Members of the Rotoworld staff conducted our first mock draft of the year last week. Each team was tasked with selecting two centers, two left wingers, two right wingers, four defensemen, two goalies and four bench players in a snake order. The categories for this format include goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points, shots on goal as well as wins goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for netminders.
Round 1
1. Patrick Kane (Chi - RW) - Joey Alfieri
2. Alex Ovechkin (Was - LW) - Brian Rosenbaum
3. Sidney Crosby (Pit - C) - Corey Abbott
4. Jamie Benn (Dal - LW) - James O’Brien
5. Connor McDavid (Edm - C) - Mitch Goldenberg
6. Jonathan Quick (LA - G) - Dan Beaver
7. Braden Holtby (Was - G) - Ryan Dadoun
8. Erik Karlsson (Ott - D) - Michael Finewax
9. Vladimir Tarasenko (StL - RW) - Matt Riegler
10. Tyler Seguin (Dal - C) - Gus Katsaros
The opening round typically plays out the way you think it will. I will admit that Jonathan Quick went higher than I thought he would and Tyler Seguin went lower than I assumed he would go. Connor McDavid has been gaining steam as a popular pick to contend for the Art Ross Trophy, so don’t be afraid to take him in the top five.
Round 2
1. (11) Steven Stamkos (TB - C)
2. (12) Ben Bishop (TB - G)
3. (13) Carey Price (Mon - G)
4. (14) Johnny Gaudreau (Cgy - LW)
5. (15) Anze Kopitar (LA - C)
6. (16) Brent Burns (SJ - D)
7. (17) Joe Pavelski (SJ - C, RW)
8. (18) John Tavares (NYI - C)
9. (19) Claude Giroux (Phi - C)
10. (20) Evgeny Kuznetsov (Was - C)
Six of the 10 picks in the second round were centers. Pavelski is the only one who has dual eligibility, which adds a little extra to his value because he can be used at right wing. You will also probably notice that Brent Burns lost his eligibility as a winger and now he can only be deployed as a defenseman. I took Crosby in Round 1 and couldn’t resist snatching up John Tavares. The center pool for drafting is incredibly deep, but getting two superstars of that caliber was too good to pass up.
Round 3
1. (21) P.K. Subban (Nsh - D)
2. (22) Corey Perry (Anh - RW)
3. (23) Martin Jones (SJ - G)
4. (24) Evgeni Malkin (Pit - C)
5. (25) Nicklas Backstrom (Was - C)
6. (26) Artemi Panarin (Chi - LW)
7. (27) Dustin Byfuglien (Wpg - D)
8. (28) Logan Couture (SJ - C)
9. (29) Kris Letang (Pit - D)
10. (30) Henrik Lundqvist (NYR - G)
There were several stud goalies on the table when I took Martin Jones, but I feel comfortable with him as a number one option between the pipes this season. I also applaud the faith showed in Logan Couture after he missed most of the 2015-16 campaign due to injury. Of course, he was a star in the playoffs so he was unlikely to slip in fantasy drafts.
Round 4
1. (31) Pekka Rinne (Nsh - G)
2. (32) Corey Crawford (Chi - G)
3. (33) Jake Allen (StL - G)
4. (34) Cory Schneider (NJ - G)
5. (35) Patrice Bergeron (Bos - C)
6. (36) Jack Eichel (Buf - C)
7. (37) John Gibson (Anh - G)
8. (38) Blake Wheeler (Wpg - RW)
9. (39) Nikita Kucherov (TB - RW)
10. (40) Taylor Hall (NJ - LW)
The fourth round was a mad scramble for goaltenders. I would be a bit wary of Rinne, but I do believe he is capable of bouncing back. I was thrilled to draft Wheeler, but I also like the Kucherov and Hall selections at the end of the round.
Round 5
1. (41) Tuukka Rask (Bos - G)
2. (42) Joe Thornton (SJ - C)
3. (43) Filip Forsberg (Nsh - LW)
4. (44) Phil Kessel (Pit - RW)
5. (45) Max Pacioretty (Mon - LW)
6. (46) Wayne Simmonds (Phi - RW)
7. (47) Shayne Gostisbehere (Phi - D)
8. (48) Drew Doughty (LA - D)
9. (49) Ryan Johansen (Nsh - C)
10. (50) Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Ari - D)
Some very talented defensemen went late in the round when Gostisbehere, Doughty and Ekman-Larsson went off the board. I personally like OEL the most of the three, so it was surprising to see him go with the last pick of the round.
Round 6
1. (51) John Carlson (Was - D)
2. (52) Shea Weber (Mon - D)
3. (53) John Klingberg (Dal - D)
4. (54) Sean Monahan (Cgy - C)
5. (55) Duncan Keith (Chi -D)
6. (56) Nathan MacKinnon (Col - C, RW)
7. (57) James Neal (Nsh - RW)
8. (58) Roman Josi (Nsh - D)
9. (59) Brad Marchand (Bos - LW)
10. (60) Aleksander Barkov (Fla - C)
John Klingberg is another defender who probably could have been drafted higher than where he went. I like the Aleksander Barkov and Sean Monahan selections here as well. The opportunity to grab top-line centers deeper into the draft is always there, so don’t despair if you don’t get the top tier pivots.
Round 7
1. (61) Victor Hedman (TB - D)
2. (62) Roberto Luongo (Fla - G)
3. (63) Mark Giordano (Cgy - D)
4. (64) Zach Parise (Min - LW)
5. (65) Matt Murray (Pit - G)
6. (66) Daniel Sedin (Van - LW)
7. (67) Gabriel Landeskog (Col - LW)
8. (68) Mark Scheifele (Wpg - C)
9. (69) Max Domi (Ari - LW)
10. (70) Keith Yandle (Fla - D)
I passed on Keith Yandle twice when I chose Roman Josi in the previous round and Mark Giordano here. I don’t regret that decision because all three of them could end up posting similar numbers, but Josi and Giordano will likely score more goals. I was curious when Matt Murray would be drafted and I’m glad that nobody reached for him. There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Pittsburgh’s goalie situation and until (if) Marc-Andre Fleury is traded, his fantasy value could be limited.
Round 8
1. (71) Kevin Shattenkirk (StL - D)
2. (72) Matt Duchene (Col - C)
3. (73) Andrew Ladd (NYI - LW)
4. (74) Jonathan Toews (Chi - C)
5. (75) Devan Dubnyk (Min - G)
6. (76) Jakub Voracek (Phi - LW, RW)
7. (77) Brian Elliott (Cgy - G)
8. (78) Petr Mrazek (Det - G)
9. (79) Torey Krug (Bos - D)
10. (80) Brandon Saad (Cls - LW, RW)
Shattenkirk is an excellent value pick for the back end at this stage, while Matt Duchene and Jonathan Toews continue the trend of getting superb centers down the line. I also really like the Jakub Voracek pick because I think he will bounce back in 2016-17. I was hoping to get Devan Dubnyk, but he was drafted shortly before my turn so I went with Mrazek.
Round 9
1. (81) Craig Anderson (Ott - G)
2. (82) Justin Faulk (Car - D)
3. (83) Ryan Getzlaf (Anh - C)
4. (84) Aaron Ekblad (Fla - D)
5. (85) Dougie Hamilton (Cgy - D)
6. (86) Patrick Sharp (Dal - LW, RW)
7. (87) Tyson Barrie (Col - D)
8. (88) Jonathan Drouin (TB - LW)
9. (89) David Backes (Bos - RW)
10. (90) Milan Lucic (Edm - LW)
It was very surprising to me how far Ryan Getzlaf fell, so I didn’t hesitate to lock him in as my pick with the 83rd overall selection. He still has plenty of production in him. Tyson Barrie will prove to be a strong value choice in that spot as well, while Jonathan Drouin and Milan Lucic have high ceilings for the 2016-17 campaign.
Round 10
1. (91) James van Riemsdyk (Tor - LW)
2. (92) Alex Pietrangelo (StL - D)
3. (93) Jordan Eberle (Edm - RW)
4. (94) Tyler Toffoli (LA - C, RW)
5. (95) Sami Vatanen (Anh - D)
6. (96) Sergei Bobrovsky (Cls - G)
7. (97) Rasmus Ristolainen (Buf - D)
8. (98) Alexander Steen (StL - LW)
9. (99) Frederik Andersen (Tor - G)
10. (100) Seth Jones (Cls - D)
Sergei Bobrovsky worries me because of the groin issues he had last year. He also hasn’t performed particularly well over the past two seasons. However, what stands out most from this round is the great value that some drafters found in defensemen. When Pietrangelo, Vatanen, Ristolainen and Jones were selected it signalled to everybody that the blueline pool was shrinking.
Round 11
1. (101) Alex Galchenyuk (Mon - C)
2. (102) Jake Muzzin (LA - D)
3. (103) Ryan O’Reilly (Buf - C, LW)
4. (104) Brent Seabrook (Chi - D)
5. (105) Patrik Laine (Wpg - RW)
6. (106) Ryan Kesler (Anh - C)
7. (107) Ryan Suter (Min - D)
8. (108) Kyle Okposo (Buf - RW)
9. (109) Mike Hoffman (Ott - LW)
10. (110) T.J. Oshie (Was - RW)
Mike Hoffman was a great pick at this stage of the draft. We also had our first rookie selected when Patrik Laine was chosen with the 105th overall pick. Laine has a great chance to be among the top producing first-year players this year.
Round 12
1. (111) Mark Stone (Ott - RW)
2. (112) Hampus Lindholm (Anh - D)
3. (113) Marc-Edouard Vlasic (SJ - D)
4. (114) Alexander Radulov (Mon - RW)
5. (115) Ryan McDonagh (NYR - D)
6. (116) Cam Fowler (Anh - D)
7. (117) Alec Martinez (LA - D)
8. (118) Kyle Palmieri (NJ - RW)
9. (119) Colton Parayko (StL - D)
10. (120) Matt Niskanen (Was - D)
For a second straight round, I like the selection of a member of the Ottawa Senators. Mark Stone has proven to a valuable contributor on the Sens for the last two seasons. Alexander Radulov could pay off as a great gamble and I believe Ryan McDonagh is in store for an outstanding year as the Rangers’ power-play quarterback.
Round 13
1. (121) Jonathan Huberdeau (Fla - LW)
2. (122) Jason Spezza (Dal - C)
3. (123) Morgan Rielly (Tor - D)
4. (124) Brayden Schenn (Phi - C, LW)
5. (125) Michael Stone (Ari - D)
6. (126) Rick Nash (NYR - LW)
7. (127) Marc-Andre Fleury (Pit - G)
8. (128) Jaden Schwartz (StL - LW)
9. (129) Dylan Larkin (Det - C, RW)
10. (130) T.J. Brodie (Cgy - D)
There were plenty of picks in the 13th round that have the potential to give their fantasy GMs plenty of bang for the buck. Huberdeau, Spezza, Schenn and Schwartz should do great things in 2016-17. The stock of Rick Nash has fallen considerably, but I bet I’m not alone in thinking that he went too low in this draft. I also like the selection of Marc-Andre Fleury here because at worst he is a superb depth goalie who will battle Murray for starts and he still has the potential to be a starter for Pittsburgh or for another team if he is traded.
Round 14
1. (131) Nick Leddy (NYI - D)
2. (132) Sam Reinhart (Buf - C, RW)
3. (133) Tomas Hertl (SJ - C)
4. (134) Auston Matthews (Tor - C)
5. (135) Jaromir Jagr (Fla - RW)
6. (136) David Krejci (Bos - C)
7. (137) Boone Jenner (Cls - C, LW)
8. (138) Mats Zuccarello (NYR - RW)
9. (139) Jussi Jokinen (Fla - LW)
10. (140) Robby Fabbri (StL - C, LW)
2016 NHL Draft first overall pick Auston Matthews was selected 134th overall in this mock. This is as good a spot as any to start gambling on rookies and the Leafs center has the potential to be one of the top first-year players in the league this year. Sam Reinhart and Robby Fabbri possess plenty of potential as sleepers. I also like the production that Jagr, Jokinen and Krejci can bring to the table.
Round 15
1. (141) Semyon Varlamov (Col - G)
2. (142) Thomas Greiss (NYI - G)
3. (143) Mattias Ekholm (Nsh - D)
4. (144) Patric Hornqvist (Pit - RW)
5. (145) Loui Eriksson (Van - LW)
6. (146) Henrik Sedin (Van - C)
7. (147) Dion Phaneuf (Ott - D)
8. (148) Jacob Trouba (Wpg - D)
9. (149) Erik Johnson (Col - D)
10. (150) Tyler Johnson (TB - C)
Loui Eriksson and Patric Hornqvist will likely pile up points alongside talented linemates this season, so they are very good pickups at this stage of the draft. However, the steal of the round is likely going to be Tyler Johnson, who should bounce back in 2016-17.
Round 16
1. (151) Bryan Little (Wpg - C)
2. (152) Anthony Duclair (Ari - LW, RW)
3. (153) Nikolaj Ehlers (Wpg - LW, RW)
4. (154) Jimmy Vesey (NYR - LW)
5. (155) Zdeno Chara (Bos - D)
6. (156) Bobby Ryan (Ott - RW)
7. (157) Robin Lehner (Buf - G)
8. (158) Brendan Gallagher (Mon - RW)
9. (159) Justin Williams (Was - RW)
10. (160) Alex Goligoski (Ari - D)
I’m very high on Duclair and Ehlers going into this season, but I was very pleased with my selection of Brendan Gallagher in the final round. I also like Robin Lehner’s sleeper potential and believe that Jets top-two center Bryan Little was a good choice too.
