1 | | - | | If there was any doubt, the winger who has been projected to go first overall for over a year now gets picked by the New York Rangers. Adding a potential generational talent to an already stacked young forward group will allow the Rangers to be cup contenders for years. |
2 | | - | | Not only does this pick fit positional needs for the Kings, but I also strongly believe that Stutzle is the 2nd best player in this draft. He is the best skater in the first round, and is even considered to be the most dynamic player in his draft class. Awesome pick for the Kings. |
3 | | | | Byfield will 99.9% go 3rd if Stutzle goes second. A rare blend up size and speed makes Byfield a tantalizing prospect, that will almost certainly lead the Sens to playoff success down the road. The only knock on Byfield, is that he has many holes in this game, and they will take some time to fill out. |
4 | | - | | There was a lot of talk over the past few weeks about Stevie Y selected Cole Perfetti with this pick, but in my opinion, Rossi is on another level, and the 4th best player in this draft. Drysdale is also an option, but with them picking Seider at 6 last year, they look to improve their forward pool. |
5 | | - | | Dorrion stated that the sens would be looking to take the two best players available with 3 and 5, and Raymond is the best available at this spot. Reminds me very much of Mitch Marner, and he has the potential to be just as good, giving the sens a deadly top line down the road of Stutzle, Tkachuk, and now Raymond. |
6 | | - | | Drysdale falls right into the Ducks hands at #6. Although I think Drysdale's stock rose because he is the best defender in his class, I still believe he is the best prospect at this point, and with the ducks focusing on their forward core the past few drafts, it's time to start looking to improve the future on the back end. |
7 | | - | | The devils had two first overall picks, 1 in 2017, and 1 in 2019 (Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes). Both will be stars, and both are centers. That's why I believe they will take the winger with one of the best shots in his class, Alexander Holtz. |
8 | | - | | I believe the Sabres will draft by position on this one, and select the second best d man in the draft, Jake Sanderson. With a future 1-2 punch of Eichel and Cozens, there is no need to draft Perfetti, and I believe the gap from Cole to Jake is much smaller then people think, allowing the Sabres to draft by position. |
9 | | - | | A fantastic pick by the wild, Perfetti would be one of the biggest fallers in the draft (there usually is 1 every draft). The wild, who's top 3 prospects all belong to the LW position, need to start improving the middle of the ice, and Perfetti may just be their future #1 center. His skating is not the best, but he makes up for it with his high hockey IQ. |
10 | | - | | Just like the Wild, the Jets will be looking to improve their future up the middle (that is if Sanderson does not fall). Lundell was an absolute beast over seas in Li-Liga this past year, and is one of the most NHL ready prospects in the draft. Not only is he solid offensively, but he will be in the conversation for many Selke trophies down the road. The only knock I have on Lundell is that he is already almost fully grown, so he may not have as much room to improve as some of the other prospects in this first round. |
11 | | - | | One of the main reasons the Predators were bested by the Coyotes in the play-ins this past year was because of their lack of scoring. Quinn will bring a lot and I mean A LOT of scoring to the Predators offence. Along with Holtz, he has got a lethal shot, and will be able to pop 40 plus goals in the future. |
12 | | - | | The Panthers won't even look at superstar goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov, because they picked Spencer Knight last year. With Hoffman and Dadanov potentially leaving in FA, Mercer fits their needs, as well as brings first line potential. Only thing holding him back from that is his skating. |
13 | | | | A team that doesn't have any massive needs at offence or defense, the Hurricanes will select potential franchise goaltender Yaroslav Askarov. Called the next "Carry Price" (those are lofty expectations that I don't think are very realistic", Askarov's only rough part of the year came at the WJC, when he struggled to continue his brick wall play for Russia. |
14 | | - | | The Oilers will almost certainly go with a forward here after selected Broberg and Bouchard in the top 10 the last few drafts. Jarvis is a Braydon Point like player, and after the playoffs he just had, many teams will be keeping a close eye on Jarvis come draft day. |
15 | | | | It seems like the Leafs are always looking for Right handed D-man, and Schneider obviously fits that. This is an obvious pick, that is unless they trade it. |
16 | | - | | Watching Cole Caufield all season at the University of Wisconsin definitely did not hurt his chances of potentially getting selected by the Habs. Although he is a center, he played many games on the wing for Wisconsin, and the Canadiens will love to have that freedom to play him whereever they want. |
17 | | - | | After picking Kirby Dach 3rd overall in last years draft, they'll look at adding a dynamic winger to their system and Amirov is definitely dynamic. Although he wont go about driving lines like Panarin or Kuch, he will be able to be a great top 6 option who can put up points. |
18 | | | | I think Bourque could be a superb pick for the Devils at 18. Although he isn't one of the flashiest players in the draft class, he doesn't everything well, and works his butt off. He could play in the top 6 if the Devils need him to, or he could play more of a checking, PK role. |
19 | | - | | With Calgary's Center problems really showing this past season, Zary is an obvious pick for me at 20. Although we could see him going much higher on draft day, I think this is around where he should end up and Calgary may have a very nice top 6 center here. |
20 | | | | Although I don't think Barron is the best player or defenseman on the board at 20, the Devils already had two fantastic picks, Holtz, and Bourque, which should allow them to chose based on position. With Kevin Bahl and Ty Smith in the system, the Devils will chose the RD in Barron. |
21 | | - | | I think this is a slam dunk pick for the Jackets. Although Lapierre has had some injury problems during his junior career, if he stays healthy, I believe he could make a fantastic second line center behind Dubois. Not to mention he fits Torts's system perfectly. |
22 | | | | Although the prospect pool screams draft a center, if Gunler drops to them at 22, I believe this is a player they can't pass up on. Although scouts say he has attitude issues, that's usually something prospects can improve. |
23 | | - | | Not a player I'm huge on in the first half of the draft, however if he falls outside the top 20, I think it will be a great selection for the flyers, to join a young d corps including Proverov, and York down the road. |
24 | | - | | Connor McMicheal at the end of the first round last year was one of the steals of the draft. The caps would have potential of having another steal with this pick. Peterka is a dynamic forward, who could be a legit top 6 forward in a couple years time. |
25 | | - | | One of my favorite players in this years draft, Mysak has all the potential to be a dangerous scorer, OR a dangerous playmaker. |
26 | | - | | Although not a right d like Pietrangelo is, the potential loss of the life long Blue could be on their minds, making them pick the natural leader O'Rourke. He is not the "new age defender" you hear of so often these days, but he is a physical, tough defender to get around. Sounds like St.Louis Hockey to me. |
27 | | | | One of the best goal scorers in the draft, after selected Drysdale with their 6th overall pick, they will look to improve the winger depth. Imagine Zegras setting up Foerster... Deadly. |
28 | | | | This pick just seemed perfect for the sens. After selected Byfield and Raymond at 3 and 5, they can look to improve the back end. |
29 | | - | | Brisson brings a lot of value to the Golden Knights prospect pool, and could be a fantastic middle 6 center for them. He played on a stacked Chicago Steel team last year, and was one of the leading scorers in all of the USHL last year. |
30 | | - | | Although he must work on his skating, the kid can score, and it's clear the stars have to work on their depth scoring for the future. He will be a nice addition to a weaker stars prospect pool. |
31 | | | | The sharks could do anything with this pick since their prospect pool is shallow in all areas. Khusnutdinov has spectacular hands, and has the potential to be a real difference maker in the NHL. |