2025-26 Fantasy hockey busts candidates: Jack Eichel checks in as the top player you may want to fade

Hope springs eternal in fantasy hockey drafts, but unfortunately, so does disappointment. Not every big name lives up to its ADP price tag, and not every breakout candidate will deliver on expectations. The players below aren't guaranteed busts by any means, but the warning signs are flashing. Whether it's Father Time knocking, unsustainable shooting luck, changing roles, or inflated price tags, here are a few players you may want to consider twice before hitting the "draft" button too early.

Jack Eichel - Vegas Golden Knights

Jack Eichel should be a fantasy stud once again this upcoming season. He's the top center on a very strong Vegas squad, he just posted a career-high 94 points, and he's only 29 years old. So why does he make my bust list? It's because his 2025-26 expectations are potentially based on a few unsustainable trends.

First off, we need to discuss that assist bubble that seems likely to spring a leak. Eichel racked up 29 power-play assists last season, which was easily the most in his 10-year NHL career. What's even more eyebrow-raising is that he led the entire NHL with 39 secondary assists, meaning over 60 percent of his helpers weren't direct passes that led to a goal. That ratio has to be concerning for anyone expecting another 90-plus point campaign. He'll certainly still get his points, but if you're drafting him expecting a repeat of 2024-25, don't be surprised if regression pulls the rug out from under you, even with the offseason addition of Mitch Marner.

Eichel is still a high-end fantasy option, but if you draft him at his ADP expecting another top-10 finish, you may find yourself this winter shoveling the driveway with a "I should've drafted Stutzle" thought echoing in your head.

Dylan Larkin - Detroit Red Wings

We've seen this before in Motown: a young captain racking up huge offensive numbers in his younger years while the team struggles around him, only to finally be able to scale back the stats once the squad starts winning. Just ask General Manager Steve Yzerman, who saw his own numbers dip when the Wings finally turned the corner in the early '90s. Now, Larkin enters his age-29 season walking that same line.

Under Todd McLellan, Larkin's going to do everything from killing penalties to grabbing challenging defensive assignments to taking high-leverage draws, not just gunning for 35-plus goals. The slow descent likely began last season, even if it happened somewhat under the radar. His points per 60 dropped to 2.55 last season, still solid, but a 16 percent dip from each of the previous two seasons, and his shot volume rate appears to be sliding ever so slightly. With Detroit's depth finally a team strength, Larkin won't need to do all the heavy lifting on the offensive end anymore. For fantasy managers, that might mean fewer offensive fireworks.

Aliaksei Protas - Washington Capitals

Alexei Protas broke out in a big way last season, seemingly rising from obscurity to rack up 30 goals and 66 points. However, fantasy managers should approach the 2025-26 season with healthy skepticism. Let's start with the obvious: Protas shot 21.1 percent last season. For a player who had just 13 goals across his first three NHL seasons, that's a massive outlier that screams regression. His shot volume didn't spike in an overly significant way, and he's not exactly known for sniping corners with precision, so counting on a repeat performance seems quite risky.

Protas has carved out a consistent role in Washington's top six and brings versatility that keeps him on the ice in all situations, including the penalty kill. While that defensive responsibility locks him into solid minutes once again, it also caps his offensive upside. Another potential concern is the aging core around him, most notably, Alex Ovechkin. With the NHL goals record now safely in his possession, any dip in Ovechkin's production or ice time could ripple through this Capitals' lineup. If the power play slows down or the team's offense stalls, Protas could be one of the first to feel the impact.

There's still plenty of value in drafting Protas, but don't draft him for last year's numbers. Instead, you need to be prepared for something closer to 40–50 points and be pleasantly surprised by anything better. This is a spot where the risk outweighs the reward.

Zayne Parekh - Calgary Flames

Calling Zayne Parekh a potential bust in his rookie season is frankly too harsh, but the expectations for him this year are overly ambitious at this point. He's fresh off another ridiculous OHL season, where he racked up 107 points in 61 games with the Saginaw Spirit. That level of production will grab headlines, but expecting it to translate at the NHL level is a different story. At just 19 years old, he's still looking to add the size and muscle he'll need to survive the NHL grind of digging in the corners against the game's top forecheckers.

If you target him as a deep sleeper, that would be a solid pick-up. If not, the real concern for fantasy managers is his current price tag. Right now, his average draft position has him going in the same range as established fantasy assets like John Carlson, Charlie McAvoy, Erik Karlsson, and Seth Jones. Those guys have a proven track record to be trusted at this critical stage of fantasy drafts. Parekh has played only one NHL game. You're not buying a sure thing here, but instead investing in the kid's potential.

Parekh could sail past 40 points and give us glimpses of soon-to-be stardom. Heck, he could be the second coming of Cale Makar. With that said, if the role ends up being smaller than expected this season, or if he spends any time getting seasoned from the press box, fantasy owners may end up with buyer's remorse by the All-Star break, given the draft equity they were forced to surrender to draft him. Given the current ADP, he's a lottery ticket.

Jacob Markstrom - New Jersey Devils

Markstrom's arrival in New Jersey gave him a fresh start after back-to-back mediocre years in Calgary, and he performed adequately, posting a 26-6-6 record to go along with a 2.50 GAA. A deeper look suggests fantasy managers should temper expectations heading into 2025‑26. While his 2.50 GAA last season marked a career-best, it coincided with a modest .900 save percentage, indicating that New Jersey's defensive system, rather than his own individual dominance, was at least partially responsible for the improved results.

After the All-Star break, things started to fall apart for Markstrom. He recorded a 3.33 GAA and an .869 save percentage in 13 games after returning from an MCL injury, a concerning trend for a goaltender expected to handle heavy minutes once again this season.

New Jersey's defensive corps should still limit quality chances, but expecting Markstrom to return to Vezina-caliber form is unrealistic. He projects as a volume starter with middling rate stats. That makes him a serviceable goaltender option in fantasy drafts, but far from a guaranteed difference-maker. With Jake Allen still in the mix and likely to siphon starts,  reaching 50-plus appearances is far from a guarantee.