Selecting the right collection of forwards on draft day is crucial to having a successful fantasy season. Balancing out positional scarcity with versatility and searching for optimal category coverage are great ways to find value after loading up on the top scorers in the early rounds. While this isn't a precise ranking for drafting, it will provide some insight into the best way to tackle the deepest pool of players in the fantasy landscape.
Tier 1 - McDavid Still on Top
Connor McDavid remains in a class of his own despite having his reign of three straight league-scoring titles snapped in 2023-24. His offensive consistency has led him to 100-point performances in seven of the past eight seasons, and he has operated at well over a point-per-game pace in all nine of his NHL campaigns. When a player is universally regarded as the top pick on draft day, he deserves a tier to himself.
Tier 2 - Offensive Anchors
Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak
All the forwards in this tier can also reach the 100-point plateau. Following his Hart Trophy-winning performance in 2023-24, MacKinnon will likely be the second player taken in most drafts. Matthews has led the league in goals in three of the past four seasons. For fantasy managers willing to address center depth later on draft day, Kucherov and Pastrnak are the top two right-wing options. Draisaitl provides some versatility thanks to his eligibility as a left
Selecting the right collection of forwards on draft day is crucial to having a successful fantasy season. Balancing out positional scarcity with versatility and searching for optimal category coverage are great ways to find value after loading up on the top scorers in the early rounds. While this isn't a precise ranking for drafting, it will provide some insight into the best way to tackle the deepest pool of players in the fantasy landscape.
Tier 1 - McDavid Still on Top
Connor McDavid remains in a class of his own despite having his reign of three straight league-scoring titles snapped in 2023-24. His offensive consistency has led him to 100-point performances in seven of the past eight seasons, and he has operated at well over a point-per-game pace in all nine of his NHL campaigns. When a player is universally regarded as the top pick on draft day, he deserves a tier to himself.
Tier 2 - Offensive Anchors
Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak
All the forwards in this tier can also reach the 100-point plateau. Following his Hart Trophy-winning performance in 2023-24, MacKinnon will likely be the second player taken in most drafts. Matthews has led the league in goals in three of the past four seasons. For fantasy managers willing to address center depth later on draft day, Kucherov and Pastrnak are the top two right-wing options. Draisaitl provides some versatility thanks to his eligibility as a left winger. Regardless of the chosen direction, these forwards are all excellent ways to start building a roster.
Tier 3 - Early-Round Star Power
Artemi Panarin, Jack Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson
There is some first-round talent here, with the likelihood of producing between 90 and 100 points. Panarin, Rantanen and Miller cracked the 100-point plateau in 2023-24, while Nylander and Kaprizov came close. Pettersson and Tkachuk topped 100 points in 2022-23, while Marner and Hughes were one point shy of that milestone two seasons ago. Hughes' injury history is concerning but the upside is too hard to ignore.
Tier 4 - Elite Upside
Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jack Eichel, Jason Robertson, Tage Thompson, Connor Bedard
This tier is packed with players who can easily outperform their rankings despite potentially being available after some of the players in the next two groupings. Tkachuk's shot and hit totals make him a beast in banger leagues but his fantasy stock takes a slight hit in formats strictly geared toward points. Still, he showed in 2022-23 that he can be a point-per-game producer. Stutzle and Eichel can climb the rankings if they stay healthier. Robertson and Thompson also possess plenty of bounce-back potential. Bedard has tremendous upside in his sophomore campaign.
Tier 5 - Reliable producers
Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Filip Forsberg, Sidney Crosby, Jesper Bratt, Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Clayton Keller, Kyle Connor
Forsberg and Barkov have missed extended stretches due to health concerns over the years, while Guentzel and Connor are coming off injury-shortened campaigns in 2023-24. However, all four players should be productive in the upcoming season. Point and Crosby project as top-10 centers, while Aho is another strong choice to fill a middleman spot in the lineup for fantasy managers. Meanwhile, Bratt and Keller have become stable sources of offense.
Tier 6 - Excellent Scorers with Question Marks
Sam Reinhart, Mathew Barzal, Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Andrei Svechnikov, Dylan Larkin, Timo Meier, Brock Boeser
Considering this as a subsection of Tier 5 wouldn't be a stretch. Several players featured here could be selected ahead of some in the previous two groups, depending on the level of confidence a fantasy manager has in their abilities. Despite having plenty of multi-category upside, Svechnkov has been hampered by injuries for the last two seasons. Larkin and Meier could also make significant impacts if they avoid the infirmary. Barzal returned to the 80-point mark for the first time last season since 2017-18. Can he repeat that success? Stamkos will have to adjust to playing for a different team, without the benefit of Tampa Bay's lethal power play, for the first time in his career. Hyman, Reinhart and Boeser are likely candidates to see a dip in goal production after riding high shooting percentages to career highs in 2023-24.
Tier 7 - Seeking Upside
Mika Zibanejad, Nick Suzuki, Carter Verhaeghe, Adrian Kempe, Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Larkin, Wyatt Johnston, Alex Ovechkin, Cole Caufield, Alex Tuch, Matt Boldy, Nico Hischier, Robert Thomas, Brandon Hagel, Kevin Fiala, John Tavares, Vincent Trocheck, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nazem Kadri, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson, Roope Hintz, Drake Batherson, Elias Lindholm, Chris Kreider, Tomas Hertl
Fantasy managers will get plenty of valuable depth scoring in this tier. Johnston, Caufield and Boldy are popular candidates to reach another gear offensively in their young careers during the 2024-25 campaign. At the other end of the spectrum, Ovechkin and Tavares are established veterans who should be better following inconsistent showings last season. Lindholm should rebound in his role as Boston's first-line center.
Tier 8 - Adding Depth
Alex DeBrincat, Travis Konecny, Joel Eriksson Ek, Pavel Buchnevich, Jared McCann, Seth Jarvis, Lucas Raymond, Dylan Cozens, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Marchessault, Bryan Rust, Dylan Strome, Brad Marchand, Anze Kopitar, Evgeni Malkin, Jake DeBrusk, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jonathan Huberdeau, Martin Necas, Patrick Kane, Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Owen Tippett, Brock Boeser, Troy Terry, John-Jason Peterka, Juraj Slafkovsky, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan O'Reilly
Most of the skaters within this tier could cross the 60-point mark in 2024-25. Jarvis, DeBrusk, Peterka, Byfield, Slafkovsky and Lafreniere are intriguing bets to reach new highs offensively in the upcoming campaign. Kane, Malkin, Marchand, Scheifele and Marchessault are stable veteran producers. Skinner and Arvidsson should get a boost after signing with the high-octane Oilers in the summer.
Tier 9 - Rookie and Sophomore Targets
Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier, Logan Stankoven, Leo Carlsson, Logan Cooley, Marco Rossi, Adam Fantilli
Celebrini and Michkov are expected to occupy top-six roles and could see power-play time on the first combination in their debut NHL seasons for the Sharks and Flyers, respectively. They should be the first rookies taken in most formats. Anaheim's Gauthier will fill similar roles alongside Carlsson, who should take big steps forward in his sophomore campaign. Cooley, Rossi, Fantilli and Stankoven are worthy candidates to continue improving in their second NHL seasons, and they should help fantasy managers along the way regardless of the format.
Tier 10 - High-End Stashes
Gabriel Landeskog, Evander Kane, Valeri Nichushkin, Logan Couture, Mark Stone
Landeskog's knee problem has prevented him from playing for two straight seasons. He hasn't played since Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and underwent cartilage replacement surgery May 10, 2023. Landeskog doesn't have an exact timeline for his return, but he could be available shortly after the start of the 2024-25 campaign. Kane was hindered by a sports hernia last season, and Couture was limited to just six appearances due to a groin issue. It's unclear if either player will be ready for the beginning of 2024-25. Nichushkin won't be eligible to apply for reinstatement from his six-month suspension until November. He was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program because of a violation of the treatment plan. Stone is expected to be available when the season begins, but his lengthy history makes him a gamble for fantasy managers.
