Nick Szeman’s 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Must-Draft Players
Every fantasy hockey draft comes down to a handful of decisions that shape your entire season — and the easiest wins are the players the market simply has wrong. A must-draft player isn’t necessarily a sleeper or a breakout pick. It’s a player whose price has drifted well below his proven value: an established producer sliding rounds past where his track record says he should go, a bounce-back candidate the room is punishing for bad luck, or a foundational piece available at a discount that won’t exist by November. If you leave your draft with several of these players, you’ve already banked an edge before the season starts.
The DFO Fantasy team has identified the players they refuse to leave drafts without in 2026-27. Below, each of our four analysts shares their must-draft targets — and the reasoning behind why the market is wrong about each of them.
What is True ADP: True ADP reflects where a player is actually being selected across all draft rooms — not just the ones that drafted him. A player’s raw ADP only averages the leagues where he was picked, so for someone drafted in just 25% of rooms, True ADP blends his draft position with the reality that he goes unselected everywhere else — telling you when a typical league actually takes him.
All Must-Draft Lists:
Brock Seguin’s Fantasy Hockey Must-Draft Players
Beebs Bondy’s Fantasy Hockey Must-Draft Players
Matt Larkin’s Fantasy Hockey Must-Draft Players
Mikko Rantanen (DAL — LW/RW) — True ADP: 25.5
From afar, Rantanen’s first full season in Dallas was disappointing, finishing well behind teammates Jason Robertson (45G / 51A / 96PTS) and Wyatt Johnston (45G / 41A / 86PTS). In a season derailed by injury, Rantanen finished the 2025-26 season with just 77 points (22G / 55A) in 64 games, a far cry from the 100-point production he had become known for during his final few seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. It’s easy to assume Rantanen is suffering from no longer playing alongside former Colorado teammate and NHL superstar Nathan MacKinnon. However, upon closer inspection, his production last season is actually very reassuring.
Rantanen suffered an injury playing for Team Finland at the Olympics and was sidelined for several weeks when NHL action resumed. He battled back but never returned to full health, scoring just six points (1G / 5A) in nine games to end the season on a sour note. Before the injury, however, Rantanen had 71 points (21G / 50A) in 55 games, putting him on pace for 106 points over a full 82-game season. That’s right in line with the elite production fantasy managers have come to expect from Rantanen.
Rantanen is falling to the third round in most fantasy drafts despite still being a legitimate threat to reach 100 points. Don’t let an injury-laced season convince you otherwise. Rantanen remains a bona fide difference-maker and one of the safest high-end fantasy picks in the draft, making him a player I’d have no hesitation reaching for in the first two rounds.
Connor Bedard (CHI — C/RW) — True ADP: 63.6
Bedard scored a career-high 75 points (30G / 45A) in his third NHL season in 2025-26, but in many ways, it was disappointing. He missed 13 games due to injury, was omitted from Team Canada at the Olympics, and saw Macklin Celebrini’s emergence push him out of the spotlight. Now, coming off offseason shoulder surgery, Bedard is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. It’s been a rough stretch for the talented 21-year-old, but one thing remains certain: Bedard is a budding superstar in the NHL.
Bedard began the 2025-26 season on a torrid pace, ranking among the league leaders with 44 points (19G / 25A) in his first 31 games, all while playing for a struggling Blackhawks team. That put him on pace for 116 points over a full 82-game season. Then he suffered an injury, missed the next month of the season, and never returned to his early-season form. Bedard may not be the 116-point scorer he was pacing to become before his injury, but he is ready to take the next step and should be able to flirt with 100 points. Even if he misses the first month of the season, drafting Bedard is a no-brainer, especially at his current fifth-round ADP.
Andrei Svechnikov (CAR — LW/RW) — True ADP: 117.8
As has been the case with numerous talented players in Carolina, Rod Brind’Amour’s balanced four-line forward deployment prevents players from truly flourishing into top-tier point production. Svechnikov, despite his high-end skill, has unfortunately fallen victim to the same limitations. That said, consistent and reliable, albeit unspectacular, offensive production is expected from Carolina’s top players, as is true with Svechnikov.
The 26-year-old Svechnikov ruffled the feathers of many fantasy owners last season, starting the campaign as one of the most disappointing players in the league after going pointless through his first eight games. But then he flipped a switch. He scored 56 points (24G / 32A) in his final 52 games, an 88-point pace over a full season, and even with his poor start, ended the year with a career-high 70 points (31G / 39A) in 79 outings. He is also in elite company in leagues that count hits, finishing the season with 148 hits. Only Matthew Knies and Tom Wilson joined Svechnikov among players to tally more than 60 points and 140 hits last season. All that said, it’s unclear why Svechnikov is falling so deep in drafts because he is making a case to be a true difference-maker. Draft him with confidence.
Jet Greaves (CBJ — G) — True ADP: 120.6
Greaves had a breakout 2025-26 season. The 25-year-old goalie went from never starting more than 11 games to starting a career-high 53 games, posting a solid 2.60 GAA and .908 SV%. He is widely regarded as the most promising goalie for Team Canada in international play and was impressive while representing them at the IIHF World Championships in the offseason. He was also relied upon heavily by Blue Jackets’ Head Coach Rick Bowness in the final weeks of the season, earning his trust and nearly leading Columbus into a Wild Card spot before ultimately falling short. Suffice to say, the young goalie has already established himself as a viable NHL starter, and his future remains promising. Yet, accolades aside, the most compelling reason to draft Greaves is that Columbus doesn’t have any other options between the pipes.
Elvis Merzlikins recently underwent shoulder surgery, does not have a concrete return timeline, and will likely miss the start of the season. However, even when healthy, Merzlikins has not been an NHL-caliber goalie in recent seasons, posting a sub-.900 SV% and a GAA above 3.15 over the past four years. The Blue Jackets are an improving team with impressive young talent, and they will need to rely on Greaves if they intend to be a playoff contender. Don’t be surprised if Greaves starts 60 games this season and sees his statistics improve under a full season behind Bowness, who is typically a defensive-minded coach.