2019 NHL Draft: 5 biggest winners and losers from first round

Winner: Montreal Canadiens

In 2016, the Montreal Canadiens really wanted Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks. To get him, they surrendered two second-round picks. With one of those two picks, the Blackhawks got the steal of the draft in Alex DeBrincat. The Canadiens needed goal scorers then, and they still do. Losing out on DeBrincat had to hurt a lot.

Montreal ensured they weren’t going to miss out on a great goal scorer in 2019. The Canadiens took advantage of a weird first round to draft Cole Caufield, who scored nearly a goal per game last season with the USNTDP.

Much like DeBrincat, Caufield is tiny. But much like him, he can also score a ton of goals. The Canadiens deserve a tip of the hat for reading how the draft was going. They could have drafted a solid left-handed defenseman, which they certainly need. But instead, the Canadiens might have gotten the best goal scorer in the draft.

Loser: Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings had the reach of the night. They drafted Mortiz Seider from Germany with the sixth overall pick. Now, it’s going to be a few years before we know how good he is. However, there were a number of great players available. The Red Wings could have drafted Jason Zegras, whose unique skill set is one their organization desperately lacks.

Even Dylan Cozens would have been a fine selection. Seider projects to be an NHL defenseman, but he’s a bit of a risk. His game is less developed than those of the players who were available. Even if the Red Wings wanted a defenseman, why not go for Cam York or Philip Broberg? Seider should be a solid defensive defenseman, but you don’t draft those with the sixth overall pick. You draft difference makers. Seider likely won’t be one.