The "dynasty" format has quickly become one of fantasy sports' most popular options. Leagues in which you can carry over as many players on your roster as you wish from year to year is an extremely appealing option for serious fantasy aficionados. This piece features RotoWire's inaugural NHL dynasty rankings as well as some general tips for all dynasty league owners.
General Tips
1- Be realistic about your position: Take a good and honest look at your roster. If you're in a dynasty league then you're in this for the long haul. If your team is clearly not going to be competing within the next few years, don't be afraid to rebuild. Rome wasn't built in a day. There's nothing worse than being stuck in the middle year after year. You'll be far better off bottoming out than finishing in the middle of the pack every year.
2- Don't overvalue prospects: Look, we all love prospects. I love them more than most. Heck, it's how I got my start here at RotoWire. They're the backbone of any good NHL organization and I've always believed that the most valuable contributors are everyday players on entry-level deals. But the truth of the matter is that most of these kids are nothing more than lottery tickets. Sure, some have a much better chance of panning out than others, but they all come with inherent risk. Here's a personal example. Last season, in one of my own dynasty leagues, I traded Michael Rasmussen
The "dynasty" format has quickly become one of fantasy sports' most popular options. Leagues in which you can carry over as many players on your roster as you wish from year to year is an extremely appealing option for serious fantasy aficionados. This piece features RotoWire's inaugural NHL dynasty rankings as well as some general tips for all dynasty league owners.
General Tips
1- Be realistic about your position: Take a good and honest look at your roster. If you're in a dynasty league then you're in this for the long haul. If your team is clearly not going to be competing within the next few years, don't be afraid to rebuild. Rome wasn't built in a day. There's nothing worse than being stuck in the middle year after year. You'll be far better off bottoming out than finishing in the middle of the pack every year.
2- Don't overvalue prospects: Look, we all love prospects. I love them more than most. Heck, it's how I got my start here at RotoWire. They're the backbone of any good NHL organization and I've always believed that the most valuable contributors are everyday players on entry-level deals. But the truth of the matter is that most of these kids are nothing more than lottery tickets. Sure, some have a much better chance of panning out than others, but they all come with inherent risk. Here's a personal example. Last season, in one of my own dynasty leagues, I traded Michael Rasmussen and Robert Thomas for Artemi Panarin. Both Rasmussen and Thomas were widely viewed as top 25-30 prospects in the league at the time. If they both turn out to be superstars I'll be in bad shape, but the odds of that happening are slim. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that there are less than a half dozen prospects currently owned by NHL clubs who will come close to matching Panarin's career numbers. It's a roll of the dice, but one that was an easy decision to make when looking at the big picture.
3- League/Team context matters: This is by far the most important of my three tips for dynasty owners. Is your league just starting or has it been around for a while? Do you have deep rosters? Do you have minors spots? Here's the best example I can give. No sane fantasy player would take Jack Hughes straight up over Alex Ovechkin over the next few seasons, but when you take into account the fact that Hughes is just 18 years old and Ovechkin just turned 34 in September, there's no question about which is the more valuable long-term asset is. Remember, flags fly forever, and while I wouldn't advocate trading Ovie for Hughes if your team is trying to win this season and next, perhaps you'd be willing to budge if someone like Thomas or Rasmussen was also included. These rankings are a good guide, but what ultimately matters most is the particular situation your team's in.
Forwards
Overview: This was the toughest of the three positions to rank given how many quality forwards there are out there. Everyone reading this can probably take a guess at who's listed first, but after that I think you can make a legitimate case for any of the next half dozen names to be ranked at the No. 2 F position. Remember, if you're a contender, Evgeni Malkin has far more value to you than Cole Caufield (who's still in college). Don't be afraid to go for it.
Defensemen
Overview: High-end fantasy defenders are few and few between and that means it's worth being aggressive to obtain them. The vast majority of productive offensive NHL defensemen were high draft picks and thus, if your league has minors slots, it's not a good idea to waste them on long-shot rearguards. For example, here's where the top-five defenders listed below were taken in their respective drafts -- #4, #2, #27, #1, #4.
Goalies
Overview: Goalies are tricky. You generally need good netminders to win but the turnover at the position is high and NHL coaches are now giving their backups more playing time than ever before. It's rare to see a goalie play back-to-back nights these days. High-priced players with long-term contracts have additional value because their teams will be less likely to pull the plug if they struggle. Martin Jones has been lousy for the better part of the last two years, but he's signed for four seasons after this one at a cap hit of $5.75M, so he's not going anywhere. One option is to go with the "quantity over quality" route, but that's dangerous for obvious reasons. It's the one position where you always need to be planning ahead.
These rankings will be updated quarterly on the Dynasty Rankings page.
1- Connor McDavid (F-EDM): Best player in the world, no one else is even close.
2- Nathan MacKinnon (F-COL)
3- Nikita Kucherov (F-TB)
4- Leon Draisaitl (F-EDM)
5- Auston Matthews (F-TOR)
6- Jack Eichel (F-BUF)
7- Aleksander Barkov (F-FLA)
8- David Pastrnak (F-BOS)
9- Andrei Vasilevskiy (G-TB): Top goaltender by a wide, wide margin.
10- Mitch Marner (F-TOR)
11- Mikko Rantanen (F-COL)
12- John Tavares (F-TOR)
13- Elias Pettersson (F-VAN)
14- Cale Makar (D-COL): Insane to think he's just 21 years of age.
15- Johnny Gaudreau (F-CGY)
16- Sebastian Aho (F-CAR)
17- Brayden Point (F-TB)
18- Jack Hughes (F-NJ)
19- Mark Scheifele (F-WPG)
20- Andrei Svechnikov (F-CAR): Elite combination of size/power/skill.
21- Taylor Hall (F-NJ)
22- Victor Hedman (D-TB)
23- Matthew Tkachuk (F-CGY)
24- John Carlson (D-WAS)
25- Jonathan Huberdeau (F-FLA)
26- Kaapo Kakko (F-NYR)
27- Brock Boeser (F-VAN)
28- Mathew Barzal (F-NYI)
29- Steven Stamkos (F-TB)
30- Artemi Panarin (F-NYR)
31- Alex DeBrincat (F-CHI)
32- Rasmus Dahlin (D-BUF)
33- John Gibson (G-ANH): As much natural ability as any goalie in the league. Team is lousy.
34- Sergei Bobrovsky (G-FLA)
35- Seth Jones (D-CLS)
36- Thomas Chabot (D-OTT)
37- Dylan Larkin (F-DET)
38- Patrick Kane (F-CHI)
39- Brad Marchand (F-BOS)
40- Dougie Hamilton (D-CAR): Willing to shoot puck only raises floor.
41- Morgan Rielly (D-TOR)
42- Frederik Andersen (G-TOR)
43- Miro Heiskanen (D-DAL)
44- William Nylander (F-TOR)
45- Tyler Seguin (F-DAL)
46- Mika Zibanejad (F-NYR): Top-30 talent with injury concerns.
47- Quinn Hughes (D-VAN)
48- Erik Karlsson (D-SJ): See above.
49- Brady Tkachuk (F-OTT)
50- Filip Forsberg (F-NSH)
51- Mark Stone (F-VGK)
52- Jordan Binnington (G-STL): Has made a believer of me in a short amount of time.
53- Connor Hellebuyck (G-WPG)
54- Vladimir Tarasenko (F-STL)
55- Evgeny Kuznetsov (F-WAS)
56- Sidney Crosby (F-PIT)
57- Alex Ovechkin (F-WAS): May play forever.
58- Carter Hart (G-PHI)
59 Roman Josi (D-NSH)
60- Matt Murray (G-PIT)
61 Zach Werenski (D-CLS)
62-Sean Monahan (F-CGY)
63- Sean Couturier (F-PHI)
64- Timo Meier (F-SJ)
65- Teuvo Teravainen (F-CAR)
66- Kyle Connor (F-WPG)
67- Ivan Provorov (D-PHI)
68- Brent Burns (D-SJ)
69- Philipp Grubauer (G-COL)
70- Travis Konecny (F-PHI)
71- Kirill Kaprizov (F-MIN): KHL star apparently plans on crossing the pond for next season.
72- Anthony Mantha (F-DET)
73- Mathew Dumba (D-MIN)
74- Carey Price (G-MON)
75- Torey Krug (D-BOS)
76- Alex Turcotte (F-LA): Likely to be one-and-done at University of Wisconsin.
77- Clayton Keller (F-ARI)
78- Max Domi (F-MON)
79- Pierre-Luc Dubois (F-CLS)
80- Sam Reinhart (F-BUF)
81- Matt Duchene (F-NSH)
82- Ryan Ellis (D-NSH)
83- John Klingberg (D-DAL)
84- Jake Guentzel (F-PIT)
85- Martin Necas (F-CAR)
86- Cole Caufield (F-MON): Best goal-scoring prospect in NHL.
87- Claude Giroux (F-PHI)
88- Braden Holtby (G-WAS)
89- Mikhail Sergachev (D-TB): Ceiling limited by presence of Hedman.
90- Tuukka Rask (G-BOS)
91- Gabriel Landeskog (F-COL)
92- Elias Lindholm (F-CGY)
93- Jonathan Drouin (F-MON)
94- Kevin Labanc (F-SJ)
95- Ben Bishop (G-DAL)
96- Kris Letang (D-PIT)
97- Vitali Kravtsov (F-NYR): Decision to return to KHL means little over long term.
98- Jakub Vrana (F-WAS)
99- Nikolaj Ehlers (F-WPG)
100- Trevor Zegras (F-ANH)
101- Marc-Andre Fleury (G-VGK)
102- Jakob Chychrun (D-ARI)
103- Filip Zadina (F-DET)
104- Logan Couture (F-SJ)
105- Evgeni Malkin (F-PIT)
106- Blake Wheeler (F-WPG)
107- Jacob Markstrom (G-VAN)
108- Igor Shesterkin (G-NYR): Dominating in first AHL season.
109- Shea Theodore (D-VGK)
110- P.K. Subban (D-NJ)
111- Ilya Samsonov (G-WAS): Likely to be Washington's starter in 2020-21.
112- Kirby Dach (F-CHI)
113- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (F-EDM)
114- Adam Fox (D-NYR)
115- Rickard Rakell (D-ANH)
116- Josh Morrissey (D-WPG)
117- Mark Giordano (D-CGY)
119- Jeff Skinner (F-BUF)
119- Evander Kane (F-SJ)
120- Petr Mrazek (G-CAR)
121- Charlie McAvoy (D-BOS): Potential value pick with Krug a pending UFA.
122- Tyson Barrie (D-TOR)
123- Ryan Johansen (F-NSH)
124- Pekka Rinne (G-NSH)
125- Drew Doughty (D-LA)
126- Alex Pietrangelo (D-STL)
127- Shayne Gostisbehere (D-PHI): Probably needs a trade at this point.
128- Bowen Byram (D-COL)
129- David Rittich (G-CGY)
130- Dylan Cozens (F-BUF)
131- Joel Farabee (F-PHI)
132- Mike Hoffman (F-FLA)
133- Darcy Kuemper (G-ARI)
134- Ilya Sorokin (G-NYI): Also tentatively scheduled to arrive in fall of 2020.
135- Aaron Ekblad (D-FLA)
136- Spencer Knight (G-FLA)
137- Rasmus Kupari (F-LA)
138- Ryan Pulock (D-NYI)
139- Grigori Denisenko (F-FLA)
140- Jacob Trouba (D-NYR)
141- Cody Glass (F-VGK)
142- Pavel Buchnevich (F-NYR)
143- Martin Jones (G-SJ)
144- Oscar Klefbom (D-EDM)
145- Dylan Strome (F-CHI)
146- Evgenii Dadonov (F-FLA)
147- Semyon Varlamov (G-NYI)
148- William Karlsson (F-VGK)
149- Anthony DeAngelo (D-NYR): Has quietly become one of NHL's most dangerous offensive defenders.
150- Patrice Bergeron (F-BOS)
151- Erik Gustafsson (D-CHI)
152- Shea Weber (D-MON): Will dominate as long as he remains healthy.
153- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D-ARI)
154- Devan Dubnyk (G-MIN)
155- Nick Schmaltz (F-ARI)
156- Nico Hischier (F-NJ)
157- Tomas Hertl (F-SJ)
158- Brayden Schenn (F-STL)
159- Ryan O'Reilly (F-STL)
160- Joonas Korpisalo (D-CLS): Making case to be long-term No. 1 for Jackets.
161- Robin Lehner (G-CHI)
162- Tyler Bertuzzi (F-DET)
163- Rasmus Ristolainen (D-BUF)
164- Evan Bouchard (D-EDM)
165- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (G-BUF)
166- Viktor Arvidsson (F-NSH)
167- Thatcher Demko (G-VAN): Markstrom a pending UFA.
168- Ryan Merkley (D-SJ): Greatest risk/reward prospect in the game.
169- MacKenzie Blackwood (G-NJ)
170- Nick Suzuki (F-MON)
171- Cam Atkinson (F-CLS)
172- Victor Olofsson (F-BUF)
173- Samuel Girard (D-COL)
174- Casey Mittelstadt (F-BUF): Production doesn't match talent level. Strange situation.
175- Darnell Nurse (D-EDM)
176- Noah Hanifin (D-CGY)
177- Oskar Lindblom (F-PHI)
178- Filip Hronek (D-DET)
179- Andre Burakovsky (F-COL)
180- Jonathan Marchessault (F-VGK)
181- Chris Kreider (F-NYR)
182- Juuse Saros (G-NSH)
183- Kyle Palmieri (F-NJ)
184- J.T. Miller (F-VAN): Been a perfect fit in Vancouver.
185- Ty Smith (D-NJ)
186- Phil Kessel (F-ARI)
187- Jeff Petry (D-MON)
188- Alexandar Georgiev (G-NYR)
189- Michael DiPietro (G-VAN)
190- Mikael Granlund (F-NSH)
191- Nazem Kadri (F-COL)
192- Jaden Schwartz (F-STL)
193- Vincent Trocheck (F-FLA): Still doesn't look right following leg injury last season.
194- Bo Horvat (F-VAN)
195- Elvis Merzlikins (G-CLS)
196- Jaccob Slavin (D-CAR)
197- Mattias Ekholm (D-NSH)
198- Barrett Hayton (F-ARI)
199- K'Andre Miller (D-NYR)
200- Cam York (D-PHI)
201- Reilly Smith (F-VGK)
202- Max Pacioretty (F-VGK)
203- Andreas Johnsson (F-TOR)
204- Carter Hutton (G-BUF): Simply a placeholder in Buffalo.
205- Eeli Tolvanen (F-NSH)
206- Filip Chytil (F-NYR)
207- Brendan Gallagher (F-MON)
208- Cam Fowler (D-ANH)
209- Nicklas Backstrom (F-WAS)
210- Mike Smith (G-EDM)
211- Devon Toews (D-NYI)
212- Colin White (F-OTT)
213 Philippe Myers (D-PHI)
214- Erik Brannstrom (D-OTT): Talented offensively despite lack of points in early going.
215- Henrik Lundqvist (G-NYR)
216- Thomas Greiss (G-NYI)
217- Brandon Montour (D-BUF)
218- Jordan Kyrou (F-STL)
219- Tomas Tatar (F-MON)
220- Neal Pionk (D-WPG): Has played surprisingly well for Jets.
221- Adam Boqvist (D-CHI)
222- Jake Oettinger (G-DAL)
223- Jared Spurgeon (D-MIN)
224- Anders Nilsson (G-OTT)
225- Kasperi Kapanen (F-TOR)
226- Morgan Frost (F-PHI): May never see another game in the minors.
227- Alex Galchenyuk (F-PIT)
228- Robert Thomas (F-STL)
229- Emil Bemstrom (F-CLS)
230- Owen Tippett (F-FLA)
231- Jake Muzzin (D-TOR)
232- Noah Dobson (D-NYI): Needs to play more. Has been a healthy scratch far more often than not.
233- Nate Schmidt (D-VGK)
234- Nikita Gusev (F-NJ)
235- Jamie Benn (F-DAL)
236- Mikko Koskinen (G-EDM)
237- Sam Steel (F-ANH)
238- Corey Crawford (G-CHI)
239- Kevin Hayes (F-PHI)
240- Anthony Duclair (F-OTT): Surprise breakout in Ottawa.
241- Timothy Liljegren (D-TOR)
242- Jakub Voracek (F-PHI)
243- Justin Schultz (D-PIT)
244- Cayden Primeau (G-MON)
245- Vince Dunn (D-STL)
246- Bode Wilde (D-NYI): Ceiling is substantial, odds of reaching it are not.
247- Alex Newhook (F-COL)
248- Vasili Podkolzin (F-VAN)
249- Alexander Radulov (F-DAL)
250- Oliver Wahlstrom (F-NYI)
Just Missed
- Joseph Woll (G-TOR)
- Alex Tuch (F-VGK)
- Jared McCann (F-PIT)
- Antti Raanta (G-ARI)
- Conor Garland (F-ARI)
