The Anaheim Ducks have three selections in the Top 40 at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, including two first-round selections. Who should they draft?
The 2019-20 NHL season has come it its dramatic conclusion (ironically, at the time of writing this article, Corey Perry extended the SCF with his Game 5 Game Winning Goal.) After a truly trying 2020, it was a miracle to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanely Cup. However, all eyes are focused on the NHL Entry Draft, especially Anaheim Ducks fans.
With the end of the 2020 season, there is still much mystery up in the air with when the 2020-21 season will begin, with Gary Bettman already speaking out that the season could be pushed back. One thing that is almost guaranteed at this point is the upcoming NHL Draft. Running on the dates of October 6th and 7th, the 2020 NHL Draft has been noted as one of the deepest in recent memory. Of course, time will tell how productive the players will be, but with the hype behind many of the prospects, it is important for teams to take advantage of the picks they have.
There are multiple teams that have multiple picks in the first two rounds, giving teams that have struggled the chance to bring in multiple impact players. Teams like Ottawa (picks 3, 5, 28, along with four in the second round) and New Jersey (7, 18, 20) have struggled over the past few years but now have a great opportunity to build a strong core moving forward.
The Anaheim Ducks are another team that has multiple picks in the first round with the 6th and 27th overall picks. The Ducks also have the 36th overall pick, another chance to select an impact player in this draft. With the potential of these picks becoming impact members of the team, the group at Pucks of a Feather decided to weigh in on who we believe could be selected on draft day.
We will be looking at predictions for the top 3 picks the Ducks to have in the draft. We will not be discussing the possibility of any trades, just who will be selected should the Ducks keep the first three selections. The selection process of each is a combination of who we think fits based on both team needs and what Bob Murray may be thinking.
Of course, some of the players that we have chosen may not end up being available by the time the Ducks go to make their selections, but we will keep the obvious selections away (sorry they will not be drafting Alexie Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, and Tim Stuzle). Without further ado, let’s look at the picks starting with the 6th overall selection.