Rank Player Position Comments

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Morris Washington
5 years ago
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1 Rank Player Position Comments 1 Martin Brodeur (NJ) G There are two different theories that come into play for the first overall draft: one is to draft the best pure scorer and get the jump on everyone else in the major offensive categories, and the other is to pick the best goaltender, a player who alone impacts four of your ten statistics and isn t a deep fantasy position. For my money, I ll go with a goalie who I know will put up great numbers to keep me competitive. However, if he gets hurt, I m stuck with a less-than-stellar backup. If that doesn t sound appealing to you, Ovechkin s 60+ goals will be great for your team. 2 Alex Ovechkin (WAS) LW Read above. Can t argue with the reigning MVP dropping to you at pick #2. 3 Sidney Crosby (PIT) C Even with a weak supporting cast, it's easy to see "The Kid" with 70+ assists and a great plus/minus. 4 Jarome Iginla (CGY) RW I'd project another 50-goal season for Jarome, but I don't see a great supporting cast around him (Todd Bertuizzi does nothing for me). A 45-goal year is more realistic. 5 Evgeni Malkin (PIT) C Malkin leading the Penguins, which he did in Crosby s absence last year, is a bit like Keith Richards leading the Rolling Stones; sure, he s got the talent and would carry any other band, but you go to the show to see Mick Jagger. Can Malkin go back to playing guitar (no matter how great it is) with Sidney back as lead singer? 6 Pavel Datsyuk (DET) C 7 Evgeni Nabokov (SJ) G 8 Dany Heatley (OTT) LW 9 J.S. Giguere (ANA) G Anaheim strikes me as one of the deeper teams in the league, especially on offense. If the puck is out of your zone that often, it's hard for the other team to put it in the net. 10 Henrik Zetterberg (DET) LW The leader of one of the deepest offenses in hockey, which got a lot better with the addition of Marian Hossa. I forsee PPG for Zetterberg. 11 Dion Phaneuf (CGY) D My philosophy on defensemen: either get an elite one who can put up great offensive numbers, like Dion, or wait until later. 12 Olli Jokinen (PHO) C Jokinen had a down year playing with a miserable Florida team, but pair him with Shane Doan, and a 40- goal season looks very possible. 13 Joe Thornton (SJ) C A disclaimer: If healthy, Thornton is a legit 100 point threat. However, I'd be more sold on Thornton if Jonathan Cheechoo or Patrick Marleau had better seasons to take some of the pressure off of Thornton. Compund that with losing Brian Campbell and replacing him with Dan Boyle (another uncertain element), and you have a player who might drop a little.

2 14 Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL) LW 15 Rick Nash (CBJ) LW With Nash, I'd say it's safe to draft on potential. He is a former #1 draft pick and he's always getting better. Could this be the year he explodes? 16 Marian Hossa (DET) RW He's playing for another contract. That means a lot to me as a fantasy owner. 17 Carey Price (MON) G He's young, but I love what I've seen from him. I'd have to in order to put him ahead of Luongo. 18 Roberto Luongo (VAN) G His offense probably won't help him much, so Luongo has to win a lot of games on his own. He often does, but his wins total may take a hit. His GAA and SV% are the silver lining. 19 Marian Gaborik (MIN) RW I'm less sold on Gaborik than his ranking would lead one to believe. I don t see a lot of support in Minnesota for him. But there's a serious lack of top-tier RW depth. That'll inflate his draft position. 20 Pavel Datsyuk (DET) C 21 Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) C I see big things from him. Big-big! 22 Alexei Kovalev (MON) RW The Habs have some real offensive depth. Kovalev is the beginning of a great offense that also includes Tomas Plekanec and Saku Koivu. 23 Nicklas Lindstrom D (DET) 24 Jason Spezza (OTT) C The third part of Ottawa's lone scoring line. Spezza may well get 70 assists - not bad for a third- or fourthround fantasy pick. 25 Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) G On the upswing, and gets the benefit of Crosby and Malkin. 26 Vincent Lecavalier (TB) C For you football fans out there: this year's re-made Lightning reminds me of the early 2000s Indianapolis Colts- all offense, no defense (read: great season for fantasy owners, long season for Lightning fans). 27 Zdeno Chara (BOS) D His offensive numbers keep going up. 28 Cristobal Huet (CHI) G Huet's time in Washington was great, winning 11 of 13 starts with the Caps after getting traded. His stock goes up if Khabibulin gets moved. 29 Daniel Alfredsson RW (OTT) 30 Eric Staal (CAR) C 31 Jose Theodore (WAS) G This is actually several spots below where a lot of "fantasy experts" are placing Theodore, but I'm not sold. I tend to think his 28 wins and 2.44 GAA are an abberation (he had total 31 wins the three previous seasons). But Ovechkin and Co., combined with the fact the Caps don't have a reliable backup, makes this average goalie look better and win more. 32 Brenden Morrow (DAL) LW A 30-goal season is a very real possibility. 33 Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) G 34 Johan Franzen (DET) C

3 35 Paul Stastny (COL) C A 50-assist season is likely. Don't expect him to carry you in a lot of other categories. 36 Brad Richards (DAL) C I'm interested to see what he can do with a full year in Dallas. 37 Mike Richards (PHI) C 38 Phillipe Boucher (DAL) D 39 Chris Pronger (ANA) D I m not concerned about injuries, but I AM concerned about suspensions, especially after his stomping incident with Vancouver s Ryan Kesler. To paraphrase The Simpsons, he s too crazy for boy s town, too much of a boy for crazytown. 40 Daniel Sedin (VAN) LW Especially in the third and fourth rounds of the draft, it's okay to draft on potential. Even if he doesn't take the next step, the "Mario" of the "Super Sedin Bros." will get you about 30 goals and 40 assists. He's only 28 - take a risk! 41 Mike Green (WAS) D 42 Jeff Carter (PHI) C I'm taking Philly's long run in the playoffs as a sign of things to come from Carter and Co. It could be an albatross, but I'm betting it's not. 43 Cam Ward (CAR) G 44 Thomas Vanek (BUF) LW 45 Markus Naslund (NYR) LW 46 Sergei Gonchar (PIT) D An assist machine: has averaged over 50 assists per year in his three seasons with the Pens. 47 Marc Savard (BOS) C 48 Scott Hartnell (PHI) LW 49 Alexander Semin (WAS) LW When your teammate's got a target on his back, you'd be surprised how easy it is to score 35 goals. 50 Ilya Bryzgalov (PHO) G 51 Nathan Horton (FLA) RW 52 Brian Rolston (NJ) LW Loses Pierre-Marc Bourchard and Marian Gaborik for Zach Parise and Patrick Elias. It's a downgrade, but 30 G, 30 A is possible. 53 Jere Lehtinen (DAL) RW 54 Jonathan Toews (CHI) C The first Blackhawks skater on the list- if he's healthy, it's not impossible to get 40 goals from "Captian Serious." 55 Brian Campbell (CHI) D 56 Brian Rafalski (DET) D 57 Shane Doan (PHO) RW I'm personally torn on Doan. He scored 23 more points last year than in 06-07, which usually screams career year. But he also is now playing with one of the NHL's premier centers, which should elevate his game. I'd project goals and assists conservatively. 58 Martin St. Louis (TB) RW A feast-or-famine pick: had a down season last year, but could be revitalized by the new cast around him. I'd call him a sleeper, if ever a former league MVP could be a sleeper.

4 59 Michael Cammalleri (CGY) LW His value depends on where he's going to be played. If he's with Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow, or if he shifts to center to play with Iginla and Todd Bertuzzi, then we might have something. If he's on the second line with Dustin Boyd and Rene Bourque... uh-oh Johnathan Cheechoo (SJ) 61 Manny Fernandez (BOS) RW G I'm less concerned about injuries than I am the sharp drop in stats from '06-07 to ' He may rebound, but I'd rather have a sure thing. The first goalie in "the next tier" of goaltenders. Pick one of this next group up or prepare to surrender a quality player in a trade. Injuries are a concern with Manny. 62 Dan Boyle (SJ) D Called in to replace Brian Campbell, and may do just as well with the Sharks as Campbell did. Can he stay healthy and motivated? 63 Marty Turco (DAL) G 64 Zach Parise (NJ) LW 65 Daymond Langkow C (CGY) 66 Tomas Vokoun (FLA) G 67 Corey Perry (ANA) RW 68 Scott Niedermayer (ANA) D 69 Andrei Kostitsyn (MON) LW In my opinion, still one of the league's three best allaround defensemen- but this is fantasy. He should get 40 assists and goals, which is all you can ask from a fantasy defenseman. 70 Nikolai Zherdev (NYR) RW 71 Mathieu Garon (EDM) G The second goaltending tier ends here. And it s a loooong drop to the next tier. 72 Patrik Elias (NJ) LW Though his best years are clearly behind him, Elias still led his team in assists last season. 73 Miroslav Satan (PIT) RW Possible 30 G, 30 A skater. 74 Patrick Kane (CHI) RW He should have about the same number of assists as he had last year (51), but with Brian Campbell feeding him the puck, he could put up a few more goals than last year (21). 75 Wade Redden (NYR) D His contract is crazy, but luckily you don't have to pay him. 40+ assists likely. 76 Steve Downie (PHI) RW 77 Teemu Selanne (ANA) RW 78 Saku Koivu (MON) C His goals are down, but his assists are good. You can probably find better centers to start full-time, but he's a very solid backup. 79 Peter Mueller (PHO) C Lost his starting center job to Jokinen, but will still see a lot of minutes. 80 Patrick Marleau (SJ) C 81 Kevin Bieska (VAN) D No one in Vancouver will pick up a lot of points (except for the "Super Sedin Bros."), but they're defense is stout and powerful.

5 82 Scott Gomez (NYR) C The low ranking is not a commentary on his skills. I just don't think he can put up that stats while sharing the puck with so many talented players. Everybody's gotta get theirs in NYC. 83 Petr Sykora (PIT) RW 84 Jason Pominville (BUF) RW I'd like him more if he had a better supporting cast. But I'd draft him a little early (seventh round) on the offchance Buffalo produces better than I think they can. 85 Lubomir Visnovsky (EDM) D 86 Chris Drury (NYR) C 87 Derek Roy (BUF) C I see big seasons from his linemates, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford, so of course I see a big season from the guy feeding them the puck. 88 Ryan Smith (COL) LW 89 Milan Michalek (SJ) LW 90 Chris Osgood (DET) G A player I'd personally stay away from (in my mind, he was a backup for a reason). Still, he's got a very good team in front of him. 91 Rod Brind'Amour (CAR) C 92 Dennis Wideman (BOS) D 93 Daymond Langkow (CGY) C At this point, I feel free to take some risks. Chances are that into the 10+ rounds, dropping a drafting mistake for a free-agent pickup won't kill you, but correctly drafting a sleeper with potential may make your season. Swing for the fences! 94 Erik Cole (EDM) RW 95 Patrick Sharp (CHI) LW His 30-goal season may be a fluke, but by sharing a line with Kane and Toews he'll get his fair share of goals. 96 Sean Avery (DAL) LW 97 Andrew Raycroft (COL) G Good backup, but anything else is a reach. 98 Justin Williams (CAR) RW 99 Jason Arnott (NSH) C Great plus/minus in '07-08 (+19). 100 Marek Svatos (COL) RW 101 Anze Kopitar (LA) C His plus/minus may hurt you, but his offense may be worth it. 102 Martin Havlat (CHI) RW If he's healthy (big if), he's the steal of the draft at this ranking. If not, think Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. 103 Miikka Kiprusoff (CGY) G 104 Andrei Markov (MON) D 105 Steven Stamkos (TB) C He may or may not live up to the hype this year. But he's worth a mid-round draft pick. Take the risk, even if you overpay a bit. 106 Shawn Horcoff (EDM) C On the rise.

6 107 Niklas Backstrom (MIN) G 108 Bryan McCabe (TOR) D 109 Daniel Cleary (DET) RW His points are nice, but plus/minus (+21 in '07-08) makes him very valuable if your league counts it. 110 Alex Tanguay (MON) LW 111 Marek Zidlicky (MIN) D 112 Andrew Ladd (CHI) LW Not a frontline player, but will be valuable on your 2nd line. 113 Paul Kariya (STL) LW Not the premier player he once was, but a good option as your backup. 114 Radim Vrbata (TB) RW 115 Todd Bertuzzi (CGY) LW Playing with Iginla could give him a bit of a spark. 116 J.P. Dumont (NSH) RW 117 Rob Blake (SJ) D 118 Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) C Hey, didn t I already put him up at #107 ooh, tricky! Anywho, the ROY runner-up may get huge assists (possibly 60+). 119 Chris Kunitz (ANA) LW 120 Nikolai Khabibulin (CHI) G I admit it - I have no idea what to do with "The Bulin Wall." I hear everywhere that he and Huet will share time and be a #1 and #1A goalie tandem for the Blackhawks. But who is #1 and who is #1A? Will he get moved? Will he finish out his contract in Chicago? If he gets moved, does that hurt or help his value? Where did I leave my keys? Who am I talking about again? So many questions... (rocking back and forth in chair, moving slowly to fetal position). 121 Ryan Malone (TB) LW Why did Mi$ter Malone $ign with Tampa rather than reup with hi$ Ea$tern-Conference Champ Pen$? Wa$ it the $un$hine $tate? I$ he a clo$et Marlin$ fan? Doe$ he have a hou$e in the Key$? Don't buy into hi$ hype-- he'$ not worth more than a backup $pot on a winning fanta$y team. 122 Mats Sundin (FA) C If he catches on with a good team, this ranking will shoot up, possibly as high as low-70s. As it stands, my best guess says he's a mid-season free agent signee. In which case, keep an eye on him for later, but don't draft him. 123 Manny Legacy (STL) G If he is your starting goalie, you are in trouble. 124 Joe Sakic (COL) C This ranking assumes he returns to the NHL this season rather than retiring. Sports hernia surgery made him miss half the season last year, yet he still scored 40 points. Injuries have never been a concern with Sakic, so expect at least games even as he gets older. 125 Michael Ryder (BOS) RW 126 Henrik Sedin (VAN) C He's clearly the "Luigi" of the "Super Sedin Bros." But Luigi can still save the princess, and Henrik can still score big fantasy points in assists and PIM.

7 127 Robert Lang (CHI) C Should center Blackhawks' second line, which will include some combination of Dustin Byfuglien, Ladd, Martin Havlat and Craig Adams. 128 Milan Hedjuk (COL) RW 129 Sheldon Souray (EDM) D A wrist injury last year forced him out off all but 26 games. Health risk. 130 Ales Hemsky (EDM) RW 131 Pavol Demitra (VAN) LW 132 Tomas Plekanec (MON) C 133 Brent Seabrook (CHI) D If he plays besides either Duncan Keith or Campbell, he'll get some good assists. 134 Keith Tkachuk (STL) C 135 Tomas Holmstrom RW (DET) 136 Brian Gionta (NJ) RW 137 Patrick O'Sullivan (LA) C 138 Sergei Zubov (DAL) D 139 Ed Jovanovski (PHO) D 140 Drew Stafford (BUF) RW If I had to take a chance on a player to take off this season, it'd be Stafford. I love his potential. 141 Simon Gagne (PHI) LW 142 Daniel Carcillo (PHO) LW 143 Patrice Bergeron (BOS) C 144 Brendan Shanahan (NYR) LW 145 Jason Blake (TOR) LW 146 Jay Bouwmeester (FLA) D My gut tells me his decline continues. How many athletes are rejuvenated, not brow-beaten, in NYC? 147 Joffrey Lupul (PHI) RW 148 Ray Whitney (CAR) LW Might be a steal down here. He s definitely good for 20 goals and assists, and he ll probably be forgotten amongst a lot of younger sleepers. But staying on the ice may be a challenge. 149 Dustin Byfuglien LW Was his 19-goal season the tip of the iceberg or the bottom? 150 Dustin Brown (LA) RW

APPROACHING NHL MILESTONES IN Based on Rosters as of Oct. 2, 2017

APPROACHING NHL MILESTONES IN 2017-18 Based on Rosters as of Oct. 2, 2017 NHL Milestone Awards are presented by the NHL to players who achieve the following: 400 goals, 600 assists, 1,000 points and 1,000