In fantasy hockey, nothing hits quite like drafting a player who exceeds expectations – and nothing stings more than drafting an underperformer. It's still early, but several players have stumbled out of the gate.

What follows is the Top 10 disappointments of the young 2025-2026 NHL season. For the purposes of this list, "disappointment" does not refer to players who have missed significant time with injury (e.g., Brady Tkachuk, Matt Duchene, Roman Josi, etc.) but is rather a measure of performance relative to deployment, performance, and/or ADP.

(Statistics courtesy of Frozen Tools and current to the morning of November 9, 2025)

10.   Alex Ovechkin, LW/RW, Washington Capitals (ADP: 42.7)

Alex Ovechkin put together an historic season in 2024-2025, surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history (894). While The Gr8 Chase fuelled Ovie and the Caps last year, this fall feels considerably different. With 10 points (three goals, seven assists) through his first 15 games, Ovechkin is currently on pace for just 55 points this year, which would be his first sub-60 point/game scoring pace in his entire 19-year NHL career. With an average ADP of 42.7, managers were still paying – and praying – for another year of vintage Ovie, which just doesn't seem to be there right now. As greatest goal scorer of all-time, Alex Ovechkin has nothing left to prove – and by the looks of it, nothing left in the tank.

9.   Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres (ADP: 25.6)

Entering 2025-2026, Rasmus Dahlin had been every bit the franchise cornerstone the Sabres envisioned when the team picked him first overall in 2018, registering 67, 59, and 73 points over the past three seasons, respectively. Dahlin's point production has dropped quite a bit this season and so has his plus-minus. A combined plus‑20 over the past three seasons, Rasmus sits at ‑11 so far, tied for the third-worst mark in the league. While his miniscule 2.6 SH% hints at more goals down the road, his 62.5 percent secondary assist rate is well above expectations, which could drag his points output right back down.

Last week, head coach Lindy Ruff announced that Dahlin will be away from the team indefinitely while attending to a personal matter back in Sweden:

Dahlin's fiancé underwent a heart transplant this summer — so hearing "personal reasons" and "no timetable" is tough to see. But Hockey players are people too.

Just hope for the best. 💛#FantasyHockey #NHL pic.twitter.com/3fD8hpaqln

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) November 7, 2025

Given this unfortunate update, ultimately there's only one important thing to say here: we're pulling for you, Rasmus.  

8.   Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Florida Panthers (ADP: 22.7)

Sam Reinhart has been nothing short of elite since arriving in South Florida 4.5 years ago, recording 30+ goals in each of his four seasons as a Panther. This year, however, Reino has started slowly with just eight points (seven goals, one assist) in 15 games. The clearest explanation for Reinhart's lack of production is not having linemate and team captain Aleksander Barkov by his side, who is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in training camp. Reinhart is heating up with five goals in his past seven games, but considering he was drafted in the second or third round of most fantasy drafts, he remains a disappointment relative to cost so far.

Dishonourable Mentions: Seth Jones, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Aaron Ekblad

7.   Matvei Michkov, RW, Philadelphia Flyers (ADP: 89.8)

The 2023 seventh‑overall pick burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2024-2025 with 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 80 games. Following a busy summer in Philadelphia, highlighted by the team's acquisition of silky-smooth centre Trevor Zegras, Flyers fans envisioned Z and Michkov making magic together this season. While Zegras has delivered in a big way so far, Michkov has not. With eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first 15 games, Mich is currently pacing for just 44 points. Still just 20 years old, Michkov's ceiling remains sky high, but this opening stretch has been a letdown for player, team, and fantasy managers alike.

6.   Steven Stamkos, C/LW/RW, Nashville Predators (ADP: 143.8)

There's a laundry list of players who come to mind when one thinks of hockey legends who finished their careers in unfamiliar jerseys: Martin Brodeur in St. Louis; Daniel Alfredsson in Detroit; and Mats Sundin in Vancouver to name a few. Steven Stamkos is still an active player, but he'll join that list the moment he hangs up the skates for good. Stammer's tenure with the Lightning was nothing short of electric (pardon the pun). He cemented himself as a franchise icon by leading Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cups and in, doing so, seemingly earned enough credit to forever be regarded as a capable goalscorer with strong fantasy appeal.

Following a forgettable first season in Nashville, however, Stamkos looks like a shell of himself in year two, posting just four points (three goals, one assist) in 17 games with the Predators (82GP Pace: 19). His 8.6 SH% rate suggests that some goals are on the way, yet regarding Stammer as anything more than a short-term streamer at this point would be living in the past. Stamkos may be Hall of Fame bound, but for now, he should be bound for your waiver wire.

Dishonourable Mentions: Ryan O'Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault

5.   Andrei Svechnikov, LW/RW, Carolina Hurricanes (ADP: 104.6)

Not too long ago, Andrei Svechnikov looked like a multi‑cat legend in the making. Unfortunately, injuries have chipped away at that trajectory, and now Svech is barely hanging on to fantasy relevance. This season, Svechnikov has just six points (four goals, two assists) in 14 games on a powerhouse Carolina roster. Still just 25 years old and standing at 6'3", 200 lbs., Svech profiles as a banger league beauty on paper, but confidence and health play in the NHL – and at this point, it's unclear if the Mr. Svechnikov we know and love will ever return to form.

Dishonourable Mention: Nikolaj Ehlers

4.   Adam Fantilli, C, Columbus Blue Jackets (ADP: 158.5)

After an unremarkable rookie campaign in which he recorded 27 points in 49 games, Adam Fantilli bucked the sophomore slump trend in a big way last season, registering 54 points (32 goals, 22 assists) over the full 82-game schedule. Fantilli caught fire in the back half of the year, registering 33 points in his final 39 games, including 13 (!) goals in his last 21.

Fantasy managers hoped that Fantilli could build on last season's late surge in 2025-2026, but Fantilli has disappointed so far, recording just eight points (two goals, six assists) in 13 games. His 6.3 SH% suggests some scoring correction is on the way, but his overall lack of offence has made him difficult to trust in most formats.

Fantilli got a recent look on Columbus' top line alongside Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko, but unless and until he begins to produce more consistently, he'll remain a disappointment in the fantasy hockey realm.

Dishonourable Mention: Kent Johnson

3.   Jordan Kyrou, RW, St. Louis Blues (ADP: 88.1)

Jordan Kyrou has been one of the league's most reliable producers over the past four seasons, scoring 25+ goals each year while hovering around the 70-point mark (75, 72, 67, 70). This year has been a very different story. With just nine points (five goals, four assists) in 15 games, Kyrou's production has cratered, and his struggles reached a low point when he was a healthy scratch in Buffalo last Thursday night (a game the Blues went on to win 3-0).

Kyrou was a +24 last season and sits at -7 so far this year, a dramatic swing that mirrors his overall play. There are rumblings that St. Louis could move assets as the year unfolds, and perhaps a trade would help Kyrou rediscover his form. But if not, Jordan Kyrou could end up remembered as one of the bigger disappointments of the 2025-26 season.

Dishonourable Mentions: Dylan Hollaway, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchneivich

2.   Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning (ADP: 24.1)

Talk about an early disappointment nobody saw coming. Brayden Point has long been considered one of the safest bets in fantasy hockey, averaging over a point per game in each of the past three seasons and topping 40 goals in all of them. This year, however, Point has struggled considerably, managing just nine points (three goals, six assists) in 15 games despite skating alongside fellow stars Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel on Tampa Bay's top line.

Point's shooting percentage – which sat above 20% in each of the past three seasons – sits at just under 10% this year, so some scoring correction is inevitable. Still, given his draft cost and track record, Brayden Point has quite literally put the "point" in "disappointment" so far this season.

Dishonourable Mention: Nikita Kucherov

1.   Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers (ADP: 27.3)

Artemi Panarin has been one of the league's most dependable scorers for a decade, averaging at least a point per game in eight of his ten NHL seasons. But this year has been a stunning reversal so far. With only ten points (three goals, seven assists) through 16 games, Panarin is producing at around half his usual pace and tracking for just 51 points.

Perhaps the biggest concern in The Big Apple right now is New York's abysmal powerplay, which ranks dead last in the league at 12.20%. Given the Rangers' top-end personnel, that ugly figure is bound to improve at some point, but with Panarin drafted as a fantasy cornerstone, patience is quickly running thin. Indeed, with The Bread Man stuck in a dry spell, Panarin is leaving fantasy managers feeling like croutons this season.

Dishonourable Mentions: Adam Fox, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière

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That's all for this week! Follow me on X @SmoothE27 for more fantasy hockey content and analysis, and feel free to DM me with any questions about your team.

Stay tuned for the next Top 10 on Monday, November 17. Have a great week everyone!