Who would LA pick at 3?

[Raccoon Jesus]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

I think that Byfield will go 2nd but I wouldn't be surprised to see him at 4ist either. There are a few elite/potentially generational talents in this draft. That doesn't mean that they are will become either of those things at the NHL level but as of today I think that each of these players have established themselves to be considered as such.
In no particular order,
Laffy
Askarov
Drysdale
all have talent that is a level above the rest of the draft. You could say that Rossi and Stutzle have those types of skills as well but I believe that these 3 players are at an entirely different level then the rest of their competition (to go 1st overall).

If teams acually drafted on best player available at the position that they are selecting from then these 3 players should at least be in the conversation to go in the first 3 spots. So if I were GM of the Kings and selecting 1st overall I would do what everyone else is said to be doing and go for Laffy without question. He is a truly elite level talent and will very likely be an excellent top 6 forward.
After him it gets a little bit more difficult to say which player should be selected but I would go for Drysdale based on need and talent, not that I believe that Askarov is less talented than Drysdale entirely but would rather us fill the need we have on D. At 3 I would select Askarov because along with his elite level of talent at his position he has an incredible work either (based on his coaching staff and the Russian media that is). That doesn't mean that I wouldn't love to take Rossi Stutzle or Byfield at 2 or later but that I am a truly BPA guy as much as I can possibly be.

I believe that there is a chance that other scouting staffs and GM's may see things the same way and act accordingly. They also may not. There isn't a right or wrong at this point in these players careers at this level of the draft that shouldn't be at least malleable when it comes to who is likely to be the best of the best. I see Byfield but right at the door of being one of those top 3 but not quite there yet. He plays a soft game and leaves you wanting to see him use his size more often then he ever does. To me he will likely develop beyond that issue but while it is there it leaves me thinking that he hasn't yet made it to that elite level. Lots of people disagree with my position on him and that is cool with me. I am often wrong, just not as often as I am right but even then I respect my fellow Kings fans enough be able to consider everyone else's opinion to be as valid as my own.

So how I think teams will likely draft?

Laffy
Byfield
Drysdale
Stutzle
Rossi
Raymond
Perfetti (though I could see him drop out of the top ten as well)
Quinnifer
Holtz
Sanderson
Askarov


Not how I would do it but that is what I think will happen (after pick #5 I think you could draw them from a hat so I am not married to the order). Meh.

I totally get it. I think almost any reshuffling of the top 10 is valid, and "how teams pick" is an important factor. I could easily see the Sens taking Askarov or Drysdale given their multiple high picks, too. In my opinion, I'd just rather get, say, Byfield and draft Commesso or Daws with a later pick. High goalie picks scare me, and the gap between NHL goalies is much much smaller than the gap between forwards. But I'll admit Askarov has the pedigree to be the best goalie we've seen since the Roy/Hasek/Brodeur era.

 

[regulate]

European prospects drafted in late summer will not be able to play in the NHL this coming season since they must be signed by August 15th, so players like Stutzle, Holtz and Raymond will be playing in Europe in 20-21. This really isn't a bad thing for their 18 year old season, but it does rob them of the ability to play in the AHL as an option since they won't have an NHL contract.

The rule is that a player with a valid European contract for the 2020-21 season cannot be signed to an NHL contract after Aug. 15, and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Athletic that this would remain true for this year. The signing window would re-open whenever the player’s respective international federation released the player, be it at the conclusion of the player’s team’s season or, if they are invited to the IIHF World Championship, at the conclusion of that tournament.