Fantasy mock draft 2.0 analysis for 2018-19

NHL.com's Pete Jensen, Rob Reese and David Satriano have collaborated on another fantasy hockey mock draft with 12 teams (16 players per team).
Using various draft strategies and the top 250 rankings, which have been updated with Yahoo position eligibility changes and after hits replaced penalty minutes as a standard category, these writers simulated a draft where every fantasy owner is well-researched and aware of lineups, prospects and other trends. For more fantasy coverage, visit
NHL.com/Fantasy
.

FANTASY COVERAGE:
Top 250 rankings
|
Yahoo fantasy position updates for 2018-19
|
Cheat sheet
NOTES: This was a non-keeper mock draft with standard categories (goals, assists, plus/minus, power-play points, shots on goal and hits for skaters; wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies). Positions indicate Yahoo eligibility for 2018-19. In addition to any current restricted free agents (RFA), potential 2019 unrestricted free agents (\) or RFAs (\\) are also noted below. INJ. indicates players with injury concerns.
ROUND 1
1. Alex Ovechkin, LW, WSH (Team 1 - Satriano)
2. Connor McDavid, C, EDM (Team 2 - Reese)
3. Jamie Benn, C/LW, DAL (Team 3 - Jensen)
4. Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT (Team 4 - Satriano)
5. Patrik Laine, RW, WPG\* (Team 5 - Reese)
6. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT (Team 6 - Jensen)
7. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TBL (Team 7 - Satriano)
8. Auston Matthews, C, TOR\\ (Team 8 - Reese)
9. John Tavares, C, TOR (Team 9 - Jensen)
10. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS (Team 10 - Satriano)
11. Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL (Team 11 - Reese)
12. David Pastrnak, RW, BOS (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: Ovechkin took the top spot from McDavid in NHL.com's second mock draft after hits became a standard category. Ovechkin had five times as many hits as McDavid last season and is a lock to be among the NHL leaders in goals, PPP and SOG. Benn, with dual eligibility and hits coverage, went third compared to 15th in the first mock. It was unusual to see Malkin go ahead of Crosby based on their fantasy track records, but Malkin had nine more points last season and finished higher in Yahoo (Malkin: 6th; Crosby: 12th). The Pittsburgh Penguins (Malkin, Crosby), Toronto Maple Leafs (Matthews, Tavares) and Boston Bruins (Marchand, Pastrnak) each had two players drafted in the opening round.

ROUND 2
13. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TBL (Team 12 - Jensen)
14. Claude Giroux, C/LW, PHI (Team 11 - Reese)
15. Tyler Seguin, C, DAL (Team 10 - Satriano)
16. Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG (Team 9 - Jensen)
17. Steven Stamkos, C, TBL (Team 8 - Reese)
18. Taylor Hall, LW, NJD - INJ. (Team 7 - Satriano)
19. Blake Wheeler, C/RW, WPG (Team 6 - Jensen)
20. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH (Team 5 - Reese)
21. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY (Team 4 - Satriano)
22. Patrick Kane, RW, CHI (Team 3 - Jensen)
23. Victor Hedman, D, TBL (Team 2 - Reese)
24. Brent Burns, D, SJS (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: After no goalies went in the first round, Vasilevskiy and Hellebuyck were two of the first four picks of the second. Each has 40-win potential and excellent team security. The first two defensemen of the draft closed out the second round, with Hedman having a chance to replicate his Norris Trophy production and Burns having the most upside and consistent category coverage of any player at the position. Gaudreau went higher than his NHL.com rank (29th) but could have his best season yet in his usual spot with center Sean Monahan and either James Neal or Elias Lindholm on the right side.
ROUND 3
25. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL - INJ. (Team 1 - Satriano)
26. Braden Holtby, G, WSH (Team 2 - Reese)
27. Dustin Byfuglien, D, WPG (Team 3 - Jensen)
28. Artemi Panarin, LW, CBJ* (Team 4 - Satriano)
29. Erik Karlsson, D, OTT* (Team 5 - Reese)
30. Drew Doughty, D, LAK (Team 6 - Jensen)
31. P.K. Subban, D, NSH (Team 7 - Satriano)
32. Jonathan Quick, G, LAK (Team 8 - Reese)
33. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK (Team 9 - Jensen)
34. Tuukka Rask, G, BOS (Team 10 - Satriano)
35. Frederik Andersen, G, TOR (Team 11 - Reese)
36. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: The third round saw multiple teams secure a workhorse defenseman, with four (Byfuglien, Karlsson, Doughty, Subban) going in a five-pick span. Three Los Angeles Kings players were taken in a four-pick span because the addition of veteran wing Ilya Kovalchuk makes them one of the most appealing fantasy teams in the Western Conference. Four goaltenders were selected in the third round, with the first being Holtby. Even though the Washington Capitals goalie was a fantasy disappointment last regular season, he regained his elite form in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has a great chance to finish among the top five at his position. Kopitar and Scheifele, each center-only in Yahoo, went lower than their NHL.com rank but should be in contention for the NHL scoring title.
ROUND 4
37. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, CBJ* (Team 12 - Jensen)
38. Seth Jones, D, CBJ (Team 11 - Reese)
39. Phil Kessel, RW, PIT (Team 10 - Satriano)
40. Filip Forsberg, LW, NSH (Team 9 - Jensen)
41. John Carlson, D, WSH (Team 8 - Reese)
42. Pekka Rinne, G, NSH* (Team 7 - Satriano)
43. Evander Kane, LW, SJS (Team 6 - Jensen)
44. Mitchell Marner, RW, TOR\\ (Team 5 - Reese)
45. Roman Josi, D, NSH (Team 4 - Satriano)
46. Martin Jones, G, SJS (Team 3 - Jensen)
47. Jack Eichel, C, BUF (Team 2 - Reese)
48. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: Evander Kane was the first San Jose Sharks forward selected, a surprise pick over Pavelski. Part of the rationale is Kane's career hits average (2.3 per game) and the likelihood of his best season yet over a full season on the deepest team he's ever played for. Marner went a full round lower than the first mock (31st to 44th) after losing dual eligibility and overall value because of the hits scoring change. But Marner still brings coveted exposure to Tavares. Eichel also went much lower than the first mock (28th to 47th) but could return serious value if he plays a full season for one of the NHL's most improved teams.
ROUND 5
49. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, VGK (Team 1 - Satriano)
50. Matt Murray, G, PIT (Team 2 - Reese)
51. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS - INJ. (Team 3 - Jensen)
52. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW/RW, LAK (Team 4 - Satriano)
53. Ben Bishop, G, DAL - INJ. (Team 5 - Reese)
54. Joe Pavelski, C/RW, SJS* (Team 6 - Jensen)
55. William Karlsson, C/LW, VGK\\ (Team 7 - Satriano)
56. John Gibson, G, ANA (Team 8 - Reese)
57. John Klingberg, D, DAL (Team 9 - Jensen)
58.
Rasmus Dahlin
, D, BUF (Team 10 - Satriano)
59. Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT (Team 11 - Reese)
60. Sebastian Aho, C/LW, CAR\\ (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: Kane and Pavelski may not have the same pedigree as some other elite fantasy duos, but they could return immense value as a stack, especially if center Joe Thornton (knee) stays healthy. Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, was selected in the fifth round, much higher than his NHL.com rank (89) and even earlier than the previous mock (69th). Dahlin comes with tremendous hype as a rookie, and reaching is likely the only way to obtain the 18-year-old in fantasy. While Dahlin's true potential is unclear, it's feasible he could be in the 50-point range with a heavy presence on the power play. Four players drafted in this round were dual-eligible (Kovalchuk, Pavelski, Karlsson, Aho).

ROUND 6
61. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, PHI (Team 12 - Jensen)
62. Matthew Tkachuk, LW, CGY - INJ.\\ (Team 11 - Reese)
63. Brock Boeser, RW, VAN - INJ.\\ (Team 10 - Satriano)
64. Leon Draisaitl, C/RW, EDM (Team 9 - Jensen)
65. Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI (Team 8 - Reese)
66. Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH (Team 7 - Satriano)
67. Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (Team 6 - Jensen)
68. Vincent Trocheck, C, FLA (Team 5 - Reese)
69. Mathew Barzal, C, NYI (Team 4 - Satriano)
70. Dougie Hamilton, D, CAR (Team 3 - Jensen)
71. Alexander Radulov, RW, DAL (Team 2 - Reese)
72. Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI - INJ.* (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: Hornqvist (73rd to 59th) and Tkachuk (72nd to 62nd) went much higher than the previous mock. The same team landed these heavy, physical forwards to gain security in hits with scoring upside, especially in the PPP category. For the second straight mock draft, Getzlaf was available outside the top 50. Getzlaf consistently covers all categories and has the potential to finish among the top 20 in NHL scoring when healthy. Simmonds (potential 2019 UFA) was taken much higher than the previous mock with hits now in the equation (85th to 72nd).
ROUND 7
73. Torey Krug, D, BOS (Team 1 - Satriano)
74. Rickard Rakell, LW/RW, ANA (Team 2 - Reese)
75. Sean Monahan, C, CGY - INJ. (Team 3 - Jensen)
76. William Nylander, C/RW, TOR (RFA) (Team 4 - Satriano)
77. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW/RW, WPG (Team 5 - Reese)
78. Devan Dubnyk, G, MIN (Team 6 - Jensen)
79. Jonathan Marchessault, C/LW, VGK (Team 7 - Satriano)
80. Clayton Keller, LW/RW, ARI (Team 8 - Reese)
81. Kris Letang, D, PIT (Team 9 - Jensen)
82. Logan Couture, C/LW, SJS (Team 10 - Satriano)
83. Mikko Rantanen, RW, COL\\ (Team 11 - Reese)
84. Brayden Schenn, C, STL (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: The same team that drafted Laine in the first round snatched his linemate Ehlers in the seventh. That duo has a high ceiling whether it's centered by Jack Roslovic or Bryan Little. Staying on the theme of stacks, Marchessault was selected by the same team that selected Karlsson earlier in the mock. It's worth noting the Vegas Golden Knights' top-liners (Marchessault, Karlsson, Reilly Smith) have each retained dual eligibility in Yahoo. The trifecta of seventh round stacks came when the team that took MacKinnon in the first round snagged Rantanen. After being huge steals based on average draft position last season, MacKinnon and Rantanen once again have elite potential as a duo. Rantanen has lost value as a standalone asset because he lost dual eligibility and is not a hits producer. Seven of the 12 players taken this round were dual-eligible.
ROUND 8
85. Mark Giordano, D, CGY (Team 12 - Jensen)
86. Ivan Provorov, D, PHI - INJ.\\ (Team 11 - Reese)
87. Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS\\ (Team 10 - Satriano)
88. Antti Raanta, G, ARI (Team 9 - Jensen)
89. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL (Team 8 - Reese)
90. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, NSH (Team 7 - Satriano)
91. Keith Yandle, D, FLA (Team 6 - Jensen)
92. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, BUF (Team 5 - Reese)
93. Jake Allen, G, STL (Team 4 - Satriano)
94. Cam Talbot, G, EDM* (Team 3 - Jensen)
95. Jake Guentzel, LW, PIT\\ (Team 2 - Reese)
96. James van Riemsdyk, LW, PHI (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: Provorov and McAvoy are No. 2 fantasy defensemen on their respective teams but could challenge Krug and Gostisbehere for power-play time and finisher higher than those teammates. Ristolainen, with added value in hits leagues (206 last season; 2.1 per game in NHL career), jumped from 108th in the previous mock draft to 92nd. Landeskog was selected as a standalone based on his hits production (149 last season; 2.1 per game in career) and has offensive upside on the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen. Landeskog led the Avalanche with seven points (four goals, three assists) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. Raanta, Allen and Talbot are expected to shoulder heavy start volumes for their respective teams and are potential middle-round goalie gems.
ROUND 9
97. Jeff Carter, C, LAK (Team 1 - Satriano)
98. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, ARI (Team 2 - Reese)
99. Tyson Barrie, D, COL (Team 3 - Jensen)
100. Alex Pietrangelo, D, STL (Team 4 - Satriano)
101. T.J. Oshie, RW, WSH (Team 5 - Reese)
102. Mike Smith, G, CGY* (Team 6 - Jensen)
103. Morgan Rielly, D, TOR (Team 7 - Satriano)
104. Zach Werenski, D, CBJ - INJ.\\ (Team 8 - Reese)
105. Jeff Skinner, LW, BUF* (Team 9 - Jensen)
106. Teuvo Teravainen, LW/RW, CAR\\ (Team 10 - Satriano)
107. Roberto Luongo, G, FLA (Team 11 - Reese)
108. Max Pacioretty, LW, VGK (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: Kuznetsov and Oshie were drafted by the same team for an underrated first power-play stack. Skinner jumped significantly compared to the first mock after being traded to the Buffalo Sabres, but he didn't go among the top 100 overall because he doesn't produce hits. He should play on the top line with Eichel and first power-play with Dahlin and/or Ristolainen. After this mock draft, Pacioretty was traded to the Golden Knights, gaining significant fantasy value. He brings added value in hits (118 last season; 1.3 per game in NHL career) and will compete with Marchessault for a top-line role.
ROUND 10
109. Mikael Granlund, C/RW, MIN (Team 12 - Jensen)
110. Sean Couturier, C, PHI - INJ. (Team 11 - Reese)
111. Corey Crawford, G, CHI - INJ. (Team 10 - Satriano)
112. Matt Dumba, D, MIN (Team 9 - Jensen)
113. Cam Atkinson, RW, CBJ (Team 8 - Reese)
114. Carey Price, G, MTL (Team 7 - Satriano)
115. Mike Hoffman, LW/RW, FLA (Team 6 - Jensen)
116. Semyon Varlamov, G, COL - INJ.* (Team 5 - Reese)
117. Ryan Ellis, D, NSH (Team 4 - Satriano)
118. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, FLA (Team 3 - Jensen)
119. Kyle Connor, LW, WPG\\ (Team 2 - Reese)
120. Anders Lee, LW, NYI* (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: Couturier (lower body) comes with injury concern but was selected by the same team that took Giroux earlier, a sneaky stack based on their chemistry last season when Giroux was moved to left wing. Crawford is one of the most intriguing bargain goalies considering he is usually elite when healthy but is still recovering from an upper-body injury. Varlamov was selected as a standalone, as opposed to a tandem with Philipp Grubauer (like in previous mock draft). Hoffman went before Huberdeau because of position eligibility, but Huberdeau is guaranteed to play with either Barkov or Trocheck when healthy. Josi and Ellis were drafted by the same team, providing insurance and collective upside on the same defense pair.

ROUND 11
121. Carter Hutton, G, BUF (Team 1 - Satriano)
122. Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA (Team 2 - Reese)
123. Sam Reinhart, C/RW, BUF (RFA) (Team 3 - Jensen)
124. Nazem Kadri, C, TOR (Team 4 - Satriano)
125. Jake Gardiner, D, TOR* (Team 5 - Reese)
126. Philipp Grubauer, G, COL (Team 6 - Jensen)
127. Ryan O'Reilly, C, STL (Team 7 - Satriano)
128. Ryan Suter, D, MIN - INJ. (Team 8 - Reese)
129. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C/LW, EDM (Team 9 - Jensen)
130. Jake Muzzin, D, LAK (Team 10 - Satriano)
131. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TBL (Team 11 - Reese)
132. Brayden Point, C, TBL\\ (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: The team that selected Nugent-Hopkins (now C/LW in Yahoo) also took Draisaitl earlier in the mock, forming a power-play combination that could pay dividends if the Edmonton Oilers improve on their NHL-worst conversion percentage (14.8). Point dipped significantly compared to the first mock draft after losing right wing eligibility in Yahoo. O'Reilly moved up significantly after St. Louis Blues coach Mike Yeo said the center will start on the top line with Tarasenko.
ROUND 12
133. Nick Leddy, D, NYI (Team 12 - Jensen)
134. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, CBJ (Team 11 - Reese)
135. J.T. Miller, C/RW, TBL (Team 10 - Satriano)
136. Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, CHI (Team 9 - Jensen)
137. Tom Wilson, RW, WSH (Team 8 - Reese)
138. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, NYR - INJ. (Team 7 - Satriano)
139. Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, MIN (Team 6 - Jensen)
140. Reilly Smith, LW/RW, VGK (Team 5 - Reese)
141. Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR - INJ. (Team 4 - Satriano)
142. Ryan Johansen, C, NSH (Team 3 - Jensen)
143. Eric Staal, C, MIN* (Team 2 - Reese)
144. Colton Parayko, D, STL (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: This round saw multiple hits specialists and potential draft bargains go off the board. Dubois, Miller and Niederreiter are dual-eligible in Yahoo and each average at least 1.5 hits per game in their NHL careers. Wilson has a higher fantasy ceiling on the top line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov and had 250 hits last season (2.9 per game in NHL career). Lundqvist comes with age (36) and team defensive concerns but is worth a flier this late. Johansen and Staal (potential 2019 UFA) have tremendous upside on the top line for their respective teams and could dip this far because of center-only eligibility.
ROUND 13
145. Mark Stone, RW, OTT - INJ.* (Team 1 - Satriano)
146. Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL - INJ. (Team 2 - Reese)
147. Tomas Hertl, C/LW/RW, SJS (Team 3 - Jensen)
148. Dustin Brown, RW, LAK - INJ. (Team 4 - Satriano)
149. Dylan Larkin, C, DET (Team 5 - Reese)
150. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI (Team 6 - Jensen)
151. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, CAR (Team 7 - Satriano)
152. Nico Hischier, C, NJD - INJ. (Team 8 - Reese)
153. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (Team 9 - Jensen)
154. Evgenii Dadonov, LW/RW, FLA (Team 10 - Satriano)
155. Alex Galchenyuk, C/LW, ARI (Team 11 - Reese)
156. Brandon Montour, D, ANA (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: Stone is a potential bargain who was among the best even-strength point producers in the NHL last season but faces team instability; Karlsson, Stone and Matt Duchene are potential 2019 UFAs. Pulock comes with added value in hits leagues (113 in 68 games last season; 1.5 per game in NHL career), is more appealing because of new coach Barry Trotz and has the chance to compete for first power-play time for the New York Islanders after Tavares' departure. Brown went more than two rounds earlier (176th to 148th) than the first mock draft after the inclusion of hits as a standard category. There was an enormous gap between Dahlin and the next rookie, Svechnikov. Hertl is the only relevant player with tri-eligibility and went more than three rounds higher (188th to 147th) than the preliminary mock.
ROUND 14
157. Jordan Eberle, RW, NYI* (Team 12 - Jensen)
158. Erik Johnson, D, COL - INJ. (Team 11 - Reese)
159. Cory Schneider, G, NJD - INJ. (Team 10 - Satriano)
160. Josh Manson, D, ANA (Team 9 - Jensen)
161. Patrick Marleau, C/LW, TOR (Team 8 - Reese)
162. Will Butcher, D, NJD\\ (Team 7 - Satriano)
163. Daniel Sprong, RW, PIT (Team 6 - Jensen)
164. Nikita Zadorov, D, COL\\ (Team 5 - Reese)
165. Justin Schultz, D, PIT (Team 4 - Satriano)
166. Mattias Ekholm, D, NSH (Team 3 - Jensen)
167. Mike Matheson, D, FLA (Team 2 - Reese)
168. Shea Theodore, D, VGK (RFA) (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: Eight of the 12 picks this round were defensemen, and each was a specialist in either hits (Johnson, Manson, Zadorov) or PPP (Butcher, Schultz, Ekholm, Matheson, Theodore). Schultz has had the opportunity to play on Pittsburgh's first power-play unit before and at least brings even-strength exposure to Crosby, Malkin and Kessel. Butcher played on the New Jersey Devils' first unit for much of his rookie season but split time with Sami Vatanen (undrafted in mock) later in the season.
ROUND 15
169.
Miro Heiskanen
, D, DAL (Team 1 - Satriano)
170.
Elias Pettersson
, C, VAN (Team 2 - Reese)
171.
Filip Zadina
, LW, DET (Team 3 - Jensen)
172. Mike Green, D, DET - INJ. (Team 4 - Satriano)
173. Ondrej Palat, LW, TBL (Team 5 - Reese)
174. Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR (Team 6 - Jensen)
175. Juuse Saros, G, NSH (Team 7 - Satriano)
176. Matt Niskanen, D, WSH (Team 8 - Reese)
177. James Neal, RW, CGY (Team 9 - Jensen)
178. Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJD (Team 10 - Satriano)
179. James Reimer, G, FLA (Team 11 - Reese)
180. Duncan Keith, D, CHI (Team 12 - Jensen)
Analysis: Three rookie-eligible players (Heiskanen, Pettersson, Zadina) were drafted in a row to start this round. Saros was handcuffed by the team that selected Rinne earlier in the mock, and Reimer was taken later by the team that picked Luongo. Niskanen, unranked in NHL.com's top 250, was selected because of his hits production (117 last season; 1.5 per game in NHL career) and offensive role for one of the safest fantasy teams.

ROUND 16
181. Jack Roslovic, C, WPG (Team 12 - Jensen)
182. Jonathan Toews, C, CHI - INJ. (Team 11 - Reese)
183. Ryan McDonagh, D, TBL (Team 10 - Satriano)
184. Petr Mrazek, G, CAR* (Team 9 - Jensen)
185. Justin Faulk, D, CAR - INJ. (Team 8 - Reese)
186. Boone Jenner, C/LW, CBJ (Team 7 - Satriano)
187. Cam Fowler, D, ANA - INJ. (Team 6 - Jensen)
188. Jeff Petry, D, MTL (Team 5 - Reese)
189. Aaron Dell, G, SJS (Team 4 - Satriano)
190. Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF (Team 3 - Jensen)
191.
Kailer Yamamoto
, RW, EDM (Team 2 - Reese)
192. Joe Thornton, C, SJS - INJ.* (Team 1 - Satriano)
Analysis: From young to experienced players, this round was all about upside. Roslovic could play on the second line with Laine after the departure of Paul Stastny. Mrazek could be the starting goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, where he will compete with Scott Darling. Rookies to be drafted in the final round were Mittelstadt (could be Buffalo's second-line center) and Yamamoto (chance to flank McDavid). Veterans like Toews and Thornton can never be completely overlooked because of their top-six and first power-play roles when healthy and stellar NHL career track records. Petry has added value in leagues that emphasize points and hits, especially with Shea Weber out until at least December.
RELATED: [Fantasy mock draft 1.0 analysis for 2018-19]