Free · every word of it
A shorter camp, a longer schedule, and an offseason that moved franchise players. There’s a real Big Five at the top for the first time in years, the blue line is deeper than it’s ever been in fantasy, and the goalie map got redrawn twice over the summer. Here’s how we’re drafting it.
McDavid is the 1.1 and there is no argument to have. Behind him, MacKinnon, Kucherov, Draisaitl and now Celebrini — 115 points as a sophomore made San Jose’s kid a first-round lock — form a top five you can build a title on from any slot. Picks six through twelve are where the draft actually starts: Pastrnak’s shot volume, Kaprizov’s finishing, and the first defensemen.
Makar is a top-eight pick, full stop. Bouchard was the only defenseman to clear 90 points last season, Werenski carries Columbus, Hutson runs Montreal’s power play, and Quinn Hughes now quarterbacks a Minnesota blue line in front of Kaprizov and Boldy. Two defensemen inside your first five picks is not a reach this year — it’s the plan.
Vasilevskiy comes off a Vezina and stays the first netminder drafted. After him the map is new: Markstrom backstops Florida, Bobrovsky wears a Toronto sweater, Wedgewood holds Colorado’s net, Wallstedt takes over Minnesota’s, and Carter Hart resurfaces in Vegas. Our rule in a reshuffled goalie year: pay for exactly one you trust, then draft situations, not names — crease battles will decide half these jobs in a short camp. The news wire matters more for goalies than anyone.
Brady Tkachuk joining Matthew in Florida is the move of the summer — the Panthers now roster both brothers plus Reinhart and Barkov, and somebody’s shot share shrinks. Panarin brings his 100-point pedigree to the Kings, Dorofeyev’s goals move to Broadway, and Washington stacked Tuch and Kyrou around a returning Ovechkin. Same rule as every reshuffle: pay for the player whose situation got simpler, and let the crowded ones come to you a round late. Check any line combo against the live depth charts before you click.
Gavin McKenna — the No. 1 pick — starts his career in Toronto next to Matthews and Nylander, the softest landing a top pick has had in years. Martone steps into Philadelphia’s top nine, Schaefer already looks like a decade of All-Star blue line in Long Island, and Demidov is the swing pick of the middle rounds. Rookies in hockey drain your percentages less than in other sports — take the upside a round early if your league counts power-play points.
Drafting last year’s save percentage. Ignoring shots, hits and blocks until you lose them weekly. Taking Bedard off memory instead of the injury report. Rostering three goalies from three bad teams and calling it depth. And drafting in September without checking who moved — this summer, that mistake costs you a first-liner. Run the draft room again the week of your draft.