Yesterday I listed a few players that I think are being drafted too high based on the fact that they are more likely to be autopicked (at least when I autopicked in a few mock drafts). Listing players to move down your rankings also begs the question of which players you could probably reach a little higher for. In other words, which players are being drafted too low by Yahoo and perhaps other fantasy hockey providers.

ADP (average draft position) is a useful tool in the draft room because it tells you on average where a player is being drafted. Not just how a player is ranked, but what fantasy leaguers think of the player. It can also give you an idea of where to pick the player. If you have your eye on a certain player, it may not be wise to pick that player with your next pick if you know he will be there when you make your next 2-3 picks. This allows you to focus on drafting the best player available relative to others at that position. Remember, the draft is about building value for your team, not about just getting all the players you want.

Also, I am citing Yahoo ADPs instead of friend-of-the-site Fantrax simply because Yahoo offers a lot more mock drafts. There's literally one every five minutes, which works to my advantage because a lot of my fantasy hockey business takes place late at night.

Alex Ovechkin (Yahoo ADP 13) – Ovechkin's ADP is the lowest it has been in quite a while. Yet you could make a case to pick him ahead of a few players currently in the top 10. If you're a proponent of the Zero G strategy, then there's no way that you're drafting either Andrei Vasilevskiy or Igor Shesterkin in the first round. As well, Mikko Rantanen will outscore Ovechkin in total points, but any advantage Rantanen holds over Ovechkin comes in the form of assist totals. Obviously assists are an important category, but Ovechkin holds the clear advantage in goals, shots, and hits – three important categories. Yeah, there's Ovechkin's age (36), but he continues to defy Father Time having recently completed another 50-goal season.  

Brady Tkachuk (Yahoo ADP 31) – If you draft him in the second or third round, make sure you emphasize scoring with your other selections. He's not a point-per-game scorer while the similarly valued Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel are. Where Tkachuk holds the advantage over the other two is in peripherals such as shots on goal and hits. And it's a mighty advantage indeed.

Frederik Andersen (Yahoo ADP 53) – The Zero G crowd might beg to differ, but feel free to draft goalies at the right time. Andersen currently has a lower ADP than both Jake Oettinger and Marc-Andre Fleury. Heck, I would even draft Andersen ahead of Ilya Sorokin, who has a much higher ADP. Ideally, Andersen is going to start a ton of games for a contending team, which should put him at or near the top of the league in terms of wins. Of course, because of how goalies are in 2022, I might completely regret saying all of that a year from now.

Kris Letang (Yahoo ADP 60) – Letang is part of a third tier of defensemen that I mentioned here. He appears to be drafted at the bottom end of that group, although his production in multicategory leagues seems closer to the top end. Age (he is now 35) could be pushing him down. So could injury reputation, although he has missed just five games over the previous two seasons combined. Picking a 35+ player is less risky in a single-season league than in a keeper league.

Evander Kane (Yahoo ADP 69) – Like Ovechkin and Tkachuk, Kane is another player whose value doesn't end at scoring. And like both, Kane is also known for his high shot and hits totals. But if you just want to talk scoring, Kane had the highest point-per-game total of his career in his half season in Edmonton (39 PTS in 43 GP). As I mentioned with Tkachuk, I would not draft Kane if I've already drafted Ovechkin and Tkachuk. Although you will have awesome coverage in several categories, you might be sacrificing a bit of scoring in return.

Darnell Nurse (Yahoo ADP 102) – I wrote about Nurse here when I was scanning the Yahoo Rankings before mock drafts were opened. Since Nurse is on average still being drafted after pick 100, I have to reiterate how low I think this ADP is. Although he is not the highest-scoring defenseman, Nurse offers a ton in the way of peripherals. He's an ideal choice if you want to focus on picking the best scorers among your forwards.

Brayden Point (Yahoo ADP 121) – I understand that Point's peripherals push him down the rankings in a multicategory format. He's reached 200 shots only once in his career, and his hit total is usually light (although he finished with just over a hit per game last season). Center is also the easiest spot to fill because there are so many other options. Am I talking myself out of Point? I hope not, because I just think he provides enough scoring to warrant a pick inside the top 100. After all, there's point-per-game potential.

Mark Scheifele (Yahoo ADP 135) – Aside from a slight downturn in scoring last season, has something happened to Scheifele that I don't know about? Scheifele missed a handful of games both at the start and the end of the season, yet he still managed to score at over a point per game (70 PTS in 67 GP). I realize that he plays at the deep center position and he's kind of light in peripherals, but Scheifele offers enough scoring to easily be drafted in the top 100.

Roope Hintz (Yahoo ADP 137) – One more center here, I know, although I seem to remember Hintz having wing eligibility in Yahoo leagues not so long ago. Regardless, Hintz has gone from perpetual game-time decision to point-per-game upside on one of the league's strongest lines. Like Point and Scheifele, Hintz could also be drafted in the top 100 if you didn't prioritize drafting a center in the early rounds.  

Vincent Trocheck (Yahoo ADP 157) – If you find that you're lacking peripheral categories late in your draft, Trocheck might be a player to turn to.  He's finished with over 100 hits for seven consecutive seasons while providing decent scoring. In addition, his value should improve on the Rangers' power play and possible even-strength minutes with Artemi Panarin. His overall shot total has declined over the past few seasons, but that could also pick up on the Rangers.

Blake Wheeler (Yahoo ADP 167) – Is it just me, or are a lot of people down on the Jets this season? They still have numerous productive players, including Scheifele and Wheeler. Age (Wheeler is now 36) could be one reason to downgrade him, although his career got off to a bit of a late start for a high first-round pick. There's still potential for near point-per-game numbers; in fact, he finished the season with 55 points in his last 50 games.

For more players ranked too low on Yahoo, check out the most recent Top 10 column (most of Tom’s picks are different from mine). Tom also has a Top 10 list of players ranked too high.

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