Matt Larkin’s fantasy hockey rest-of-season top 300 player rankings

Feb 7, 2025

Credit: Jan 23, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Time to do some soul searching for your fantasy hockey team. The upcoming 13-day break in NHL games, brought on by the 4 Nations Face-Off, allows for that.

Most fantasy leagues have give or take a month remaining in their regular seasons, with trade deadlines approaching rapidly. Whether you’re a contender looking for the finishing pieces or desperately clinging to longshot playoff hopes in a head-to-head format, some crucial decisions loom for your team. I’m here to help with my rest-of season fantasy rankings.

On one hand, the list follows the same format as my pre-season top 300, based on the following stat categories: goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, goals-against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts.

On the other: a middle-of-season fantasy re-rank requires much more of a recency bias. We’re trying to decide which players will help us most over the next two months, which is why certain hot streaks and role changes need to be honored. What if Mikko Rantanen is an awkward fit with the Carolina Hurricanes or Thatcher Demko doesn’t reach his elite form with the Vancouver Canucks? We also have to factor in team situations. Will the Winnipeg Jets try to rest Connor Hellebuyck in the fantasy championship week if they lock up the Central Division too early? Should you load up on Detroit Red Wings assuming they’ll be do or die down to Game 82?

I tried to consider things as fluidly as possible in creating this list. That also includes factoring in all the injuries, from the day-to-day situations to the more serious maladies that could keep players out through your season’s home stretch in roto formats or playoffs in head to head.

With that, good luck the rest of the way, and hit me up in the comments below if you notice a glaring player omission.

1. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
3. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning
5. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets
6. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
7. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs
8. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks*
9. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
10. Jack Hughes, C, Devils
11. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets
12. Mitch Marner, RW, Maple Leafs*
13. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators
14. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers
15. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars
16. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers
17. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs
18. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights
19. Tim Stutzle, C, Senators
20. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers
21. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers
22. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
23. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Hurricanes
24. Brayden Point, C, Lightning
25. Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets*
26. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning
27. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres*
28. Martin Necas, RW, Avalanche
29. Lucas Raymond, RW, Red Wings
30. Jake Guentzel, LW, Lightning
31. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators
32. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils
33. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders
34. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals
35. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets
36. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars
37. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes
38. Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers
39. Travis Konecny, LW, Flyers
40. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins*
41. Clayton Keller, LW, Utah
42. Roman Josi, D, Predators
43. Adam Fox, D, Rangers
44. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning
45. Josh Morrissey, D, Jets
46. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings
47. Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning
48. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Hurricanes
49. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Avalanche
50. J.T. Miller, C, Rangers

No McDavid at No. 1? I’m surprised too, but Draisaitl and MacKinnon get the edge because they fire the biscuit more…Matthews has the upside to be the No. 1 overall player from here on out, but he’s not playing at 100 percent despite his recent hot streak…Quinn Hughes has been the best fantasy defender, full stop, but I slot the overworked superstar behind Makar due to current health concerns…the only thing more consistent than Kyle Connor is how consistently he’s overlooked. Give him 30 goals or more in seven of his past eight seasons now…if you can parlay the absurd real-life Bouchard slander into acquiring him for 90 cents on the dollar, do it yesterday…have I overreacted in my Rantanen ranking? He’d be in my top 10 if he was still in Colorado, but the ceiling feels lower in Carolina so far…Vasilevskiy has quietly ascended back into stud fantasy goalie status. Just as important as his great rate stats: only Hellebuyck has started more games…Necas is playing more than 23 minutes per game since the trade to Colorado. His fantasy trajectory is the opposite of Rantanen’s…The Predators are a disappointment, but Forsberg has been a top-10ish fantasy player in the past month. He’s all the way back…Too low for Scheifele? I’m wary of his NHL-best 25.2 shooting percentage, but that’s what we said about Reinhart last year…we may never get 100-point Robertson again, but he’s ripped off 27 points in his past 19 games, FYI…Blackwood as an Av: 12-6-2, 2.04, .926…he’s become an elite fantasy goalie.

51. Connor Bedard, C, Blackhawks
52. Logan Thompson, G, Capitals
53. Cole Caufield, RW, Canadiens
54. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
55. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
56. Adrian Kempe, RW, Kings
57. Zach Hyman, RW, Oilers
58. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes
59. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins
60. Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars
61. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Jets
62. Matt Boldy, LW, Wild
63. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights
64. Darcy Kuemper, G, Kings
65. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings
66. Linus Ullmark, G, Senators
67. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens
68. Dustin Wolf, G, Flames
69. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs
70. Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins
71. Juuse Saros, G, Predators
72. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild*
73. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames
74. Vincent Trocheck, C, Rangers
75. Macklin Celebrini, C, Sharks
76. Timo Meier, LW, Devils
77. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers
78. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators
79. Nico Hischier, C, Devils*
80. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks
81. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Red Wings
82. Dylan Strome, C, Capitals
83. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils
84. Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild
85. Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights
86. Gabe Vilardi, RW, Jets
87. Stuart Skinner, G, Oilers
88. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights
89. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues
90. Roope Hintz, C, Stars
91. Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah
92. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers
93. Bo Horvat, C, Islanders
94. Steven Stamkos, C, Predators
95. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks
96. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Utah
97. Matt Duchene, C, Stars
98. Joey Daccord, G, Kraken
99. Thomas Harley, D, Stars
100. Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Predators

Thompson has been a top-three fantasy goalie this season. I’ve kept his ranking relatively modest because Charlie Lindgren still plays quite a bit…Hyman had three goals in his first 20 games. Since, he has 16 in 29, a 45-goal pace. Remember when Canada didn’t pick him for the 4 Nations? LOL…Carolina’s Jarvis and Dallas’ Johnston are “third-liners,” but don’t worry about that; they’re both north of 19 minutes a game and play on PP1…Swayman has a .911 SV% since Jan. 1, so he’s looking more like his stud self again…Wolf has been an amazing story in Calgary, and it seems like he’s finally starting to get 1A treatment in workload over Dan Vladar…Kaprizov is an easy top-10 player when healthy, but he can’t help your team for another month…just hope you get him back for your fantasy playoffs…Pettersson has an 0-1-1 stat line in three games since Miller was traded, so there’s still plenty of time to buy low – if you even want to…Stone is doing his usual fantasy thing, contributing assists and points while being a borderline liability in other categories, making him overrated (not in real life)…with Miro Heiskanen out long term, Harley has true league-winner potential as Dallas’ top defenseman and PP1 quarterback. He’s averaging more than 25 minutes over his past five games.

101. Robert Thomas, C, Blues
102. Jakob Chychrun, G, Capitals
103. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes
104. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Hurricanes
105. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals
106. Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens
107. Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs
108. Joseph Woll, G, Maple Leafs
109. Anthony Stolarz, G, Maple Leafs*
110. John Carlson, D, Capitals
111. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings
112. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins
113. Tomas Hertl, C, Golden Knights
114. Marco Rossi, C, Wild
115. Vince Dunn, D, Kraken
116. Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins
117. Drew Doughty, D, Kings
118. Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah
119. Dylan Holloway, LW, Blues
120. Adam Fantilli, C, Blue Jackets
121. Cam Talbot, G, Red Wings
122. Rickard Rakell, RW, Penguins
123. JJ Peterka, LW, Sabres
124. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild
125. Jake Sanderson, D, Senators
126. Jacob Markstrom, G, Devils*
127. Jared McCann, LW, Kraken
128. Nazem Kadri, C, Flames
129. Brock Nelson, C, Islanders
130. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers
131. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche
132. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights
133. Logan Cooley, C, Utah*
134. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rangers
135. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche
136. Ivan Barbashev, LW, Golden Knights
137. Brandon Montour, D, Kraken
138. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers
139. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
140. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins
141. Kevin Fiala, LW, Kings
142. Aliaksei Protas, LW, Capitals
143. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Capitals
144. Jake Allen, G, Devils
145. John Gibson, G, Ducks
146. Anders Lee, LW, Islanders
147. Matvei Michkov, RW, Flyers
148. Pavel Buchnevich, LW, Blues
149. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche
150. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers*

Anderson, Kochetkov, Woll, Stolarz: two good goalie tandems on two good teams in which both netminders cannibalize each other’s value. I’ve lumped them all together because of the caps on their playing time…Hutson has been fun to watch but reminds me a bit of early Quinn Hughes in fantasy in that the value is assists-heavy and light in other categories. Hutson barely clears one shot on goal per game…Knies has flashed star power-forward talent this year but his all-out style gets him hurt repeatedly. He’s a fun but risky own…Rossi has played well enough to warrant a higher rank but loses value while Kaprizov is out…Vejmelka sits top-10 in goals saved above expected per 60 and is a pending UFA. He’d get a nice fantasy boost if a contender decides to upgrade its starting goalie… Sean Monahan went down Jan. 7. Fantilli since Jan. 7: 7-7-14 in 14 games, with 44 shots. The ascension has begun…Murky injury recovery timelines are scary during your season’s stretch run, which is why I’ve penalized players like Cooley and Nichushkin despite their talent. Hopefully you handcuffed Markstrom with Allen and can wait it out until Markstrom returns for the final weeks of the fantasy season…Admittedly, I don’t have a read on Protas. Massive breakout, was not a high-pedigree prospect, unsustainably high shooting percentage, doesn’t play on PP1. Who is this guy? I’d love to have Michkov higher, but the repeated jerking around from coach John Tortorella is maddening. You never know when the next scratch or mid-game benching is coming. I don’t want the headache.

151. Patrick Kane, RW, Red Wings
152. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning*
153. Jonathan Drouin, LW, Avalanche
154. Kaapo Kakko, RW, Kraken
155. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Canadiens
156. William Eklund, LW, Sharks
157. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames
158. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild
159. Filip Chytil, C, Canucks
160. Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks
161. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Sharks
162. Kent Johnson, LW, Blue Jackets
163. Claude Giroux, RW, Senators
164. Dmitri Voronkov, LW, Blue Jackets
165. Nick Schmaltz, RW, Utah
166. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks
167. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings
168. Boone Jenner, C, Blue Jackets*
169. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars
170. Brayden Schenn, C, Blues
171. Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks
172. Patrik Laine, RW, Canadiens
173. Josh Norris, C, Senators*
174. Cole Perfetti, RW, Jets
175. Neal Pionk, D, Jets
176. Will Cuylle, RW, Rangers
177. Kiefer Sherwood, RW, Canucks
178. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Hurricanes
179. Elvis Merzlikins, G, Blue Jackets
180. Jake Walman, G, Sharks
181. Sam Montembeault, G, Canadiens
182. Tony DeAngelo, D, Islanders
183. Chris Kreider, LW, Rangers
184. Brock Faber, D, Wild
185. Morgan Rielly, D, Maple Leafs
186. Marco Kasper, LW, Red Wings
187. Jiri Kulich, C, Sabres
188. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues
189. Mason Marchment, LW, Stars
190. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Sabres*
191. Filip Hronek, D, Canucks
192. Jake DeBrusk, LW, Canucks
193. Charlie Lindgren, G, Capitals
194. Seth Jones, D, Blackhawks
195. Frank Vatrano, LW, Ducks
196. Chandler Stephenson, C, Kraken
197. Pavel Zacha, C, Bruins
198. Dylan Cozens, C, Sabres*
199. Colton Parayko, D, Blues
200. Adam Lowry, C, Jets*

Kane since Todd McLellan took over as Detroit’s coach: 16 points in 14 games. He’s a nice lineup filler when healthy…so much handwringing over Slafkovsky regressing, and while the goal total is a disappointment, he’s still on an 82-game pace of 47 points and 187 hits. Don’t want him? I’ll take him…Chytil is available in 92 percent of Yahoo leagues. First two games as a Canuck: two points, nine shots, 20:24 average TOI. Pause reading this article and go pick him up right now…I still believe in McTavish’s talent, and he’s got seven goals in his past seven games. Hopefully he continues this big second-half heater…Byfield is showing signs of life, too, with seven points in his past six games. Can he get back on his star trajectory? Jenner is free in fantasy leagues on most waiver wires, expected to return after the 4 Nations, and averages 31 goals, 55 points, 145 hits and 234 shots per 82 games over the past three years. Do what I just did in my league: steal him before anyone else notices…Cuylle and Sherwood are absolute gold in banger leagues, providing monster hit totals with a little bit of scoring juice…would it surprise anyone if DeAngelo is a top-20 fantasy defenseman for the rest of the year? We don’t have to like him personally to acknowledge he’s good offensively in fantasy…Faber should have more points based on his ice time and role. I thus wouldn’t drop him in medium or deep leagues despite his underwhelming year…Kasper and Kulich: two legit prospects thrust into first-line duty and flourishing. Kasper intrigues me in particular because he’s bringing a nice hit total on top of being the top scoring rookie forward in the last month…of all the real-life trade candidates whose fantasy value could improve drastically with a change of scenery, Cozens interests me the most.

201. Mattias Ekholm, D, Oilers
202. Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers
203. Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers
204. Anton Lundell, C, Panthers
205. Ryan O’Reilly, C, Predators
206. Troy Terry, RW, Ducks*
207. Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers
208. Jason Zucker, LW, Sabres
209. Connor McMichael, RW, Capitals
210. Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins
211. Spencer Knight, G, Panthers
212. Radko Gudas, D, Ducks
213. Luke Hughes, D, Devils
214. Stefan Noesen, RW, Devils
215. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Golden Knights
216. Logan Stankoven, RW, Stars
217. Victor Olofsson, LW, Golden Knights
218. Arvid Soderblom, G, Blackhawks
219. Fabian Zetterlund, LW, Sharks
220. Yaroslav Askarov, G, Sharks
221. Matt Coronato, RW, Flames
222. Will Smith, C, Sharks
223. Mikael Granlund, C, Stars
224. Mike Matheson, D, Canadiens
225. Taylor Hall, LW, Hurricanes
226. Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Blackhawks
227. Casey Mittelstadt, C, Avalanche
228. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Blue Jackets*
229. Scott Wedgewood, G, Avalanche*
230. Bowen Byram, D, Sabres
231. Kevin Lankinen, G, Canucks
232. Blake Coleman, LW, Flames
233. Jordan Staal, C, Hurricanes
234. Jakub Dobes, G, Canadiens
235. Eeli Tolvanen, LW, Kraken
236. Barrett Hayton, C, Utah
237. Sean Durzi, D, Utah*
238. Thomas Chabot, D, Senators
239. Alex Lyon, G, Red Wings
240. Owen Power, D, Sabres
241. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Wild
242. Ilya Samsonov, G, Golden Knights
243. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Blackhawks
244. Keegan Kolesar, RW, Golden Knights
245. Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Penguins
246. Shane Wright, C, Kraken
247. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins*
248. Jack Roslovic, C, Hurricanes
249. Samuel Ersson, G, Flyers
250. Noah Hanifin, D, Golden Knights

McMichael isn’t as hot as his start nor as cold as his slump. The truth is somewhere in between. He can be a 25-goal, 55-point guy…Knight has quietly outplayed Bobrovsky in Florida this season. It feels like Knight’s been around forever, but he’s three days younger than Calder hopeful Wolf…as pointed out by my colleague Steven Ellis, Smith is starting to feel it in San Jose…Marchenko was such an awesome story this year. It’s a shame to lose him to a broken jaw. I didn’t drop him entirely off the list since some players return earlier than expected from that injury while wearing a face shield…Hayton has delivered epic hot streaks in the past and quietly has 11 points in his past 10 games. He warrants a pickup in deeper leagues.

251. Justus Annunen, G, Predators
252. Paul Cotter, LW, Devils
253. Conor Garland, RW, Canucks
254. Sean Monahan, C, Blue Jackets*
255. Jaden Schwartz, LW, Kraken
256. Alex Laferriere, RW, Kings
257. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Kraken
258. Matty Beniers, C, Kraken
259. Jackson Blake, LW, Hurricanes
260. Bobby McMann, LW, Maple Leafs
261. Kyle Palmieri, RW, Islanders
262. Morgan Frost, C, Flames
263. Joel Farabee, LW, Flames
264. Morgan Geekie, C, Bruins
265. Michael Bunting, LW, Penguins
266. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, Islanders
267. Leevi Merilainen, G, Senators
268. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders*
269. Jonathan Quick, G, Rangers
270. Casey DeSmith, G, Stars
271. Alex Turcotte, LW, Kings
272. Kris Letang, D, Penguins
273. Nick Paul, C, Lightning
274. Cutter Gauthier, LW, Ducks
275. Jake Neighbours, LW, Blues
276. Yegor Chinakhov, RW, Blue Jackets*
277. Cole Sillinger, C, Blue Jackets
278. Leo Carlsson, C, Ducks
279. Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
280. Brady Skjei, D, Predators
281. Brandt Clarke, D, Kings
282. Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Stars
283. Travis Sanheim, D, Flyers
284. Anthony Duclair, RW, Islanders
285. Connor Ingram, G, Utah
286. Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks
287. Nino Niederreiter, LW, Jets
288. Luca Del Bel Belluz, C, Blue Jackets
289. Jacob Trouba, D, Ducks
290. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars*
291. Noah Dobson, D, Islanders*
292. Phillip Danault, C, Kings
293. Petr Mrazek, G, Blackhawks
294. Mathieu Olivier, RW, Blue Jackets
295. Calvin Pickard, G, Oilers
296. Connor Zary, C, Flames*
297. Trevor Zegras, LW, Ducks
298. Ryan Leonard, RW, Capitals
299. David Rittich, G, Kings
300. Joel Hofer, G, Blues

The rookie Blake has quite the opportunity playing with Aho and Rantanen and should be owned in all deep leagues…in this tier you’ll find a lot of injured guys who I don’t expect back in time to help you but aren’t guaranteed to miss the rest of the regular season…Can someone please save Zegras with a real life trade? My favorite late-season stash is Leonard, who could help the Caps immediately if he turns pro at the end of the year and could deliver Tom Wilson Lite stat lines.

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