Hockey

McDavid, Makar Lead NHL Fantasy Projections for 2026-27

By Hugo Brennan

McDavid, Makar Lead NHL Fantasy Projections for 2026-27

Connor McDavid is projected to set the scoring pace in the NHL’s expanded 84-game 2026-27 schedule, with 135 points, while Cale Makar leads all defensemen at 87. The early fantasy outlook puts Edmonton’s captain five points ahead of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and gives the Oilers two of the five highest projected scorers.

SEO Title: NHL 2026-27 Fantasy Point Projections: McDavid, Makar Lead the Board

SEO Description: Connor McDavid is projected for 135 points and Cale Makar for 87 in the 2026-27 NHL fantasy scoring outlook, with full forward and defenseman projections.

NHL 2026-27 Fantasy Point Projections: McDavid and Makar Set the Pace

McDavid’s 135-point estimate sits atop the league’s forward board, followed by MacKinnon at 130 and Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov at 125. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini is projected for 122 points, putting the young Sharks center ahead of Leon Draisaitl’s 117-point forecast.

The projection model weighs prior regular-season and playoff production, likely line deployment, power-play roles, injury history, possible regression or rebound seasons, age, contract situation and upside. These are conservative working totals for points-only fantasy formats rather than a player’s best- or worst-case outcome. Injuries and changing roles can still alter the final results.

Blue-line scoring starts with Makar

Makar’s projected 87 points narrowly lead Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes, both at 86. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski follows at 83, while Montreal’s Lane Hutson is projected to reach 80.

Defenseman Team Projected points
Cale Makar Colorado Avalanche 87
Evan Bouchard Edmonton Oilers 86
Quinn Hughes Minnesota Wild 86
Zach Werenski Columbus Blue Jackets 83
Lane Hutson Montreal Canadiens 80
Rasmus Dahlin Buffalo Sabres 75
Adam Fox New York Rangers 74
Roman Josi Nashville Predators 72
Matthew Schaefer New York Islanders 72
Erik Karlsson Pittsburgh Penguins 70
Darren Raddysh Toronto Maple Leafs 66
Mikhail Sergachev Utah 66
Jackson LaCombe Anaheim Ducks 65
Charlie McAvoy Boston Bruins 65
Miro Heiskanen Dallas Stars 65
Moritz Seider Detroit Red Wings 65
Jake Sanderson Ottawa Senators 65
John Carlson Tampa Bay Lightning 65
Jakob Chychrun Washington Capitals 63
Josh Morrissey Winnipeg Jets 59
Brock Faber Minnesota Wild 57
Shea Theodore Vegas Golden Knights 57
Brandt Clarke Los Angeles Kings 55
Noah Dobson Montreal Canadiens 55
Victor Hedman Tampa Bay Lightning 55
Shayne Gostisbehere Carolina Hurricanes 52
Seth Jones Florida Panthers 52
Cole Hutson Washington Capitals 51
Bowen Byram Chicago Blackhawks 50
Filip Hronek Vancouver Canucks 50
Thomas Harley Dallas Stars 49
Rasmus Andersson Vegas Golden Knights 49
Brandon Montour Seattle Kraken 48
MacKenzie Weegar Utah 47
Dougie Hamilton New Jersey Devils 46
Vince Dunn Seattle Kraken 46
Luke Hughes New Jersey Devils 45
Philip Broberg St. Louis Blues 45
Thomas Chabot Ottawa Senators 44
Travis Sanheim Philadelphia Flyers 44
Mattias Samuelsson Buffalo Sabres 43
Sam Malinski Colorado Avalanche 43
Simon Nemec Calgary Flames 40
Mattias Ekholm Edmonton Oilers 40
Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins 40
K’Andre Miller Carolina Hurricanes 39
Tony DeAngelo New York Islanders 39
Noah Hanifin Vegas Golden Knights 39
Justin Faulk Detroit Red Wings 38
Mike Matheson Montreal Canadiens 38
Jamie Drysdale Philadelphia Flyers 38
Alexander Nikishin Carolina Hurricanes 37
Denton Mateychuk Columbus Blue Jackets 37
Aaron Ekblad Florida Panthers 37
Dmitry Orlov San Jose Sharks 37
Owen Power Buffalo Sabres 36
Olen Zellweger Buffalo Sabres 35
Zayne Parekh Calgary Flames 35
Devon Toews Colorado Avalanche 35
Ryan Ufko Nashville Predators 35
Sean Durzi New York Rangers 35
Neal Pionk Winnipeg Jets 35
Mason Lohrei Boston Bruins 34
Gustav Forsling Florida Panthers 34
Jacob Trouba San Jose Sharks 34
Cam Fowler St. Louis Blues 34
Sam Rinzel Chicago Blackhawks 33
Brent Burns Colorado Avalanche 33
Jake Walman Edmonton Oilers 33
Jordan Spence Ottawa Senators 33
Colton Parayko St. Louis Blues 33
J.J. Moser Tampa Bay Lightning 33
Zeev Buium Vancouver Canucks 33
Jaccob Slavin Carolina Hurricanes 32
Sean Walker Carolina Hurricanes 32
Damon Severson Columbus Blue Jackets 32
Simon Edvinsson Detroit Red Wings 32
Vladislav Gavrikov New York Rangers 32
Darnell Nurse San Jose Sharks 32
Morgan Rielly Toronto Maple Leafs 32
Artyom Levshunov Chicago Blackhawks 31
Ivan Provorov Columbus Blue Jackets 31
Esa Lindell Dallas Stars 31
Drew Doughty Los Angeles Kings 31
Nicolas Hague Nashville Predators 31
Ryan Pulock New York Islanders 31
Pavel Mintyukov Anaheim Ducks 30
Hampus Lindholm Boston Bruins 30
Josh Manson Colorado Avalanche 30
Alexander Romanov New York Islanders 30
Carter Yakemchuk Ottawa Senators 30
Samuel Girard Pittsburgh Penguins 30
Sam Dickinson San Jose Sharks 30
Logan Mailloux St. Louis Blues 30
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Toronto Maple Leafs 30
Martin Fehérváry Washington Capitals 30

McDavid leads a deep forward board

Colorado remains heavily represented near the top, with MacKinnon at 130, Martin Necas at 99 and former Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen projected for 96 with Dallas. The Stars also place Jason Robertson at 98 and Wyatt Johnston at 96.

Montreal’s Nick Suzuki is projected for 98 points, with Cole Caufield at 92, Juraj Slafkovsky at 75 and Ivan Demidov at 70. Florida has Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk each pegged at 87, followed by Sam Reinhart at 84 and Aleksander Barkov at 83.

Forward Team Projected points
Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers 135
Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche 130
Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning 125
Macklin Celebrini San Jose Sharks 122
Leon Draisaitl Edmonton Oilers 117
David Pastrnak Boston Bruins 102
Kirill Kaprizov Minnesota Wild 99
Martin Necas Colorado Avalanche 99
Jason Robertson Dallas Stars 98
Nick Suzuki Montreal Canadiens 98
Wyatt Johnston Dallas Stars 96
Mikko Rantanen Dallas Stars 96
Jack Eichel Vegas Golden Knights 96
Kyle Connor Winnipeg Jets 93
Cole Caufield Montreal Canadiens 92
Mark Scheifele Winnipeg Jets 92
Matt Boldy Minnesota Wild 90
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 90
Artemi Panarin Los Angeles Kings 89
Mitch Marner Vegas Golden Knights 89
William Nylander Toronto Maple Leafs 88
Brady Tkachuk Florida Panthers 87
Matthew Tkachuk Florida Panthers 87
Clayton Keller Utah 87
Tim Stützle Ottawa Senators 86
Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs 86
Brayden Point Tampa Bay Lightning 85
Sam Reinhart Florida Panthers 84
Jack Hughes New Jersey Devils 84
Tage Thompson Buffalo Sabres 83
Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers 83
Jake Guentzel Tampa Bay Lightning 83
Dylan Guenther Utah 83
Leo Carlsson Anaheim Ducks 82
Brandon Hagel Tampa Bay Lightning 82
Sebastian Aho Carolina Hurricanes 81
Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks 81
Cutter Gauthier Anaheim Ducks 80
Adrian Kempe Los Angeles Kings 80
Filip Forsberg Nashville Predators 80
Jesper Bratt New Jersey Devils 80
Robert Thomas St. Louis Blues 80
Logan Cooley Utah 80
Alex DeBrincat Detroit Red Wings 79
Mika Zibanejad New York Rangers 79
Roope Hintz Dallas Stars 78
Dylan Larkin Detroit Red Wings 78
Lucas Raymond Detroit Red Wings 77
Drake Batherson Ottawa Senators 77
Juraj Slafkovsky Montreal Canadiens 75
Will Smith San Jose Sharks 75
Kirill Marchenko Columbus Blue Jackets 74
Mark Stone Vegas Golden Knights 74
Nikolaj Ehlers Carolina Hurricanes 73
Andrei Svechnikov Carolina Hurricanes 72
Bo Horvat New York Islanders 71
Gabriel Vilardi Winnipeg Jets 71
Ivan Demidov Montreal Canadiens 70
Steven Stamkos Nashville Predators 70
Dylan Holloway St. Louis Blues 70
John Tavares Toronto Maple Leafs 70
Alex Tuch Washington Capitals 70
Morgan Geekie Boston Bruins 69
Ryan O’Reilly Nashville Predators 69
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 69
Nick Schmaltz Utah 69
Beckett Sennecke Anaheim Ducks 68
Adam Fantilli Columbus Blue Jackets 68
Nico Hischier New Jersey Devils 68
Porter Martone Philadelphia Flyers 68
Travis Konecny Philadelphia Flyers 68
Dylan Strome Washington Capitals 68
Zach Hyman Edmonton Oilers 67
Jordan Kyrou Washington Capitals 67
Brock Nelson Colorado Avalanche 66
Mathew Barzal New York Islanders 66
Matthew Knies Toronto Maple Leafs 66
Tom Wilson Washington Capitals 66
Pavel Zacha Boston Bruins 65
Matt Duchene Dallas Stars 65
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Edmonton Oilers 65
Quinton Byfield Los Angeles Kings 65
Pavel Dorofeyev New York Rangers 65
William Eklund Ottawa Senators 65
Sam Bennett Florida Panthers 64
Trevor Zegras Philadelphia Flyers 64
Jimmy Snuggerud St. Louis Blues 64
Nazem Kadri Colorado Avalanche 63
Bobby McMann Seattle Kraken 63
Gavin McKenna Toronto Maple Leafs 63
Tomas Hertl Vegas Golden Knights 63
Alex Ovechkin Washington Capitals 63
Anton Frondell Chicago Blackhawks 62
J.T. Miller New York Rangers 62
Egor Chinakhov Pittsburgh Penguins 62
Jared McCann Seattle Kraken 62
Ivar Stenberg San Jose Sharks 61
Zach Benson Buffalo Sabres 61
Logan Stankoven Carolina Hurricanes 61
Jackson Blake Carolina Hurricanes 61
Brad Marchand Florida Panthers 61
Dylan Cozens Ottawa Senators 61
Bryan Rust Pittsburgh Penguins 61
Rickard Rakell Pittsburgh Penguins 61
JJ Peterka Boston Bruins 60
Josh Doan Buffalo Sabres 60
Joel Eriksson Ek Minnesota Wild 60
Mikael Granlund Anaheim Ducks 59
Vincent Trocheck Utah 59
Elias Pettersson Vancouver Canucks 59
Aliaksei Protas Washington Capitals 59
Gabriel Landeskog Colorado Avalanche 58
Timo Meier New Jersey Devils 58
Anthony Cirelli Tampa Bay Lightning 58
Luke Evangelista New Jersey Devils 57
Gabe Perreault New York Rangers 57
Matvei Michkov Philadelphia Flyers 57
Mason Marchment San Jose Sharks 57
Josh Norris Buffalo Sabres 56
Artturi Lehkonen Colorado Avalanche 56
Elias Lindholm Boston Bruins 55
Ryan McLeod Buffalo Sabres 55
Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks 55
Valeri Nichushkin Columbus Blue Jackets 55
Tyler Seguin Dallas Stars 55
Carter Verhaeghe Florida Panthers 55
Mavrik Bourque Nashville Predators 55
Ryan Leonard Washington Capitals 55
Cole Perfetti Winnipeg Jets 55
Frank Nazar Chicago Blackhawks 54
Anton Lundell Florida Panthers 54
Alexis Lafrenière New York Rangers 54
Igor Chernyshov San Jose Sharks 54
Collin Graf San Jose Sharks 54
Jordan Eberle Seattle Kraken 54
Brock Boeser Vancouver Canucks 54
Marco Rossi Vancouver Canucks 54
Pierre-Luc Dubois Washington Capitals 54
Jack Quinn Buffalo Sabres 53
Matt Coronato Calgary Flames 53
Tyler Bertuzzi Chicago Blackhawks 53
Charlie Coyle Columbus Blue Jackets 53
Mats Zuccarello Los Angeles Kings 53
Michael Misa San Jose Sharks 53
Chandler Stephenson Seattle Kraken 53
Mason McTavish St. Louis Blues 53
Connor McMichael St. Louis Blues 53
Anders Lee Utah 53
Jason Zucker Buffalo Sabres 52
William Karlsson Vegas Golden Knights 52
Taylor Hall Carolina Hurricanes 51
Victor Eklund New York Islanders 51
Mackie Samoskevich Seattle Kraken 51
Pavel Buchnevich St. Louis Blues 51
Ivan Barbashev Vegas Golden Knights 51
Jaden Schwartz Colorado Avalanche 50
Alex Laferriere Los Angeles Kings 50
Brayden Schenn New York Islanders 50
Will Cuylle New York Rangers 50
Shane Pinto Ottawa Senators 50
Jake DeBrusk Vancouver Canucks 50
Brett Howden Vegas Golden Knights 50
Konsta Helenius Buffalo Sabres 49
Matt Savoie Edmonton Oilers 49
Ryan Hartman Minnesota Wild 49
Alex Newhook Montreal Canadiens 49
Christian Dvorak Philadelphia Flyers 49
Kaapo Kakko Seattle Kraken 49
Chris Kreider Montreal Canadiens 49
Jonathan Huberdeau Calgary Flames 48
Teuvo Teravainen Chicago Blackhawks 48
Eetu Luostarinen Florida Panthers 48
Blake Coleman Minnesota Wild 48
Anthony Mantha New Jersey Devils 48
Noah Cates Philadelphia Flyers 48
Tyson Foerster Philadelphia Flyers 48
Barrett Hayton Utah 48
Morgan Frost Calgary Flames 47
Jamie Benn Dallas Stars 47
Jonathan Marchessault Nashville Predators 47
Matty Beniers Seattle Kraken 47
Matvei Gridin Calgary Flames 46
Conor Garland Columbus Blue Jackets 46
Sean Monahan Columbus Blue Jackets 46
Oliver Kapanen Montreal Canadiens 46
Zach Bolduc Montreal Canadiens 46
Kyle Palmieri New York Islanders 46
Calum Ritchie New York Islanders 46
Casey Mittelstadt Boston Bruins 45
Ryan Strome Calgary Flames 45
Roman Kantserov Chicago Blackhawks 45
Cole Sillinger Columbus Blue Jackets 45
Marco Kasper Detroit Red Wings 45
Danila Yurov Minnesota Wild 45
Jake Evans Montreal Canadiens 45
Dawson Mercer New Jersey Devils 45
Oliver Bjorkstrand New York Rangers 45
Fabian Zetterlund Ottawa Senators 45
Ben Kindel Pittsburgh Penguins 45
Alexander Wennberg San Jose Sharks 45
Jake Neighbours St. Louis Blues 45
Boone Jenner Washington Capitals 45
Ryan Donato Chicago Blackhawks 44
Kent Johnson Columbus Blue Jackets 44
Vasily Podkolzin Edmonton Oilers 44
Matthew Wood Nashville Predators 44
Emil Heineman New York Islanders 44
Andrei Kuzmenko Pittsburgh Penguins 44
Tyler Toffoli San Jose Sharks 44
Jack Roslovic Toronto Maple Leafs 44
Lawson Crouse Utah 44
Ilya Protas Washington Capitals 44
Jiri Kulich Buffalo Sabres 43
Erik Haula Los Angeles Kings 43
Ross Colton Nashville Predators 43
Arseny Gritsyuk New Jersey Devils 43
Ridly Greig Ottawa Senators 43
Gage Goncalves Tampa Bay Lightning 43
Fraser Minten Boston Bruins 42
Joel Farabee Calgary Flames 42
Nick Lardis Chicago Blackhawks 42
Nicolas Roy Colorado Avalanche 42
Justin Hryckowian Dallas Stars 42
Viktor Arvidsson Detroit Red Wings 42
Trevor Moore Los Angeles Kings 42
Claude Giroux Ottawa Senators 42
Justin Brazeau Pittsburgh Penguins 42
Shane Wright Seattle Kraken 42
Dalibor Dvorsky St. Louis Blues 42
Linus Karlsson Vancouver Canucks 42
Alex Killorn Anaheim Ducks 41
James Hagens Boston Bruins 41
Mikael Backlund Calgary Flames 41
Dmitri Voronkov Columbus Blue Jackets 41
Emmitt Finnie Detroit Red Wings 41
Bobby Brink Minnesota Wild 41
Connor Brown New Jersey Devils 41
Tommy Novak Pittsburgh Penguins 41
Eeli Tolvanen New York Rangers 41
Frank Vatrano Anaheim Ducks 40
Peyton Krebs Buffalo Sabres 40
Parker Kelly Colorado Avalanche 40
Sam Steel Dallas Stars 40
Andrew Copp Detroit Red Wings 40
Kasperi Kapanen Edmonton Oilers 40
Maxim Shabanov Minnesota Wild 40
Alexandre Texier Montreal Canadiens 40
Jack Drury Nashville Predators 40
Evan Rodrigues New Jersey Devils 40
Matias Maccelli New York Islanders 40
Andre Burakovsky Ottawa Senators 40
Sean Couturier Philadelphia Flyers 40
Nicholas Robertson Pittsburgh Penguins 40
Kiefer Sherwood San Jose Sharks 40
Berkly Catton Seattle Kraken 40
Pius Suter St. Louis Blues 40
Yanni Gourde Tampa Bay Lightning 40
Easton Cowan Toronto Maple Leafs 40
Victor Olofsson Vegas Golden Knights 40
Vladislav Namestnikov Winnipeg Jets 40

Injury watch

Connor Bedard and Brad Marchand remain listed with injury designations despite appearing in the projected scoring table. Bedard is projected for 81 points with Chicago and Marchand for 61 with Florida.

Four notable forwards are excluded from the point forecast because of injury or absence concerns:

  • Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
  • Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks
  • Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles Kings
  • Owen Tippett, Philadelphia Flyers

The first draft board has McDavid at the front of the room, Makar leading defensemen, and no shortage of young names pushing into the established scoring tier. The next puck drop, and the health reports that come before it, will determine how much of this early board survives the season.