1 | | - | | The choice is easy here, its clearly Wright. |
2 | | - | | This might be a head scratcher here, but I believe that Nemec is a safer pick here. Slafkovsky's weak skating ability and underwhelming defensive effort could make him slip out of the top 5. With Subban likely gone and Severson potentially leaving after next season, there's multiple holes to be filled. |
3 | | - | | I love the potential of Arizona's forward prospects such as Smith, Hayton, McBain, Doan, Guenther, and Maccelli. Outside Moser and Soderstrom, there isn't much top-end talent on defense. I don't think the Coyotes will select Cooley here, instead they grab Jiricek. |
4 | | - | | Cooley doesn't fall any further than here. A 1-2 punch of Cooley and Beniers would be fantasy-like in the near future. |
5 | | - | | This is where Slafkovsky goes. He's a solid power forward with solid size, a lethal shot, and improved playmaking. Again, his skating ability is very lackluster and it is heavily affecting the defensive parts of his game. |
6 | | | | Savoie plays the type of game the Blue Jackets look for: high-end skill and fast. One of the fastest skaters in the draft, Savoie's goal-scoring ability blends well with Johnson's playmaking. |
7 | | - | | Reportedly the Senators want right-shot defenders and right-wingers. Kemell plays the game that the Senators are missing: a pure goal-scorer. |
8 | | - | | Off-the-board here, but this seems like a player that Yzerman would take. Kasper is ranked at 24th on my board, but the Red Wings need a complete center and they have done well developing SHL players. |
9 | | - | | The Sabres need a physical winger, Gauthier should be enough to push them over the edge. |
10 | | - | | Some may say this is too high, and I get it. But the Ducks are currently lacking power forwards in their top 6. Yurov is that type of player. |
11 | | - | | The Sharks future d-core is looking bad, like really bad. They must draft best defender available, and that is Mateychuk. |
12 | | - | | After grabbing a forward with the 6th pick, Columbus continues their trend of drafting Russians. Mintyukov is a solid two-way defender and a fluid skater. |
13 | | - | | Islanders missed the playoffs this year because of their lack of goals, Lekkerimaki is an undersized goal-scorer who can help them out in the near future. |
14 | | - | | Now under the leadership of Rick Bowness, I think the Jets should grab a player that is solid in all three zones. While Lambert is a solid option here, I love the upside of Nazar more. Its a shock to see him fall this far, I have him at 8th on my board. |
15 | | - | | Based off my rankings, this is a slip for McGroarty. Vancouver must go best forward available with this pick, McGroarty is a steal here as I have him at 11th on my draft board. |
16 | | | | Off-the-board pick here, Chelsey is 27th on my draft board. But he's the best defensive defenseman in the draft, and with the Sabres lacking right-shot defenders, Chelsey is the best available. |
17 | | - | | The Predators need skilled two-way defenders in their system, and Nelson could provide just that. |
18 | | - | | I could see Howard going a lot higher here, but with the emergence of several players, he drops here. He's an elite playmaker and will help the thin depth on LW for Dallas. |
19 | | | | A big reach here, but the Wild might lose Dumba and Brodin. Multiple holes must be filled, and Luneau was in my top 10 at the beginning of the season. If Luneau gets back to that form, this could wind up being a steal. |
20 | | - | | Lambert has fallen far enough. The Capitals need youth in their forward core that is currently aging. |
21 | | - | | Every year in the first round, there's always a high-risk pick. This is that pick. Robertson is one of the best overaged players ever to enter the draft, but the Penguins should consider taking this route. Crosby isn't getting much younger and the future of Malkin is unknown. Robertson is currently NHL-ready, there are no visible flaws in his game. |
22 | | | | I could see Korchinski going much higher than this, but with most teams addressing a team need, he falls here. A lot of Ducks fans have Korchinski being taken at 10th, so funny enough that he falls here. |
23 | | - | Christian Kyrou | A surprise pick here, but why not reunite the two Kyrou brothers? Behind Parayko, the Blues are weak on the right-side of their defensive core. Kyrou could be a solid middle-pairing guy here. |
24 | | - | | The Wild need depth on right wing, Dumais is the best right winger available based off my rankings. His end of the season was dominant, I mean dominant. He currently leads all first-year draft eligible players in points. |
25 | | - | | Toronto must draft defenseman if they want to make it past the first round. Hutson will take time to develop because of his weak frame, but he checks all the boxes to be a solid top 4 defender in the NHL. |
26 | | | | The Canadiens need right-shot defenders more than they need centers. Casey was a former top 10 selection at the beginning of the season, if he could get back to that form, this will be a steal. |
27 | | | | The coolest name in the draft addresses a need for the Coyotes. Even though I did say that the Coyotes forward core is full of solid talent, they need a forward who they could get excited over. Firkus makes all the flashy plays look easy. |
28 | | | | Based off my draft board, this is way off-the-board. But Persson is a fast skater, I mean VERY fast. The Sabres also need left wingers and even though they addressed that with Gauthier, Persson is just enough to push them over the edge. |
29 | | - | | There are a lot of questions regarding Bichsel's offensive potential, but the Oilers have two young offensive defenseman in Broberg and Bouchard so they don't need to worry much about that. Bichsel's defensive-minded game could work well with those two. |
30 | | | | Biggest steal of the draft. Geekie is the biggest boom-or-bust player in the draft, with his poor skating and balance. With the futures of Schiefele and Dubois in question, the Jets must stock up on forwards. |
31 | | - | | The Lightning don't really have a team need, so they just grab the BPA. |
32 | | | | The Coyotes continue to stock up on defensive prospects. |