<p>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 <strong>MUST-DRAFT</strong> 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 <strong>MUST-DRAFT</strong> players who can tilt your league in your favour.</p>



<p><strong>More Must-Draft Player Lists:</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com/fantasy-hockey-2025-26-matt-larkins-must-draft-players/">Matt Larkin’s Must-Draft Players</a></li>



<li><a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com/fantasy-hockey-2025-26-beebs-bondys-must-draft-players/">Beebs Bondy’s Must-Draft Players</a></li>



<li><a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com/fantasy-hockey-2025-26-dylan-berthiaumes-must-draft-players/">Dylan Berthiaume’s Must-Draft Players</a></li>



<li><a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com/fantasy-hockey-2025-26-nick-szemans-must-draft-players/">Nick Szeman’s Must-Draft Players</a></li>
</ul>



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<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Artemi Panarin | New York Rangers | LW | ADP: 30.0</h1>



<p>Panarin was quietly one of only six players who had at least 35 goals and 50-plus assists last season. Yet for some reason, the veteran Russian winger is dropping into the late third round of fantasy drafts, after being a late first-round pick a season ago. Panarin’s 303 SOG, 49-goal season in 2023-24 will likely prove to be the outlier, but he’s proven to be a capable 30-plus goal scorer even when he fires just over 200 shots on net. Goal-scoring is hardly his calling card either; he ranks seventh in the NHL in assists over the last three seasons. Additionally, from 2022-to-2024, Panarin was fourth in the NHL in PPP (117), but was t-34th with 26 PPP last season. If the Rangers’ power play can get back on track in 2025-26, Panarin could easily be a 95-to-100 point player again. I have no idea what’s causing him to drop to the 30th overall pick, but I’ve still got a first-round grade on Panarin and will happily add him to my roster in the late-second/early-third round this fall.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="306"></div>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Sergei Bobrovsky | Florida Panthers | G | ADP: 49.0</h1>



<p>Despite being the goalie of the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, Bobrovsky is only the sixth goalie off the board right now. But he’s also going a round and a half later than the fifth goalie off the board (Igor Shesterkin – ADP: 32.5). So Bobrovsky allows you to load up on elite talent in the first three or four rounds and still land a goalie on a team that is projected for a 100-plus point season.</p>



<p>Over the last four seasons, Bobrovsky has averaged 54 starts, 33 wins, 2.62 GAA, .909 SV% and four shutouts. He’s going to be among the league leaders in wins while producing top-15 splits, and he’s such a better value than the other top goalies. Connor Hellebuyck is going in the first round (ADP: 9.5), Andrei Vasilevskiy (ADP: 16.5) and Jake Oettinger (ADP: 22.0) are going in the second round, and Mackenzie Blackwood (ADP: 26.5) and Igor Shesterkin are going in the third round. Why pay up for any of those goalies when you can scoop Bobrovsky up in the early-fifth?</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="176"></div>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Roman Josi | Nashville Predators | D | ADP: 60.5</h1>



<p>Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. Yes, Josi was diagnosed with Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). I’m not going to pretend to be a doctor, but by all accounts, Josi is doing well and is expected to be in training camp at the end of the month. Josi was also already named to Switzerland’s preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, so they expect the Predators’ captain to be well enough to play in February, and that’s good enough for me to buy in.</p>



<p>Everything went wrong for Josi last season. He missed 29 games and his offensive output plummeted, but his current ADP is a drastic overreaction. Josi is being drafted as the No.11 overall fantasy defenseman in the sixth-round, despite ranking second among defensemen in goals (73), fifth in assists (205), fourth in points (278), and first in SOG (968) over the last four years, and that includes 46 missed games and a disappointing 2025 season. And in reality, the season was only disappointing by Josi’s standards. He was on pace for a nearly identical season to Josh Morrissey, who is currently going 16 spots before Josi. The Predators were the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL last year, so even a minor improvement, and Josi could be back to a point-per-game player.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="218"></div>



<p>When you look at my first three MUST-DRAFT players. If you’re lucky enough to get the No.1 or No.2 overall pick, you could potentially start with:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>1st (1st) – Connor McDavid (C – EDM)</li>



<li><strong><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">2nd (24th) – Artemi Panarin (LW – NYR)</mark></strong></li>



<li>3rd (25th) – Jason Robertson (LW/RW – DAL)</li>



<li><strong><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">4th (48th) – Sergei Bobrovsky (G – FLA)</mark></strong></li>



<li><strong><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">5th (49th) – Roman Josi (D – NSH)</mark></strong></li>
</ul>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Dylan Guenther | Utah Mammoth | RW | ADP: 126.0</h1>



<p>In last year’s Fantasy Hockey Draft Kit, I called Guenther the “sleeper of all sleepers,” and he paid off handsomely as a 15th-round pick. Fresh off an eight-year, $7.14M AAV contract, Guenther opened last season with five goals in his first three games. He would go on to finish with 60 points (27G / 33A) in 70 games. Guenther missed nearly one month with a lower-body injury in January, but once he returned in early February, he finished with 26 points (11G / 15A) in his final 30 games. What was most tantalizing during that stretch was the usage (18:58 ATOI) and the shot volume (3.53 SOG/gm). With that volume, Guenther could transform into a 40-goal scorer this season, which would obviously be tremendous value in the 10th/11th round. The DFO Consensus rankings have him at 61, so don’t hesitate to take the Mammoth winger a few rounds ahead of ADP.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="177"></div>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Adam Fantilli | Columbus Blue Jackets | C | ADP: 191.0</h1>



<p>Fantilli was not slowed down by the “sophomore slump,” tallying 31 goals and 23 assists (54 points) in 82 games last season. Entering year three, Fantilli looks poised to take another stride, but the Fantasy community doesn’t seem to recognize it. With an ADP of 191.0, Fantilli is currently an afterthought, but not to me. Fantilli is the perfect late-round target if you want to wait on centres and draft some of the shallower positions first. Last year, Fantilli opened the season slowly. He had just 15 points (7G / 8A) in his first 38 games, but was a new man after the calendar flipped to 2025. From January through April, Fantilli had 39 points in 44 games, but more impressively, almost all of that scoring was done at even strength. He was tied for 2nd in the NHL in even-strength goals (22), tied for eighth in points (36), and 26th in SOG (101) during that stretch. He’s quickly become a top-end forward at 5v5 and has room to grow his ice-time, and if he ever gets an extended run on the Blue Jackets’ top PP unit and the PP points start pouring in, he’ll be in for a massive season. The floor is steady thanks to the 5v5 production, and the ceiling is incredibly high. Fantilli is the definition of a low-risk/high-reward pick at the end of your fantasy drafts, but don’t hesitate to take him several rounds ahead of ADP.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="242"></div>



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