Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman To Participate In Draft Remotely
The Detroit Red Wings are fortunate that the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has a consensus top-three and the team won’t be left scrambling by any surprises when they pick at No. 4 overall. That is because the man in charge, GM Steve Yzerman, won’t actually be in the war room to take control of the situation. Detroit has announced that Yzerman will participate remotely in the draft process as a precaution after coming into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Luckily, the team reports that Yzerman has tested negative on multiple COVID-19 screenings and is not experiencing any symptoms. However, the team will keep their top executive away from the rest of their front office staff and scouts over both days of the draft. Yzerman will communicate with his staff electronically and will still be able to conduct trade calls with rival GMs.
Detroit should already know who they are taking with the fourth overall pick and will have all night and morning to decide on their second pick, No. 32, the first of the second round on day two. At some point though, Yzerman and company will be on the clock without their selection pre-set and will have to overcome the distance to make a pick. The Red Wings own ten picks in the 2020 draft, including five in Rounds Two and Three tomorrow.
The Potential European Draft Advantage
These last few months have presented all sorts of twists and turns when it comes to all aspects of the NHL but one area that has been heavily impacted is drafting. With the seasons worldwide shutting down their 2019-20 campaigns prematurely, the opportunity for draft-eligible players to showcase themselves in playoff and tournament situations was taken away. As a result, scouts have been forced to turn to video to finalize their rankings.
But there is some early-season activity that could change things. While most leagues in North America aren’t getting underway (aside from the QMJHL which just kicked off their regular season on Friday), several international leagues have already started and in doing so, they have provided new game film for teams to anxiously evaluate with not much else to do on the scouting front.
For players that are pegged to be taken relatively early in the first round, this presents quite an opportunity. Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz are Swedish forwards pegged to be top-10 selections while Russia’s Yaroslav Askarov is the top netminder on the board and is also projected to go fairly early. In Finland, Anton Lundell is a center that’s around the top-10 as well. (German forward Tim Stutzle is in a battle for the number two spot although crowd restrictions in Germany have delayed the start of their season so he didn’t have a chance to improve his stock.) It’s a draft class that has a lot of European options at the top to begin with and those players have had an opportunity to cement their status or even move up.
It’s not as if a small amount of time has passed between games. It was about six months since games were called off and a lot of physical development can happen in that timeframe; have areas of their game improved as well? Scouts now have new game film to work off of and early signs of improvement would certainly give them a boost. (Alternatively, a slow start could hurt them as well.)
It isn’t just the top-rated players that will benefit though. The same advantage exists for prospects that are in the lower tier of the draft as they have had an opportunity to bolster their current stock in the eyes of scouts. When you get towards the back half of the draft where team lists diverge considerably and teams look to take bigger swings, some more of those may be used on players they’ve at least had a chance to evaluate more recently.
There is already somewhat of an advantage to selecting European players. Similar to most college players, teams get their rights for four years instead of two if they pick a CHL player while countries that haven’t signed a transfer deal with the NHL such as Russia sees their prospect rights held indefinitely. Add in this potential benefit of getting a fresh look at these players in the days leading up to the draft and there could be a higher rate of international prospects selected next week as a result. There have been plenty of twists over the last few months and a different draft landscape seems likely to be another one as a result of this pandemic.
Snapshots: Chayka, Ryan, Ceci
There’s a new Chayka in the news. No, not John Chayka the former Arizona Coyotes executive that left his position earlier this summer, but Daniil Chayka, one of the top prospects for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 17-year-old Russian forward will be heading home to continue his development, signing with the CSKA organization for the 2020-21 season.
Chayka was the seventh overall pick in the 2018 OHL draft after playing a year in the GTHL and has spent the last two seasons with the Guelph Storm. He won gold at the most recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup with Russia and had 34 points in 56 games for Guelph this season.
- Speaking of heading home, Bobby Ryan recently spoke on the possibility of playing for the Philadelphia Flyers now that he is an unrestricted free agent. The Cherry Hill, New Jersey native told NBC Sports that he’d basically take any chance to play for the team he grew up cheering for, saying “if the Flyers were to make an offer or extend a camp invite, they’d move high on my list because of all the connections.” Ryan has already drawn interest from other teams after seeing the final year of his contract with the Ottawa Senators bought out last week.
- Cody Ceci won’t be returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, at least not until he checks out the free agent market. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Ceci will become an unrestricted free agent on October 9 when the market opens, though does suggest that he could circle back to the Maple Leafs eventually.
Draft Pick Breakdown By Team
The NHL released the full order of selection earlier this afternoon following Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup victory last night. To see the full order in its entirety, click here. Below is a breakdown for each team heading into the draft on Tuesday, Oct 6.
Anaheim Ducks
1st round – 6th overall
1st round – 27th overall
2nd round – 36th overall
3rd round – 67th overall
4th round – 104th overall
5th round – 129th overall
6th round – 160th overall
Arizona Coyotes
4th round – 111th overall
5th round – 142nd overall
6th round – 173rd overall
7th round – 204th overall
Boston Bruins
2nd round – 58th overall
3rd round – 89th overall
5th round – 151st overall
6th round – 182nd overall
7th round – 213th overall
Buffalo Sabres
1st round – 8th overall
2nd round – 38th overall
4th round – 100th overall
5th round – 131st overall
7th round – 193rd overall
7th round – 216th overall
NHL Announces Official 2020 Draft Order
Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded the order of selection has been finalized for next week’s draft. The first round will take place on Tuesday, Oct 6 and will be followed by rounds 2-7 the next afternoon. The entire draft will be held virtually this year.
The full draft order:
Round 1
1. NY Rangers
2. Los Angeles
3. Ottawa (from SJS)
4. Detroit
5. Ottawa
6. Anaheim
7. New Jersey
8. Buffalo
9. Minnesota
10. Winnipeg
11. Nashville
12. Florida
13. Carolina (from TOR)
14. Edmonton
15. Toronto (from PIT)
16. Montreal
17. Chicago
18. New Jersey (from ARI)
19. Calgary
20. New Jersey (from VAN via TBL)
21. Columbus
22. NY Rangers (from CAR)
23. Philadelphia
24. Washington
25. Colorado
26. St. Louis
27. Anaheim (from BOS)
28. Ottawa (from NYI)
29. Vegas
30. Dallas
31. San Jose (from TBL)
Round 2
32. Detroit
33. Ottawa
34. San Jose
35. Los Angeles
36. Anaheim
37. Nashville (from NJD)
38. Buffalo
39. Minnesota
40. Winnipeg
41. Carolina (from NYR)
42. Nashville
43. Florida
44. Toronto
45. Detroit (from EDM)
46. Chicago (from PIT via VGK)
47. Montreal
48. Montreal (from CHI)
49. No selection
50. Calgary
51. Los Angeles (from VAN)
52. Ottawa (from CBJ)
53. Carolina
54. Philadelphia
55. Detroit (from WSH)
56. San Jose (from COL via WSH)
57. Montreal (from STL)
58. Boston
59. Ottawa (from NYI)
60. Los Angeles (from VGK)
61. Ottawa (from DAL via VGK)
62. Tampa Bay
Pick 49 – The NHL directed the forfeiture of this pick in sanctions against the Arizona Coyotes announced Aug. 26, 2020.
Snapshots: Entry Draft, Daccord, Koivu
The NHL Entry Draft is just around the corner and the Ottawa Senators will be almost living at the (virtual) podium. Ottawa owns seven picks in the first two rounds including the third and fifth overall selections. Jeff Marek gave his thoughts on that fifth pick in today’s 31 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet, including some interesting names that may be in play.
Five’s gonna be interesting. I’m told there are three different beliefs in that organization.
There is the “let’s take a defenseman here.” There is a belief that that would be Jake Sanderson, Geoff Sanderson‘s kid. There is another belief within the organization that they are thin on the right side as it comes to prospects after players like Drake Batherson. That Jack Quinn, who was a 50-goal scorer two-way player with the Ottawa 67’s, the local boy, might be the right fit for Ottawa…and then the wildcard in all of it is the goaltender.
Yaroslav Askarov, that goaltender Marek mentions, is one of the more interesting prospects to follow in the draft given the wide-ranging opinions on where netminders should be taken in the draft. In the same podcast, Elliotte Friedman suggests that even the New Jersey Devils would consider Askarov at seven, despite having Mackenzie Blackwood in the organization already.
- The Arizona Coyotes have named Brian Daccord special assistant to the general manager and director of goaltending operations. Daccord comes to Arizona by way of Toronto after spending the last several seasons with the Maple Leafs. Father of Ottawa Senators goalie prospect Joey Daccord, Brian comes with plenty of experience in professional hockey including seven years as the goaltending coach for Adler Mannheim in the DEL.
- Mikko Koivu‘s time in Minnesota may be over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his playing career is done. Koivu told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic that he is returning to Finland to start training as if he is playing in 2020-21, though he hasn’t made a decision on his future just yet. Koivu, 37, scored just four goals in 55 games for the Wild this season and has played in nearly 1,100 games over a long career.
Justin Barron Out Indefinitely Following Medical Procedure
One of the top prospects available for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft will not start his junior season on time. Justin Barron is out indefinitely following a medical procedure. A further timeline will be given after a follow-up examination. Barron missed several months last season with a blood clot, though the press release does not clarify whether this is the same issue or even related.
The QMJHL season is set to start next week, with the Halifax Mooseheads playing their first game on October 2. Barron is ranked 16th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and was expected to be taken in the first round.
The 18-year-old is among the most polished defenders available in the draft and scored 41 points in 68 games during the 2018-19 season. While those numbers fell as he dealt with the blood clot issue this year, Barron was still considered a strong prospect that would be snatched up quickly in the draft.
Draft Notes: Perfetti, Sanderson, Rossi
Several of the top-rated prospects for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, coming up on October 6-7, spoke to the media today and there was no shortage of interesting quotes, courtesy of OHL insider Mark Scheig. Saginaw forward Cole Perfetti was certainly confident and didn’t mince his words when discussing his ideal NHL landing spot. “If I was under a head coach where I had to dump the puck in every time I go out over the red line and get on the forecheck, it would be frustrating and I wouldn’t be able to express how I really am as a player,” Perfetti stated. While many NHL teams have abandoned the dump-and-chase offense, it might not have been the best idea for the young forward to state so emphatically that he could have issues in a system different from the one he is used to. NHL GM’s probably would have preferred to hear him say that he is willing to work at fitting in to any offensive structure and that his ability can adapt to new systems. Although Perfetti’s talent will be the final determinant of his draft slot, he may have rubbed some interested executives the wrong way with his bold statement. We will find out for sure come draft day if the potential top-five pick falls down the draft board.
- Defenseman Jake Sanderson has flown up draft boards since the start of this season to the point that he is now considered a consensus top-10 or at least top-15 pick. That of course means that the U.S. National Team Development Program product has slipped past the realm of possibility for the Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 21 overall. Jake’s father, Geoff Sanderson, was an inaugural member of the Blue Jackets and played four seasons with the team, during which time Jake was born. Sanderson told the media today that he has indeed met with Columbus and there is a lot of familiarity still with the organization and the city. To make this pairing a reality, the Blue Jackets would absolutely need to trade up in the first round. However, they will likely wait until the draft has begun to see if such a move is even worth it. Sanderson revealed that he has also met with the New Jersey Devils twice and the cost for Columbus to move ahead of them at No. 7 is likely too high. If he does slip by the Devils, the race could be on for Columbus to move up the draft board.
- Have the Detroit Red Wings tipped their hand as to their selection at No. 4 overall? With Alexis Lafreniere locked in as the No. 1 pick to the New York Rangers and Quinton Byfield and Tim Stutzle going in some order at No. 2 and No. 3, the first real draft order question comes with Detroit’s pick. However, it seems like the mystery may have already been solved. Amidst existing rumors that the Red Wings had keyed in on OHL forward Marco Rossi as their selection, the Red Wings loaned one of their top prospects, Michael Rasmussen, to the Graz 99ers, the same team that Rossi is currently training with. Then today, Rossi reported that he has talked with the Red Wings not once or twice but three times. And while other prospects have noted that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has merely been listening in on video calls with his computer screen off, Rossi stated that he has had several “good” chats directly with Yzerman. This is far from an absolute confirmation that the Red Wings will go Rossi at fourth overall, there is certainly enough evidence to make a strong case.
Morning Notes: Trade Bait, Pietrangelo, Draft Takes
In a normal year, the NHL Entry Draft is usually a hotbed for trading action. The event normally takes place at least a week before free agency opens and brings the front offices of every team in the league into one room at the same time. This year might be different, but thanks to a flat cap and poor financial situations for several teams, the next two weeks may actually have even more trade action. With that in mind, Frank Seravalli of TSN released his latest Trade Bait board, which includes a snippet of each team’s current situation. Matt Murray remains on top of the list, with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford essentially guaranteeing a move before the season begins.
Still, it’s the rest of the board that may draw interest. Nikolaj Ehlers has disappeared from it, for one thing, while Matt Dumba has climbed to the second spot. Stars like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Patrik Laine and Kris Letang all fall in the top-ten, suggesting that it could be more than just depth moves coming around the corner.
- Interestingly, the negotiating rights for Alex Pietrangelo also found a home on the board, just two weeks before the star defenseman hits unrestricted free agency. Perhaps that’s because of Pierre LeBrun’s latest for The Athletic, where he details the possibility of a sign-and-trade of the St. Louis Blues captain. Of course, these sign-and-trade moves basically never happen in the NHL, even if it could be a beneficial situation for all parties. As LeBrun notes, adding an eighth year onto Pietrangelo’s next contract (which only the Blues can do) would likely serve to reduce the cap hit for a new team. St. Louis could also get an asset out of the deal, but it still seems like a long-shot plan given the rarity of these moves in the hockey world.
- Of course, in many of the trades made over the next few weeks, there will be a draft pick component as rebuilding squads try to accumulate talent on October 6. Corey Pronman of The Athletic writes about the prospects currently causing the biggest divide among scouts, with quotes from either end of the spectrum. For a player like Kaiden Guhle for instance, who is expected to go in the first round, one scout believes he can play 22 minutes a night in the NHL and the other believes he’s nothing more than a third-pairing defender. Guhle was ranked eighth among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after his breakout season with the Prince Albert Raiders.
NHL Announces Official Dates And Times For 2020 Draft, Opening Of Free Agency
With the 2020 postseason proceeding ahead of schedule, there has been reporting and considerable speculation that the league would move up the dates of the delayed 2020 NHL Entry Draft and the beginning of the new league year and opening of free agency. The NHL has followed through on that speculation, officially announcing today the new dates for these events. The Draft will take place on October 6-7, and the new league year will commence on October 9.
The first round of the NHL Draft will begin at 7pm ET on Tuesday, October 6, a departure from its usual Friday night slot. Similarly, the second day of the draft, comprising rounds 2-7, will take place on Wednesday, October 7 rather than it’s typical Saturday placement. Otherwise, the structure of the draft stays the same. One key difference though is that all draft operations will take place virtually.
As for the start of free agency, the July 1 unofficial holiday will instead take place on Friday, October 9. Other than a delay of more than three months, the opening of free agency will not be much different; at 12pm ET, the signing window will open and free agents will be free to speak with teams and sign contracts. What may be very different however is the pace at which players will sign. While there is usually a massive rush of contracts when free agency opens, there are factors working against a fast-paced market. First, the NHL’s new CBA has eliminated the free agent contact period, meaning teams and available players cannot formally communicate until after free agency officially opens. Second, the flat salary cap will force the majority of NHL teams to be very careful with their roster operations this off-season, potentially prioritizing re-signing their own restricted free agents before throwing money at unrestricted free agents. This combination could produce an abnormally slow start to free agency, but October 9 will be an intriguing day league-wide nonetheless.