1 | | - | | Considered to be a generational defenceman. The Atlantic is going to be a murder's row for years, with the Bolts, Bruins, Leafs, Panthers, AND Sabres all being competitive. |
2 | | - | | The goal-scoring machine they always wanted via lottery. I suspect they'll see a lot of offers for this pick, but if they're adamant about moving Skinner, Svech is their guy in the bigger picture |
3 | | - | | Best hope Zadina learns how to take a faceoff. Cool that he goes to his boyhood team though. Montreal looks to take the BPA as their prospect pool is severely lacking. |
4 | | - | | I don't think, despite how badly they need a winger, Ottawa goes for Tkachuk. I think Bouchard is a really attractive option considering Karlsson's future in the Canadian Capital being such a huge question mark. He's probably NHL ready and will join youngsters Brown and White. |
5 | | - | | Boqvist is probably the LAST piece Arizona needs to be a scary team in a few years: RD is the only considerable hole in their roster. OEL having another super Swede to mentor probably adds to the attractiveness of his rumoured 8-year extension. |
6 | | - | | He's probably NHL ready and plays in their backyard. Considering Detroit probably has a really good shot at drafting his younger brother next year, Hughes makes sense for the rebuilding Wings here. |
7 | | - | | Bim Jenning isn't a smart fellow, but Tkachuk at 7 is a no-brainer. Adds to the marketability of the CGY matchup and their modest wealth of high-end forward prospects. |
8 | | - | | Chicago is probably going to surprise everyone here, but the chance at adding possibly the purest scorer of the draft (behind Svech) to an already budding 2nd generation offense of Schmaltz and DeBrincat. They have defensive prospects on the way, I can't see them passing on Wahlstrom. |
9 | | - | | With Skjei taking a step back, Deangelo and Poink finding their feet, and the modest glut of forwards at their disposal, I can see the Rags taking a long, hard look at a prominent LHD. Smith makes sense if that's what they're looking at. |
10 | | - | | Every time Edmonton loses a draft lottery, they somehow win the draft. They badly need a bonafide, puck-moving defenceman in their system, and Dobson is exactly that. With his availability at #10, there's no chance Edmonton trades the pick. |
11 | | - | | Tavares is staying fwiw, but with the LW wealth the Islanders system boasts, they look to take the purest center of the draft in Veleno. Ideally in two years both he and Barzal feature on a line together to balance strong- and weak-side faceoffs. |
12 | | | | With their second 1st-Round Pick, the Isles build up their poor defensive depth with Wilde, who hopefully slots in behind Pulock in no more than 2 years. |
13 | | - | | Dallas still has no #2C, as Faksa seems to have plateaued as a #3C. They happily take the next best center in the draft, who impressed at the U18s this year. Kotkaniemi looks to play alongside Lindell, Honka, and Heiskanen as the Finnish core down South |
14 | | | | The Flyers boast a disgusting amount of prospect depth, so they're comfortable taking just about any player here. There aren't a wealth of right-handed centers in their system, so Kupari is their guy |
15 | | - | | Florida probably needs to add another high-end defenseman at this point, but passing on Farabee would be incredibly hard to do at this point, as he'd make their offense incredibly lethal in a matter of years. |
16 | | - | | Adding Girard and Ottawa's 2019 1st gives Colorado a ton of flexibility here with their pick. They add the BPA and their future #2C - Barrett Hayton. |
17 | | - | | While Jersey could really use a game-breaking defenceman, they have the inside track on McLeod's scouting report and look to unite the brothers. Besides, they're probably the front-runners for Carlson. |
18 | | - | | Center-depth behind PLD has shown to be a weakness for the Blue Snackets. They also boast a nonexistent prospect pool. Lundestrom is their best option here, and could be ready by the end of next season. |
19 | | - | | If they opt to keep the pick - and they most likely will - adding a pure winger should be the next to-do on Hextall's list. Kravtsov fits the bill, and they can allow him to take an extra year or two to develop. |
20 | | - | | The Kings have a few budding forward prospects and are going to want to bolster the back end for the future: Doughty isn't getting younger and there's no certainty he stays (he probably will though). McIssac, welcome to LA. |
21 | | - | | The Sharks follow suit to the Kings and look to build up their blueline, which has aged even more so than Los Angeles'. Sandin has shown so well in the Soo, it's hard for me to imagine the Sharks don't jump on him immediately. |
22 | | | | Having found their Karlsson insurance at #4, the Sens look to Russia to solve some of the deficiencies at LW. they haven't actually taken a Russian in the draft since 2007, and haven't pulled one from overseas since 2005. Status quo hasn't worked for them, and this seems like the easiest way to try something new. |
23 | | - | | Montour will get offer sheeted this summer. While it sucks for Ducks management, they routinely pump out quality defenders. Next in line to the throne? Nils Lundkvist. |
24 | | - | | Minny has religiously gone for forwards in the early rounds of the past few drafts. This time, they look to add blueline assistance. Suter isn't getting any younger and their bottom pairing is borderline AHL calibre. Having Greenway and Miller on the same team will punish the Central for years. |
25 | | - | | The Leafs could use more centers in their prospect pool, but I'm certain Dubas has the confidence in Babcock to taim the stallion of the draft. Merkley featuring along with Liljegren on the starboard guard give the leafs the offensive firepower to run house in the Atlantic for years. |
26 | | | | With the blueline sorted out, the Rangers are going to look to compliment their center prospects in Hartford with a dynamic winger. Bokk, should he void his SHL contract, would be eligible to join Andersson and Chytil in the AHL for next season. |
27 | | | | While Chicago would most likely prefer to add a LW prospect here, the BPA has slid a fair bit from where many scouts thought he would go: it's too hard for them to pass on Noel at this point. |
28 | | - | | Washington has addressed their blueline prospects in previous drafts: they need to inject skill to the forward positions in their system. Kaut fits the bill and could possibly feature in Hershey next season. |
29 | | | | Detroit found their blueline anchor for the future early in the draft. They'll look to add a complimentary center to their system as they continue to add skill to their system. BPA; Akil Thomas. |
30 | | | | The Rangers make their way back to the podium to select Andersson's teammate from the WJCs, Jacob Olofsson. This pick gives them a wealth of talented center prospects that could either shift to the wing or be used to acquire players at other positions. |
31 | | | | The Blues have loaded up on forward prospects over the last few years and will look to add a defenseman to their system. Jet Woo appears to be a consensus pick for the late first round. |