Another NHL season is about to get underway with the North American opener dropping the pick at 4:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and Fantasy hockey managers everywhere are clambering to draft the best two-way defenseman in the league. Avalanche blueliner and 2020 Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar will go off the board early in Fantasy hockey drafts after he had another stellar season for Colorado, registering 90 points (21 goals, 69 assists) and a plus-15 despite only playing 77 games because of injuries. The only defenseman in the league that can match Makar’s Fantasy hockey value is Canucks d-man Quinn Hughes, who recorded an impressive 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) and a staggering plus-38 over a full 82-game season.
Both Makar and Hughes are in the midst of their prime and managers everywhere will be lucky to include either of them in their Fantasy hockey strategy. Should you select one of them early in your Fantasy hockey draft? Before making any 2024-25 Fantasy hockey picks, check out the Fantasy hockey rankings 2024-25 from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model was created by Mike McClure, a predictive data engineer and professional daily Fantasy player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s used his prediction model to simulate the entire 2024-25 NHL schedule 10,000 times and identify the top Fantasy hockey sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s model takes factors such as player history, schedule, injuries and matchups into account to create the most unbiased 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings possible. Now the model has zeroed in on the 2024-25 NHL season, ranked every player, and found the top sleepers, breakouts and busts. See every pick here.
Top 2024-25 Fantasy hockey picks
One of the 2024-25 Fantasy hockey sleepers SportsLine has identified: Bruins forward Brad Marchand. The 36-year-old captain had a modest 2023-24 campaign by his own standards, registering 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) and a plus-2 over 82 games. However, the model is projecting he will be on an upswing this season.
Marchand revealed that he played through a torn tendon in his elbow all of last season and has undergone surgeries this offseason to repair it. He is still projected to be a top-line winger and could potentially play alongside new Bruins acquisition Elias Lindholm as well as reconnect with power forward David Pastrnak. Marchand’s ADP is well over 50 but the model values him as going much early in Fantasy hockey drafts.
Another surprise: Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is one of the top Fantasy hockey breakouts this season. San Jose selected the Hobey Baker winner with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he is expected to play a huge role in the Sharks’ massive rebuild.
Celebrini, 18, registered 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) and a plus-25 in 38 games for Boston University last year. He added another eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games as a member of Canada’s U20 team at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. While Celebrini hasn’t played in a regular-season NHL game yet, his strong preseason play suggests he will be a huge asset for Fantasy hockey managers this season. See the full rankings right here.
How to find proven 2024-25 Fantasy hockey rankings
The model has also made a surprising call on Panthers forward Sam Reinhart after he was one of the league’s top goal-scorers a season ago. You can only see the latest Fantasy hockey rankings 2024-25 here.
So what’s the exact value of every NHL player in the 2024-25 Fantasy hockey rankings, and where does the first overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft rank? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy hockey rankings, all from a DFS pro who has won more than $2 million in his career and has simulated the entire NHL season 10,000 times, and find out.
