Originally published Sept. 1, 2012, Matt Larkin provides a round-by-round analysis of a 10-team, 10-round draft with THN staffers and two lucky readers, and offers his insight into the strategies used by different managers.
The draft is arguably the highlight of the fantasy hockey season because no one's been hit by the inevitable train of disappointment just yet. Every manager goes in confident and, hopefully, well-prepared.
As fantasy expert and then copy editor Matt Larkin notes, managers start safe in the first round, grabbing players who are "slam-dunks." As the rounds continue and the draft goes deeper, each managers' biases start to show, separating from those who prefer to make safe picks and those who prefer to gamble and take potential breakout players.
Larkin then offers up this nugget of wisdom with his final words:
"When stuck between two players, drafters should choose talent over circumstance, as the former wins out as the season progresses. Who cares if John Tavares never has elite linemates? He’s so offensively gifted he makes everyone around him better and was a great choice for [Ryan] Kennedy at No. 6 overall."
In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Kennedy, then associate senior writer and now editor-in-chief, ultimately made the right decision. Tavares finished third in the Rocket Richard race with 28 goals and ranked 17th in scoring with 47 points in 48 games.
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