NHL Entry Draft: Mock Draft Poll: 17th Overall

[Edge]

With the 16th pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens select Hendrix Lapierre with Chicoutimi of the QMJHL.

The draft thus far:

1. The New York Rangers select Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski
2. The LA Kings select Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury
3. The Ottawa Senators select Tim Stutzle, LW, Adler Manheim
4. The Detroit Red Wings select Cole Perfetti, LW, Saginaw
5. The Ottawa Senators select Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie
6. The Anaheim Ducks select Lucas Raymond, RW, Frölunda
7. The New Jersey Devils select Alexander Holtz, RW, Djurgårdens
8. The Buffalo Sabres select Marco Rossi, C, Ottawa
9. The Minnesota Wild select Anton Lundell, C, HIFK
10. The Winnipeg Jets select Jake Sanderson, D, USA NTDP
11. The Nashville Predators select Seth Jarvis, RW, Portland
12. The Florida Panthers select Jack Quinn, RW, Ottawa
13. The Carolina Hurricanes select Yaroslav Askarov, G, SKA St. Petersburg
14. The Edmonton Oilers select Dawson Mercer, RW, Drummondville
15. The Toronto Maple Leafs select Braden Schneider, D, Brandon
16. The Montreal Canadiens select Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi

The Chicago Blackhawks are on the clock...

Click to read more...

 

[Edge]

Kaiden Guhle is in the running for best player on the board at this point and you can make the argument he could look awful nice on the Blackhawks blueline.

 

[Trxjw]

Guhle still the BPA for me but considering the Hawks have spent 5 of their last 6 top-60 picks on defensemen, I gotta think they go forward here. Went back and forth on Holloway and Bourque but settled on the latter. Feels like a Hawk to me.

 

[usekakkorightquinn]

There is no chance the Hawks are taking a defenseman. They have several d prospects ready to make the team.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Nothing jumps out at me for Chicago. Except that they have a slightly better group of young guys than I expected when I checked it out.

At this point, I don't really have an opinion on BPA. Going to go with Bourque; Bowman doesn't strike me as a guy who is going to be driven off by questions in character when he sees high end skill.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I want my dream scenario of Holloway and Zary to NJ to happen.

Went Guhle here.

 

[eco's bones]

To me it comes down to Guhle or Amirov and I'd take Guhle if I were the Hawks.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Zary is my least favorite choice, but also one of the highest remaining consensus prospects. I have Chicago drafting him over Guhle, since as @Trxjw points out, 5 of their last 6 top-60 picks have been on defense.

 

[Matt Rentfree]

I was thinking either Amirov or Khusnutdinov here, but since I would have had to have voted "other", I just went with Amirov.

 

[Edge]

Guhle still the BPA for me but considering the Hawks have spent 5 of their last 6 top-60 picks on defensemen, I gotta think they go forward here. Went back and forth on Holloway and Bourque but settled on the latter. Feels like a Hawk to me.

I had the same thought process but then thought to myself, which one of their LD prospects would I take over Guhle?

None of Beaufin, Vlasic or Krys would make me pass on Guhle.

Boqvist is a righty. Mitchell is a righty. Laavainenis righty.

 

[Calad]

I don't see it with Guhle. Big dude who can skate, but really has nothing else to offer.

 

[eco's bones]

I don't see it with Guhle. Big dude who can skate, but really has nothing else to offer.

The vibe I have is Guhle is still raw in a lot of ways but they tend to be good ways--kind of more like a K'Andre Miller than a Dylan McIlrath way. It's more about bad habits that tend to be coached out of a young player the more they develop than shortcomings in the skills department.

 

[eco's bones]

Edge--why Ty Smilanic and not Thomas Bordeleau? Do you like Smilanic better?

 

[Calad]

The vibe I have is Guhle is still raw in a lot of ways but they tend to be good ways--kind of more like a K'Andre Miller than a Dylan McIlrath way. It's more about bad habits that tend to be coached out of a young player the more they develop than shortcomings in the skills department.

He reminds me of Skjei

 

[Leetch3]

Edge--why Ty Smilanic and not Thomas Bordeleau? Do you like Smilanic better?

@Edge mentioned in an earlier poll that he's pulling the list from tankathon and they have Smilanic @ 31...Justin Barron is @32 and would be next.

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

I think they would be dumb to not take Rodion Amirov here tbh.

 

[eco's bones]

He reminds me of Skjei

Well as Edge points out Chicago's not particularly strong on the left side of their D. Duncan Keith is 37. Olli Maatta's not always solid and I think he's like 26. They have a tough guy in Dennis Gilbert and Krys, Beaudin and Vlasic aren't exactly lighting it up. Skjei is capable of playing second pair LD--if that's all Guhle turns out to be it's not a terrible pick. I think he's a bit more physical than Skjei and the offensive part of his is ahead of Skjei at a similar stage of their careers.

 

[usekakkorightquinn]

Again with the absurd Russian love. Amirov will probably slip in this draft. He's not good enough to take over the centers here and that is what the Hawks need. I suspect if he's there they go Zary who will be a safe pick and could be a nice, 3rd line center for them.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Again with the absurd Russian love. Amirov will probably slip in this draft. He's not good enough to take over the centers here and that is what the Hawks need. I suspect if he's there they go Zary who will be a safe pick and could be a nice, 3rd line center for them.

a few discussed the Senators moving up. It appears they have a young goalie yet he’s no slam dunk. Maybe Amirov slips and he’s the Sens target. Sens trade their late #1 pick and early #2 to the Rangers for the #22 pick.

 

[Fireonk]

For no particular reason other than my gut, I voted for Bourque.

 

[eco's bones]

To me this pick and the last pick are pretty much guesswork. I'm heading to Gunler to the Devils next. Holtz--one SHL winger on one side of Hughes and Gunler another SHL winger on the other. New Jersey is short on scoring wingers. That's the way I think they're going.

 

[Calad]

Well as Edge points out Chicago's not particularly strong on the left side of their D. Duncan Keith is 37. Olli Maatta's not always solid and I think he's like 26. They have a tough guy in Dennis Gilbert and Krys, Beaudin and Vlasic aren't exactly lighting it up. Skjei is capable of playing second pair LD--if that's all Guhle turns out to be it's not a terrible pick. I think he's a bit more physical than Skjei and the offensive part of his is ahead of Skjei at a similar stage of their careers.

As many of us have painfully learned following the Rangers, drafting for need is a fools errand. You take BPA, especially at this point in the draft, which Guhle is far from imo.

 

[eco's bones]

As many of us have painfully learned following the Rangers, drafting for need is a fools errand. You take BPA, especially at this point in the draft, which Guhle is far from imo.

At this point the best player is probably Perreault though at least some teams seem to be put off by his compete and/or personality. Just saying if I were going simply on that criteria he would be it. Those negatives however might be enough to drop him into the 2nd round.

After that though pretty much it's debatable who the best player is between Guhle, Amirov, Holloway, Gunler, Reichel, Peterka, Zary---as well keeping in mind Greig who is very much on the younger side. Bourque gets critiqued almost as much as Perreault for his two way game and IMO Perreault is a more talented and stronger player.

 

[Calad]

At this point the best player is probably Perreault though at least some teams seem to be put off by his compete and/or personality. Just saying if I were going simply on that criteria he would be it. Those negatives however might be enough to drop him into the 2nd round.

After that though pretty much it's debatable who the best player is between Guhle, Amirov, Holloway, Gunler, Reichel, Peterka, Zary---as well keeping in mind Greig who is very much on the younger side. Bourque gets critiqued almost as much as Perreault for his two way game and IMO Perreault is a more talented and stronger player.

You make good points, but I still don't think Guhle belongs in the conversation, he's just not in this tier of talent available. He's tools without a toolbox, not the kind of player I want out of a dman.

 

[Edge]

@Edge mentioned in an earlier poll that he's pulling the list from tankathon and they have Smilanic @ 31...Justin Barron is @32 and would be next.

That is correct.

However, we can add anyone that we want.

I just needed a starting place.