October 6th, 2020 at 7:04 PM ^
Can’t believe the Rangers pulled the first pick this year
October 6th, 2020 at 7:13 PM ^
It's about time we got lucky! The draft after the lockout, after we missed the playoffs for seven straight years and were a complete disaster of a franchise, despite having the best odds at the top pick we ended up with 16th overall.
October 6th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
Sit down. You got lucky last year with the 2nd pick. Go home
October 6th, 2020 at 7:16 PM ^
Lucky, I extremely agree. I'll enjoy this, thank you!
October 6th, 2020 at 7:15 PM ^
The Rangers just got lucky a year ago when they jumped to #2 to let them draft Kakko.
October 6th, 2020 at 7:12 PM ^
Let's hope Nicklas Sergie Yzstromov Howe is still available at 4!
O and a Goalie named Ozzie Sawchuck in round three ;)
LGRW
October 6th, 2020 at 8:09 PM ^
Vladsyuk in the 2nd round.
October 6th, 2020 at 7:16 PM ^
In Yzerman I trust
October 6th, 2020 at 7:21 PM ^
Welcome to New York, Alexis! Really fucking excited to have you!
October 6th, 2020 at 7:26 PM ^
Anyone else find it amusing that Ottawa's higher pick out of the two in the top five comes from San Jose by way of the Erik Karlsson trade?
October 6th, 2020 at 7:45 PM ^
As a Kings fan, I'm tickled pink the Sharks traded away what ended up being the 3rd overall pick.
October 6th, 2020 at 11:27 PM ^
As a VGK fan, I wholeheartedly agree
October 6th, 2020 at 7:43 PM ^
Welcome, Lucas Raymond. Bork! Bork! Bork!
October 6th, 2020 at 7:44 PM ^
A Svede for Detroit, RW Lucas Raymond.
LGRW!
October 6th, 2020 at 7:45 PM ^
A lot of options at 4. Couldn’t go wrong with any number of players after the top 3.
October 6th, 2020 at 7:52 PM ^
I feel so old watching Jake Sanderson get drafted. I was such a big fan of his dad, Geoff when I was younger, while he was in Hartford.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:02 PM ^
I still have his hockey card somewhere
October 6th, 2020 at 7:54 PM ^
There was a distinct lack of hype over the Red Wings pick other than he's a Swede and we have a lot of Swedes historically. If theres one thing that stands out... Detroit cant go wrong. They need everything; a goalie, a defenseman, a winger, a center...
October 6th, 2020 at 8:03 PM ^
They got possibly the 2nd best player tonight. An A+ skater and playmaker. Very exciting stuff.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
I like your optimism and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
Agree Frito, I really like this pick. Checks a lot of boxes.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:16 PM ^
He's a really good pick. Good skater, great hockey sense, tough to play against while his team is without the puck and has a great wrist shot. Also have to love that he's playing, in part, in his 3rd season with Frolunda and won't turn 19 until March.
October 6th, 2020 at 11:25 PM ^
He needs to improve his top end speed, that's basically the only 'flaw'.
October 6th, 2020 at 9:16 PM ^
Seems like common thinking is that Byfield was the clear #2. Stuetzle and Raymond seemed nearly interchangable for 3 and 4. The rest of the top 10 is expected to be really strong too though so it seems like things could have gone a lot of ways.
Lots of people projected Perfetti to the Wings and he dropped to the Jets at 10.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:16 PM ^
The Red Wings have been missing an elite right handed winger for years, so I like this pick. But I am still salty about the draft pick placement.
They're years away from being competitive. Excited to see what the future holds. I think Yzerman is the right guy for the job. Just need to get very lucky with a few of these guys and keep them in Detroit.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:20 PM ^
Raymond is a dynamite talent and the right selection at 4. He and Zadina will anchor a really potent power play in a few years.
Great pick, Stevie!
I also love Rossi to the Wild. If Nashville takes Askarov, my night will be complete!
October 6th, 2020 at 8:27 PM ^
Btw, I know they've had them before but kudos to NBCSN for continually getting Craig Button and especially Bob McKenzie, who is the best draft analyst the game has ever had, for their coverage. Both really bring the broadcast to a new level and help drown out Pierre.
October 6th, 2020 at 10:25 PM ^
I'm super sad about Bob's retirement. He and Friedman are the best NHL Twitters to follow.
October 6th, 2020 at 10:30 PM ^
I was devastated when I heard about Bob's retirement. Elliotte Freidmans' 31 Thoughts is always a must read, easily one of my favorite columns.
October 6th, 2020 at 8:30 PM ^
Yzerman makes his hay in later rounds. Scan his picks on this year’s cup champions. I may be wrong but no major contributor is a first round pick. Killed second through 6th rounds. Tomorrow is the big day for the Wings. Love me some Stevie Y
October 6th, 2020 at 9:12 PM ^
Vasilevskiy was a first round pick. And it's not uncommon to expect second and third rounders in the NHL to eventual contributors. Also, while Yzerman didn't draft him, Hedman was a second overall pick, and I know they got some high-pick contributors when they traded Drouin. And they had several other high draft picks too. Kucherov was a high second round pick if memory serves me correctly.
Point being, when you look at last several cup winners, they have all had some combination of high draft picks. We really need some of our guys to take it to the next level. We're not going to get lucky with a Datsyuk/Zetterberg combination again. The Wings were really ahead of their time in scouting Europe the way they did. Very few teams had dedicated scouts plugged into European leagues. You gotta draft high and smart, and then lock them into long term deals through their prime. That is the NHL (or has been for quite a long time, but the Wings just ignored it).
October 6th, 2020 at 10:28 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Sergachev was a first round pick by Montreal that they got back for Drouin.
And like you said, Stamkos and Hedman were already there when he started.
October 7th, 2020 at 8:51 AM ^
Right. It wasn't a knock on Yzerman. I'm just saying that we're going to need some high-pick contributors to pan out.
October 12th, 2020 at 2:46 PM ^
Vasilevsky was a first rounder, one Yzerman got from Detroit for Quincy. Criminal. Do you believe Holland grabs this guy at 19?
He also grabbed Point in the 3rd or 4th round and Palat in the 7th. Not bad. He also grabbed Cirelli in the third but that case is just beginning. I know there are a few misses but that winning team has a handful of important contributors that propelled them to the Cup from second day picks.
October 7th, 2020 at 7:23 AM ^
Brendan Brisson was selected 29th by Vegas. (MGoBlue link)
October 7th, 2020 at 7:55 AM ^
I don't hate the pick, definitely a developmental player but one I think can really do well (plus the Red Wings have done some good things with Swedish players IIRC)