6th Overall: Detroit Red Wings
This one is really hard to predict. I could see the Wings going a few different ways. They have a brand new GM in Steve Yzerman, who has had massive success in the draft in recent years and now leads a team that’s starving for some success. Needless to say, Stevey Y’s first pick as GM of the Red Wings will be a massive one. Yzerman is not afraid to go a bit off the board with some of his picks, and for the most part, they make him look brilliant.
The Wings could honestly use one of everything, and for that reason, I think they’ll take the best player available which is Vasili Podkolzin at this stage. Podkolzin plays the style of game that Steve Yzerman covets, and he’s proven to not be scared off by the whole Russian stigma (taking the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy all in the first 2 round of the draft. In fact, Yzerman’s draft choices in the first two rounds are significantly better when drafting a Russian than when drafting anyone else.
There is a concern that Podkolzin’s under contract with SKA St. Petersburg for the next two years meaning he won’t be playing in the NHL until 2021 at the earliest but Yzerman isn’t impatient and getting a player the potential of Podkolzin (Who is arguably the most talented player in this draft after Hughes and Kakko) with the 6th overall pick. In 5 years when Podkolzin is tearing up the NHL, this could very well be the next, “how was Nikita Kucherov available at 58th overall?”
7th Overall: Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres are in a truly enviable position on paper. Having a franchise defender who is 19 years old, and a center who a lot of people consider to be a franchise center who is 22 years old. They also have a wealth of prospects who are expected to do big things. If anyone is in a position to take the best player available in the top 10, it’s the Sabres, in my opinion.
Which is why I think they’ll take Cole Caufield, who is my personal favorite prospect in this draft. A diminutive player who does nothing but score goals, and then scores some more goals. Caufield has been one of the most consistent risers over this year and here we are, nearing the draft and he’s ranked in the top 10.
That is quite a jump from someone who was hardly mentioned as even a 2nd round pick at the beginning of the year. Caufield is the best goal scorer in this draft, he’s got all the makings of a future 35-40 goal scorer in the NHL and will look to follow in the footsteps of Alex DeBrincat in doing so. The thought of Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt feeding Cole Caufield and Jeff Skinner for the foreseeable future should have Sabres fans salivating.
8th Overall: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers could go a couple of different ways, and as a Ducks fan, I’m hoping that they go the direction of selecting a defender (by reports Ken Holland is quite high on Philip Broberg) because I don’t see any defender other than Byram worth taking in the top 10.
Nevertheless, I think a player the caliber of Dylan Cozens falling into their lap would be too hard to pass up. An elite level playmaker who it wouldn’t be a shock to see a slide to the wing (or Leon Draisatl slide to the wing) and feed the German who scored 50 goals this year.