Typically speaking, doing a Mock Draft for next season when we’re only in April wouldn’t be something we’d do, but with the 2019-20 campaign paused, we may as well take a moment to look forward. With that in mind, a team of Rotoworld writers got together to do a very preliminary Mock Draft. I’ll be honest, I’m not happy with how I drafted and I found myself regretting some of these picks almost immediately after making them, but I think it’s an interesting practice run and starting point that we can build off in the months that follow.
With that in mind, let’s look at the results of this 10-team league that was drafted with the standard Yahoo roto rules in mind:
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ROUND ONE
1.01 - | Connor McDavid (Edm - C) | Jeff Alfieri |
1.02 - | Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB - G) | Brian Rosenbaum |
1.03 - | Leon Draisaitl (Edm - C,LW) | Michael Finewax |
1.04 - | David Pastrnak (Bos - RW) | Anna Dua |
1.05 - | Nathan MacKinnon (Col - C) | Joey Alfieri |
1.06 - | Nikita Kucherov (TB - RW) | Corey Abbott |
1.07 - | Sidney Crosby (Pit - C) | Domenico D’Amato |
1.08 - | Auston Matthews (Tor - C) | Gus Katsaros |
1.09 - | Alex Ovechkin (Was - LW) | |
1.10 - | Steven Stamkos (TB - C,LW,RW) | Ryan Dadoun |
Not a ton of surprises here. When you look back at the Mock Draft we did for the 2019-20 campaign that had similar rules, one of the big movers is Leon Draisaitl, who jumped from the 11th overall pick before the season to the third in this draft. The 2018-19 campaign was Draisaitl’s breakout 105-point campaign, but it was 2019-20 where he cemented his status as one of the greatest players in the game today. Especially with his LW eligibility, you should expect to see him frequently taken in the top-five of almost all drafts. For me, I grabbed Stamkos in part because of his triple position eligibility. To get that level of flexibility from an elite player is a big luxury.
ROUND TWO
2.01 - | Artemi Panarin (NYR - LW) | Ryan Dadoun |
2.02 - | Brad Marchand (Bos - LW) | |
2.03 - | Tuukka Rask (Bos - G) | Gus Katsaros |
2.04 - | Patrick Kane (Chi - RW) | Domenico D’Amato |
2.05 - | Jack Eichel (Buf - C) | Corey Abbott |
2.06 - | John Carlson (Was - D) | Joey Alfieri |
2.07 - | Patrice Bergeron (Bos - C) | Anna Dua |
2.08 - | Roman Josi (Nsh - D) | Michael Finewax |
2.09 - | Brent Burns (SJ - D) | Brian Rosenbaum |
2.10 - | Mika Zibanejad (NYR - C) | Jeff Alfieri |
I used my second pick to grab Panarin, who is one of the most reliable high-end forwards out there. He’s recorded at least 27 goals and 74 points in each of his first five seasons. He’s shown that he can excel with nearly anyone and on both strong and shaky offensive teams. The 2019-20 campaign was also the third straight season that he set new career-highs, scoring 32 goals and 95 points in 69 games before the NHL paused.
ROUND THREE
3.01 - | Mitchell Marner (Tor - RW) | Jeff Alfieri |
3.02 - | Johnny Gaudreau (Cgy - LW,RW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
3.03 - | Vladimir Tarasenko (StL - RW) | Michael Finewax |
3.04 - | Ben Bishop (Dal - G) | Anna Dua |
3.05 - | Evgeni Malkin (Pit - C) | Joey Alfieri |
3.06 - | Tyler Seguin (Dal - C,RW) | Corey Abbott |
3.07 - | Blake Wheeler (Wpg - C,RW) | Domenico D’Amato |
3.08 - | John Klingberg (Dal - D) | Gus Katsaros |
3.09 - | John Tavares (Tor - C) | |
3.10 - | Victor Hedman (TB - D) | Ryan Dadoun |
Tarasenko is a pretty interesting pick here. He’s someone that might get undervalued in 2020-21 drafts because he missed the vast majority of the season due to a shoulder injury, but you don’t want to overlook him. When he’s healthy – and with the exception of 2019-20 he’s typically been pretty healthy – he’s a strong bet to score 30-40 goals. If you can manage to snag him at a bargain price then you’ll be in an enviable position.
ROUND FOUR
4.01 - | Robin Lehner (VGK - G) | Ryan Dadoun |
4.02 - | Sergei Bobrovsky (Fla - G) | |
4.03 - | Thomas Chabot (Ott - D) | Gus Katsaros |
4.04 - | Kris Letang (Pit - D) | Domenico D’Amato |
4.05 - | Jonathan Huberdeau (Fla - LW) | Corey Abbott |
4.06 - | Kyle Connor (Wpg - LW) | Joey Alfieri |
4.07 - | Alex Pietrangelo (StL - D) | Anna Dua |
4.08 - | Frederik Andersen (Tor - G) | Michael Finewax |
4.09 - | Mikko Rantanen (Col - RW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
4.10 - | Max Pacioretty (VGK - LW) | Jeff Alfieri |
Lehner is one of those picks that I immediately second guessed. Really, he’s a huge gamble. I believe that on the right team, Lehner is a potential Vezina Trophy contender, as he was in 2018-19 with the Islanders. But will he be in that position next season? It’s impossible to say right now because he’s going to be an unrestricted free agent. I think it would be really interesting if Vegas re-signed him. They have Fleury through 2021-22 at a $7 million cap hit, so they might not be able to afford Lehner, but between Fleury’s struggles this season and the fact that he’ll turn 36 in November, Lehner would be a great successor for the starting gig. If he does re-sign with Vegas, I think Lehner will have a really strong 2020-21 campaign.
ROUND FIVE
5.01 - | Dougie Hamilton (Car - D) | Jeff Alfieri |
5.02 - | Jake Guentzel (Pit - LW,RW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
5.03 - | Patrik Laine (Wpg - LW,RW) | Michael Finewax |
5.04 - | Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK - G) | Anna Dua |
5.05 - | Cale Makar (Col - D) | Joey Alfieri |
5.06 - | Jordan Binnington (StL - G) | Corey Abbott |
5.07 - | Seth Jones (Cls - D) | Domenico D’Amato |
5.08 - | Sebastian Aho (Car - C) | Gus Katsaros |
5.09 - | Erik Karlsson (SJ - D) | |
5.10 - | Brayden Point (TB - C) | Ryan Dadoun |
Hamilton is another one who might end up being undervalued in fantasy drafts. He’s been a solid offensive defenseman for a while, but he seemed to find another level in 2019-20 with 14 goals and 40 points in 47 contests. He hasn’t played since Jan. 16 due to a fractured left fibula though, which has taken him out of the Norris Trophy conversation. Had he stayed healthy, he might be viewed as one of the top-five defensemen going into a fantasy draft, so for him to fall to the fifth round is great value.
ROUND SIX
6.01 - | Darcy Kuemper (Ari - G) | Ryan Dadoun |
6.02 - | Aleksander Barkov (Fla - C) | |
6.03 - | Filip Forsberg (Nsh - LW) | Gus Katsaros |
6.04 - | Matthew Tkachuk (Cgy - LW,RW) | Domenico D’Amato |
6.05 - | Quinn Hughes (Van - D) | Corey Abbott |
6.06 - | Connor Hellebuyck (Wpg - G) | Joey Alfieri |
6.07 - | Teuvo Teravainen (Car - LW,RW) | Anna Dua |
6.08 - | Mark Scheifele (Wpg - C) | Michael Finewax |
6.09 - | Morgan Rielly (Tor - D) | Brian Rosenbaum |
6.10 - | Elias Pettersson (Van - C) | Jeff Alfieri |
Kuemper is another player who might be undervalued due to injury. If not for a lower-body injury, he might have been a Vezina Trophy finalist given that he’s posted a 2.22 GAA and .928 save percentage in 29 starts. It’s important to note that’s not an anomaly either. He had a 27-20-8 record, 2.33 GAA, and .925 save percentage in 55 starts in 2018-19. He’s still arguably not as safe a bet as other goaltending options, but goaltenders – even top tier ones – are rarely safe bets anyways.
ROUND SEVEN
7.01 - | J.T. Miller (Van - LW,RW) | Jeff Alfieri |
7.02 - | Sean Monahan (Cgy - C) | Brian Rosenbaum |
7.03 - | Andrei Svechnikov (Car - LW,RW) | Michael Finewax |
7.04 - | Gabriel Landeskog (Col - C,LW) | Anna Dua |
7.05 - | Mark Stone (VGK - RW) | Joey Alfieri |
7.06 - | Carter Hart (Phi - G) | Corey Abbott |
7.07 - | Rasmus Dahlin (Buf - D) | Domenico D’Amato |
7.08 - | Taylor Hall (Ari - LW) | Gus Katsaros |
7.09 - | Claude Giroux (Phi - C,LW,RW) | |
7.10 - | Alex DeBrincat (Chi - LW,RW) | Ryan Dadoun |
Hart and Dahlin are two young players are the rise, so getting either of them around this stage of the draft could end up being really good. Hart in particular is a pretty strong choice. He has a 24-13-3 record, 2.42 GAA, and .914 save percentage as a 21-year-old sophomore. The sky’s the limit for him and it wouldn’t be shocking if he ends up being one of the league’s top goaltenders in 2020-21.
ROUND EIGHT
8.01 - | Jamie Benn (Dal - C,LW) | Ryan Dadoun |
8.02 - | Pekka Rinne (Nsh - G) | |
8.03 - | Evgeny Kuznetsov (Was - C) | Gus Katsaros |
8.04 - | Jacob Markstrom (Van - G) | Domenico D’Amato |
8.05 - | Torey Krug (Bos - D) | Corey Abbott |
8.06 - | William Nylander (Tor - C,LW,RW) | Joey Alfieri |
8.07 - | Shea Theodore (VGK - D) | Anna Dua |
8.08 - | Miro Heiskanen (Dal - D) | Michael Finewax |
8.09 - | Carey Price (Mon - G) | Brian Rosenbaum |
8.10 - | Tony DeAngelo (NYR - D) | Jeff Alfieri |
DeAngelo is really good value this deep into the draft. He had 15 goals and 53 points in 68 contests before the pause and if he puts up similar numbers in 2020-21 then he’ll be a great mid-round pick. Of course, there is an element of risk here because the 2019-20 campaign was a breakout for him after he finished 2018-19 with 30 points in 61 contests. That said, he’s 24-years-old so this feels like a progression rather than an anomaly.
ROUND NINE
9.01 - | Kevin Fiala (Min - LW,RW) | Jeff Alfieri |
9.02 - | Zach Werenski (Cls - D) | Brian Rosenbaum |
9.03 - | Keith Yandle (Fla - D) | Michael Finewax |
9.04 - | Nicklas Backstrom (Was - C) | Anna Dua |
9.05 - | Travis Konecny (Phi - RW) | Joey Alfieri |
9.06 - | Sean Couturier (Phi - C) | Corey Abbott |
9.07 - | Brock Boeser (Van - RW) | Domenico D’Amato |
9.08 - | Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cls - C) | Gus Katsaros |
9.09 - | Dustin Byfuglien (Wpg - D) | |
9.10 - | Jeff Petry (Mon - D) | Ryan Dadoun |
Konecny is another player who is on his way up. He posted a decent 47 points in 2017-18 and 49 points in 2018-19 before he took a big step forward in 2019-20 with 24 goals and 61 points in 66 games. He turned 23-years-old in March, so there’s still room for him to grow even further, making him a nice value pick at this stage.
ROUND 10
10.01 - | Rasmus Ristolainen (Buf - D) | Ryan Dadoun |
10.02 - | Joe Pavelski (Dal - C,RW) | |
10.03 - | Braden Holtby (Was - G) | Gus Katsaros |
10.04 - | Mathew Barzal (NYI - C) | Domenico D’Amato |
10.05 - | Jonathan Marchessault (VGK - C,LW) | Corey Abbott |
10.06 - | Ryan Ellis (Nsh - D) | Joey Alfieri |
10.07 - | T.J. Oshie (Was - RW) | Anna Dua |
10.08 - | Elias Lindholm (Cgy - C,RW) | Michael Finewax |
10.09 - | Ryan O’Reilly (StL - C) | Brian Rosenbaum |
10.10 - | Tyson Barrie (Tor - D) | Jeff Alfieri |
Holtby and Barrie are ones who are particularly interesting here. Both have had somewhat disappointing campaigns, but both are also set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, so they’ll have a chance to have a fresh start. Holtby is particularly noteworthy in that regard because of how much the team in front of a goaltender can impact their play. Like Lehner, who I mentioned earlier, a big chunk of his value will be determined by who he ends up signing with this summer.
ROUND 11
11.01 - | Shea Weber (Mon - D) | Jeff Alfieri |
11.02 - | Mark Giordano (Cgy - D) | Brian Rosenbaum |
11.03 - | Igor Shesterkin (NYR - G) | Michael Finewax |
11.04 - | Ryan Suter (Min - D) | Anna Dua |
11.05 - | Brayden Schenn (StL - C,LW,RW) | Joey Alfieri |
11.06 - | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edm - C,LW) | Corey Abbott |
11.07 - | Jason Zucker (Pit - LW,RW) | Domenico D’Amato |
11.08 - | Rickard Rakell (Anh - LW,RW) | Gus Katsaros |
11.09 - | P.K. Subban (NJ - D) | |
11.10 - | Thomas Greiss (NYI - G) | Ryan Dadoun |
ROUND 12
12.01 - | Tom Wilson (Was - RW) | Ryan Dadoun |
12.02 - | Matt Dumba (Min - D) | |
12.03 - | Tyler Bertuzzi (Det - LW,RW) | Gus Katsaros |
12.04 - | Jacob Trouba (NYR - D) | Domenico D’Amato |
12.05 - | David Perron (StL - LW,RW) | Corey Abbott |
12.06 - | Nikolaj Ehlers (Wpg - LW,RW) | Joey Alfieri |
12.07 - | Jakub Vrana (Was - LW) | Anna Dua |
12.08 - | Alexis Lafreniere (LW) | Michael Finewax |
12.09 - | Tomas Hertl (SJ - C,LW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
12.10 - | Neal Pionk (Wpg - D) | Jeff Alfieri |
I think Hertl is particularly noteworthy as a good value pick here. The Sharks in general had a terrible 2019-20 campaign, but Hertl still has the potential to bounce back to the 60-70 point range. In the late rounds, you may as well roll the dice on him. This also seems like a fair spot in the draft to expect the projected 2020 first overall pick, Lafreniere, to go.
ROUND 13
13.01 - | Tristan Jarry (Pit - G) | Jeff Alfieri |
13.02 - | Timo Meier (SJ - LW,RW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
13.03 - | Ivan Provorov (Phi - D) | Michael Finewax |
13.04 - | Anze Kopitar (LA - C) | Anna Dua |
13.05 - | Adam Fox (NYR - D) | Joey Alfieri |
13.06 - | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Ari - D) | Corey Abbott |
13.07 - | Evander Kane (SJ - LW) | Domenico D’Amato |
13.08 - | Erik Gustafsson (Cgy - D) | Gus Katsaros |
13.09 - | John Gibson (Anh - G) | |
13.10 - | Brady Tkachuk (Ott - LW) | Ryan Dadoun |
ROUND 14
14.01 - | Jack Hughes (NJ - C,LW) | Ryan Dadoun |
14.02 - | Logan Couture (SJ - C) | |
14.03 - | Mikhail Sergachev (TB - D) | Gus Katsaros |
14.04 - | Philipp Grubauer (Col - G) | Domenico D’Amato |
14.05 - | Oscar Klefbom (Edm - D) | Corey Abbott |
14.06 - | Matt Murray (Pit - G) | Joey Alfieri |
14.07 - | Aaron Ekblad (Fla - D) | Anna Dua |
14.08 - | Nikita Gusev (NJ - LW,RW) | Michael Finewax |
14.09 - | Juuse Saros (Nsh - G) | Brian Rosenbaum |
14.10 - | Ilya Samsonov (Was - G) | Jeff Alfieri |
I decided that at this point it made sense to roll the dice on Hughes. Obviously his rookie season has been terribly underwhelming, but the 2019 first overall pick shouldn’t be regarded as a bust. He still has tremendous upside and might breakout in 2020-21 now that he’s had a taste of the NHL.
ROUND 15
15.01 - | Elvis Merzlikins (Cls - G) | Jeff Alfieri |
15.02 - | Shayne Gostisbehere (Phi - D) | Brian Rosenbaum |
15.03 - | Ryan Pulock (NYI - D) | Michael Finewax |
15.04 - | Brendan Gallagher (Mon - RW) | Anna Dua |
15.05 - | Drew Doughty (LA - D) | Joey Alfieri |
15.06 - | Jaroslav Halak (Bos - G) | Corey Abbott |
15.07 - | Cam Fowler (Anh - D) | Domenico D’Amato |
15.08 - | Blake Coleman (TB - LW,RW) | Gus Katsaros |
15.09 - | Alexander Radulov (Dal - LW,RW) | |
15.10 - | Phil Kessel (Ari - RW) | Ryan Dadoun |
ROUND 16
16.01 - | Max Domi (Mon - C,LW) | Ryan Dadoun |
16.02 - | Mike Hoffman (Fla - LW,RW) | |
16.03 - | Justin Faulk (StL - D) | Gus Katsaros |
16.04 - | Anders Lee (NYI - LW) | Domenico D’Amato |
16.05 - | Josh Morrissey (Wpg - D) | Corey Abbott |
16.06 - | Anthony Mantha (Det - LW,RW) | Joey Alfieri |
16.07 - | David Rittich (Cgy - G) | Anna Dua |
16.08 - | Joonas Korpisalo (Cls - G) | Michael Finewax |
16.09 - | Matt Duchene (Nsh - C,RW) | Brian Rosenbaum |
16.10 - | Kirill Kaprizov (MIN - LW) | Jeff Alfieri |
Getting Kaprizov with the last pick in the draft might prove to be a steal. Like any rookie, there’s a big element of uncertainty here, but the 22-year-old has been a star in the KHL. He had 51 points in 57 games in 2018-19 and he topped that in 2019-20 with 33 goals and 62 points in 57 contests.
