ESPN’s top-100 projection spotlights Dallas as a league-wide force, placing seven Stars on the list and leaving the defending champion Panthers in the dust. Dallas opened 2-0-0 as Glen Gulutzan’s system tightens and Jake Oettinger locks down wins, with Miro Heiskanen logging massive ice time and the forward corps chipping in early.

Multiple Stars are pacing the team in points—Robertson, Hintz and Harley among the leaders—while Wyatt Johnston has joined the party with steady production. A Carolina connection looms in Logan Stankoven, while Dallas eyes a Central bid at home against Minnesota.

Connor McDavid remains No. 1 as ESPN’s NHL Rank for 2025-26 signals another season of premium production. Colorado’s Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon sit just behind, with Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov close by and Andrei Vasilevskiy anchoring the goalie corps. Florida Panthers crack the top 100 with six entries even as Aleksander Barkov is sidelined, underscoring depth as a strategic edge in fantasy and betting.

The Panthers’ depth highlights how injuries and schedule can reshape a draft—top stars carry value, but steady contributors on a Cup-contending team can swing formats. Edmonton, Dallas and Tampa Bay surface as powerhouses in both offense and goaltending, signaling where to lean in early rounds and how to mix stars with reliable two-way players across positions.