The dust has finally settled on the 2020 NHL draft. We know the Ducks, Kings and Rangers, in particular, did really well in their selections. But what next for this class? Grading each team's haul aside, what do the new draft picks mean for each team's system and future?
After gathering my thoughts after last week's draft, I take a deeper look at some of the aftermath. Which teams have a new No. 1 prospect in their systems? Which prospects fit perfectly with their new NHL franchises, and which have a good deal of development time ahead? What are we hearing from around the league about the outcome of the draft, and which picks present the best value in each of the seven rounds? We get into it all. Let's begin with the clubs that immediately insert a new name atop their prospect pool.
See more:
Every pick | Grades | Takeaways
Jump to:
New No. 1 prospects | What scouts are saying
Best value by round | Perfect fits | Project picks
TEAMS WITH A NEW TOP PROSPECT
New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere, LW
Drafted: No. 1
The Rangers have picked up a new top prospect in each of the past two seasons, but Lafreniere is especially exciting. His physical readiness, maturity and skill set should all make him a bigger instant-impact player than Kaapo Kakko was a season ago. The Rangers are now loaded on the left side with Lafreniere joining Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin and veteran Chris Kreider.
With Kakko graduated from prospect status, Lafreniere ascends to the top of a system that is already loaded. Future No. 1 goaltender Igor Shesterkin is right behind the most recent No. 1 overall pick (and he will likely graduate in short time from prospect status), but there's also a lot of excitement surrounding the futures of Vitali Kravtsov and K'Andre Miller. The top tier of the Rangers' system is about as good as any in the league.
Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield, C
Drafted: No. 2
The Kings own the deepest prospect pool in the NHL and made it even better with an exceptional draft haul highlighted by Byfield. Although the team is loaded at center, Byfield is the best of the bunch outside of the NHL by a significant margin. He could join the NHL squad as early as next season, but even if he spends some time in junior, his upside is exceptional.
Byfield looks like the heir to the team's No. 1 center position whenever it comes time for Anze Kopitar's career to wind down. The best thing about Kopitar being there is that Byfield gets to learn under him for a few years, hone in on the defensive elements of his game and continue progressing offensively. With a system that also includes Alex Turcotte, Tobias Bjornfot, Rasmus Kupari and Arthur Kaliyev, Los Angeles looks to have really stocked and stacked their cupboard.
Ottawa Senators: Tim Stuetzle, LW
Drafted: No. 3
The Sens' roster is going to be littered with young players for the next few years, but the most skilled and exciting of them all is Stuetzle, who was an easy choice at No. 3. He has speed and some electric skill with the puck on his stick, and he is a zone-entry machine. The Senators still need a top-end center in their system, but when you look at the team's pipeline, there's not any player that matches Stuetzle's ceiling.
Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond, LW
Drafted: No. 4
The Wings have a potential foundational defenseman in their system with Moritz Seider, who really popped last season. But in much the same way Stuetzle brings the skill level way up in Ottawa, Raymond does so for Detroit. He may actually be the most dynamic player in the Red Wings' entire organization, including players on the NHL roster. While he won't match the tenacity or speed of a Dylan Larkin, Raymond is probably going to make Larkin better with his ability to make plays and play with pace. If Larkin is the centerpiece of the organization, Raymond is going to be right on his heels within the next few years.
New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz, RW
Drafted: No. 7
With Jack Hughes graduating from prospect status, Holtz fills the void in a different way. He was the best goal scorer in the draft and should provide immediate help to a team that needs to score more of them. It might be best to leave Holtz in Sweden for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, but he shouldn't need much longer than that. He already has a pro-ready frame with good physical strength, and his offensive instincts are particularly advanced.
He's not going to be a driver in the way Nico Hischier and Hughes can and will be, but he's the most exciting youngster in a system that has been steadily improving since Tom Fitzgerald assumed the general manager role.
Winnipeg Jets: Cole Perfetti, C/W
Drafted: No. 10
The Jets' prospect system has thinned out a bit in recent years. They've had so many great draft picks over the years, but most of them are already on their NHL roster, making a huge impact for the team. I think Perfetti will follow in that tradition.
An elite playmaker who can play center or wing, Perfetti could be the ideal setup man for any of the Jets' scorers. It's probably going to be a year or two before the young forward is able to make the jump, but his skill is exceptional.
Nashville Predators: Yaroslav Askarov, G
Drafted: No. 11
Philip Tomasino is the best skater prospect in the system and projects very favorably to a top-six forward down the line, but it's very, very rare to find a goalie in the draft that your organization can say is a future No. 1. Getting a goalie like Askarov is going to allow the Preds a little more comfort in pondering their future in net as Pekka Rinne's career winds down. They have a real quality backup in Juuse Saros, who could potentially be the No. 1 in a stop-gap measure before Askarov can come over.
The Russian netminder won't be available until at least 2022, as he remains under contract with SKA St. Petersburg for the next two seasons.
Carolina Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis, RW
Drafted: No. 13
Carolina has a very deep prospect pool with a lot of players who could yet grow into NHL players. Ryan Suzuki was the top prospect heading into the draft, but Jarvis is coming off one of the best U18 seasons in the WHL in the past decade-plus, has some high-end skill and plays with good pace. He needs a few years, but when he and Suzuki are ready to step into the NHL roster, Carolina is going to get a big boost when it comes to skill.
Chicago Blackhawks: Lukas Reichel, RW
Drafted: No. 17
With Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist both graduating from prospect status last season, the door was open for whoever the Blackhawks took in the first this year to be the next top name in the system. Reichel, in particular, was a sensational option for them. He is a super skilled winger with some nice scoring touch. Reichel needs to get stronger, and he's a bit of a project, but his raw ability and skill level puts him at the top of the class for me.
WHAT THE SCOUTS ARE SAYING
The real shame of the virtual draft was not being able to hear the audible gasps when a surprise pick was made. When the Red Wings picked Moritz Seider in 2019 in Vancouver, there was a wave of all sorts of noises of utter shock. (It has looked like a good pick so far.) This time around, the gasps would have come for Yegor Chinakhov, who went 21st to the Blue Jackets. The TV broadcast didn't even have film on him. That's not to say he wasn't going to get picked, because there were teams that had him on their board, but based on what I've heard so far, there weren't many that had him that high. You have to wonder if Columbus could have gambled with a trade down and gotten more out of it. Still, we missed out on the stunned looks that make in-person drafts fun.
One of the other surprises of the draft was the number of goalies who were selected. Despite having the best goalie prospect in over a decade in the class, it was not believed by many to be a strong year for goaltenders -- but 20 heard their names called over two days at the draft. It's still below average but ahead of where most thought it would be. The weakness of the class, however, did put a premium on the next tier of goalies, which is why Drew Commesso (Chicago) and Joel Blomqvist (Pittsburgh) went in the second round as the clear next-best goaltenders after the elite Askarov.
Another thing I heard from scouts across the board? Relief this draft is in their rearview mirror. It was an unprecedented situation in which teams had to set lists and then basically think about it for the next four months. Many teams completed scouting meetings before June in preparation for a summer draft that never came. Paired with that relief, however, is genuine concern for scouting the 2021 draft season. There are a number of COVID-19 related barriers that will make the 2021 class of prospects much more difficult to see in person, including the constant looming threat of team quarantines and shutdowns at a moment's notice. As difficult as the 2020 class was to evaluate, 2021 could be worse.
BEST VALUE BY ROUND
Round 1: Cole Perfetti, C/W, Winnipeg Jets
Drafted: No. 10 | Ranked: No. 4
I thought Perfetti was no worse than a top-five talent in this draft and put him at No. 4 on my board in my final ranking after having Lucas Raymond there for a long period. There are things Perfetti needs to do to improve, especially when it comes to his skating, but I think his hockey sense is off the charts. He is going to make good players better in a forward group that is already pretty loaded.
Round 2: Vasily Ponomarev, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Drafted: No. 53 | Ranked: No. 26
I was definitely higher on Ponomarev than many of my peers in the public space and obviously those in the scouting industry, but I think the Hurricanes could have a steal on their hands here at No. 53. Ponomarev was inconsistent last season, but every time I watched him play, he would do at least one thing that made me raise my eyebrows in a good way. The skill is there, and even though he's of average height at 5-foot-10, his strength and confidence on the puck are really noticeable.
He'll need time to develop, but if he can figure out how to bring some of his higher-end hand skills to the table in more games, he's going to be a real positive asset for this team.
Round 3: Danil Guschin, LW, San Jose Sharks
Drafted: No. 76 | Ranked: No. 42
One of the most naturally skilled players in the draft, Guschin has an entertainment quality to him -- though that will at times give his coaches headaches. The thing that strikes me about Guschin is that he is unafraid to try things. He's a bit of an idea man. Sometimes those ideas are really bad, but he's going to try it anyway, and I think that is fine.
What he's going to have to do next is hone in on those skills and make better decisions but not lose the confidence and bravado he plays with when he has the puck. There's work to be done, but he has the skill set to give himself a chance.
Round 4: Sean Farrell, C, Montreal Canadiens
Drafted: No. 124 | Ranked: No. 58
There were a lot of good value picks in the fourth round. One of the reasons I've been higher on Farrell: He just does not quit on plays. He's not a big guy, but he's a problem for opposing teams due to his speed and tenacity on pucks. Farrell will develop over time at Harvard, which has been churning out NHLers on the regular. I think the Habs will be glad they didn't let him pass them by here.
Round 5: Martin Chromiak, RW, Los Angeles Kings
Drafted: No. 128 | Ranked: No. 45
Chromiak was one of the more surprising fallers in the draft. I had him ranked 45th overall based largely on his upside. There are a lot of areas of his game to clean up, but as we saw throughout last season when he made the jump to the OHL, there is an exciting skill set there, too. Chromiak played the first half of the season in his native Slovakia at the pro level, but things really opened up for him after he left home and joined the Kingston Frontenacs. He has big offensive upside, and as a result, the Kings have another player they can slowly mold within their own system.
Round 6: Yevgeni Oksentyuk, LW, Dallas Stars
Drafted: No. 162 | Ranked: No. 96
Oksentyuk was a very late add to my top 100. I liked his skill in previous viewings, but I wondered how many teams were going to be interested in a second-year-eligible, undersized forward from Belarus. As I watched more video of Oksentyuk, however, there were some really intriguing skills in his toolbox. He has some good one-on-one puck skills, gets to the middle of the ice well and just makes plays.
Round 7: Alexander Pashin, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
Drafted: No. 199 | Ranked: No. 79
It was not surprising to see Pashin drop this far. He's 5-foot-8, can be inconsistent and goes in and out in terms of intensity. However, he has an electric release on his shot, can make good plays on the rush and is tough to contain when he's on. Pashin has already gotten into some games at the KHL level this season and was excellent at the U20 level for the past two. There's a lot that has to break right for Pashin to make it, but the Hurricanes were wise to take a late flier on him and secure his rights in case the effort ever ends up matching the electric skill.
BEST PLAYER-TO-TEAM FITS
Yaroslav Askarov, G, Nashville Predators
Drafted: No. 11
The Preds addressed a long-term need in net. Given the fact that they've always been one of the best defensive teams in hockey, having an elite goalie only advances that cause. It's going to be a few years before Askarov can help Nashville, but it landed the best player available and filled a need, which is always the cherry on top.
Rodion Amirov, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Drafted: No. 15
The thing I like best about Amirov is that he's not just skill. He has a great work ethic -- especially down low -- and he burns to produce. As a result, he's dogged on pucks and makes things difficult for opposing defensemen. He fits Toronto's style of out-skilling teams, but he also isn't afraid to work for his offense.
Jean-Luc Foudy, C, Colorado Avalanche
Drafted: No. 75
Colorado is a haven for speed, and Foudy is one of the fastest skaters this draft class had to offer. The Avs have a bit of a top-heavy prospect pool, with a few A-level prospects, but they were a bit thinner on the next tier. That's where Foudy will fit.
Zayde Wisdom, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Drafted: No. 94
Wisdom was one of a handful of players I was considering for inclusion in my final top 100. Ultimately he didn't make the cut, but I think he's a nice fit for the Flyers. He plays an abrasive-style game that helps you win, but he has also shown an ability to excel while playing with top players, as he spent a lot of time playing in Kingston with Shane Wright -- a potential No. 1 overall pick in 2022.
PROJECT PICKS TO WATCH
Jack Finley, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Drafted: No. 57
How many 6-foot-6 centers are there? Not many. Beyond the size, Finley produced at a high level in the WHL this year, with 57 points in 61 games. That represented a 38-point increase from his first full season in the WHL.
But the skating, as is so often the case with a bigger player, needs to get better. While Finley went way earlier than I thought he would, the Lightning have invested in developing their players after the fact, so I'm fascinated to see where his game can go in that system.
Mason Lohrei, D, Boston Bruins
Drafted: No. 58
I'll admit that I was absolutely stunned to hear Lohrei's name called this early in the draft, but I did view him as a draftable prospect. The 2019-20 season was Lohrei's first full one in the USHL after playing at Culver Academy, a tough transition to make. The big man was the USHL's second-leading scorer among defensemen and finished second on his own team with 37 points. He's expected to spend another year in the USHL before going to Ohio State. The Bruins probably have a long time to wait before they think about signing him.
Samuel Knazko, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Drafted: No. 78
The word I most associate with Knazko is "project." I've seen him play live a few times, and I wondered what this guy could do with some guidance from an NHL team on the development front. He has quite a few tools; I really like his mobility and offensive instincts. Every season he gets better, and he was a big part of Slovakia's team at the World Junior Championship, which he helped avoid the relegation round. Knazko was my favorite pick of the few that Columbus had because I think once it gets its hands on him, he's going to get the direction he needs.