Battle for No. 1: Draisaitl, Pastrnak and the players to consider

Sleepers, worth picks and supporting casts are important to phantasy hockey success, but what astir the precocious crust? That cautiously chosen phantasy straw to disturbance your roster each the mode to eventual success? We request to sermon the flat-out superstars, and which of subordinate of that exceptional ultra-shallow excavation you should prime archetypal overall.

For this comparison and opposition workout successful ranking the existent elite, we're settling connected a prime radical of six apical forwards. While immoderate volition marque an statement for picking top-tier defender Cale Makar oregon standout goalie Connor Hellebuyck archetypal overall, astir managers volition alternatively justifiably broadside with a subordinate of the pursuing group. Each player's strengths and weaknesses are assessed wrong the model of ESPN's modular H2H points game, successful measurement with the pursuing formula, portion exceptions are mentioned otherwise.

Skaters:

• Goals = 2 points

• Assists = 1 point

• Shots and Hits = 0.1 points

• Blocked shots and Special-teams points = 0.5 points

Nathan MacKinnon, F, Colorado Avalanche

A jack of each phantasy trades, the Avalanche halfway is besides a maestro of most. Averaging a whopping 4.70 shots/game since 2022-23, MacKinnon sits 2nd lone to McDavid with 1.58 points/contest. Runner-up successful power-play points this past season, helium besides blocked much shots than the mean elite guardant (one notable objection mentioned below). Those other 0.5 digits adhd up beauteous quickly. Despite potting only 32 goals this past season, MacKinnon inactive finished caput of the guardant battalion with the astir phantasy points successful ESPN's modular league. Draft him archetypal wide and anticipation helium scores person to 51 similar successful 2023-24.

Leon Draisaitl, F, Edmonton Oilers

Punching done the 50-goal plateau successful 3 of his past 4 seasons, portion potting 32 successful 56 games during the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign, Edmonton's other superstar guardant is simply a legit top-pick campaigner successful immoderate league that rewards goals much than assists. If not for missing 11 contests past year, helium would person bested MacKinnon successful full haul successful accepted competition. Despite losing that chunk of the season, Draisaitl inactive finished top-10 successful power-play accumulation and averaged 3.4 shots/game.

Still, it's astir the goals with this guy. Rattling disconnected astatine a 0.63 goals/contest gait since 2020-21, the soon-to-be 30-year-old tin beryllium relied upon to consistently enactment up exceptional scoring numbers portion inactive pitching successful piles of assists. Draisaitl is besides durable, missing conscionable 5 tilts successful the 3 years starring up to past season. If not convinced MacKinnon has a 45-plus-goal thrust successful him this round, powerfully see selecting the Oilers guardant consecutive away.

Nikita Kucherov, F, Tampa Bay Lightning

A finalist for the Hart Trophy successful consecutive years -- the lone subordinate to bash truthful -- the predominant playmaking wizard of the East is liable for collecting much points (1.67/game) than everyone other astatine even-strength (166) and with the extra-skater (99). While deservedly revered for his magical abilities to thrust play and acceptable up others -- 0.74 superior assists/contest done the aforementioned agelong -- Kucherov besides finds the backmost of the nett often enough, potting 37 goals this past play and 44 the previous. Despite shooting connected nett little often than others, the Lightning winger finished conscionable a hairsbreadth down MacKinnon successful full phantasy points successful 2024-25.

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