Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon Are Already Lapping the Field in 2026-27 Fantasy Rankings
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are still raging, but ESPN's fantasy hockey crew is already thinking about next October. And if you're building your roster for 2026-27, the top two spots aren't even a question: Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are your guys, with McDavid holding the number one overall ranking and MacKinnon right on his heels at two.
How They're Building These Rankings
This isn't just guesswork. ESPN's projection model digs into four years of statistical trends, weighing recent performance heavily, then benchmarks each player against comparable guys at similar ages and ice time. For skaters, they're projecting goals, assists, shots, hits, blocked shots, and power-play production scaled to a full season. Goaltenders get a different treatment: individual rate stats blended with team-level shot and save projections, then ranked using a value-above-replacement approach that actually reflects how hard they are to find on the waiver wire rather than just raw point totals.
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After McDavid and MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini at three for San Jose looks primed to be a dynasty anchor. Then Nikita Kucherov (4), Evan Bouchard (5), Nick Suzuki (6), and Matt Boldy (7) round out the elite tier. The top 250 is stacked with household names like Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor Bedard, but there are also sleepers and breakout candidates who've earned their spots based on comparable rookie seasons.
This Is Just the Beginning
Here's the thing: a lot changes between April and October. The playoff run will shake up who stays healthy. Free agency will shuffle rosters. The NHL Draft will introduce prospects who could crack these rankings. ESPN is calling this a starting point, not gospel. But if you're thinking ahead for your 2026-27 league, bookmarking these rankings and revisiting them as the offseason unfolds is smart planning. Next season starts soon enough.
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