Not everyone who is drafted number one overall in the NHL draft immediately becomes a superstar. Sometimes, players need time to find their footing and work their way into the lineup.
I want to focus on two former NHL top picks in this article: 2020 number-one selection forward Alexis Lafreniere and 2022 top pick Juraj Slafkovsky. Let’s look at Lafreniere first and then Slafkovsky.
NHL Top Picks: Alexis Lafreniere
Lafreniere started off slow after being taken by the New York Rangers. In his rookie season, Lafreniere had 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points. He had 67 shots on goal.
Lafreniere followed that up with 19 goals, 12 assists for 31 points, with 110 shots on goal. He did it in 79 games during his second season. He had a very similar year three with 16 goals, 23 assists for 39 points, with 135 shots on goal in 81 games.
Lafreniere has been more consistent this year with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points with 140 shots on goal in 53 games. Lafreniere has settled in on the Rangers second line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. He has also been getting power play on two deployments, which is nice to see. At 6-1 185 pounds, he is a solid play in bangers fantasy leagues as he regularly gets over 100 hits a season.
Lafreniere is still only 22 years old and playing for a very good Rangers team. They are 34-16-3 this season and are third in the Eastern Conference with 71 points. Lafreniere is a solid add in fantasy leagues. It is worth trying to trade for in salary cap leagues as he is on a two-year, $2.3 million dollar bridge deal.
NHL Top Picks: Juraj Slafkovsky
The Montreal Canadians took Slafkovsky out of Slovakia in 2022. He was played sparingly as a rookie, with just four goals and six assists for 10 points with 42 shots on goal in 39 games played.
But this season, we are starting to see what made him the top pick for the Canadians. In 53 games, he has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points with 82 shots on goal. He is heating up with four goals and three assists in four games this month. In the last 22 games, Slafkovsky has nine goals and ten assists for 19 points. He is also starting to shoot more often.
At 6-3, 238 pounds, he is a bruiser down low in front of the net. At only 19 years old, Slafkovsky is already playing on the top line for Montreal with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. He is also getting Power Play one deployment. Being moved to the top line with premium talent has helped his breakout. If he is sitting on waivers in your redraft league, now is the time to pick him up. He is worth looking into acquiring in trade-in dynasty leagues and salary cap leagues, as he is on a $950,000 entry-level contract.
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Follow Justin Taylor on X at @jtorange and Bryan “Toast” Clark @toastclark. You can reach Justin via email at jtorange4@gmail.com or Bryan at toastman80@yahoo.com. For all things hockey from fantasy to betting check out “The Stew with JT Brew” podcast where they have the “NHL Around the Ice” segment every Wednesday night on the Total Apex Sports YouTube channel. All podcasts are also downloadable on Spotify and other podcast apps. Make sure to check out Toast’s Takes on the @jtbrewstew X page for daily NHL betting picks.
