The 2013 NHL Draft saw Nathan MacKinnon go #1, followed by Sasha Barkov (#2) and Seth Jones (#4). The round was deep with franchise players like Elias Lindholm (#5), Sean Monahan (#6), and Bo Horvat (#9). Shea Theodore (#26) and Max Domi (#12) also emerged as stars. Later rounds featured Jake Guentzel (77th) and Brett Pesce (66th). Overall, 2013 was a draft of "complete" players. It provided the league with high-IQ centers and mobile defenders who could play in all situations, many of whom remain the cornerstones of their respective franchises today.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2013 NHL entry draft.
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Nathan MacKinnon | C | 1 | Colorado Avalanche | $95,925,000 | 42 | $109,048,536 | 87 |
| Aleksander Barkov | C | 2 | Florida Panthers | $85,775,000 | 67 | $98,431,393 | 124 |
| Jonathan Drouin | LW | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $43,007,500 | 380 | $51,817,230 | 448 |
| Seth Jones | D | 4 | Nashville Predators | $80,675,000 | 82 | $92,610,201 | 146 |
| Elias Lindholm | C | 5 | Carolina Hurricanes | $56,275,000 | 222 | $64,962,633 | 313 |
| Sean Monahan | C | 6 | Calgary Flames | $61,785,000 | 178 | $74,300,120 | 240 |
| Darnell Nurse | D | 7 | Edmonton Oilers | $64,590,000 | 161 | $71,789,021 | 259 |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | D | 8 | Buffalo Sabres | $55,750,000 | 229 | $66,154,879 | 304 |
| Bo Horvat | C | 9 | Vancouver Canucks | $61,182,500 | 182 | $70,797,483 | 267 |
| Valeri Nichushkin | RW | 10 | Dallas Stars | $43,541,668 | 373 | $48,928,698 | 488 |
| Samuel Morin | D | 11 | Philadelphia Flyers | $2,850,000 | 2544 | $3,544,640 | 2872 |
| Max Domi | C/LW | 12 | Phoenix Coyotes | $33,657,500 | 536 | $38,868,056 | 660 |
| Josh Morrissey | D | 13 | Winnipeg Jets | $48,365,000 | 306 | $55,267,369 | 406 |
| Alexander Wennberg | C | 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $46,333,335 | 330 | $53,738,235 | 423 |
| Ryan Pulock | D | 15 | New York Islanders | $39,432,500 | 435 | $43,994,111 | 571 |
| Nikita Zadorov | D | 16 | Buffalo Sabres | $35,782,500 | 499 | $41,109,436 | 618 |
| Curtis Lazar | C/RW | 17 | Ottawa Senators | $10,657,500 | 1321 | $12,891,858 | 1479 |
| Mirco Mueller | D | 18 | San Jose Sharks | $4,950,000 | 1981 | $6,488,301 | 2160 |
| Anthony Mantha | RW | 20 | Detroit Red Wings | $37,990,000 | 455 | $43,903,739 | 573 |
| Frederik Gauthier | C | 21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $1,609,746 | 3253 | $2,025,653 | 3594 |
| Andre Burakovsky | LW | 23 | Washington Capitals | $45,482,500 | 342 | $52,335,664 | 439 |
| Michael McCarron | RW | 25 | Montreal Canadiens | $5,230,625 | 1925 | $5,824,127 | 2276 |
| Shea Theodore | D | 26 | Anaheim Ducks | $47,565,000 | 316 | $54,171,213 | 418 |
| Marko Dano | C | 27 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $4,200,000 | 2153 | $5,516,153 | 2324 |
| Jason Dickinson | C | 29 | Dallas Stars | $21,157,500 | 830 | $23,397,522 | 1017 |
| Ryan Hartman | RW | 30 | Chicago Blackhawks | $21,365,000 | 822 | $24,117,959 | 992 |