Fantasy: 10-team mock draft with analysis
This is a standard scoring, head-to-head league made up of the following categories:
| Skater | Goalie |
|---|---|
| Goals | Wins |
| Assists | Goals against average |
| Plus/Minus | Save percentage |
| Penalty minutes | Shutouts |
| Power play points | |
| Shots on goal |
The roster positions go as follows: C, C, LW, LW, RW, RW, D, D, D, D, G, G, BN, BN, BN, BN, IR, IR
Draft Participants:
- Navin Vaswani, NHL Supervising Editor
- Esten McLaren, Football News Editor
- Craig Hagerman, NHL News Editor
- Josh Gold-Smith, Senior NHL News Editor
- Bryan Mcwilliam, MLB News Editor
- Josh Wegman, NHL News Editor
- Michael Bradburn, MLB News Editor
- Michael Amato, Senior Football News Editor
- Caitlyn Holroyd, Social News Editor
- Lanny Foster, Senior Social Media Editor
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C Connor McDavid (EDM) | Vaswani |
| 2 | C Sidney Crosby (PIT) | McLaren |
| 3 | D Erik Karlsson (OTT) | Hagerman |
| 4 | RW Patrick Kane (CHI) | Gold-Smith |
| 5 | RW Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) | Mcwilliam |
| 6 | D Brent Burns (SJ) | Wegman |
| 7 | RW Nikita Kucherov (TB) | Bradburn |
| 8 | LW Alex Ovechkin (WAS) | Amato |
| 9 | C Auston Matthews (TOR) | Holroyd |
| 10 | LW Brad Marchand (BOS) | Foster |
The biggest shocker of the first round was Team Hagerman taking Karlsson at No. 3. If he's healthy, he's certainly worth a top three selection, but it's unclear how long he will be out to begin the season. Nonetheless, the fact that he was out skating Saturday is certainly a good sign.
Round 2| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | C Steven Stamkos (TB) | Foster |
| 12 | LW Jamie Benn (DAL) | Holroyd |
| 13 | C Evgeni Malkin (PIT) | Amato |
| 14 | C Jack Eichel (BUF) | Bradburn |
| 15 | C/RW Tyler Seguin (DAL) | Wegman |
| 16 | C John Tavares (NYI) | Mcwilliam |
| 17 | D Victor Hedman (TB) | Gold-Smith |
| 18 | C/RW Leon Draisaitl (EDM) | Hagerman |
| 19 | C Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) | McLaren |
| 20 | RW Patrik Laine (WPG) | Vaswani |
Team Gold-Smith made Hedman the only defenseman taken in the second round, and given that he is coming off a career-high 72 points, there's an argument to be made he should of went much higher.
Round 3| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | G Devan Dubnyk (MIN) | Vaswani |
| 22 | G Braden Holtby (WAS) | McLaren |
| 23 | G Carey Price (MTL) | Hagerman |
| 24 | G Sergei Bobrovsky (CLB) | Gold-Smith |
| 25 | D Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) | Mcwilliam |
| 26 | G Matt Murray (PIT) | Wegman |
| 27 | D Roman Josi (NAS) | Bradburn |
| 28 | C Mark Scheifele (WPG) | Amato |
| 29 | D P.K. Subban (NAS) | Holroyd |
| 30 | G Cam Talbot (EDM) | Foster |
Team Vaswani opted to select Dubnyk as the first goalie of the draft. Dubnyk isn't the top goalie on too many draft boards, but considering his .924 SV% and 2.17 GAA since joining the Wild, it's hard to argue the selection.
This pick created a massive run on goalies, as nine of the next 15 players taken were netminders.
Round 4| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | G Tuukka Rask (BOS) | Foster |
| 32 | G Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) | Holroyd |
| 33 | G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) | Amato |
| 34 | D Zach Werenski (CLB) | Bradburn |
| 35 | D Kris Letang (PIT) | Wegman |
| 36 | G Pekka Rinne (NAS) | Mcwilliam |
| 37 | LW Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) | Gold-Smith |
| 38 | C/LW Artemi Panarin (CLB) | Hagerman |
| 39 | RW Cam Atkinson (CLB) | McLaren |
| 40 | RW David Pastrnak (BOS) | Vaswani |
Team Holroyd took Vasilevskiy higher than most anticipated, but the Russian netminder sported a 2.27 GAA and a .930 SV% once Ben Bishop was traded, signaling that he's ready to be 'the guy' in the Lightning crease. Furthermore, many have the Lightning as Stanley Cup favorites.
Round 5| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | LW Max Pacioretty (MTL) | Vaswani |
| 42 | D Shea Weber (MTL) | McLaren |
| 43 | C Jeff Carter (LA) | Hagerman |
| 44 | RW Phil Kessel (PIT) | Gold-Smith |
| 45 | G Frederik Andersen (TOR) | Mcwilliam |
| 46 | RW Blake Wheeler (WPG) | Wegman |
| 47 | G Martin Jones (SJ) | Bradburn |
| 48 | LW Filip Forsberg (NAS) | Amato |
| 49 | RW Wayne Simmonds (PHI) | Holroyd |
| 50 | D John Klingberg (DAL) | Foster |
Simmonds is much more valuable in leagues that record hits and blocks, but four straight seasons of 28 goals or more can't be overlooked. Plus, he has racked up 100 PIMs five times, providing value to a category many seem to overlook in standard leagues.
Round 6| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | LW/RW Sebastian Aho (CAR) | Foster |
| 52 | G Jon Gibson (ANA) | Holroyd |
| 53 | D Duncan Keith (CHI) | Amato |
| 54 | LW/RW Viktor Arvidsson (NAS) | Bradburn |
| 55 | C Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) | Wegman |
| 56 | LW Jeff Skinner (CAR) | Mcwilliam |
| 57 | C Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) | Gold-Smith |
| 58 | LW Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG) | Hagerman |
| 59 | C/RW Joe Pavelski (SJ) | McLaren |
| 60 | C/RW Mitch Marner (TOR) | Vaswani |
Aho had a stellar rookie season, scoring 24 goals with 25 assists, but this might have been a slight reach by Team Foster. His dual-winger eligibility is very valuable, but fellow youngsters Ehlers, Marner, and William Nylander come with higher ceilings and floors.
Round 7| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | D Kevin Shattenkirk (NYR) | Vaswani |
| 62 | G Ben Bishop (DAL) | McLaren |
| 63 | G Jake Allen (STL) | Hagerman |
| 64 | C Aleksander Barkov (FLA) | Gold-Smith |
| 65 | D Dougie Hamilton (CGY) | Mcwilliam |
| 66 | G Corey Crawford (CHI) | Wegman |
| 67 | C/RW William Nylander (TOR) | Bradburn |
| 68 | RW Corey Perry (ANA) | Amato |
| 69 | LW/RW Jonathan Drouin (MTL) | Holroyd |
| 70 | C Sean Monahan (CGY) | Foster |
Drouin is projected to start the season at center, meaning he could be the only player in fantasy eligible at all three forward positions.
Team Amato is banking on a bounce-back year from Perry, and given that his shooting percentage from a year ago tied a career low, it seems likely.
Round 8| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | RW T.J. Oshie (WAS) | Foster |
| 72 | C Ryan Johansen (NAS) | Holroyd |
| 73 | C Claude Giroux (PHI) | Amato |
| 74 | C/LW Jake Guentzel (PIT) | Bradburn |
| 75 | D Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF) | Wegman |
| 76 | C Patrice Bergeron (BOS) | Mcwilliam |
| 77 | D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI) | Gold-Smith |
| 78 | D Alex Pietrangelo (STL) | Hagerman |
| 79 | LW Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA) | McLaren |
| 80 | LW Brandon Saad (CHI) | Vaswani |
Pietrangelo recorded 18 points in 20 games once Shattenkirk's departure opened up some power-play time. A full season without Shattenkirk could result in multiple career highs for Pietrangelo, making this a very savvy pick by Team Hagerman.
Round 9| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | D Drew Doughty (LA) | Vaswani |
| 82 | RW Alexander Radulov (DAL) | McLaren |
| 83 | C Jonathan Toews (CHI) | Hagerman |
| 84 | LW/RW Mike Hoffman (OTT) | Gold-Smith |
| 85 | LW James van Riemsdyk (TOR) | Mcwilliam |
| 86 | LW Taylor Hall (NJ) | Wegman |
| 87 | D Oscar Klefbom (EDM) | Bradburn |
| 88 | D Justin Faulk (CAR) | Amato |
| 89 | D Ryan Suter (MIN) | Holroyd |
| 90 | D Torey Krug (BOS) | Foster |
Hall isn't in the best of situations in New Jersey, but he has too much talent to pass up in the ninth round. If Nico Hischier is the real deal, Hall could easily regain his point-per-game form. It may feel like he's been around forever, but he's still remarkably only 25 years old.
Round 10| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | C Anze Kopitar (LA) | Foster |
| 92 | C/LW Rickard Rakell (ANA) | Holroyd |
| 93 | LW/RW Conor Sheary (PIT) | Amato |
| 94 | RW Jordan Eberle (NYI) | Bradburn |
| 95 | C Nazem Kadri (TOR) | Wegman |
| 96 | D Cam Fowler (ANA) | Mcwilliam |
| 97 | G Scott Darling (CAR) | Gold-Smith |
| 98 | C/RW Mikael Granlund (MIN) | Hagerman |
| 99 | D Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI) | McLaren |
| 100 | G Roberto Luongo (FLA) | Vaswani |
With Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm sidelined to begin the year, Fowler should see lots of ice time both at five-on-five and on the power play, making this a very astute pick by Team Mcwilliam. Moreover, the Ducks have a very favorable schedule for fantasy owners.
Eberle and Tavares have shown great chemistry together in international play. If that translates into the regular season, Team Bradburn could have himself a steal.
Round 11| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | D Jake Gardiner (TOR) | Vaswani |
| 102 | D John Carlson (WAS) | McLaren |
| 103 | C Logan Couture (SJ) | Hagerman |
| 104 | C Nolan Patrick (NJ) | Gold-Smith |
| 105 | RW Jakob Silfverberg (ANA) | Mcwilliam |
| 106 | D Justin Schultz (PIT) | Wegman |
| 107 | D Colton Parayko (STL) | Bradburn |
| 108 | D Seth Jones (CLB) | Amato |
| 109 | LW Anders Lee (NYI) | Holroyd |
| 110 | D Ryan McDonagh (NYR) | Foster |
After Team Wegman made a risky selection with the oft-injured Letang in the fourth round, he bought some insurance with Schultz in Round 11. If Letang goes down, Schultz will assume his role as the team's No. 1 defenseman and power-play specialist.
Round 12| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 111 | LW Ondrej Palat (TB) | Foster |
| 112 | D Aaron Ekblad (FLA) | Holroyd |
| 113 | G Mike Smith (CGY) | Amato |
| 114 | C/LW Alex Galchenyuk (MTL) | Bradburn |
| 115 | LW/RW Nino Niederreiter (MIN) | Wegman |
| 116 | D Keith Yandle (FLA) | Mcwilliam |
| 117 | LW Evander Kane (BUF) | Gold-Smith |
| 118 | D Mark Giordano (CGY) | Hagerman |
| 119 | RW Mark Stone (OTT) | McLaren |
| 120 | RW Jakub Voracek (PHI) | Vaswani |
Multiple players taken in this round could turn out to be the steal of the draft, but most notably Ekblad, Smith, and Voracek. Ekblad was very unlucky a year ago, Smith will play behind one of the league's best defense corps, and Voracek is a potential point-per-game player.
Round 13| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 121 | LW/RW Andre Burakovsky (WAS) | Vaswani |
| 122 | C/LW Boone Jenner (CLB) | McLaren |
| 123 | LW Milan Lucic (EDM) | Hagerman |
| 124 | D Ivan Provorov (PHI) | Gold-Smith |
| 125 | C/LW Patrick Marleau (TOR) | Mcwilliam |
| 126 | G Robin Lehner (BUF) | Wegman |
| 127 | LW Matthew Tkachuk (CGY) | Bradburn |
| 128 | D Jacob Trouba (WPG) | Amato |
| 129 | RW Kyle Palmieri (NJ) | Holroyd |
| 130 | C Nathan MacKinnon (COL) | Foster |
Taking a player with the talent of MacKinnon at this point in the draft is a smart move by Team Foster, even though he's stuck in a fantasy wasteland in Colorado. The upside that comes with drafting him far outweighs the risk.
Round 14| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 131 | D Charlie McAvoy (BOS) | Foster |
| 132 | LW Jaden Schwartz (STL) | Holroyd |
| 133 | LW Chris Kreider (NYR) | Amato |
| 134 | D Nick Leddy (NYI) | Bradburn |
| 135 | D Morgan Rielly (TOR) | Wegman |
| 136 | RW Mats Zuccarello (NYR) | Mcwilliam |
| 137 | LW/RW J.T. Miller (NYR) | Gold-Smith |
| 138 | D Brady Skjei (NYR) | Hagerman |
| 139 | G Craig Anderson (OTT) | McLaren |
| 140 | D Jaccob Slavin (CAR) | Vaswani |
The Rangers are a good offensive team, but lack that one dynamic forward who would be taken early in fantasy drafts. Team Amato, Mcwiliam, Gold-Smith, and Hagerman get a slice of that Rangers pie here in Round 14.
Round 15| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 141 | C Nico Hischier (NJ) | Vaswani |
| 142 | D Tyson Barrie (COL) | McLaren |
| 143 | RW Patrick Eaves (ANA) | Hagerman |
| 144 | D Dmitry Orlov (WAS) | Gold-Smith |
| 145 | LW/RW Nick Foligno (CLB) | Mcwilliam |
| 146 | C/RW Elias Lindholm (CAR) | Wegman |
| 147 | C Ryan O'Reilly (BUF) | Bradburn |
| 148 | C/LW Henrik Zetterberg (DET) | Amato |
| 149 | D Jared Spurgeon (MIN) | Holroyd |
| 150 | C/RW Tyler Toffoli (LA) | Foster |
Team McLaren takes advantage of a talented player on a bad team late in the draft, choosing Barrie with the 142nd pick. He won the green jacket last year, sporting a league-worst minus-34, but if he can return to his 50-point form, fantasy owners can swallow the ugly plus/minus in exchange for the points.
Round 16| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 151 | LW/RW James Neal (VGK) | Foster |
| 152 | RW Kyle Okposo (BUF) | Holroyd |
| 153 | LW Max Domi (ARI) | Amato |
| 154 | G Cory Schneider (NJ) | Bradburn |
| 155 | C/LW Brayden Schenn (STL) | Wegman |
| 156 | D Dion Phaneuf (OTT) | Mcwilliam |
| 157 | D Matthew Dumba (MIN) | Gold-Smith |
| 158 | D Brent Seabrook (CHI) | Hagerman |
| 159 | C/RW Ryan Strome (EDM) | McLaren |
| 160 | C Eric Staal (MIN) | Vaswani |
Team Vaswani's selection of Staal as the draft's Mr. Irrelevant provides further proof for how deep the position of center is in fantasy. Unless an elite one falls and the value is too good to pass up, you can really afford to wait on centers.
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