Everyone has their own opinion about the world of fantasy professional sports, including hockey. (This particular writer can take it or leave it.) However, there's no getting around the reality it is now embedded within the sports culture, including for NHL fans generally and Vancouver Canucks supporters specifically.
With this in mind, there has been plenty of interest after ESPN released their complete 2024-25 season rankings and projections for NHL players. And if you're a Canucks fan in particular, you should be happy with the number of their players in the top 20.
More specifically, the Canucks have three players in ESPN's top 20 rankings and projections. As much as we're talking fantasy hockey rather than the real world, this still speaks volumes about the talent on the roster in Vancouver.
A better D-Man than projected
First up for the Canucks, is Quinn Hughes at number 13. What makes this interesting, is that he is only ranked fourth highest among all defencemen on ESPN's list.
Last time we checked, Hughes won the Norris Memorial Trophy this past season, awarded annually to the best blue liner in the NHL. And yet ESPN has him ranked behind Cale Makar (fifth overall), Roman Josi (eighth) and Rasmus Dahlin (12th).
Now of course there's the argument that this is a fantasy ranking, as opposed to a 'normal' list. However, if the name of the game in fantasy hockey is points, then Hughes only being the fourth-best defenceman still doesn't add up.
Consider that ESPN has the 2018 seventh overall draft pick projected to total -- among other things -- 86 points and a +28 rating. This figures are better than their projections for Makar, Josi and Dahlin.
in any event, we would see all of this as a good case for fantasy hockey competitors selecting Hughes if and when they can. For what it's worth, ESPN writes: "His 8.5 shooting percentage was considerably higher than anything we saw from him in the past, so prepare for that number to dip in 2024-25, but his massive usage, particularly with the man advantage, makes him an extremely safe fantasy option. Expect Hughes to be a top-10 rearguard off the board in drafts this coming fall."
Positive encore expected after career year
Next, we come to J.T. Miller at number 15. Last season was his best yet in the NHL, as he produced a plethora of career bests, including 103 points and a +32 rating.
Despite his age, ESPN sees more of the same from the 31-year-old in 2024-25. They have him projected to produce 101 points (ninth-highest projection among all players) and a +23 rating.
As with Hughes, we could make a case for ranking Miller higher, but again, fantasy hockey players should use this to their advantage where possible. ESPN writes: "If your format values hits, there's absolutely a case to be made that Miller should be a first-round pick. If that's not enough, Miller has missed just four regular-season games over the past three years. Invest with confidence on draft day."
A pivotal season lies ahead for this Canuck
Finally in the top 20 from a Canucks' perspective, we come to Elias Pettersson at number 17. He is of course looking to bounce back from a poor second half of last season, along with controversy and confusion surrounding his injury situation.
Well, ESPN seem to have faith in Pettersson bouncing back, by virtues of his ranking. From a points projection perspective, they predict an improvement from 89 to 94, which the Canucks would surely take in reality. (Even though you can argue this should be the minimum for a player with a team-leading Average Annual Value of $11.6 million.)
Unlike Hughes and Millers, we wouldn't make a case for the four-time All-Star being ranked higher, but he's well-placed regardless. ESPN writes: "Still just 25 years old (26 in November), Pettersson is a low-end No. 1 fantasy center and should be drafted as such this coming year."
We won't go through the entire Canucks player rankings, other than to note you then have to go all the way down to 103 to find their next representative, in Brock Boeser. This is very surprising for a player who is still relatively young and coming off a 40-goal season, although we appreciate the recovery from his blood clot could be a factor on some level.