Okay, so this is likely the final pre-draft column I'm putting on these threads. I'm going to keep the descriptions short, since it's two rounds long.
1. Buffalo LD R. Dahlin joins Eichel and Mittelstadt as the best young trio in the NHL to build around
2. Carolina RW A. Svechnikov a franchise winger and immediate 2019 Calder Trophy candidate
3. Montreal RD N. Dobson in the draft's first surprise, the Habs pass on star wingers for potential franchise D-man who shot up draft boards late
4. Ottawa LW B. Tkachuk the Senators want to be tougher and more skilled up front, Tkachuk is a rare power forward who can fill both needs
5. Arizona RW F. Zadina it's not a "fall" for Zadina so much as a "rise" for Dobson/Tkachuk, but Zadina and Keller on the top line will be magical to watch for years to come
6. Detroit LD Q. Hughes desperate for help on the blueline, Wings grab U. of Michigan's "one man breakout machine"
7. Vancouver RD E. Bouchard do-it-all two-way D has plus-plus tools everywhere but skating
8. Chicago RW O. Wahlstrom lights-out sniper with 40+ goal upside is gift for Toews & Kane
9. NY Rangers C J. Kotkaniemi Rangers find their future top-line center, at long last
10. Edmonton RD J. Boqvist desperate on the blueline, Oilers grab their most talented offensive D since Paul Coffey, much to McDavid's delight
11. NY Islanders C J. Veleno this sublime, two-way center should top 100 points next year in QMJHL
12. NY Islanders LD T. Smith Islanders were an NHL-worst in goals against next year, Smith is a speedy two-way stud
13. Dallas C B. Hayton often compared to Patrice Bergeron, Hayton will be a perfect #2C in Dallas when Spezza is ready to retire in a season or two
14. Philadelphia RW V. Kravtsov Hextall loves drafting big-upside players, and Kravtsov has Tarasenko-like scoring potential
15. Florida LW J. Farabee the Panthers are loaded at C with Barkov/Trocheck/Bjugstad but thin on the wing -- Farabee immediately becomes the most talented offensive winger in the organization
16. Colorado LD K. Miller five years down the road, K'Andre could wind up being the second-best D in the extremely talented class of 2018 after Dahlin
17. NEW JERSEY DEVILS C Rasmus Kupari though the Devils' biggest organizational need is on the blueline, Kupari checks the biggest box in Shero's blueprint with his absolutely electrifying skating ability. His hands and offensive skill-set are off the charts. The idea of a future 1-2-3 center trio of Hischier/Kupari/McLeod would likely be the fastest top three in NHL history -- a match-up impossibility for opposing teams. If Miller falls past Florida and Colorado (both will surely strongly consider him) at 15/16, the Devils will certainly have a tough call to make. But in my final mock, I'm going to assert that (barring a very possible trade-down scenario), the Devils grab the Finnish high skill center with jersey-flapping speed.
18. Columbus C/LW I. Lundestrom it's pretty certain that the Blue Jackets draft a forward, and Tortorella only allows two-way players to see ice time
19. Philadelphia RD B. Wilde a recent faller down draft boards due to recent controversy (no Team USA invite, rescinding commitment to U. of Michigan), the Flyers go "huge upside" again with this big, blazingly fast D with a cannon of a shot
20. Los Angeles RW/LW D. Bokk lacking pure scorers on the wing, LA finds an absolute offensive force to pair with Kopitar or Carter in the near future
21. San Jose RW S. Noel all three California teams are obsessed with size; the Sharks get a 6'5 RW with very good skating ability and good hands to inject some life into an aging top-6
22. Ottawa LD J. McIsaac I'd have to say that the worst thing a prospect can have happen to them right now is being drafted into the black hole which is the Senators organization. That being said, McIsaac is a heck of a prospect -- big, fast, physical -- a future shut-down stud
23. Anaheim C T. Dellandrea the Ducks need depth at center and find a gem in Dellandrea, a fast, skilled and outstanding player who would be ranked far higher were it not for an awful Flint team surrounding him
24. Minnesota LW G. Denisenko the Wild are wonderfully deep everywhere but lack superstar scorers, so they take a big chance on the magical hands and vision of the boom/bust player who draws frequent Panarin-comparisons
25. Toronto RD R. Merkley Leafs lack a high-octane offensive blueliner, so they take the biggest chance in the draft on Merkley, a kid with top-7 talent but more red flags than a Chinese military march
26. NY Rangers RW M. Kaut the Rangers rebuild gets even stronger with an excellent two-way RW who may be NHL ready in just a year
27. Chicago LD A. Alexeyev Chicago's rapidly aging blueline got help on the right side last year with Jokiharju and Mitchell last year, this year they get an underrated two-way stud on the left side with Alexeyev
28. NY Rangers LD R. Sandin the Rangers traded for three, very good mid-pairing-type defensemen at last year's deadline in Lindgren, Hajek and Rykov -- they would get another one in the extremely smart and efficient Sandin
29. St. Louis C L. Foudy an incredible athlete with wheels only rivaled in this draft by Quinton Hughes and Rasmus Kupari, Foudy is a great candidate to explode for 90+ points next year with the London Knights
30. Detroit C/RW J. O'Brien this sniper has a shot as wicked as any F in this draft, including even Svechnikov and Wahlstrom. If he were a better skater, he would be a top 15 candidate.
31. Washington RW J. Berggren the Stanley Cup champs are certain to draft a top-6 upside F, and almost always use their early picks on Euro skaters. Berggren is a buzz-saw who has been rightfully compared to Viktor Arvidsson.
Second Round
32. Buffalo C/RW A. Thomas Buffalo gets an unlikely faller in Thomas, an incredibly intense leader and gamer with outstanding skates and top-line upside
33. Detroit RD J. Woo Detroit compliments first-round offensive D Hughes with a physical, defensive force on the right point.
34. Florida RD C. Addison the Panthers get an offensive D with big-time upside, he scored at a PPG pace for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2017-18
35. Montreal C R. McLeod the Habs endless search for a #1C gets a lottery ticket in the late-falling McLeod
36. Detroit C J. Wise one of the most underrated players in the draft, Wise is incredibly cerebral, fast and skilled, and could be a huge steal in the early second round
37. Vancouver LD J. Tyonchick the Canucks get an offensive D with big upside who they have certainly seen a great deal of in their BCHL backyard
38. Montreal C J. McBain with three picks in the top 38 and five in the first two rounds, expect the Habs to pay great attention to organizational gaping holes at C and D, McBain has first-round skill but some risk
39. NY Rangers LD M. Samuelsson Rangers continue an attempt to rebuild the blueline with Kjell Samuelsson's hulking son
40. Edmonton C B. Groulx the Oilers have nothing in the pipeline at C, and Groulx is a smart, hard-working and tough-as-nails future mid-six stalwart
41. NY Islanders LW B. McLaughlin the best prospect in the USHL (non-US-NTDP), McLaughlin could be this year's Brendan Saad -- he's a tremendous offensive talent who could one day skate on a top line with... John Tavares?
42. Carolina C/LW F. Hallander the Canes need more jam up front, and Hallander has very good potential as a gritty, second-line Holmstrom-type net-crasher
43. NY Islanders RD T. Emberson sorely overlooked, Emberson is a mobile and extremely physical future shut-down force on the blueline
44. Dallas RD N. Lundqvist Stars GM Jim Nill is never afraid to gamble on high-upside Euro skaters -- Lundqvist is a magician with the puck and a work-in-progress without it
45. St. Louis RD J. Bernard-Docker a very-good all-around D with upside, would likely go higher were he not playing in the relatively obscure AJHL
46. Washington C A. Khavanov the Caps swing for the fences with Khovanov, who possesses extraordinary talent but suffered through a disappointing draft-eligible season marred with multiple injuries
47. Colorado LW A. Mascherin the Avs take a draft re-entry who is close to NHL-ready and features a wicked shot and 30-goal upside
48. NY Rangers RW J. Ylonen with a ton of picks, Rangers can take chances like this one on Ylonen -- who features tremendous offensive upside but a reputation for very soft play
49. Columbus C D. Gustafsson a gritty, all-around solid two-way pivot who will fit in seamlessly with Coach Tortorella's stifling system
50. Philadelphia C I. Morozov GM Hextall shoots for the moon again with a two-way center with top-6 upside known for gritty, two-way play
51. Los Angeles LD A. Ginning Kings grab a big and physical blueline presence to clear the creases and win in the corners
52. Toronto C/LW A. McShane this extremely smart player is terrific with the puck and plays a responsible, efficient game -- the only question is he a middle-six or bottom-six forward?
53. Pittsburgh RW K. Marchenko the Pens would jump for joy if, with their first pick way down at #53, they could grab a big & skilled F with the upside to one day skate with Crosby or Malkin
54. Anaheim LD S. Demin the Ducks love drafting from the US-HS leagues, and Demin is a physical and mobile beast with 3/4 upside.
55. Arizona G O. Rodrigue please don't ask me to scout goalies, I notoriously stink at it. I do know that the Coyotes need them in the prospect pipeline.
56. Montreal LD K. Bahl the Habs continue to stock up the blueline with this 6'6 beast
57. Boston C J. Drury after unearthing a gem in legacy Ryan Donato, the Bruins dip into a similar well with Chris Drury's very talented son
58. Colorado C/RW S. Der-Arguchintsev the one they call SDA is one of the top passers in the draft, just beautiful on-ice vision and pinpoint dishes
59. Tampa Bay LD J. Keane Tampa drafts as well as any team in the league, and Keane is just painfully underrated -- skilled, smart and (fittingly) lightning-fast
60. Winnipeg RD A. Regula GM Kevin Cheveldayoff may be my favorite in the NHL -- he just ignores everyone else's rules and rankings and sticks to his own cerebral and effective machinations. Regula is absurdly unheralded -- he's huge, fast, physical and smart. He's been a bit slow to develop, but the London Knights are both cautious and extremely effective at developing prospects. Expect a huge jump in production for Regula in 2018-19.
61. Las Vegas C/RW T. Madden with their first pick in the draft, Vegas can likely still find a player who fits in with their relentless puck-pursuit in a massive gamer like Madden, ex-Devil John Madden's son
62. Montreal C/LW J. Lauko there's a lot to love about this relentless and physical young Czech F, he's certain to be gone by the third round if he even lasts through the second
NFL: 2024 NFL draft discussion thread, Draft begins 4/25 8pm, 4/26 6pm, 4/27 12pm
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