Fantasy Hockey 2018: 4-Round NHL Mock Draft and Underrated Sleepers

Connor McDavid is in a class by himself when it comes to fantasy hockey.

He has more speed and explosiveness than any other player in the league, and teammates, opponents, coaches and fans simply can't take their eyes off of him when he steps on the ice.

McDavid, who scored 100 points in 2016-17 and followed that up with 108 in 2017-18, is going into his fourth season with the Edmonton Oilers.

While many would have Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby rated as the next-best fantasy player, the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov moves into the No. 2 spot because of his speed, playmaking ability and his sleight of hand.

Here's our look at the first four rounds of our fantasy NHL draft, preceding analysis of some of the key players in the draft

Round 1

1. Connor McDavid, C, EDM—Team 1
2. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TB—Team 2
3. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT—Team 3
4. Tyler Seguin, C, DAL—Team 4
5. Alex Ovechkin, LW, WSH—Team 5
6. Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL—Team 6
7. Auston Matthews, C, TOR—Team 7
8. Patrik Laine, RW, WPG—Team 8
9. Taylor Hall, LW, NJ—Team 9
10. Brent Burns, D, SJ—Team 10

Round 2

11. John Tavares, C, TOR—Team 10
12. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS—Team 9
13. Steven Stamkos, C, TB—Team 8
14. Blake Wheeler, C/RW, WPG—Team 7
15. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS—Team 6
16. Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT—Team 5
17. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL—Team 4
18. Jamie Benn, C/LW, DAL—Team 3
19. Patrick Kane, RW, CHI—Team 2
20. David Pastrnak, RW, BOS—Team 1

Round 3

21. Victor Hedman, D, TB—Team 1
22. Brayden Point, C, TB—Team 2
23. Leon Draisaitl, C/RW, EDM—Team 3
24. Jack Eichel, C, BUF—Team 4
25. Erik Karlsson, D, SJ—Team 5
26. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH—Team 6
27. Claude Giroux, C/LW, PHI—Team 7
28. Mitch Marner, RW, TOR—Team 8
29. Anze Kopitar, C, LA—Team 9
30. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA—Team 10

Round 4
31. Mathew Barzal, C, NYI—Team 10
32. Frederik Andersen, G, TOR—Team 9
33. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY—Team 8
34. Artemi Panarin, LW, CBJ—Team 7
35. Filip Forsberg, LW, NSH—Team 6
36. Phil Kessel, RW, PIT—Team 5
37. John Gibson, G, ANA—Team 4
38. P.K. Subban, D, NSH—Team 3
39. Braden Holtby, G, WSH—Team 2
40. John Klingberg, D, DAL—Team 1

Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

This could have been a tension-filled season for Tyler Seguin because he was in the last year of his Dallas Stars contract, and the two sides did not come to an agreement on an extension through the majority of the summer.

However, just when it looked like Seguin could be entering his walk year without a deal, the Stars came up with the offer that put a huge smile on the centerman's face. He signed an eight-year, $78.8-million deal.

Seguin scored 40 goals and 78 points last term and is entering his ninth season in the league. He is firmly in the prime of his career on an offensive-minded team. He also has the security of knowing he is under contract for eight more seasons, which should allow him to play relaxed hockey.

With Seguin's speed and talent level, expect him to approach 50 goals and 100 points this year. That's why he is worthy of the No. 4 pick in the draft, just behind Sidney Crosby and ahead of Alex Ovechkin.

John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

While a new contract will relax Seguin, it is not likely to do the same with John Tavares.

The ex-New York Islander has to feel appreciated given he was the most sought-after free agent of the offseason. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the sweepstakes, and fans are expecting a deep playoff run and perhaps a championship this year. Tavares will be under the microscope from start to finish.

Tavares is the main piece of the puzzle, and he would be well-advised to get off to a fast start if he wants to keep the fans' support.

He was the best player on the Islanders throughout the first nine years of his career, and he is coming off a 37-goal, 47-assist season. The expectations are that Tavares can meet or exceed those figures with the Maple Leafs. If he can, don't be surprised if the Maple Leafs make a run at the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic Division and perhaps the Eastern Conference.

If not, Toronto's demanding fans will let him hear about it.

Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks made the bold move of acquiring Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators during the summer, and that could turn out to be huge for a franchise that has often been close but has never been able to claim the Stanley Cup.

Not only do they have Karlsson on the blue line, but they also have high-scoring Brent Burns. The Sharks now bost the top two offensive defensemen in the league, and that will be a major challenge for other Western Conference teams to contend with.

However, Karlsson has to be healthy. He played the 2017-18 season with a foot injury, and he will have to show he is 100 percent before the Sharks see Karlsson at his best. The Swede scored nine goals and put up 53 assists but was minus-25 with the Senators a year ago.

The Sharks are hoping he can recapture his 2016-17 form, when he had 17 goals and 54 assists and was plus-10 for a team that got all the way to double overtime of the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Final.

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Braden Holtby has a been a first-team All-Star, a second-team All-Star and a Vezina Trophy winner, and last year, he back-stopped the Capitals to the Stanley Cup.

However, Holtby did not have his typical performance in the regular season and was replaced at the start of the playoffs by Philipp Grubauer because he had a 2.99 goals-against average along with a .907 save percentage.

Will Holtby bounce back to the form he had in 2016-17, when he had a 2.07 GAA and a .925 save percentage? That's what the Capitals are expecting.

Perhaps he will come back to that form after recording a 2.16 GAA in the postseason along with a .922 save percentage.