Continuing on with this series, we have a look at N-P. Or entropy.
Players picked before
Anaheim Ducks : 11 William Nylander and 30 Jack Dougherty
Boston Bruins : 23 Alexis Vanier
Buffalo Sabres : 1 Sam Reinhart and (potential) 5 Leon Draisaitl
Calgary Flames : 3 Roland McKeown
Carolina Hurricanes : 8 Haydn Fleury
Chicago Blackhawks : 29 Lucas Wallmark
Colorado Avalanche : 25 Nikolaj Ehlers
Columbus Blue Jackets : 14 David Pastrňà¡k
Dallas Stars : 9 Anton Karlsson
Detroit Red Wings : 13 Nikolai Goldobin
Edmonton Oilers : 2 Aaron Ekblad
Florida Panthers : 4 Sam Bennett
Los Angeles Kings : 24 Alex Tuch
Minnesota Wild : 19 Brycen Martin
Montréal Canadiens : 26 Nick Schmaltz
Nashville Predators
The Predators are an interesting team. They just keep getting more defense (including after I originally wrote this acquiring Del Zotto) and goaltending as we’ve seen guys able to come up through their system from the back alleys of Europe and wherever. As funny as it would be for them to draft a defender in this spot, logic dictates that a team desperate for scoring will pick a scorer…however they like certain styles of scorers, usually of the two-way variety with less explosive upside. Radulov has been the only really adventurous pick by Nashville other than maybe Ryan Ellis who doesn’t count regardless as he’s a defender. Will they follow suit? Or go bold at 7?
7th Overall Pick : Centre Jared McCann of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL
45 Games 21 Goals 24 Assists 45 Points
I went with safe. McCann is akin to Bo Horvat from last year’s draft in many ways sans the playoff scoring fanaticism (which he hasn’t had a chance to show yet). While his skills might make you wary of taking him earlier than the sexier higher end talent, his two-way game, maturity and ability to bring a lot of everything into one package is very tempting. He’s an excellent special teams player both on the PP and PK showing a lot of versatility. He has a great shot and good hands, especially in close near the goalie. I’m personally impressed by his utility on the PP as I’ve seen him QB from the point, play in front of the net and set up below the goal line all in one game. While his numbers don’t bring you out of your seat, it’s the tools and effectiveness he brings every game that will see him likely go in the top-15 if not top-10. Seems like a typical Predator pick to me.
New York Rangers
Ah the Rangers, they’re mercurial to say the least and while I’ve liked some of their picks and moves, they still are on a quest to gain more depth at the forward position. Last draft without their first rounder they went with a lot of high upside forwards that are boom/bust in nature, a strategy I really like personally. That said there is a guy hovering around 16th that I think might be too good of a fit to pass up.
16th Overall Pick : Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo from the Sarnia Sting in the OHL
38 Games 11 Goals 46 Assists 57 Points
Almost every year we see the undersized (5’11) offensive dynamo defenseman go in this 10-20 range (Pouliot 8, Murphy 12, Ellis 11, Karlsson 15, Hickey 4), and every time you have to really hope he can be more Karlsson and less MA Bergeron. DeAngelo is the de facto most skilled defender in this draft, he is simply a PP God (24 PPA) that moves the puck effortlessly and brings as much creativity as a high-end forward. The top scoring defenseman in the OHL who happens to be 17 points up on the next highest Darnell Nurse in 8 fewer games (and 17th overall in the league) is an excellent skater who while not very strong defensively has shown that he will at least try to engage in that side of the game. The Sting are brutal defensively and it begs the question of how good he would be if he had somebody who could pair with him? The Rangers with their strong defensive depth could very well answer that in a few years. Knowing some of my Rangers fan buddies, they won’t be happy about Italian-American/Canadian defensemen right about now though.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers having the team they do simply need depth at the prospect level, they need more and they need higher quality. They went a bit off the board in selecting Morin last season, but he’s still a very good prospect and a need for them. While they are climbing the standings and will likely make the playoffs, it’s clear they aren’t a contender right now and will need to keep adding to their pool. Now the Flyers historically have been excellent drafting forwards, especially gouging the OHL and QMJHL for their talent, so while the immediate team need is on defense, this draft isn’t really all that good for it. I think we see another savvy forward selection.
17th Overall Pick : Left Wing Nick Ritchie of the Peterborough Petes in the OHL
38 Games 19 Goals 22 Assists 41 Points
Yes I think Ritchie will fall…maybe not to 17, but definitely out of the top-10. Like his older brother, he has the size and talent to astound and take over games, but he’s frustratingly inconsistent. Ritchie plays a power game including his physicality and net drive to get a lot of his points. Being a big man that can skate always attracts the scouts (6’3 225lb) and makes him hard to deal with. That kind of size and physical play also gives you the hope for safety, basically meaning that should his offensive game never blossom at the NHL level, he could still be a useful player for the team. He’s also a player most think is closer to the NHL than many having played 3 years in the OHL already. Could be a good fit…though he might go earlier if he can make chemistry with Hunter Garlant who is on the Petes and tearing it up (11 points in the 5 games since traded).
Phoenix Coyotes
MORE TWO-WAY DEFENSEMEN! MORE! I honestly wouldn’t put it past them, the Coyotes love drafting defensemen and seem to know how to do that well while the forwards struggle into mediocrity or demand trades and find pieces of their “potential.… Can’t say it hasn’t worked though, OEL is already a top-pairing guy and Olympian, Gormley while taking his sweet time looks good in the AHL and is on schedule, while Connor Murphy without being injured every 10 games has really looked strong at the NHL level. After the Samuelsson and Domi selections, you have to bet they roll the dice again on a forward. Probably a winger.
18th Overall Pick : Centre/Right Wing Connor Bleackely of the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL
46 Games 22 Goals 31 Assists 53 Points
The captain of the Rebels is having a very good year and has been climbing the draft tables from the mid-second round to start, to anywhere from the 10-25 range. At 6’1 his size is pretty good, add that to his excellent wheels and offensive skill and you have the potential for a very good 2nd line centre at some point. He scores a lot of his goals on the PP (19 PPP), but has shown that he’s good at even strength as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if he went earlier than 18 if he had a strong playoff run…that is, if the Rebels make it.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins can go ahead and stop drafting defensemen any time now, seriously. It’s a fine strategy and has allowed them to make moves (like trading Goligoski and trading Morrow) for their playoff hopes, but at some point you have to think they’ll switch it up, especially if they actually pick this late in the draft. That said, they could also use more young talent at forward and having the luxury of having 4 of their top-6 locked up (2 of who are franchise players) there is room up and down the lineup for changes. This late in the draft you’re usually looking to make a splash or play it ultra conservative (often makes for the worst way to choose your late first rounders), I think they get creative.
28th Overall Pick : Winger Jakub Vrà¡na from Linköping in the Elitserien
14 Games 0 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points
Vrà¡na is one of the two ultra-talented Czechs who are highlighting the trend of top-end Europeans from smaller nations moving instead of simply to the CHL to get draft notoriety, but going to Sweden for it. A closer and more logical choice many would agree. While those numbers are bad, obviously, he is playing 4 minutes a night, hard to fault him. His excellent play at the Swedish junior level, as well as at international tournaments are much more revealing as to the skill set he brings. He has a deadly shot and is known for his fancy play, especially when entering the zone he really likes to burst in and try a move to get to the middle of the ice. He’s extremely fast with excellent starting speed. He’s also willing to grind a lot for a fancy skill player, and often comes up with the puck in a scrum despite his size (6’0 179lbs). It’s a bit of a homerun pick, but at 28, I think well worth the risk for his upside.
Thanks for reading. S-W is pretty much done.