2019 NHL Mock Draft: New Jersey Devils add another franchise center

1. New Jersey Devils

Jack Hughes – C – US National Team Development Program (USHL)

Let’s start by examining the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second. Their successful years were buoyed by depth down the middle that was sourced from the draft. Evgeni Malkin was picked second overall in the 2004 draft, and the Penguins lucked into Sidney Crosby with the 2005 first overall pick (due to a weird lottery with the lockout year). The two elite centers have gone on to both becoming Stanley Cup winning future Hall of Famers.

This is not to say right away that Hughes and Nico Hischier are comparable to Malkin and Crosby right now, because they aren’t. But the thought process for the Devils is the same. Draft elite center prospects, groom them for years, and the team around them will get better.

Hughes is an elite skater (the Devils love that), and can make plays at top speed, which is something New Jersey badly needs. Combine that with finishers like Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, along with the loads of youth the Devils are bringing in? The future is bright in Jersey.

2. New York Rangers

Kaapo Kakko – LW – TPS Turku (Liiga)

The New York Rangers have an arguably easier pick than the Devils do. Basically, if the Devils take Hughes, Rangers take Kakko, and vice versa. He is the other top tier prospect in the draft besides Hughes. Kakko is a big, playmaking winger with a very high hockey IQ. He’s currently playing in his native Finland for TPS, and succeeding well playing against grown men.

Experts say his speed isn’t quite top flight, and that it can be worked on. However, that doesn’t exclude them saying he’s ready for the NHL because of his smarts, build, and hands. It’d be easy to compare Kakko to Patrik Laine, but Kakko’s bread and butter is his creative passing rather than his shot.

Kakko’s addition to the Rangers helps accelerate their rebuild, which is already well underway and coming into fruition. Kakko would join other kids like Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson to form a great young core for the next wave of contention for the Rangers.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Bowen Byram – D – Vancouver Giants (WHL)

Everyone is saying how the 2019 draft really kicks off at the third pick because that particular pick can be one of a handful of players. There are several prospects who’ve made their case for the third spot in this draft, and the Chicago Blackhawks here select Byram based on need, rather than best available. This is a stretch pick, but there’s a good reason for it.

Let’s look at how Chicago did this year. The offense isn’t a problem, and a mid-season trade for Dylan Strome and Brandon Perlini helped buttress that attack. However, their defense suffered tremendously, as they just couldn’t keep the puck out of their end.

Byram is known as a puck-moving defenseman who can dictate the direction of play very well. The Hawks desperately need young help with their aging defensemen becoming slower and less adept to the modern game. Byram will be a very helpful addition to Chicago.