There's an adage that fantasy drafts are won in the later rounds. That may well be true, but if you mess up your first-round pick, it's not likely to matter how well you do at the end of your draft.
With that in mind, let's explore who you should consider with your first-round pick, depending on where you end up in the draft order.
Pick No. 1 – Recommendation: Connor McDavid
The more things change, the more they stay the same. McDavid remains the best and most talented player in the NHL. He had just 32 goals last season, half of the 64 he potted the year prior, but he posted exactly 100 assists, finishing with 132 points in 76 games. Toss in 263 shots on goal, 44 power-play points, a career-best plus-35 rating and a surprising 118 hits and you have the best player in the world, both from a fantasy and real-life perspective.
Pick No. 2 – Recommendation: Nathan MacKinnon
The gap between McDavid and the rest of the field is smaller than in the past few years. The reigning NHL MVP, MacKinnon is fresh off a season in which he posted career-best marks in goals (51), assists (89), points (140), shots on goal (405), power-play points (48) and plus/minus (35). I'd be willing to at least listen to the argument that he deserves to be No. 1 overall on this list. MacKinnon seems like the only player in the league capable of challenging McDavid for the top
There's an adage that fantasy drafts are won in the later rounds. That may well be true, but if you mess up your first-round pick, it's not likely to matter how well you do at the end of your draft.
With that in mind, let's explore who you should consider with your first-round pick, depending on where you end up in the draft order.
Pick No. 1 – Recommendation: Connor McDavid
The more things change, the more they stay the same. McDavid remains the best and most talented player in the NHL. He had just 32 goals last season, half of the 64 he potted the year prior, but he posted exactly 100 assists, finishing with 132 points in 76 games. Toss in 263 shots on goal, 44 power-play points, a career-best plus-35 rating and a surprising 118 hits and you have the best player in the world, both from a fantasy and real-life perspective.
Pick No. 2 – Recommendation: Nathan MacKinnon
The gap between McDavid and the rest of the field is smaller than in the past few years. The reigning NHL MVP, MacKinnon is fresh off a season in which he posted career-best marks in goals (51), assists (89), points (140), shots on goal (405), power-play points (48) and plus/minus (35). I'd be willing to at least listen to the argument that he deserves to be No. 1 overall on this list. MacKinnon seems like the only player in the league capable of challenging McDavid for the top spot. He's that good.
Pick No. 3 – Recommendation: Auston Matthews
The best sniper in the NHL and one of the best to enter the league in recent memory, Matthews finished with a career-high 69 goals and 107 points in 81 games last season. He's posted 60-plus tallies in two of the last three seasons, a mind-boggling statistic. Set to play the entirety of the upcoming season at age 27, Matthews remains firmly in his prime and is the greatest difference-maker in fantasy if your format provides extra value for goals scored.
Pick No. 4 – Recommendation: Nikita Kucherov
Kucherov led the NHL in scoring last season with 144 points in 81 games and joined McDavid as the lone two members of the 100-assist club. Injuries were a problem for Kucherov early in his career, but he's missed just one regular season game over the past two seasons. At age 31, he's considerably older than the three names ahead of him, so durability is something to keep an eye on here moving forward.
Pick No. 5 – Recommendation: Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl's numbers were way down last season, and by way down I mean he still finished with 41 goals and 106 points in 81 games. He's posted at least 39 power-play points in four of the past five years and has missed a grand total of five regular-season games over the course of the last three campaigns. It's nearly impossible to find this stable an offensive floor from by fantasy and a real-life perspective.
Pick No. 6 – Recommendation: David Pastrnak
Those concerned that Pastrnak wouldn't be the same player following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron need not worry any longer. The Czech import has become the focal point of the Boston offense in recent years, racking up 47 goals and 110 points (including 35 with the man advantage) while appearing in all 82 games for a second straight season. Opposing NHL clubs know exactly who to key in on when they play the Bruins and still no one has been able to stop Pastrnak.
Pick No. 7 – Recommendation: Cale Makar
Makar is the only defenseman I would consider taking anywhere near this high. Having a rearguard capable of posting 21 goals and 90 points (including 39 power-play points) in 77 games, which were Makar's numbers last season, is a massive advantage for your club. One thing worth monitoring is that Makar has dealt with a few nagging ailments over the past few seasons. Nothing serious, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Pick No. 8 – Recommendation: Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen becomes the third member of the Avalanche to go off the board in the first eight picks. The Finnish superstar had 42 goals in 80 games last season, in addition to topping the 100-point mark (104) for a second consecutive season. Rantanen is a near lock for first-round offensive production given his role alongside MacKinnon and Makar on Colorado's vaunted power play.
Pick No. 9 – Recommendation: Kirill Kaprizov
It felt like Kaprizov really labored at times a season ago, but then you look up and see he finished with 46 goals and 96 points in just 75 games. Always amongst the league leaders with the man advantage, Kaprizov tallied 41 power-play points a year ago, nine more than his previous career-best mark. Set to play near the entirety of this upcoming season at age 27, it's easy to envision a scenario in which the talented Russian takes his game to another level in 2024-25.
Pick No. 10 – Recommendation: Artemi Panarin
Panarin has been one of the best players in the NHL for years, but last season was something else entirely. The 32-year-old set career-best marks in goals (49), points (120), shots on goal (303) and power-play points (44). Panarin hasn't missed a game in two seasons and has never been a minus player in any of his nine years in the league. The lone concern here is the age, but Panarin is one of the craftiest and most deceptively strong players in the NHL. If he keeps shooting the puck as much as he did a season ago, he should be fine for at least another few seasons.
Pick No. 11 – Recommendation: Igor Shesterkin
I'm a firm believer in targeting goaltenders early on in drafts. There aren't enough quality ones to go around and very few emerge as viable options on the waiver wire throughout the course of the season. Shesterkin has won at least 36 games each of the past three seasons. His GAA (2.58) and save percentage (.912) numbers were middling last season, but he finished exceptionally strong, posting a 2.13 GAA and .930 save percentage over his final 20 regular-season games. He's the best option at fantasy hockey's most important position.
Pick. No 12 – Recommendation: Jack Hughes
This is a tough one. Hughes typically went in the middle of Round 1 last season. He did just fine (27 goals, 74 points in 62 games) when healthy, but he missed a ton of time, most notably due to shoulder surgery which ended his year in early February. Still just 23 years of age, Hughes remains one of the game's elite talents, and that, combined with youth, is something I like to bet on. Be prepared to pounce if Hughes drops even in the slightest on draft day.
