Before I get into my draft results in a 14-team fantasy re-draft league, lets first cover some NHL news as the regular season is set to kick off on Tuesday.

For those GM's that have yet to draft (like myself) and looking for potential waiver-wire target targets. The Colorado Avalanche have signed undrafted T.J Hughes to the team and it looks as if he may be getting a look on the top unit. Keep a close eye on him and his production while he has this prime deployment. Hughes went undrafted as a college player and is now stepping into a great opportunity in Colorado, so this is definitely a situation to watch.

#Avs coach Jared Bednar said T.J. Hughes has made the team. He will also start on PP1 on Wednesday night.

Lower-body injuries for Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux, day-to-day and they'll see on Tuesday.

— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) September 27, 2026

The New Jersey Devils claimed Remi Poirier off waivers from the Dallas Stars. The Devils are running with Jake Allen and Nico Daws on the back end which has left a lot of fantasy GM's weary of how this will all turn out. Poirier has yet to play any NHL games however he did post strong numbers in the AHL with the Texas Stars posting a record of 27-19-8 record with a 2.61 GAA and .912 SV% with the Texas Stars last season over 52 games. The Allen and Daws tandem will likely be split down the middle to start the season, however most GMs and likely the Devils as well are hoping to see Daws as being the eventual starter later in the season, which is very possible.

NJ claims Remi Poirier from Dallas

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 27, 2026

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As we finish up the weekend, this is my second to last fantasy draft before the NHL season gets underway. It is a 14-team league. This was also a snake draft, which isn't typically my preferred draft format, but it went to a vote and the majority ruled. I focused on established producers early before mixing in younger players with more upside as the draft progressed. Here's a look at each pick.

Round 1: Jason Robertson

The fact that Roberston carries both LW/RW eligibility only added to the appeal and it gave me a player with established goal-scoring ability, strong power-play involvement.

Round 2: Martin Necas

Martin Necas was an easy player to target in the second round as he's already shown what he can do in Colorado, so it felt like a no brainer.

Round 3: Sam Reinhart

I liked this pick because I expect Florida to bounce back, and Reinhart should benefit from that. If he can get back toward his previous goal-scoring production, he could provide strong value at this draft position.

Round 4: Dylan Guenther

Dylan Guenther was the first pick of the draft where I was willing to sacrifice some established production for more upside considering I had enough of a foundation to take a swing on a younger player who has shown growth year-over-year. He also has RW/LW eligibility that makes it even easier.

Round 5: Adam Fox

At this point most of the elite defensemen were all gone but I was able to snag Adam Fox and it came time to addressed my defense. Fox still gives me a reliable source of points from the blue line and adds another player who can contribute on the power play with a reliable high floor.

Round 6: Jesper Bratt

I see a bounce back in the cards for Bratt this season, provided that Jack Hughes stays relative healthy so he was a pick that I prioritized, not to mention another LW/RW eligibility.

Round 7: Sebastian Aho

I hadn't addressed any centre positions in my draft yet so now was the time with Sebastian Aho. First line center, with top PP deployment and a point-per-game pace. Not the strongest pick for my first centre option, but I'll take it.

Round 8: Cole Hutson

I chased upside with Hutson on this one.  Unlike Fox, who gives me a much more established fantasy floor on defense, Hutson is the type of player I targeted based on what his offensive game could eventually mean and I have a hunch he'll take over on the top powerplay unit later in the season.

Round 9: Brandt Clarke

I went on a defensemen draft bender and it continued with Brandt Clarke. Clarke has been slated as the top power play defensemen in LA and he has enough upside to significantly outperform the investment if his role develops even further.

Round 10: Bowen Byram

Byram doesn’t need to produce at the level of Fox to be useful to me. If he gives me solid secondary offense and holds a meaningful role, I'll be more than happy. With Connor Bedard out to start the season, I am not entirely sure what Byrams production will look like but I'll feel a little more comfortable when he returns.

Round 11: Adam Fantilli

I needed another centre with only Aho on my team so I went with Fantilli. Not entureily sure how Columbus will fair this season with all of the drama surrounding Marchenko but Fantilli is the number one centre on the team.

Round 12: Sam Malinski

I am banking on late-round bet on upside and nearly more of the defensemen were taken off the board. If he doesn't work out 160th overall, the risk is minimal. There are plenty of players in this range who will end up being waiver-wire options anyway, so I’d rather take a chance on someone with a path to becoming fantasy relevant.

Round 13: JJ Peterka

I'm banking on another bounce-back swing in Peterka with his new beginnings in Boston and a prime chance to play alongside David Pastrnak. If that sticks, Peterka could find himself in a much better offensive environment.

Round 14: Dylan Cozens

Dylan Cozens gives me a strong multi-cat option. It will be interesting to see how things pan out without Brady Tkahuck and I suspect he'll pick up the slack with him gone.

Round 15 and Round 16: Joel Hofer and Yaroslav Askarov

Joel Hofer and Yaroslav Askarov were the final two pieces of my zero-goalie strategy, with both coming in the last two rounds. In St. Louis, Hofer could eventually take over as the starter, although we could also see more of a split with Jordan Binnington to start the season. In San Jose, things are trending in the right direction, and Askarov is the goalie the Sharks are building around. That's where I decided to take my chances.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!