The Best Player in Each Round Based on ADP

With the NHL season right around the corner, fantasy leagues are well underway – just in time for this article to reveal the best pick for your fantasy team based on Yahoo’s basic average draft position (ADP) in a 12-team, 12-round draft.

Each round will include the player, their ADP, last season's stats and an honorable mention just in case the player is taken.

Unless you have the first overall pick – congrats on getting Connor McDavid – drafting requires a lot of strategy. The players featured below might be drafted higher or lower, but the purpose is to show why that specific player is so great at their ADP.

Round 1:

Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs. ADP: 7.5
2022-23: 77 Games, 40 Goals, 45 Assists, 85 Points, 327 Shots, 78 Hits, 92 Blocks

Coming off a 60-goals, 106-point season and winning the Hart, Pearson and Rocket Richard in 2021-22, this was the beginning of an elite status for Matthews, but the follow-up was disappointing with 20 fewer goals and 20 fewer shots. Matthews did have to deal with a knee injury, but the off-season gave him time to heal.

Matthews’ floor is 40 goals, and it says a lot when 85 points is considered a “down year.” He averaged 0.78 and 0.82 goals per game in each of the past two seasons, and adding Tyler Bertuzzi up top at left wing could add a lot of additional value. A healthy Matthews, combined with the additions made to the Leafs’ top six, you should not blink twice and draft him after the fifth pick if he’s still on the board. There’s 50-plus goals and 300-plus shots in value right there.

Honorable Mention: Jack Hughes, C/LW, Devils. ADP: 12.1

Round 2:

Cale Makar, D, Avalanche. ADP: 13.4
2022-23: 60 Games, 17 Goals, 49 Assists, 66 Points, 176 Shots, 65 Hits, 78 Blocks

What more can be said about Makar that hasn’t already been said? His 82-game average throughout his four-year career is 22 goals, 85 points and 22 shots. Makar had to deal with numerous injuries last season, but expect a significant bounce back to his usual form as long as he is healthy.

Because of his injuries last season, his ADP has dropped lower than it should, and being able to get the league’s number one defenseman, who has been a point-per-game player in the past two seasons, outside the first round is a great way to start building your ‘D’ core.

Honorable Mention: Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild. ADP: 15.0

Round 3:

Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks. ADP: 28.6
2022-23: 80 Games, 39 Goals, 63 Assists, 102 Points, 257 Shots, 74 Hits, 89 Blocks

Given what we saw last season from Pettersson and his role as the No. 1 center, his 36.5 ADP makes him a surefire pick if he can replicate, or even come close to, last year’s production. Averaging two extra minutes of ice time, going from 18:35 to 20:33 per game, Pettersson smashed his previous career high in points from 68 to 102. He registered a total of 257 shots on a 15.2 shooting percentage, increasing his per-game rate from 2.4 shots to 3.2 to help him finish with a career-high 39 goals.

Going into a contract season, Petterson will look to further expand on his accomplishments last season. A third-round pick who can get you 35 goals and over 90 points is a lock in my eyes.

Honorable Mention: Timo Meier, LW/RW, Devils. ADP: 36.6

Round 4:

Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres. ADP: 40.1
2022-23: 78 Games, 15 Goals, 58 Assists, 73 Points, 204 Shots, 105 Hits, 132 Blocks

I’ll take Dahlin to anchor my defense if I’m unable to pick Makar. Dahlin’s coming off a season that saw career highs across the board, including points, shots, and time on ice. He’s a point-per-game defenseman in a young Buffalo core that was third last season with 306 goals and ranked ninth on the power play at 23.4 percent.

At 23 years old, bigger and brighter years are ahead of him, and his ceiling is still to be determined. Dahlin’s a reliable defenseman who produces points and peripherals – he did have fewer hits last season but made up for them with blocks – and he’s durable, missing only five games in the past three seasons. This is as good of a pick as you can take in Round 4.

Honorable Mention, J.T. Miller, C/RW, Canucks ADP: 44.6

Round 5:

Roman Josi, D, Predators. ADP: 49.6
2022-23: 67 Games, 18 Goals, 41 Assists, 59 Points, 269 Shots, 51 Hits, 146 Blocks

Round 5 features yet another defenseman in Roman Josi, one of my favorite picks in this year's draft at his current ADP of 49.8. The value is insane based on a player of his caliber. As with Makar, Josi’s ADP dropped a bit after a “disappointing” follow-up to a season that saw him come second in Norris voting and sixth in Hart voting.

Josi missed 15 games due to injuries and an inconsistent Nashville team caused his point production to drop to 59 points. However, over the past two seasons, we saw Josi amass over 550 shots, which is 78 more than Dougie Hamilton, who comes closest, and ranks Josi tied for 11th among all NHL players. In addition, Josi trails only Makar in points per game among defensemen, and ranks first in total points, second in goals, third in assists and fourth in power-play points. If Josi is still on the board by Round 5, add him to the top of the queue and grab him, no questions asked.

Honorable Mention: Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers. ADP: 57.0

Round 6:

Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars. ADP: 67.9
2022-2023: 79 Games, 11 Goals, 62 Assists, 73 Points, 206 Shots, 49 Hits, 96 Blocks

All aboard the defensemen train! This round's hot commodity is Heiskanen. This feels low compared to the breakout season he had last season. With 73 points and 206 shots in 79 games, he made the largest offensive leap of his career, smashing his previous career high of 36 points and finally showed power-play quarterback potential with 34 power-play points.

He should be in the conversation for the Norris again this season, with a Dallas team that’s rock-solid from top to bottom, including the addition of Matt Duchene and the emergence of Wyatt Johnston. While his hits and blocks might not be as high as other defensemen, all the offensive stats are there.

Honorable Mention: Victor Hedman, D, Lighting. ADP: 69.3

Round 7:

Andrei Svechnikov, LW/RW, Hurricanes. ADP: 81.9
2022-2023: 64 Games, 23 Goals, 32 Assists, 55 Points, 205 Shots, 140 Hits, 17 Blocks

We are back in the land of forwards again, this time with Svechnikov. The 23-year-old is back after playing just 64 games due to an ACL injury. It’s one reason why his ADP dropped this low.

Svechnikov finished with 30 goals and 69 points in 78 games in the prior season, and what really heightens his fantasy value are his 189 hits. A healthy Svechnikov will see him finish with over 35 goals, 60 points and 180 hits, and it’s super valuable in banger leagues when a premier winger can contribute across the board.

Honorable Mention, Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Blue Jackets. ADP: 82.6

Round 8:

Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings. ADP: 88.5
2022-23: 82 Games, 5 Goals, 37 Assists, 42 Points, 140 Shots, 207 Hits, 190 Blocks

It was a quick pitstop, but we're back on the defensemen train in Round 8 with Seider. I recently wrote Seider is a must-have defensemen in banger leagues, and I stand by it. In leagues that might not count hits and blocks, he definitely drops in value unless he has a major scoring season, which we hope he does.

But, in banger leagues where your defensemen can give you 50-plus points, 180-plus block, 180-plus hits and 150-plus shots is insane value this deep into the draft. Seider can cover five to six categories all at once, and with the additions of J.T. Compher and Alex DeBrincat to the team, and hopefully a bounce-back season from Lucas Raymond, Seider is on track to smash all of his previous highs this upcoming season.

Honorable Mention, Mikhail Sergachev, D, Lighting. ADP: 87.9

Round 9:

Evander Kane, LW, Oilers. ADP: 104.9
2022-23: 41 Games, 16 Goals, 12 Assists, 28 Points, 146 Shots, 124 Hits, 15 Blocks

With Kane, we are looking at over 250 shots, 200 hits, and easily 60 to 70 points if he can stay healthy. Kane played just half the games in each of the past two seasons, no thanks to that gruesome injury with his wrists last season.

A healthy and motivated Kane can post very similar numbers to Brady Tkachuk across the board, especially if he sees time again in Edmonton’s top six and deadly power play, playing with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Whatever the points projections are for Kane this year, put me down for the over.

Honorable Mention, Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks. ADP: 98.5

Round 10:

Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Panthers, ADP: 107.8
2022-23: 82 Games, 31 Goals, 36 Assists, 67 Points, 227 Shots, 58 Hits, 49 Blocks

Reinhart is a candidate of mine for a bounce-back season, and getting a potential 35-goal scorer great value with an ADP of 107.8. Last season, he put up a solid stat line of 31 goals and 67 points, which isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison to the previous season when he scored 35 goals and 82 points.

An increase of 41 shots from the previous season also shows he’s become a high-volume shooter. Even with questions regarding how Florida will perform compared to the previous season, I still believe Reinhart to be a solid dual-position player who can light it up.

Honorable Mention, Martin Necas, C/RW, Hurricanes. ADP: 100.7

Round 11:

Jacob Markstrom, G, Flames. ADP: 130.3
2022-23: 59 Games, 23-21-12, 1376 Saves, .892 SP, 2.92 GAA

Finally, the first goalie on this list and it's… Markstrom? Listen, I don’t believe the Flames are as bad as they were last season, especially with the changes they made in the locker room. Like Kane and Reinhart in the previous rounds, their talent and the players around them are too good to have disappointing individual seasons back-to-back.

A team that was 19th in goals for and 20th in goals allowed per game is not expected with such a talented roster, and new head coach Ryan Huska can potentially get more out of Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau to ensure they win more games with better goal support while improving team morale in the locker room.

Honorable Mention, Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames. ADP: 123.4

Round 12:

Cole Caufield, LW/RW, Canadiens. ADP: 138.3
2022-23: 46 Games, 26 Goals, 10 Assists, 36 Points, 158 Shots, 18 Hits, 12 Blocks

Rounding out this final pick of this list is a player I project to score 50 goals this coming season. Caufield is another player coming off a disappointing season due to injury, and he’s played only 113 games over the past two seasons.

The upside with picking Caufield is the number of shots he can produce, and through the games that we have seen so far in his career under Martin St-Louis, Caufield’s offense is ready to burst. Seeing what he can produce in a half-season makes him an enticing pick, and it’s rare to find a top-line, top power-play player this deep into the draft.

Honorable Mention: Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Senators, ADP: 141.0