2020 NHL Mock Draft: New York Rangers add Alexis Lafreniere

The Anaheim Ducks have quite a few needs, but none of them is more pressing than their blueline. And when you look at the Ducks prospects, I don’t see any top-notch defensive prospects. That’s why I believe they’re going with Jamie Drysdale. He has a lot of upside on offense and though his defense could stand to be improved, I’m encouraged by his improvement during his draft year.

Marco Rossi is one of the most fascinating prospects in this draft. I’m not sure if he’ll stick at center, but wherever he plays, he has the potential to be a huge (pun intended because Rossi is 5’9″) impact player. Rossi is a very dangerous player whenever he’s on the ice and he knows how to use his lack of size to his advantage. The New Jersey Devils will happily take him.

This is my bold pick of the top 10. Most people have Anton Lundell just outside of the top 10. However, the Sabres need help at center and I think they value what he brings to the table. His defense is poetry in motion and he has every tool you want to see in a franchise center. There are some questions about his offensive upside, but I believe if the Sabres are smart with him, he might wind up being one of the top five players from this draft.

I cannot fathom a scenario in which Lundell falls past the Wild. The fit is too perfect and the Wild need centers. However, if Lundell is gone, I see the Wild going with Alexander Holtz, who has all the tools you want to see in a goal-scoring forward.

The Winnipeg Jets could use another defenseman in their prospect pool, but I think Jack Quinn will be impossible for the Jets to pass up on. He’s an outstanding goal scorer who has shown significant growth as a two-way forward. Quinn also does well when playing up-tempo.

The Nashville Predators need help defensively as far as their prospects. They have no high-end blueline prospects and very few of them even project to be NHL defensemen. Jake Sanderson is a mobile defenseman who would be a great fit for the Predators. I think they’d probably take Jack Quinn if he’s available.

The Panthers could use a center here, but I can’t justify picking Jarvis over Dawson Mercer, who had one heck of a draft season. Had he not suffered an injury, he might have been a top 10 prospect. Mercer has hands as soft as a pillow and terrific offensive instincts. He looked very solid in a limited role at the 2020 World Juniors and if the 2021 World Juniors is held, Mercer should play a huge role on the team.

I’m usually against drafting goalies in the first round. History shows you can find extremely capable ones later in the draft. However, Yaroslav Askarov is absolutely worth drafting in the first round. He’s putting up eye-popping numbers in the KHL right now. Every time I’ve watched him play, I’ve been blown away by how great he is. The Hurricanes desperately need a top-notch goaltending prospect and Askarov certainly counts as one.

The Edmonton Oilers need more skilled wings. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are terrific and Kailer Yamamoto had a very encouraging 2019-20 season, but the Oilers have to give their two elite centers better wings. It’s that simple. Seth Jarvis had an excellent draft year and I’m a big fan of how he finds soft spots in the offensive zone. He’s also got a great shot and is a strong passer too.

Sure, the Toronto Maple Leafs need defensemen. But they also need effective forwards. Dylan Holloway projects to be a top-six forward, whether that be as a center or a wing. I’m a big fan of his two-way game. Don’t let his less than stellar numbers at Wisconsin fool you – Holloway’s going to be a very good player.

The Montreal Canadiens already have Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki at center. They’ll likely have either Philip Dannault or Max Domi there too. But the Canadiens need some scoring help and Connor Zary has the tools to provide that. His skating is a bit of a question mark, but he has a terrific shot.

The Blackhawks need better center depth in their organization, especially if they don’t re-sign Dylan Strome to a long-term deal. Mavrik Bourque will take a little bit longer than the guys picked before him to develop, but I think he has the potential to be a second-line center. I’m a big fan of his hockey IQ and vision. His skating is definitely a concern, though.

Though the New Jersey Devils have an impressive core of young players, they could use another defenseman in their prospect pool. I’m a huge fan of Ty Smith and Reilly Walsh, but I’m still not sold on Kevin Bahl yet. William Wallinder has the potential to be a top-four defenseman and a great power-play quarterback. His defense needs some work, but the Devils can afford to be patient.

The Calgary Flames have been avoiding drafting defensemen as of late. It stops here, as the Flames will draft Braden Schneider, who has the potential to be an impressive top-four defenseman. He’s a bit of a safer pick than Wallinder, as he has a higher floor, but slightly lower ceiling. Schneider is surprisingly mobile and effective in all three zones.

I’m curious to see what the New Jersey Devils will do with their third first-round pick. They’ve already got a potential game-changing forward (Rossi) and a potential game-changing defenseman (Wallinder). I think they swing for the fences and go with Henrik Lapierre, who has a ton of upside. The main concern with Lapierre is his health, as he recently had three concussions in less than 12 months. But man, when he’s healthy, he is very, very good.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been using quite a few first round picks on forwards in recent years. Zach Werenski (2015) was the last defenseman they drafted in the first round. Their blueline is going to need some help and their prospect pool lacks potential impact defensemen. Kaiden Guhle has the potential to be one. He has a nice combination of size, skill, speed, and quickness.

Noel Gunler’s one of my favorite prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft. I don’t get why his stock has been falling as of late, but the New York Rangers would sprint to the podium to draft him if these were normal times. Instead, they’ll have to settle for muting themselves on the Zoom call to celebrate. Gunler has immense upside and I could see him being a top-six scoring wing.

The Philadelphia Flyers can afford to be very bold in the 2020 NHL Draft. They have an impressive prospect pool even with guys like Joel Farabee graduating in recent years. Rodion Amirov is a bit of a project, but I’m a huge fan of his skill and speed. His hockey IQ is pretty good too. It’ll probably take him a while to get over to North America, but the Flyers can afford to wait him out.

Much like the Flyers, the Colorado Avalanche can afford to swing for the fences in the first round. Jan Mysak is a polarizing player, but his upside is sky-high. Mysak already has a year of professional experience under his belt and he was impressive in a short stint with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Washington Capitals prospect pool desperately needs a talent infusion. How about one of the most skilled forwards in the 2020 NHL Draft? Jacob Perreault has some skating issues, but he has shown an ability to learn, so I think he could quickly improve there. He was simply outstanding in the OHL in his draft year, picking up 70 points in 59 games. If they want a more NHL-ready prospect (not saying Perreault is a project), Tyson Foerster would make sense.

I’d be very surprised if the St. Louis Blues don’t draft a forward here. They desperately need some help there in their prospect pool. Tyson Foerster is a big, skilled forward who fits the St. Louis Blues profile. He could also be NHL-ready fairly soon, perhaps as early as the 2021-22 season. Foerster has shown to be equally effective at center and at wing.

The Anaheim Ducks already got a nice defenseman in Jamie Drysdale. Now it’s time for them to add to their forward group by drafting Lukas Reichel. Before this season, I had him as an interesting mid-round pick candidate. But he really impressed me this season. He’s finally learned how to utilize his unique skill set. Reichel has the potential to be a top-six wing in the NHL.

With their third first-round pick and having already added two excellent forwards, I think the Ottawa Senators will add a defenseman here. Justin Barron has solid size and I like his mobility too. On a very bad team, he really stood out. His stats don’t jump out at you, but keep in mind he was on a bad team.

The Vegas Golden Knights pipeline needs some more centers. I’m probably Peyton Krebs’ biggest fan, but after him, the Golden Knights don’t have much other than Cody Glass, who should get a full-time promotion to the NHL next season. Brendan Brisson is a playmaking center who has a lot of the tools that Vegas values in their centers.

Roni Hirvonen would be a great pick for the Dallas Stars for several reasons. First of all, it’s clear they love players from Finland. Miro Heiskanen’s a future Norris Trophy winner and Esa Lindell is a solid second-pairing defenseman. Oh yeah, and Joel Kiviranta’s from Finland too. So is Roope Hintz. The Stars need to just go all-in here and draft another player from Finland.

Secondly, Hirvonen has a lot of upside on offense and could be a very effective scoring center or wing in the NHL. He has a knack for getting open and despite being a tad bit small, isn’t afraid to play around the crease. Hirvonen will need to add a little bulk to his frame, but I think the Stars would be wise to draft him. He could be a gem.

His stats aren’t going to wow you, but that’s more due to a relatively weak year for the USNTDP than Thomas Bordeleau. He’s a very creative center who sets up his teammates for scoring chances. I’d like to see him shoot more, though. He’ll be heading to the University of Michigan and I’m really excited to see how he develops.