummeted a full six rounds, currently sitting at 135 after the disappointing taste he left in fantasy owners’ mouths last season.
Eriksson Ek’s profile was never going to allow him to deliver as a sixth-round pick last year. He is a volume shooter who has only shot above 12% in a season once in his career. He simply doesn’t have the upside you’re looking for that early in the draft. What we couldn’t have seen coming was the core muscle injury he suffered that limited him to just 46 games. Eriksson Ek ultimately underwent surgery to correct the issue in the offseason and is expected to be ready in time for opening night.
Marco Rossi saw a lot of run as Minnesota’s first-line pivot a year ago, but notably surrendered the role back to Eriksson Ek in the postseason. I would expect that trend to continue into the 2025-26 regular season, as Rossi’s defensive shortcomings routinely limit his run atop the Wild lineup. Eriksson Ek is one of the most underrated two-way players in the NHL. A clean bill of health and improved utilization should make him a smash pick at his current ADP. Expect him to return to his usual 60-65 point pace while threatening 30 goals and providing great category coverage as a volume shooter and hitter this season.
Tage Thompson | Buffalo Sabres | C/RW | ADP: 38.5
Call me a sucker for getting elite goal scorers at a discount, but I will never leave a draft unhappy if I have Tage Thompson on my roster. I loved the value Tage offered last year with a fourth-round ADP. Fully healed from the wrist injury that plagued his 2023-24 season, he rebounded to rack up 44 goals and 72 points in 76 games last year, and even threw in 70 hits for banger leagues. He was one of the best returns on value in fantasy drafts, and how are fantasy players thanking him this year? With another fourth-round ADP.
It’s hard to shake the stink of being a Sabre these days, and that stigma is undoubtedly reflected in Thompson’s average draft position. I’d be lying if I said rostering him doesn’t come with its frustrations. Thompson has been plagued at times by injury, and the lack of a supporting cast means he is more prone to assist droughts and cold streaks than his talent should permit. But all of those concerns are baked into his fourth-round ADP and then some. Elite goal scoring is simultaneously the most valuable and hardest thing to find in fantasy hockey. Across the last four seasons, Thompson has averaged a remarkable 43 goals per 82 games. Capitalize on the Buffalo bias and enjoy having one of the game’s very best goal scorers on your fantasy roster.
Shea Theodore | Vegas Golden Knights | D | ADP: 67.0
The recipe for a successful 2025-26 fantasy season for Shea Theodore is simple: stay healthy. The 30-year-old blue-liner has failed to top 70 games played in each of the last three seasons. Theodore was in the midst of putting together a fantasy league-winning campaign last year before fracturing his wrist at the 4Nations Faceoff. Despite the ensuing 14-game absence, he still managed to finish 10th in scoring amongst defencemen, posting a career-high 57 points across just 67 games.
A decline in shot volume for a second consecutive season means Theodore can’t be expected to provide double-digit goals, but he has become an elite source of assists. He was an integral piece of the Golden Knights’ power-play that finished with the league’s second-best conversion rate last season. And of course, they won’t be any less threatening with the man advantage this season when Mitch Marner joins the fray.
Alex Pietrangelo’s absence creates extra opportunities for Theodore at 5v5 and on the power-play, making him a good bet to improve on the already impressive 70-point pace he flashed a season ago. If the added boost of Marner’s elite playmaking and two-way play helps restore Theodore’s shot volume, we could see him contend with Quinn Hughes and Evan Bouchard for the title of Best Fantasy Defenceman Not Named Cale Makar. Assuming he can stay healthy, of course.