The 1998 NHL Draft saw Vincent Lecavalier go #1 as the "Michael Jordan of hockey." Behind him, the round featured David Legwand (#2) and Alex Tanguay (#12). This year was particularly strong for defensemen, with Bryan Allen (#4) and Vitaly Vishnevski (#5). However, the draft's most skilled player was found in the sixth round: Pavel Datsyuk at 171st. Other steals included Brad Richards (64th) and Brian Gionta (82nd). Overall, 1998 was a year where the spotlight was on the top pick, but the real value came from Datsyuk and mid-round grinders who won multiple Stanley Cups.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 1998 NHL entry draft:
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Vincent Lecavalier | C | 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $121,308,425 | 14 | $176,286,357 | 9 |
| David Legwand | C | 2 | Nashville Predators | $41,525,463 | 400 | $62,519,036 | 330 |
| Brad Stuart | D | 3 | San Jose Sharks | $40,382,317 | 421 | $60,863,564 | 343 |
| Bryan Allen | D | 4 | Vancouver Canucks | $26,040,221 | 698 | $38,105,736 | 678 |
| Vitaly Vishnevsky | D | 5 | Anaheim Ducks | $10,867,250 | 1304 | $18,223,945 | 1202 |
| Rico Fata | LW | 6 | Calgary Flames | $3,963,500 | 2205 | $7,206,575 | 2033 |
| Manny Malhotra | C | 7 | New York Rangers | $17,805,915 | 941 | $28,168,938 | 881 |
| Mark Bell | LW | 8 | Chicago Blackhawks | $10,099,000 | 1361 | $16,318,253 | 1292 |
| Nik Antropov | C | 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $26,254,488 | 690 | $39,942,826 | 638 |
| Jeff Heerema | RW | 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | $500,000 | 4670 | $876,006 | 4690 |
| Alex Tanguay | LW | 12 | Colorado Avalanche | $44,553,780 | 353 | $67,978,492 | 288 |
| Patrick Desrochers | G | 14 | Phoenix Coyotes | $1,335,000 | 3490 | $2,376,091 | 3410 |
| Eric Chouinard | C | 16 | Montreal Canadiens | $1,100,000 | 3665 | $1,881,472 | 3698 |
| Martin Skoula | D | 17 | Colorado Avalanche | $12,700,000 | 1179 | $21,287,611 | 1082 |
| Dmitri Kalinin | D | 18 | Buffalo Sabres | $13,384,000 | 1140 | $21,288,694 | 1081 |
| Robyn Regehr | D | 19 | Colorado Avalanche | $35,540,963 | 508 | $54,248,147 | 417 |
| Scott Parker | RW | 20 | Colorado Avalanche | $4,747,450 | 2034 | $8,375,286 | 1898 |
| Mathieu Biron | D | 21 | Los Angeles Kings | $3,762,500 | 2255 | $6,810,865 | 2101 |
| Simon Gagne | LW | 22 | Philadelphia Flyers | $42,138,415 | 392 | $66,075,449 | 305 |
| Milan Kraft | C | 23 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $1,690,500 | 3196 | $3,127,211 | 3033 |
| Christian Backman | D | 24 | St. Louis Blues | $7,812,000 | 1569 | $12,093,089 | 1537 |
| Jiri Fischer | D | 25 | Detroit Red Wings | $7,951,500 | 1550 | $13,978,649 | 1418 |
| Mike Van Ryn | D | 26 | New Jersey Devils | $13,689,000 | 1126 | $21,332,258 | 1078 |
| Scott Gomez | C | 27 | New Jersey Devils | $61,358,268 | 180 | $93,034,822 | 143 |