i was sold on mukhamadullin by STI early in the year and have not yet understood, what made him cool of him so much. i have done some history research for you:
Jan 21 2020
I cannot see any scenario where Drysdale falls below the 5th pick. Like Byram in last year's draft, he's just clearly the top defenseman available and it's tough to fathom any other player even making it a race for the 2020 #1 D.
That being said, there are defensemen who would be very worthy picks for the Devils with the Arizona pick, likely in the mid-first round. As of now, my #2/#3 defensemen in the draft are Ufa (KHL) LD Shakir Mukhamadullin and Brandon (WHL) RD Braeden Schneider. They are both terrific defensively and play with physicality; both excellent skaters who show very good acuity with breakouts and in the offensive zone. Neither has the almost unlimited ability to create offense like Drysdale, but both have the potential to develop into shut-down defensive players with 40+ point offense. Mukhamadullin in particular adds an absolute bomb of a shot, which is why I have him as my #2 overall on defense presently.
Jan 25 2020
#9 is a reasonable and fair ranking for Lundell, to be sure. It's a bit earlier than I like to rank to far, but if I had to put together a top 15 right now, it would be in this ballpark:
1 Lafreniere
2 Byfield
3 Drysdale
4 Stutzle
5 Rossi
6 Raymond
7 Holtz
8 Askarov
9 Perfetti
10 Mysak
11 Mukhamadullin
12 Lundell
13 Holloway
14 Zary
15 Quinn
Feb 17 2020
Mukhamadullin has the best chance to be that Chabot-type of right-under-your-nose draft steal. Terrific defensively, big and physical, exceptionally good instincts, absolute bomb of a shot. I think he could fall into the 20s, and turn into quite a great pick there.
Mar 8 2020
I've been doing some research today and think I'm ready for my first top 20:
1 Lafreniere
2 Byfield
3 Stutzle
4 Rossi
5 Drysdale
6 Holtz
7 Raymond
8 Perfetti
9 Sanderson
10 Quinn
11 Mysak
12 Lundell
13 Amirov
14 Schneider
15 Zary
16 Mercer
17 Holloway
18 Mukhamadullin
19 Askarov
20 Guhle
Mar 10 2020
I'm a big fan of Mukhamadullin's upside. He's very physical with a cannon of a shot and penchant for physical, defensive play. But I think you're looking at a three to four year wait, as he's a KHL-er with a high development curve. I'd be happy if the Devils drafted him with the Vancouver pick anyway, because he's a potential shut-down-type D who can also serve as the trigger man on a 1PP unit. Still, the million dollar question is would I draft him with the Vancouver pick if a high-upside F like Mysak/Amirov/Mercer were available? My scouts would really have to be gaga over any D in this draft to make such a selection.
Mar 10 2020
2020 Draft — Preliminary Rankings
Okay, so this took me a lot of time I could have been spending at the bottom of a whiskey bottle wondering how Paul Fenton got a job as an NHL GM but I didn't, so take it easy on me. Again, this is a preliminary ranking; I hope to have a 2-round (top 62) by May and a 3-round (93) for draft day in June. And -- while I greatly look forwards to all the "where are Poirier and Gunler???" questions, it's time to start drinking.
6 RW Alexander Holtz, Djurgardens SHL
The Patrick Laine of the class of 2020, Holtz can flat out shoot the lights out. You know his shot is coming, you know where it’s going, you still can’t stop it. That’s a rare and dangerous weapon. But don’t think it’s Holtz’s only weapon — he’s big and fast and plays a terrific and complete 200-foot game.
16 C/RW Dawson Mercer, Drummondville QMJHL
Another guy you win with! Mercer can slot all over the line-up; he’s a stud goal-scorer with a wicked shot for the Voltigeurs, but on Team Canada’s gold medal winning team he was a smothering, physical force on a checking line. He’s versatile enough to excel on wing or at center, his hockey smarts are off the charts, his compete level sky-high. The type of player you want on the ice when either up or down by one goal in the final minute of a big game.
18 LD Shakir Mukhamadullin, Salavat Ufa, KHL
To me, he is kind of the mystery man for draft-eligible 2020 defensemen — and I don’t mean just how to spell his name. Mukhamadullin is a very good skater who plays a shut-down style with extreme physical edge, but can sometimes be caught over-committing. He has a cannon of a shot — as hard as any D in this class — but needs a ton of work with accuracy. If everything comes together, we could be talking about one of the better future D in the NHL. If it doesn’t? We could be talking about one of the better future D in the KHL.
32 C Jaromir Pitlik, Soo Greyhounds OHL
There are some players who you take a chance on due to their overall potential despite their level of play as a draft eligible — Pitlik is one of those. A 6’3-200 pivot with an overflowing offensive tool kit — well, I’ll overlook some of his positional difficulties and a bit of clunkiness in his skating stride. He’s a four year investment which could pay off in huge dividends at the NHL level.
Aug 6 2020
Robins could fall in my opinion. Several teams shy away from 5'9 centers, even though Robins plays much bigger and possesses dynamic offensive talent.
I think Greig is a lock for the top 25-35, and probably Chromiak too. Kuznetsov is the type of guy who NHL scouts like better than draft writers, he should go in the top 50. Cormier is the type of guy who is liked more by the draft writers than NHL scouts, so he could fall. Sourdif and Ponomaryov should be second round picks. Mukhamadullin is a huge wild card -- he could go in the late first or fall to the middle rounds. He has top-pairing upside which few possess in the 2020 draft, but his mix of Russian-ness and inconsistency might scare several teams off.
