As the start of 2023-24 NHL season fast approaches, general managers and coaches aim to perfect their teams for competition. Meanwhile, fantasy hockey managers prepare to craft their virtual squads for championship glory. If you’re looking to do the same, look to this top-50 ranking as your guide as you approach your league’s fantasy draft.
1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
There is never a good reason not to take McDavid at No. 1. If anyone ever passes on him, you can promptly make fun of them for their stupidity.
2. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl is sometimes passed up in the No. 2 spot because he’s not even the No. 1 player on his own team. But five consecutive pro-rated 100-point seasons don’t lie — he’s consistently the best fantasy player in the NHL not named McDavid. He also stays healthy.
3. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon is the No. 1 guy on one of the NHL’s best teams. He’s also close to McDavid in points-per-game when he’s healthy. Barring injury trouble, he’ll contend for that No. 2 spot.
4. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews is like Alex Ovechkin but with a worse hairline. He refined the defensive side of his game last season—now he’s going to bounce back as the league’s best goal scorer with peripheral stats to boot.
5. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
Pastrnak is lethal, no matter who’s around him. Boston will certainly see regression after a record-breaking season, but “Pasta” will be immune.
6. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Even when Gabriel Landeskog and MacKinnon are injured, Rantanen consistently proves he’s capable of running the show in Denver.
7. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Florida Panthers
Tkachuk dragged the 17th-best regular season team all the way to the final. He is deadly in almost every statistical category — truly a total package.
8. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils
Hughes is almost a slam-dunk round one pick after his breakout last season. He’s a handsome star who’s only getting better on an ascending Devils squad.
9. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
“Kuch” is consistently one of the best players in the league, and his value is further inflated as a right winger. He’s still underhyped, despite being a genius of the game with sneaky finesse.
10. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild
“Kirill the Thrill” is bound to have a bounce-back season after a down season that most players would consider a career year. With excellent complimentary players such as… umm… he’s just really good. Trust me.
11. Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres
Last year, Thompson and his lumbering frame cruised his way around any team in the league. He goes through Mario Lemieux-esque stretches where he is simply the most sensational player in the league, and with more consistency, he could easily be a top-five player. He also fires more pucks on net than almost anyone, so he’s guaranteed to get you points during his dry spells.
12. Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars
If you’ve ever watched him play, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “this guy can’t play hockey at all” — and then watched as he scored a hat trick. As one of the league’s premier scorers and worst skaters, his trainer has to give him a push from the bench to get him into the offensive zone. He plays like Pat Maroon but scores like a young Ovechkin.
13. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators
Matthew’s younger brother is the definition of a complete NHL player, aside from that little clump of lint on his head he pretends is his hair. His production is improving, but it’s his unbelievable peripheral stats that make him deserving of this position. He’s a guaranteed top-20 player.
14. Tim Stützle, C, Ottawa Senators
Stützle is set to be the Senators’ top dog for a long time coming. He broke out for 90 points last year and has more to give.
15. Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Marner is an incredibly safe pick for round two; virtually no risk with this guy. His chemistry with Matthews is also unmatched.
16. Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks
His consistency has yet to manifest, but last season’s career year was impressive on a bad team. He’ll probably keep that going.
17. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
A birth certificate typo led Makar to be named after a vegetable, but rest assured. He’s the league’s best defenseman, but defenders have less fantasy value. He should be the first ‘D’ off the board, but don’t use a first-round pick on him.
18. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sid is the ultimate model of consistency. Although he’s getting old, his age hasn’t caught up to him yet. He’ll be point-per-game for a record-tying 19th consecutive season.
19. Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders
Sorokin may have established himself as the league’s best goalie on a strange and weak Islanders squad.
20. Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
Shesterkin’s 2021-22 season was the stuff of legends. At his worst, he’s an average starting goalie bearing a heavy workload for a playoff team. At his best, he’s a top-five value player.
21. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
If he continues at the same clip as last season, Dahlin is going to be contending for Norris Trophies for years to come. He’s talented in all areas of play and it shows in his $6-million salary.
22. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
Barkov is a complete package, but he’s coming off a down year offensively. He’ll be looking to bounce back on what is still a highly offensive Panthers team. He’s an elite talent who could fly under the radar in your draft and become a steal.
23. Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers
Zibanejad is a great all-around fantasy player and he’s coming off a 39-goal, 91-point campaign. He’s a clear example of consistency and reliability. He’s no top-15 player, but he won’t disappoint you outside of the top 20.
24. Timo Meier, LW, New Jersey Devils
Time will show if Meier is deserving of this ranking. In San Jose, every goal the Sharks scored seemed to touch his stick. Is he going to benefit from a stronger and faster Devils team, or does he only thrive on a weaker team?
25. Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils
Hamilton was deadly and incredibly consistent last season. If he does the same this season, he could be deserving of a higher slot.
26. Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators
Despite being the shortest goalie in the league, you should never doubt Saros. The man stopped more rubber than anyone last year and seems to benefit from Nashville hanging him out to dry every night.
27. Steven Stamkos, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Stamkos is consistent on a great team. He scores goals and plays an all-around game.
28. Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators
Josi has been one of the league’s best defensemen for several years running. This season, he’ll still be great. However, looking at this sorry excuse for an NHL roster, he probably won’t soar to the same offensive heights.
29. Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Point is ranked this low out of caution. Last season, he experienced a mini-breakout, cracking 50 goals and nearly 100 points. If he does it again this season, I’ve missed the mark with this ranking.
30. William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Nylander was deadly last season, and this season is a contract year. There’s nothing like a contract year to motivate a player.
31. Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
Last season, Connor barely cracked 30 goals and was just shy of a point-per-game pace. This isn’t a bad stat line by any means, but it’s disappointing following a 2021-22 season when Connor posted 47 goals and 93 points in 79 games. He’ll likely regain his elite form.
32. Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars
He’s a rising star in the league, but is Oettinger ready to establish himself as a perennial Vezina Trophy candidate?
33. Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
There’s no way Karlsson repeats his history-making Norris Trophy season… unless? We’ll have to wait and see, as he adds his talents to a promising Penguins squad this season.
34. Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey Devils
With the retirement of Patrice Bergeron comes his reincarnation in Hischier. This two-way force was a beast last year and is still growing his offensive game. Lining up alongside Meier this season will help.
35. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
Hellebuyck stood on his head last season, but I have my doubts considering the state of the Jets. Still, he’s one of the league’s most consistent and talented tenders.
36. Alexandar Georgiev, G, Colorado Avalanche
Georgiev solidified himself as a bonafide starter on a perennial contender. He has his moments of weakness, but he’ll be fine behind Colorado’s defence.
37. Roope Hintz, C, Dallas Stars
Hintz looks like Sting from the Police if he got a haircut with a weed wacker. But don’t sleep on this speed demon, he’ll be at least point-per-game.
38. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers
A young Norris Trophy winner who’s a bit overhyped, but Fox is undoubtedly a good No. 1 defenseman for your team. He also boasts a strong chin.
39. J.T. Miller, C, Vancouver Canucks
Miller is overhyped. After a career year in 2021-22, he’s been a point-per-game player, but not much more. Don’t waste an early draft pick on him when there are better options available.
40. Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Guentzel is incredibly reliable. When he returns from injury he could be on a power play with Crosby, Karlsson, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, so long as Malkin’s body doesn’t disintegrate like every other year.
41. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin’s age hasn’t stopped him yet as he inches toward Gretzky’s goal record. However, I always err on the side of caution. As consistent as he is, there are many safer options who put up similar numbers.
42. Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers
He’s a big-name player capable of great things. Instead, Panarin chooses to accumulate assists and no other valuable stats.
43. John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
He’s a consistently serviceable centreman. Don’t pay him $11 million.
44. Matt Boldy, LW, Minnesota Wild
Boldy is a young and incredibly talented player. He will likely see regular time with Kaprizov on the Wild’s top power play unit, so he’s worth a gamble this season.
45. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets
With a young cast including Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli, Gaudreau is in a good position to rack up big numbers.
46. Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota Wild
Gustavsson put up Vezina-worthy numbers last season in a relatively small sample size. He’ll grab the starting job unless the Wild were more impressed by Fleury’s lacklustre .908 save percentage last season.
47. Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
He’s Stanley Cup champion Jack Eichel. He could be point-per-game, but he won’t be. Still, he’s Jack Eichel.
48. Dylan Cozens, C, Buffalo Sabres
Last year, Cozens was approaching point-per-game. He’s been developing really well under Thompson as the No. 2 centre and could be a huge payoff for a mid-draft gamble.
49. Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
In 2020, I traded Larkin for McDavid in a one-for-one deal in my fantasy league. If you can pull that off, he will be worth it.
50. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Rounding out the top 50 is this Swedish giant. While he suffered some regression last year, an early playoff exit should help him recover and regain his elite form.
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji.
