GDT: 2020 NHL Draft (Oct. 6-7)

[trick9]

Discuss the 2020 NHL draft here.





Draft will be held virtually Oct. 6-7. The first round will take place Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET, with Rounds 2-7 held the next day, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET. Broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

Placeholder team won the Draft lottery and later the NHL deemed that the Rangers are the team most in need to secure their first good player, so they will have the 1st overall pick.

Click to read more...

 

[tenken00]

What is the highest we could potentially pick?

 

[Langway]

What is the highest we could potentially pick?

We don't 100% know the format but if it's based on the norm of division winners then Conference finalists last then they're likely to pick 26th at the moment. If Boston doesn't advance it would become 25th. The play-in round could change that but

Watching all of these disciplined defensive teams win makes me want to push up O'Rourke a bit. He's another lefty so maybe someone like Barron slots in better long-term. Most likely it'll be a skilled forward but you wonder if they might prioritize leadership/maturity and two-way play a bit to go along with upside. They'll be at the mercy of the board a bit but any of Gunler, Amirov, Peterka, Reichel, Bourque, Greig, Barron, Brisson or O'Rourke seem like fine value. I wouldn't expect Holloway, Jarvis, Zary or Schneider to be available but they'd be particularly strong value. Wallinder could be another up their alley as he's kind of hard to peg.

 

[trick9]

We don't 100% know the format but if it's based on the norm of division winners then Conference finalists last then they're likely to pick 26th at the moment. If Boston doesn't advance it would become 25th. The play-in round could change that but

Watching all of these disciplined defensive teams win makes me want to push up O'Rourke a bit. He's another lefty so maybe someone like Barron slots in better long-term. Most likely it'll be a skilled forward but you wonder if they might prioritize leadership/maturity and two-way play a bit to go along with upside. They'll be at the mercy of the board a bit but any of Gunler, Amirov, Peterka, Reichel, Bourque, Greig, Barron, Brisson or O'Rourke seem like fine value. I wouldn't expect Holloway, Jarvis, Zary or Schneider to be available but they'd be particularly strong value. Wallinder could be another up their alley as he's kind of hard to peg.

Added him to the poll.

I like the centers around that range. Would love if either Jarvis or Zary falled to us but i really like both Bourque and Greig too. Although Greig will most likely be a long-term project that won't help us in few years so i don't know how well that fits into what they are looking for.

 

[Langway]

Caps should be locked into the 25th pick now that Boston is out.

Greig may be a fast-tracker in that he could feasibly play a bottom six checking role initially, provided adequate strength, and perhaps on the wing to start. Who knows if that will factor in at all but that may also hold for Bourque, Peterka, Reichel and maybe even Gunler and Amirov if need be. None are as gritty and most mainly need to gain strength but their speed alone could make it easier to fast-track (provided there are open spots). Mix in Wallinder & Barron as D wild cards depending on their perceived upside and that's my guess of a shortlist (absent someone falling like Lapierre, who may be more likely than the first three in the poll and Zary due to injuries).

 

[Langway]

Mid-week eh?

Ridly Greig has signed to play for Karlskrona in the Swedish third division.

 

[Marshall]

Mid-week eh?

Ridly Greig has signed to play for Karlskrona in the Swedish third division.

Hunh, interesting. I wonder if more draft-eligibles will sign in Europe. I wonder what, if anything, it means for their AHL eligibility.

 

[trick9]

There are going to be a fierce competition for spots in Europe.

 

[Langway]

Some notes with a little over three weeks to go. Alexeyev's KHL team, Salavat Yulaev, offers a couple of noteworthy draft-eligibles in Rodion Amirov and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Amirov didn't play the last game, though, and has averaged just 9:05 in three games (one assist). Peterka looks to have been loaned to Salzburg/Austria to get some work in. Lapierre is playing in the QMJHL pre-season (Bourque & Barron don't seem to have suited up yet).

Breaking down the usual tiers:
Probably gone (18): Lafreniere, Stutzle, Byfield, Perfetti, Drysdale, Sanderson, Raymond, Holtz, Rossi, Quinn, Lundell, Askarov, Jarvis, Zary, Guhle, Schneider, Holloway, Mercer
Possibilities (13): Wallinder, Gunler, Amirov, Reichel, Lapierre, Greig, Peterka, Bourque//Barron, Mysak, Perreault, Brisson, O'Rourke

Worst-case two among that group of eight before the double slash will be on the board at 25. The first four of those eight may be slightly ahead in upside/polish. But Lapierre could be a good one if he continues to work on his weaknesses and stays healthy. The following three after him each possesses strong third-line qualities from a skating/motor standpoint. A quick middle six winger seems very realistic, with Wallinder or Barron adding some length, skating and upside on D. There's maybe not a huge immediate need for a middle six winger with CMM in the mix but continuing to get younger/faster/cheaper has to remain a priority.

 

[tenken00]

TEB has the Caps taking Rodion Amirov in today's Athletic staff mock draft:

NHL staff mock draft 2020: Changes in the top three, plus an audit by NHL scouts

25. Washington: Rodion Amirov, LW, Ufa-KHL

Tarik El-Bashir: The Caps’ pipeline, which brought up the rear in The Athletic’s latest organizational ranking, desperately needs an injection of high-end potential, so I’ve got them happily selecting the best player left on the board: Russian forward Rodion Amirov, projected by many to be gone by No. 25. He’s fast, he’s skilled and he’s from a country the Caps have mined for top talent over the years. In fact, since 2004, Washington has used first-round picks on six Russians: Alex Ovechkin (2004), Semyon Varlamov (2006), Evgeny Kuznetsov (2010), Ilya Samsonov (2015), Alex Alexeyev (2018) and now Amirov. And if it takes a while for Amirov to come to D.C., that’s OK; they’re good up front at the moment.

 

[Langway]

 

[895]

Trade the pick.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Trade the pick.

For?

 

[895]

For?

Well ideally as part of a package for OEL but I wouldn't mind a young cost controlled player who can contribute right away.

 

[Hivemind]

Well ideally as part of a package for OEL but I wouldn't mind a young cost controlled player who can contribute right away.

Have you watched OEL in the past two years?

 

[twabby]

Well ideally as part of a package for OEL but I wouldn't mind a young cost controlled player who can contribute right away.

Why would they give up assets for someone worse than Dmitry Orlov and on a worse contract?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Well ideally as part of a package for OEL but I wouldn't mind a young cost controlled player who can contribute right away.

Hard pass on OEL. Would want someone like Dumba to fill in 2RD or Timo Meier to add some scoring depth to the middle six (which could also bump Oshie down to the 3rd line to save his legs a bit). Kyle Palmieri would be an ideal addition for middle six scoring but he's entering the last year of his deal at age 30 so he'd likely just be a rental which wouldn't be great.

 

[895]

Have you watched OEL in the past two years?

Yes, that's why he's available. He needs a change of scenery. I'm confident his decline is mental.

Why would they give up assets for someone worse than Dmitry Orlov and on a worse contract?

I think Arizona is a dysfunctional franchise and players don't perform as well as they are capable there.

Sure, it's a gamble, but with a sufficiently high reward.

As I see it, this team isn't good enough to win a cup right now as currently constructed. So make a move, then reevaluate.

And I don't agree that OEL is worse than Orlov.

But this is the draft thread so I won't discuss this further. I just think we should trade the pick.

 

[tenken00]

Some notes with a little over three weeks to go. Alexeyev's KHL team, Salavat Yulaev, offers a couple of noteworthy draft-eligibles in Rodion Amirov and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Amirov didn't play the last game, though, and has averaged just 9:05 in three games (one assist). Peterka looks to have been loaned to Salzburg/Austria to get some work in. Lapierre is playing in the QMJHL pre-season (Bourque & Barron don't seem to have suited up yet).

Breaking down the usual tiers:
Probably gone (18): Lafreniere, Stutzle, Byfield, Perfetti, Drysdale, Sanderson, Raymond, Holtz, Rossi, Quinn, Lundell, Askarov, Jarvis, Zary, Guhle, Schneider, Holloway, Mercer
Possibilities (13): Wallinder, Gunler, Amirov, Reichel, Lapierre, Greig, Peterka, Bourque//Barron, Mysak, Perreault, Brisson, O'Rourke

Worst-case two among that group of eight before the double slash will be on the board at 25. The first four of those eight may be slightly ahead in upside/polish. But Lapierre could be a good one if he continues to work on his weaknesses and stays healthy. The following three after him each possesses strong third-line qualities from a skating/motor standpoint. A quick middle six winger seems very realistic, with Wallinder or Barron adding some length, skating and upside on D. There's maybe not a huge immediate need for a middle six winger with CMM in the mix but continuing to get younger/faster/cheaper has to remain a priority.

The draft is coming up in 2 weeks and I've been trying to scour and learn up on these youngins lately, and it seems like mock drafts are all over the place with some of the possibilities dropping to us or going as high as #14-#18.

We've been tied to Amirov, Reichel, Lapierre, Wallinder, Borque, Perreault mostly it seems like.

 

[trick9]

I disagree with TEB. Our offense isn't really fine and it will likely only get worse as Ovechkin and Backstrom get older. They need someone that can help them as soon as possible, not years from now as our window is likely over in less than 3 years anyway.

 

[Langway]

We've been tied to Amirov, Reichel, Lapierre, Wallinder, Borque, Perreault mostly it seems like.

A righty like Gunler, Bourque, Perreault or Barron could make positional sense but hard to say if they're available or BPA. Perreault I've discounted a bit due to work rate concerns but he scores goals and does have some raw speed. I've read some places where he could perhaps be a top 20 guy for some teams so someone to throw in that mix. It's possible they could see some similarities to McMichael there.

I don't know that anyone they take is going to displace McMichael or anyone else in the top nine in the next two years but there's always value in ELC contributions down the line. Just as there's value in having organizational depth pushing older players to the point where trades and a shift to get younger could be a viable strategic option.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I disagree with TEB. Our offense isn't really fine and it will likely only get worse as Ovechkin and Backstrom get older. They need someone that can help them as soon as possible, not years from now as our window is likely over in less than 3 years anyway.

If they want help now they should trade the pick. No one they select at 25 is going to make any difference in the team for the next two years.

 

[tenken00]

A righty like Gunler, Bourque, Perreault or Barron could make positional sense but hard to say if they're available or BPA. Perreault I've discounted a bit due to work rate concerns but he scores goals and does have some raw speed. I've read some places where he could perhaps be a top 20 guy for some teams so someone to throw in that mix. It's possible they could see some similarities to McMichael there.

I don't know that anyone they take is going to displace McMichael or anyone else in the top nine in the next two years but there's always value in ELC contributions down the line. Just as there's value in having organizational depth pushing older players to the point where trades and a shift to get younger could be a viable strategic option.

Out of those realistic picks that the Caps can get, who do you think could be theoretically fast-tracked the earliest to help the big club?

 

[Langway]

I think Gunler is the main option as far as that goes. I don't know if he's as far along as Johansson was but he's got a track record of playing against men. Amirov, Reichel & Peterka also have that advantage and, along with Bourque and perhaps Greig, could be others that can find a home on a third-line initially with decent two-way games.

Now that Lapierre is healthy I doubt he falls that far. He should be a lock between 10-20. Moving him into the likely off the board group brings it to 19 players. For me this pick mainly is about whether they can manage to get one of the Europeans to fall between Wallinder, Gunler, Amirov or Reichel. They need two of Bourque, Perreault, Greig or Peterka most likely to be off the board for one of them to be there. Hard to predict and those last four are pretty decent as well but the upside of those first four are a little more appealing. Someone else sliding can't be ruled out. That tends to happen every year to some extent. But those four are the ones I'd mostly like and the ones that seem to line up with their tendencies the best.

 

[trick9]

If they want help now they should trade the pick. No one they select at 25 is going to make any difference in the team for the next two years.

Do you think Connor McMichael will make any difference next season? I think he's in the mix. Even if he doesn't make the team straight away he will push guys for their spots. He was picked 25th year ago.