NHL All-Star Odds, Predictions: Who will be picked first overall at the 2024 NHL All-Star draft?
The 2024 NHL All-Star game hits Toronto this weekend and things get started on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET with the return of the player draft. From Alex Ovechkin consuming a questionable amount of mystery beverages and begging to be picked last so he could win a car, the awkward look on Phil Kessel’s face when he actually was picked last, the draft has provided some great entertainment in the past.
With the NHL entering a pause, we’ve got a lot of time on our hands so we’re taking a look at the four 2024 NHL All-Star teams and predicting every pick in the draft using the snake draft format they will use on Thursday.
2024 NHL All-Star draft
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2024 NHL All-Star teams
Team Matthews
Captain: Auston Matthews (TOR)
Alternate captain: Morgan Rielly (TOR)
Celebrity captain: Justin Bieber
| Predicted Player | Team | Round | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Nylander | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | 1 |
| Mitch Marner | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | 4 |
| Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets | 3 | 1 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild | 4 | 4 |
| Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes | 5 | 1 |
| Igor Shesterkin | New York Rangers | 6 | 4 |
| Travis Konecny | Philadelphia Flyers | 7 | 1 |
| Elias Lindholm | Calgary Flames | 8 | 4 |
| Tom Wilson | Washington Capitals | 9 | 1 |
It’s a no-brainer for Auston Matthews and Morgan Reilly to keep the Toronto vibes going strong and take teammates William Nylander and Mitch Marner with their first two picks. Nylander has had a much stronger year than Marner, so the Swede is the obvious first choice. The only wrench that could get thrown into Team Matthews’ plans is if one of the other three teams snags Marner simply out of spite.
With three elite offensive players under their belt, Team Matthews would be smart to lock up a goalie early and grab Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, who is currently a -115 favourite to win the Vezina Trophy. After that, Team Matthews can round things out with some solid secondary scoring options with the likes of Kirill Kaprizov and Sebastian Aho then solidify some depth in net with Igor Shesterkin.
Team McDavid
Captain: Connor McDavid (EDM)
Alternate captain: Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
Celebrity captain: Will Arnett
| Predicted Player | Team | Round | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1 | 2 |
| Elias Pettersson | Vancouver Canucks | 2 | 3 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | 2 |
| J.T. Miller | Vancouver Canucks | 4 | 3 |
| Brock Boeser | Vancouver Canucks | 5 | 2 |
| Mat Barzal | New York Islanders | 6 | 3 |
| Robert Thomas | St. Louis Blues | 7 | 2 |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | Florida Panthers | 8 | 3 |
| Cam Talbot | Los Angeles Kings | 9 | 2 |
Here’s a brain exercise for you: try to name a scarier offensive trio than Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov. Tough, right? That’s 209 points of production for Team McDavid after their first pick. Why not keep piling on a grab Elias Pettersson’s 64 points out of Vancouver?
That’s enough offence for Team McDavid, time to build the blue line for the only one of the four squad without a defenceman as a captain or alternate captain. Rasmus Dahlin should still be available in the third round and Team McDavid can follow that selection with more Pacific Division foes by taking Pettersson’s Canucks teammates, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. This could be one scary Western Canadian All-Star team.
Team MacKinnon
Captain: Nathan MacKinnon (COL)
Alternate captain: Cale Makar (COL)
Celebrity captain: Tate McRae
| Predicted Player | Team | Round | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | 3 |
| Brady Tkachuk | Ottawa Senators | 2 | 2 |
| Thatcher Demko | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | 3 |
| Filip Forsberg | Nashville Predators | 4 | 2 |
| Clayton Keller | Arizona Coyotes | 5 | 3 |
| Alexandar Georgiev | Colorado Avalanche | 6 | 2 |
| Vincent Trocheck | New York Rangers | 7 | 3 |
| Tomas Hertl | San Jose Sharks | 8 | 2 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | Seattle Kraken | 9 | 3 |
This is another easy call as Nathan MacKinnon will definitely target fellow Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby with his first pick. At 36-years-old, Crosby gives this team strong leadership and playmaking skills while remaining an elite offensive threat. Team MacKinnon already has arguably the NHL’s best defenceman in Colorado teammate Cale Makar, so what’s next on the shopping list? The answer is a pest like Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who is a nice blend of gritty and skilled.
With Makar as your staple on the blue line, I’m expecting Team MacKinnon to go heavy on picking forwards. MacKinnon’s Central Division rival Filip Forsberg provides even more skill and you can round out the depth with players like Clayton Keller and Tomas Hertl. On the defensive side of things, Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko should still be available in the third round and MacKinnon and Makar can add a second netminder with teammate Alexandar Georgiev later in the draft.
Team Hughes
Captain: Quinn Hughes (VAN)
Alternate captain: Jack Hughes (NJD)* Injured, Jesper Bratt will serve as on-ice replacement
Celebrity captain: Michael Buble
| Predicted Player | Team | Round | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | 1 | 4 |
| Sam Reinhart | Florida Panthers | 2 | 1 |
| Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | 3 | 4 |
| Alex DeBrincat | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | 1 |
| Jeremy Swayman | Boston Bruins | 5 | 4 |
| Jake Oettinger | Dallas Stars | 6 | 1 |
| Frank Vatrano | Anaheim Ducks | 7 | 4 |
| Nick Suzuki | Montreal Canadiens | 8 | 1 |
| Boone Jenner | Columbus Blue Jackets | 9 | 4 |
If David Pastrnak is still available with the fourth pick in the draft, Team Hughes would be crazy not to snag him. Pasta’s 33 goals is third-most in the NHL this season and he’s possibly the most skilled player in terms of pure talent available in the draft. With Jack Hughes not available to play due to injury, Team Hughes should continue to target goal scoring and take Sam Reinhart, who is having a career-year with 37 goals, second-most in the NHL.
From here, the Hughes brothers could go patriotic and take fellow American’s Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger and Frank Vatrano. That’s three more snipers and two strong options in net. Having two of the top NHL goalies on the roster will be a huge advantage when you consider the ridiculous offensive firepower that will hit the ice in Toronto this weekend.
