Montreal Canadiens: Mock Draft for the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft

At seventh overall, Emmanuel passes on the elite Swedish playmaker in order to draft the elite Swedish goalscorer. The New Jersey Devils were 25th in the league in goals scored last season, so the addition of a pure sniper should be a welcome sight for their management and fans alike. Holtz has, in my mind, the best shot in the draft. He can fire the puck without warning and without breaking his stride, which makes him a potent attacker off the rush. Holtz is a hard-worker who does not sacrifice defensive play for his offensive output; he is actually quite an enthusiastic back checker. However, in the offensive zone, passing is rarely an option for Holtz, he is a triggerman and he is not at all afraid to use his elite shot. His vision isn’t great, so don’t count on Holtz to get all that many primary assists, but that is not what the Devils need, they already have former 1st overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier to create scoring chances, now they draft the guy who is going to put the puck in the net for years to come. Holtz scored 9 goals and 16 points in 35 SHL games against men this past season and has 1 goal in 3 SHL games so far this season.

The Swedish playmaker is off the board one pick after his compatriot was selected. In Raymond, Ken gives the Buffalo Sabres their future #1 left-winger, which is sure to make Jack Eichel less unhappy with the situation in Buffalo. Raymond is a very complete winger; he has great hands and vision, great hockey IQ and is very good in transition. Raymond is not the player to be a passenger on his line, he drives the play and can manipulate its flow when the puck is on his stick. He has great acceleration and is quite good defensively as well. While he needs to bulk up in order to play in the NHL, there is very little not to like about him and Buffalo should be thrilled to select him at eighth overall. Raymond accumulated 4 goals and 10 points in 33 SHL games last season while playing primarily on the fourth line; this year, he has played higher up the lineup so far and has a goal and an assist in 4 games against adult competition.

At #7, I draft the player who, in my eyes, is the clear-cut best that is still available: Jake Sanderson. The Minnesota Wild allowed the 10th most goals in the league last year, so picking a potential top-pairing defenceman doesn’t hurt, especially with Ryan Suter getting up there in age. While the public may not yet be convinced by Sanderson, his ceiling is not that of a decent second-pairing defenceman as many perceive it to be; this kid is going to be great. The 6’1″, 185 lbs left-defenceman can do it all at a very high level. He is a great skater, he is the draft class’ best defenceman in transition, he is great in the defensive zone, he is physical, he is smart and he can produce quite a bit of offence. Think a more physical Jeff Petry who is better in the defensive zone and will take far less time to reach his peak. Sanderson is also a real leader and a great locker-room presence, so the Wild could possibly shore up their defence for years to come with this selection. Sanderson produced 29 points in 47 games with the USNTDP last season and it should be noted that it was a very weak team as a whole, and those numbers would have been far, far higher had he played with last year’s USNTDP batch.

With Bryan Little’s career in question, the Jets need a second-line centre to play big (and ideally defensive) minutes behind Mark Scheifele. While Anton Lundell may not ascend to that role just this season, he could do so for 2021-22. While Lundell may be labelled as a “safe” pick, which he is, he should not be misinterpreted as a low-ceiling player. As I outlined in an article during the summer, Lundell likely has a higher offensive potential than most give him credit for. His shot is quite powerful and could develop into a real weapon in a few years’ time. Even if Lundell’s offence never really breaks out, he will be a truly serviceable second-line centre in the mould of Philip Danault; he will get many Selke votes and he will shut down top-offensive lines. If he does break out offensively, though (and his stats in the Finnish Liiga indicate that he could: 10 goals, 28 points in 44 games against men), he could become a Ryan O’Reilly-type player, which would be a phenomenal outcome for a 10th overall pick.

Teddy picks the goalie. I for one was expecting him to go two picks later to the Hurricanes, but the Predators shore up their situation in net for the next two decades with this selection. Askarov is the most highly-touted goaltending prospect since Andrei Vasilevsky and is fairly pro-ready. Given that the Predators were going to have a goaltending dilemma next offseason, this should facilitate their decision: keep Rinne, trade/don’t re-sign Saros. Rinne will hold the fort until he retires as a Predator, and then Askarov will take the goaltending assignment in Tennessee. Askarov is a calm and composed goaltender who has great agility and quickness, not unlike Carey Price. Don’t be surprised if Askarov is selected at the #5 slot by the Ottawa Senators, he’s good enough to be the highest-drafted goaltender since Price.

I love this pick for the Panthers. Scott drafts physical shutdown defenceman Kaiden Guhle for the Panthers, and if I were a gambling man, I would put decent money on this being the player Florida actually ends up picking at 12. The 6’3″, 183 lbs Guhle hits like a truck and is great defensively. He is a powerful and smooth skater and his feet are constantly in motion, which plays into his proactive defensive style. He is a great transition defenceman and has very strong habits in the defensive zone. Guhle is a defensive transitional defenceman rather than one who produces offensively; he lacks a threatening shot and is not going to quarterback a powerplay at the pro level, but his physical and defensive toolkits could make him a dominant top-4 shutdown defenceman.