2020 NHL Draft: Top 5 winners and losers from Round 1

Winner: Black hockey players

With the second overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings selected Quinton Byfield. That’s the highest any Black player has been drafted in NHL history. And he deserved to be the second overall pick. Heck, there’s a case he should have been the first overall pick.

Byfield is going to inspire a lot of Black hockey players. It took a very long time for a Black hockey player to be drafted this high in the NHL draft, but it finally happened. The Kings are getting a gem.

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Byfield’s NHL ready right now. He has an impressive combination of size, speed, and skill. I’d like to see him play against adults before joining the NHL, but the CHL rules are asinine, so he might not get that chance.

Loser: Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have done a great job drafting recently. They had a rare miss in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, as they selected defenseman Justin Barron. He recently suffered a huge injury, so that’s strike one.

There were better players left on the board for the Avalanche. For example, what about Mavrik Bourque, who does a lot of things well and plays like he’s fast? Or how about Jacob Perreault, who could be a very good scoring wing? If you want to swing for the fences, why not go after Jan Mysak or Noel Gunler?