I’ve been stuck in a hospital bed the last two days (hernia surgery) and therefore I had to follow the results of the 2019 NHL draft lottery along with Twitter.
Does Taylor Hall have a horseshoe stuck in his ass or what?
They talk about Gretzky’s 92 goals or Sittler’s 10 pts in one game as records that may never be broken. But winning 5 draft lotteries in your first 9 years in the league? In 2 different draft lottery eras, no less. That is a record that will stand forever.
— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 10, 2019
NJ wins the draft lottery days after extending their GM. Is it enough to keep Hallsy in NJ or was the botched job the Devils medical team did on his knee this year the last straw? Hughes or Kakko aren’t going to be enough to get them into the playoffs next year, so does he want to stick through this rebuild with the NJ? I would lean towards no.
It’s a bit of an ironic situation for Shero and his boys in that his team needs an upgrade on defense and Taylor Hall could be the guy that brings in said stud defender. Can Ray Shero do a better job of trading Hall than Chiarelli did?
Can Shero turn his club into a perennial playoff team now that he has three 1st overall picks playing for him?
I’m really happy for my friend who lives in NY and loves Finnish hockey players. It looks like they’ll end up with a good young Finn in Kakko at no.2 unless they lose their minds and go for the Russian Podkolzin instead…
Chicago moving up to #3 is going to be the table setter I think for the rest of the top-10. Will they add the top-ranked defender (Byram), the top-ranked Russian (Podkolzin), or one of the uber-talented kids out of the USNTDP (Turcotte, Boldy, Zegras)?
I would’ve loved for the Oilers to jump up into the top-three for a chance to bring in a stud at forward or defense but it wasn’t to be this year and in all honesty, that’s fine with me. The team will still be able to draft an impact forward at that spot OR use the pick to help elsewhere.
THE MOCK
- NJ – Jack Hughes (C) – USNTDP –
No brainer here. New Jersey takes the consensus best prospect. The Devils hope that Taylor Hall stays with the club long enough to realize the potential of the HHH line (Hall, Hischier, Hughes). Interesting fact: Hall was once part of another line of 1st overall picks in Edmonton when he played alongside Connor McDavid and Nail Yakupov for a short time. - NYR – Kaapo Kakko (RW) – TPS Turku –
There will be a debate as to if the Rangers should take Kakko or Podkolzin, but in the end, they’ll take the high-scoring Finn and reap the benefits of him scoring 20+ goals in his first year playing alongside fellow Scandinavian Mika Zibanejad. - CHI – Vasili Podkolzin (RW) – SKA St. Petersburg –
In search of Artemi Panarin 2.0, Stan Bowman will take Podkolzin not knowing that the Russian is less Panarin and more a hybrid of Toews/Datsyuk. He’ll look fine alongside Dylan Strome on the 2nd line someday. - COL – Bowen Byram (LHD) – Vancouver Giants –
Some are saying Byram is the best defender available out of the West since Scott Niedermayer and that’s something Joe Sakic will not pass on. It will also ease the pain of trading Tyson Barrie to the Oilers… All kidding aside, Makar and Byram will be fantastic anchors for that Avs defense for 10 years to come. - LA – Kirby Dach (C) – Saskatoon Blades –
After watching Ryan Getzlaf dominate the Pacific for many-a-year, the Kings pick up their own version in Dach and given the slow development of Gabe Valardi, I think the selection is justified. - DET – Alex Turcotte (C) – USNTDP –
Turcotte is all you want in a forward in today’s NHL whether you’re old-school or new-school. He’s skilled in both manners of play. Off the chart skills, skating and hockey IQ combined with a motor that never stops and an endless drive are things that have impressed me in Turcotte. - BUF – Dylan Cozens (C) – Lethbridge Hurricanes –
The Sabres aren’t ridiculously deep at centre and there are questions about if Casey Middlestadt will be playing there in the future or on the wing. Taking Jeff Carter 2.0 at 7th overall clears that up in a jiffy. - EDM – Peyton Krebs (LW) – Kootenay Ice –
Mark Edwards, from HockeyProspect.com, referred to Krebs as Alex Turcotte-lite and I’m fine with that. I haven’t been huge on Krebs but I love a player who plays his ass off night-in and night-out. Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer compared him to Brad Marchand which would be perfecto for the Oilers. Edmonton could use a bit more depth on the LW as it is. - ANH – Trevor Zegras (C) – USNTDP –
Anaheim has traditionally gone with bigger more physical players but after this past season’s poor result, they opt to go with the small skilled playmaker. Not saying he’s the next Paul Kariya but he might be the next Clayton Keller. - VAN – Matthew Boldy (LW) – USNTDP –
Boldy is a fantastic two-way playmaker and in my viewings could almost always find the tape on his teammate’s blades whilst in the most compromising of positions. Canucks fans could dream of him on a line with either Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, or Bo Horvat because that’s most likely where he’d end up. He reminds me of Nugent-Hopkins in the way he plays. - PHI – Victor Soderstrom (RHD) – Brynas –
The Flyers need to add to their stable of young defenders an electrifying offensive defender. I think Shane Gostisbehere is a great threat from the point and Ivan Provorov is an excellent two-way defender, Philly doesn’t have that dynamic right-handed dman who can be the 4th forward on a rush into the off. zone on their right side. - MIN – Cole Caufield (RW) – USNTDP –
The Wild pick Caufield because they’re looking to add the kind of scoring that they’ve been lacking since Marian Gaborik twinkled the twine for them all those years ago. Even though the Wild could really use a center here, the holder of the USNTDP’s all-time goal-scoring record is the best player available. - FLA – Cam York (LHD) – USNTDP –
The Coach Q era begins in FLA with the selection of a smooth-skating puck-moving product of the US National Development Program by the name of Cam York. I wonder if he might be a bit similar to a player they’ve got on their roster right now and someone who gives Connor McDavid fits when Edmonton and Florida play in Mike Matheson. Both are great skating defenders who can pass the puck well and also think the game at a high level. The Panthers have great prospect depth on forward but they’re lacking on the blue line. In fact, the last defenseman they took in the first round was Aaron Ekblad. - ARI – Alex Newhook (C) – Victoria Grizzlies –
Newhook has the quickness, hands, and vision that Coyotes would love to add to their pipeline. He’s been tearing up the BCHL as of recent and I confidently suggest that he’ll be doing the same alongside Matthew Boldy and Cam York for Boston College next season. - MTL – Philip Broberg (LHD) – AIK –
Broberg will bring back the end-to-end rushes that PK Subban made so popular during his time in Montreal and the fans will love it. I can’t speak for Broberg’s personality, but the Habs could definitely use a puck transporter and it doesn’t hurt to have another bomb from the point.
MY OILERS DRAFT LIST
If I’m making a post-lottery draft list for the Oilers, I’m prioritizing speed, skill, and goal scoring. I want some greedy shooters on the team going forward. My top-8 players are the ones I would take no matter who is there at 8th overall, after that, I take the skillset described above into consideration and draft for that need.
- Jack Hughes (C)
- Kaapo Kakko (RW)
- Bowen Byram (D)
- Alex Turcotte (C)
- Vasili Podkolzin (RW)
- Dylan Cozens (C)
- Kirby Dach (C)
- Peyton Krebs (C)
——————- - Cole Caufield (RW)
- Jakob Pelletier (LW)
- Pavel Dorofeyev (W)
- Artur Kaliyev (LW)
- Phil Tomasino (C)
- Bobby Brink (RW)
- Matthew Boldy (C)
- Robert Mastrosimone (C)
- Alex Newhook (C)
- Raphael Lavoie (RW)
- Connor McMichael (C)
- Samuel Fagemo (W)
- Samuel Poulin (LW)
If you’d like to read some more detailed profiles of the players above, Max from @TPEHockey released his pre-lottery draft rankings yesterday. Check them out!
