Brady Tkachuk ranks as the top Florida Panthers player in NHL.com’s fantasy projections for the 2026-27 season. Tkachuk is No. 20 overall in the standard-league rankings and carries an 87-point projection after joining Florida from the Ottawa Senators.
Tkachuk was limited to 60 games with Ottawa last season because of an injury. Over the past five seasons dating to 2021-22, he recorded 338 points, 1,509 shots on goal and 1,196 hits, according to NHL.com. He also scored 153 goals during that span.
NHL.com identified Tkachuk as the only NHL player over that five-season stretch with at least 300 points, 1,000 shots on goal and 800 hits. That production gives him projected value in several fantasy categories beyond scoring as he begins his Florida Panthers tenure.
Matthew Tkachuk ranks second among Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk ranks No. 2 among Florida Panthers players and No. 24 overall, matching Brady Tkachuk with an 87-point projection. Matthew led Florida in points per game last season with 34 points in 31 games, a 1.10 average, despite making his season debut Jan. 19 after being limited by injuries.
Matthew Tkachuk also tied for second on the team with three multigoal games. NHL.com lists him as a three-time 30-goal scorer and two-time 100-point performer. He recorded more than 30 power-play points in each of his previous two healthy seasons, with 36 in 2022-23 and 32 in 2023-24.
Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov round out top four
Sam Reinhart ranks No. 3 among Florida Panthers players and No. 37 overall with an 84-point projection. He led Florida last season in goals with 29 in 64 games, points with 61, power-play points with 25 and game-winning goals with six.
Reinhart also tied for the Florida team lead in short-handed points with four. Since joining the Panthers before the 2021-22 season, he has recorded 385 points in 385 games.
Aleksander Barkov ranks No. 4 among Florida players and No. 38 overall with an 83-point projection. Barkov missed the 2025-26 season because of a season-ending knee injury sustained at training camp before returning to competitive action at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. He recorded 11 points, including three goals and eight assists, in 10 games as Finland won gold.
Jacob Markstrom adds a new variable in goal
Jacob Markstrom completes Florida’s top five at No. 79 overall with a projected 30 wins. The Florida Panthers acquired Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils on June 30, and NHL.com identified him as a potential bounce-back candidate.
Markstrom went 23-19-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage in 44 games with New Jersey last season. He started 43 of those games. Markstrom is expected to replace Sergei Bobrovsky as Florida’s starter, although he could share time with Akira Schmid.
Florida tied for the third-fewest shots on goal allowed in the NHL over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined, allowing 27.0 per game. That defensive record is part of the context behind Markstrom’s 30-win projection.
Additional Florida Panthers fantasy options
NHL.com’s preseason draft lists also included several other Florida Panthers players. Brad Marchand was listed as a potential draft bargain with a 61-point projection, while Carter Verhaeghe received a 55-point projection in the same category.
Seth Jones was listed as a bounce-back candidate with a 52-point projection. Aaron Ekblad was identified as a sleeper with a 37-point projection, while Akira Schmid was listed as a deep sleeper with a 20-win projection.
Eetu Luostarinen and Gustav Forsling were also listed as deep sleepers, with projections of 48 points and 34 points, respectively. Anton Lundell was listed as a breakout candidate with a 54-point projection, and Sam Bennett was identified as a category coverage specialist with a 64-point projection.
Garnet Hathaway and Radko Gudas were listed as hits specialists without point or win projections. The list gives fantasy managers additional Florida options beyond the five highest-ranked Panthers.
FSB Take
Brady Tkachuk leads the Florida Panthers’ projected fantasy group after arriving from Ottawa, with an 87-point projection and strong production across multiple categories. Matthew Tkachuk also projects for 87 points, while Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov are projected for 84 and 83 points, respectively.
Health will be central to the outlook for Matthew Tkachuk and Barkov after their injury-related absences. Florida’s goaltending picture also changes with Markstrom projected to replace Bobrovsky and Schmid potentially sharing the workload.
Source: Original report