The second annual Hockey Buzz Mock Draft continues. Jack Hughes went first to New Jersey, Kappo Kakko was selected by the Rangers and Bowen Byram landed with Chicago. Following a trade with Colorado, Buffalo selected Alex Turcotte while Los Angeles tabbed Cole Caufield and Detroit’s went with Vasili Podkolzin. Colorado traded the 7th pick to New York, who picked Trevor Zegras while Edmonton's selected Dylan Cozens. Anaheim traded their pick to Florida, who took Kirby Dach, and Vancouver dealt their pick top Colorado with the Avalanche taking Matthew Boldy. Philly selected Philip Broberg and Minnesota is on the clock.
Overall Rules and Process:
After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing. My request to you is that you take this serious and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.
Here how this is working: each evening (for now, one pick per day, but we will go to two when we get to second half of the mock draft and possibly even before that, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector emails me their pick and rationale for that selection to [email protected]. If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I am posting that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, we are using just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.
Minnesota with the 12th pick select Philip Tomasino, C/RW
Rationale for the selection:
Tomasino is a brilliantly shifty skater, a multi-faceted attacker and has a motor that never stops. Stylistically, I've seen comparisons to Giroux but find that Trocheck is a more apt comparison. His skating, shooter's mentality (10.8 EV shots/60; Kaliyev ran at 10.03) and tenacity all sync-up well with how Trocheck was back in his junior career. While he doesn't quite have the elite top end speed his comparable has, his explosive first three steps, lateral mobility and agility more make up for it.
As for numbers, I can understand some apprehension picking a guy who "only" scored 74 points in his draft year, but that number is FAR more impressive once you factor in his TOI. His adjusted primary point per-60 scoring rates are impressive and compare favourably to names like Seguin, Ehlers and my boy Nick Suzuki and actually see him ahead of a number of higher picks- including Dach and Cozens. This is even further enhanced by being a late birthday who only turns 18 as of July 28th. While it's fair to call it a stretch by rankings, he's the classic case of a late-birthday climber that shoots up the rankings at the end of the year.
The Wild's primary need is high-end offensive talent- particularly down the middle. They've been an unexciting team for too long and I don't intend to take half measures in order to fix that and, as such, narrowed the pick down to Tomasino, Krebs or Kaliyev. I have some concerns about Krebs' scoring rates (even when accounting for QoT) and his recent Achilles injury and Kaliyev had too many questions surrounding his effort and playmaking abilities, so I went in the direction of my stretch pick. There's no fun if everyone just picks to the consensus!
Anaheim, represented by climbdenali12, Ryan Armstrong, is on the clock for the 13th pick.
2019 NHL DRAFT FIRST-ROUND ORDER and GMs to Date
1. New Jersey Devils - redmonsters, Kevin Barrett - Jack Hughes
2. New York Rangers - Jan Levine, Kappo Kakko
3. Chicago Blackhawks - kevin6, Kevin Braeunle, Bowen Byram
4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators) - optimus-reim, Luke Herrington, traded pick to Buffalo, who selected Alex Turcotte
5. Los Angeles Kings - slimtj, TJ Reilly, Cole Caufield
6. Detroit Red Wings - Feds91Stammer, Vasili Podkolzin
7. Buffalo Sabres - lonsabres, Paul Schott, traded to Colorado, optimus-reim to pick, traded to New York, who selects Trevor Zegras
8. Edmonton Oilers - Reveen, Curtis Lavoie select Dylan Cozens
9. Anaheim Ducks - climbdenali12, Ryan Armstrong, pick traded to Florida and the Panthers select Kirby Dach
10. Vancouver Canucks - Carol Schram, Canucks blogger on the site, trades the pick to Colorado, who selects Matthew Boldy
11. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyerfan328, Philip Brunner and Streit2ThePoint, Ryan Snyder, Philip Broberg
12. Minnesota Wild - MaximumBone, Silas Bengtsson, select Philip Tomasino
13. Florida Panthers - jimbo, Jimmy Reilly, traded pick to Anaheim, who select xx.
14. Arizona Coyotes - jediman, Brendan Smith
15. Montreal Canadiens - Karine Hains, Canadiens blogger on the website
16. Colorado Avalanche - optimus-reim, Luke Herrington, traded to Vancouver
17. Vegas Golden Knights - Jeff Paul, Vegas blogger for Hockey Buzz
18. Dallas Stars - Panarin27, Mark Choate
19. Ottawa Senators (from Columbus Blue Jackets) - Trevor Shackles, Ottawa blogger on the site
20. New York Rangers (from Winnipeg Jets) - Jan Levine
21. Pittsburgh Penguins - Datools55, Julien Michel
22. Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto Maple Leafs) - slimtj, TJ Reilly
23. New York Islanders - eichiefs9
24. Nashville Predators - Russ Cohen, sportsology
25. Washington Capitals - nyrangers9479
26. Calgary Flames - beandip, Andrew Horenbein
27. Tampa Bay Lightning - Panarin27, Mark Choate
28. Carolina Hurricanes - Bingo, Chris Cote
29. Buffalo Sabres [or Anaheim Ducks] (from San Jose Sharks) - lonsabres, Paul Schott
30. Boston, covered by Anthony Travalgia, HB Bruins blogger
31. St. Louis, the pick is owned by Buffalo, pick to be made by lonsabres, Paul Schott
Larry Brooks wrote again today (https://nypost.com/2019/06/15/rangers-rivals-set-to-battle-for-jets-jacob-trouba-at-steep-cost/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons) about the Rangers' interest in Jacob Trouba. The questions is what the cost might be. As seen below, the price won't be cheap, as expected. New York has to decide if that cost is palatable.
The Rangers and Islanders are among the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba, The Post has learned, with the Devils also in the chase.
Trouba, the 25-year-old impending restricted free agent for whom the Jets are soliciting offers, would slide into the right side of the first pair for either club. But his acquisition would come at a steep cost, both in terms of personnel going the other way in a trade package and the long-term contract Trouba would command.
Winnipeg, according to several sources, has yet to give permission to inquiring clubs to speak with Trouba’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, about a contract. One would figure seven years at up to $7.5 million per season for the Michigan native — who recorded 50 points (8-42) last season, 13th most among defensemen. His 42 assists tied for ninth among blue-liners.
There are up to a dozen teams in the chase for Trouba, a mobile, 6-foot-3, 220-pound puck mover, transporter and power-play guy. The Jets, who are facing a serious cap crunch, are believed to be looking for a first-rounder and a pair of legitimate prospects or young NHLers in return.
The Rangers, of course, own Winnipeg’s first-rounder at 20th overall, as part of the bounty — Brendan Lemieux, too — obtained in the lend-lease deal for Kevin Hayes. General manager Jeff Gorton, whom we are told is pushing mighty hard for Trouba, could offer that pick, impending restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich and, perhaps, Nils Lundkvist to the Jets.
That might not be enough, not with Lou Lamoriello lurking … and, for that matter, Ray Shero, as well. Both the Islanders and Devils are loaded with prospects who might be expendable in a deal for Trouba, who has played six seasons in the NHL out of the University of Michigan following his 2012 ninth-overall selection by the Jets.
Question: Does the price become too high for the Rangers if the Jets demand Lias Andersson be included in the package?
For the Islanders, would Lamoriello be willing to include defenseman Noah Dobson, last year’s 12th-overall pick, in a deal for Trouba. For the Devils, would Shero be willing to send Jesper Bratt and Jesper Boqvist or Ty Smith back the other way? Smith, almost certainly not.
The Rangers line up with Kevin Shattenkirk, Adam Fox, Tony DeAngelo and Neal Pionk on the right side. It is difficult to imagine Shattenkirk — at a $6.65 million cap hit — remaining if the Blueshirts add Trouba, who would presumably split the power-play quarterback responsibilities with Fox, the rookie out of Harvard whom the Rangers acquired from Carolina in April.
You know my view on Trouba. I would love him in New York but that's a healthy price to pay. The 20th clearly would be part of any deal. Lundkvist, while a solid prospect in his own right, likely wouldn't preclude a deal due to the depth on D and addition of Trouba. But to also give up Buchnevich, who I believe showed what he could be at the end of the season and still has more growth, makes the deal unpalatable. I get you have to give to get and Winnipeg, while cognizant that Trouba is gone after next season, will rightly look to extract a healthy return, surrendering all three assets may be over the top.
The Jets will play the marketplace, looking to pit one suitor versus another and raise what comes back in a deal. To me, though, the Buch piece is not one I would want to surrender in a trade. Determining what's fair is difficult, Jimmy Vesey and/or Vlad Namestnikov, each with a year left before UFA stats, likely won't move the needle much. Therefore, making a trade ay be difficult without including Buchnevich, because certain players, like K/Andre Miller and Vitali Kravtsov are most certainly off-limits and someone like Morgan Barron might not be enough and the Jets may want a player that can contribute immediately. Plus, as I noted, others like Vesey, are not enough.
I can understand those that would make this trade. But I would not deal that much even if Trouba signed a long-term extension, which would have to be part of any trade. That said, if you could lock him up for six or seven years, New York may be willing to part with these three assets. Settle in, the rumors and trade marketplace about to get even more heated now that the season has ended.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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