2020 NHL Draft: Grading each and every team’s draft class
Now that the 2020 NHL Draft is over, let’s take a look at how every team did.
The weirdest draft in NHL history is over. General managers have handed in their exams for the 2020 NHL Draft and it’s time to hand out their grades. This year, it’s especially tough to grade teams based on how they drafted because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
I was tempted to give every team an “F” for how long the final six rounds took on Wednesday. It usually goes by quickly because general managers have planes to catch, but with no planes to catch, it took all day for the final six rounds to end. But giving everyone an “F”, even if it’s fully deserved, is the easy way out. And I never take the easy way out.
Before we begin, let’s take a look at how we’re going to judge each team’s draft class. Grading won’t be done on a curve. In other words, I don’t particularly care where a team drafted in each round, nor do I care how many picks they had. What I care about is how well they drafted. Secondly, I’ll take a look at my favorite and least favorite picks for each team.
I don’t want to be here all day unlike some people (glares at the general managers), so let’s get these grades started!
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
Favorite pick: I wouldn’t have drafted Trevor Kuntar in the second round, but I think he could be an effective bottom-six forward in the NHL.
Least favorite pick: While I could have gone with any of the rest of the picks, Mason Langenbrunner jumps out at me. He might be a fine prospect, but come on, drafting the son of one of your colleagues in the fifth round?
Grade: F. The Bruins reached on all of their picks. That’s not a good sign. There’s a non-zero chance the Bruins will get zero NHL games from this group.
Buffalo Sabres
Favorite pick: John-Jason Peterka was a great pick in the second round. Love his name as well! JJP has a good chance of being a productive top-nine forward and could be a huge pain in the butt to play against (in a good way).
Least favorite pick: Jack Quinn is going to be a good player, but the Sabres passed over much better prospects, including Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti, and Anton Lundell, to draft him.
Grade: C+. Their second day saved their draft.
Detroit Red Wings
Favorite pick: I liked several of their picks a lot. William Wallinder was a great pick at the top of the second round. But Lucas Raymond is the obvious choice here. He’s one of the smartest and most gifted players in the draft. Red Wings fans are going to love him.
Least favorite pick: Cross Hanas is a fine prospect, but I think drafting him in the second round was a bit of a reach. He has the upside to prove me wrong, though, and I’d love for him to do that.
Grade: A-. Great draft for the Red Wings.
Florida Panthers
Favorite pick: Anyone who knows me knows who I’m going to say – Anton Lundell. Getting him with the 12th pick is a bargain. Lundell’s basically Aleksander Barkov. Really great defensively, has the potential to be great on offense. Nothing flashy about his game, he’s just brutally effective and efficient.
Least favorite pick: I like Ty Smilanic, but with his injury history, he has bust potential. That’s fine for a third-round pick, though.
Grade: B+. Great first draft for Bill Zito.
Montreal Canadiens
Favorite pick: Jan Mysak was one of my favorite prospects heading into the draft. He has first-round talent. I have no clue why he was still around with the 48th overall pick, but kudos to the Canadiens for picking him. Mysak’s game-changing offensive skills are what the Canadiens are lacking.
Least favorite pick: Kaiden Guhle wasn’t worth a first round pick, in my opinion. He’s gifted, but there are several defensemen I would have gone with over him.
Grade: B-. A strong second day highlights this draft for Montreal.
Ottawa Senators
Favorite pick: Tim Stutzle was a great pick in the first round. Also, I love that Alex Trebek announced the pick. Egor Sokolov is a very interesting prospect who could turn out to be a steal if he improves his skating. Jake Sanderson was drafted a bit too early for my liking, but he’s got the goods to be at least a second-pairing defenseman.
Least favorite pick: The Senators traded up to draft Tyler Kleven, a defenseman from North Dakota. I wasn’t a fan of him when I watched him. It’s clear the Senators trust the University of North Dakota a lot.
Grade: C-. The Senators had a lot of picks, but they were very poor after their second first-round pick. Stutzle and Sanderson alone are a pretty good draft class. But they could have done so much better after them.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Favorite pick: Jack Thompson is a very skilled defenseman. He needs to learn how to utilize his unique skill set and improve his skating a little bit, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Thompson winds up being a steal in this draft.
Least favorite pick: Not a fan of Amir Miftakhov. Think he’s too small and not athletic enough to stick in the NHL as a goalie.
Grade: C. Considering they didn’t pick until the 57th overall pick, they did a fairly good job.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Favorite pick: Roni Hirvonen was a terrific pick. He’s a smart and skilled player who can skate very well. In other words, he’s the perfect Leafs draft pick. William Villeneuve could be someone teams regret passing on. He’s a bit undersized, but he uses his lack of size to his advantage and he’s a very good skater, especially for a defenseman.
Least favorite pick: Ryan Tverberg didn’t impress me at all when I watched him.
Grade: A. Easily one of the best drafts by any team.