2026-27 NHL Point Predictions: Our Top 100 Has a New 120-Point Threat

Connor McDavid remains the player everyone else is chasing in my 2026-27 NHL point predictions, but the most interesting story might be the player suddenly closing the gap.

I have McDavid leading the NHL with 138 points, followed by Nathan MacKinnon at 131, Nikita Kucherov at 126 and 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini at 121. Celebrini is no longer simply a young player with superstar upside. After exploding for 115 points last season, he belongs in the conversation with the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

There is another major factor fantasy hockey players need to remember: the NHL has expanded the 2026-27 regular season to 84 games. That means raw point totals should naturally get a small boost compared with an 82-game schedule, particularly for healthy elite players.

Below are my complete Top 100 NHL player point projections for 2026-27, including projected goals, assists and total points.

Top 100 NHL Player Point Projections for 2026-27

These are independent NHLTradeRumor.com editorial projections rather than official NHL forecasts or guarantees. The rankings will be updated during the season when injuries, line combinations, trades and power-play roles materially change a player’s outlook.

How the NHLTradeRumor.com 2026-27 Point Prediction Model Works

Projecting an NHL season shouldn’t mean simply copying last year’s point totals and adding two games.

My approach is a weighted editorial model built around recent scoring rate, expected games played, age and development curve, projected linemates, power-play deployment, team offensive environment and the likelihood of either regression or a breakout.

Recent production carries the most weight, but context matters.

A 23-year-old player coming off a breakout season with a secure first-unit power-play role deserves a different projection than a 35-year-old coming off the same point total. Likewise, moving from a secondary role into a lineup filled with elite finishing talent can meaningfully change a player’s assist ceiling.

Availability also matters. Connor Bedard is a good example. Bedard recorded 75 points in 69 games last season, but offseason shoulder surgery is expected to keep him out until November. That is why I have him at 81 points instead of projecting his scoring rate over a complete 84-game schedule.

This is also why these numbers should be viewed as a range rather than a promise.

Connor McDavid Is Still the Safest Bet to Win the Art Ross

Until somebody consistently knocks Connor McDavid off the top, he remains the obvious starting point.

McDavid finished 2025-26 with 48 goals, 90 assists and 138 points in 82 games, winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy.

My projection essentially calls for him to repeat that production: 48 goals, 90 assists and 138 points.

Could he score 150? Absolutely.

The extra two games help, Edmonton’s power play still runs through two of the most dangerous offensive players in hockey, and McDavid’s ability to create scoring opportunities at five-on-five remains almost impossible to scheme against for an entire season.

But point projections aren’t supposed to represent ceilings. They’re supposed to identify the most reasonable outcome.

My read is that somewhere between 135 and 145 points remains the most defensible McDavid range.

Nathan MacKinnon is the player I see with the clearest path to beating him. I have MacKinnon at 51 goals and 131 points, and Colorado’s offensive environment gives him a legitimate chance to lead the league in both shots and even-strength scoring.

Macklin Celebrini Is Already Entering McDavid Territory

The boldest projection near the top is probably Macklin Celebrini.

I’m giving Celebrini 46 goals, 75 assists and 121 points.

That might have sounded extreme twelve months ago. It doesn’t anymore.

Celebrini scored 45 goals and 115 points across all 82 games last season, establishing a San Jose Sharks single-season franchise record for points. He did it as a teenager.

That’s the important part for me.

We’re not projecting a 27-year-old to suddenly become something he has never been. We’re projecting a 20-year-old superstar to make another incremental improvement after already establishing himself as a 115-point player.

San Jose also continues to build its offensive core around him. If Celebrini receives another full season of elite power-play usage and the Sharks’ young talent takes another step, there is no reason his offensive ceiling can’t eventually reach the McDavid-MacKinnon-Kucherov tier.

For 2026-27, I’m stopping at 121.

His ceiling is higher.

The 100-Point Club Could Be Extremely Exclusive

One of the more interesting results from my model is that only eight players reach 100 points:

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Macklin Celebrini, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Kirill Kaprizov and Martin Necas.

That doesn’t mean only eight players are capable of doing it.

Jason Robertson, Nick Suzuki, Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews are all within striking distance.

Matthews is especially fascinating.

NHL.com notes that Matthews was held to career lows of 27 goals and 53 points last season while playing only 60 games and shooting 11.9 percent.

I expect a significant rebound.

My projection is 49 goals and 95 points. A healthy Matthews could blow past both numbers, particularly the goal total, but durability has to be incorporated into a responsible projection.

Cale Makar Leads an Incredible Group of Offensive Defensemen

For fantasy hockey players, the defenseman rankings might actually be more useful than the top of the forward list.

I have Cale Makar at 91 points, making him the highest-scoring defenseman and No. 18 overall.

Quinn Hughes follows at 88, Evan Bouchard at 86 and Zach Werenski at 85.

Then there is Lane Hutson at 82.

Having five defensemen projected above 80 points would have seemed aggressive in another era, but today’s elite NHL defensemen function as primary offensive engines. They control zone entries, run first power-play units and often touch the puck on virtually every meaningful offensive possession.

Makar remains my No. 1 because of his combination of individual goal scoring and Colorado’s overall offensive ceiling.

Quinn Hughes could easily lead defensemen in assists, while Bouchard gets the benefit of sharing an Edmonton power play with McDavid and Draisaitl.

Matthew Schaefer is another player I’m watching closely. He produced 59 points as a rookie for the Islanders and is already playing enormous minutes.

My projection jumps him to 20 goals and 72 points.

That is aggressive, but his rookie season gave us enough evidence to believe the offensive role is real.

Montreal Could Produce Three Major Fantasy Breakouts

Montreal jumps off the page when looking through the Top 100.

Nick Suzuki comes in at 98 points, Cole Caufield at 93, Lane Hutson at 82, Juraj Slafkovsky at 76 and Ivan Demidov at 71.

That’s an enormous amount of potential fantasy value concentrated in one lineup.

Demidov is the one I think could outperform my number most dramatically.

He posted 62 points during his rookie season, and young players with elite offensive skill can make major year-two jumps once their power-play role becomes more established.

If Montreal’s top power-play group becomes one of the league’s best, Suzuki and Caufield also have legitimate chances to cross the 100- and 50-goal barriers respectively.

Dallas Might Have the Deepest Collection of Elite Scorers

Another trend I noticed while building these projections was Dallas.

Jason Robertson is ninth at 99 points. Mikko Rantanen has 97. Wyatt Johnston has 96. Roope Hintz projects for 78, while Miro Heiskanen and Matt Duchene also crack the Top 100.

Very few teams can spread that much high-end offensive talent across multiple lines.

That depth can occasionally limit individual usage, but it also protects players from difficult matchups and gives Dallas the ability to maintain dangerous combinations regardless of injuries.

Johnston is the player I’d target if looking for another leap.

My projection of 40 goals and 96 points could end up looking conservative if his offensive role expands again.

Florida’s Tkachuk Experiment Will Be Fascinating

Brady Tkachuk’s move to Florida is one of the offseason changes that required a meaningful adjustment to the model.

Florida acquired Brady from Ottawa in June, bringing him into the same organization as Matthew Tkachuk.

I have Brady at 36 goals and 87 points, slightly ahead of Matthew’s 86.

The Panthers now have an enormous amount of offensive talent competing for premium power-play touches, but that isn’t necessarily a negative. Better linemates mean better finishing around both brothers.

The question will be exactly how Florida distributes five-on-five minutes and power-play deployment.

Young Players Create the Biggest Projection Risk and Upside

Gavin McKenna is perhaps the most difficult player on this entire list.

I have the Toronto rookie at 24 goals, 39 assists and 63 points.

That’s intentionally conservative.

The NHL’s No. 1 overall pick will have elite players around him, but rookie point projections are notoriously sensitive to deployment. A player can have all the talent in the world and still lose 150–200 minutes of premium power-play or top-six ice time compared with an established star.

Porter Martone at 68 points and Beckett Sennecke at 69 are similar examples.

These aren’t ceiling predictions.

They’re weighted expectations.

If any of those young players establishes himself immediately on PP1, the projection changes quickly.

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