Alexis Lafreniere, a left wing for Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will be the first player chosen in the 2020 NHL Draft, according to three NHL. writers.
After that, however, their opinions differ greatly.
The 2020 NHL Draft was postponed from its initial date of June 26-27 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. A new date has yet to be announced.
The order of selection used for this mock draft was based on the NHL Draft Lottery drawing Friday. The No. 1 pick will be determined by the Second Phase of the lottery, which will include the eight teams that lose in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, and be held before the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each of the eight teams will have a 12.5 percent chance to win the top selection.
The Los Angeles Kings, who had the fourth-best odds to win the lottery, will pick No. 2, followed by the Ottawa Senators at No. 3, with the pick they acquired from the San Jose Sharks as part of the trade for defenseman Erik Karlsson on Sept. 13, 2018.
The Senators, who also have the No. 5 pick, are the first team with two top-five selections since the New York Islanders had the No. 1 (Rick DiPietro) and No. 5 (Raffi Torres) picks in the 2000 NHL Draft.
The Detroit Red Wings, who had the best odds to win the lottery, will pick fourth.
The remainder of the first round will be set following the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
1. Placeholder team
Kimelman — Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski (QMJHL): Whichever team wins the first pick shouldn’t need much time to make its decision. Lafreniere (6-foot-1, 193 pounds) combines elite puck skills, high-end decision-making and a physical edge. He’s by far the top talent in the 2020 draft and should be able to step into a significant NHL role early next season.
Morreale — Lafreniere: The 18-year-old led all players in the Canadian Hockey League (QMJHL, Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League) with 2.15 points per game this season. But as skilled and talented as Lafreniere is, what makes him even more impressive is his relentlessness and willingness to play a hard game and finish checks.
Lepage — Lafreniere: With 112 points (35 goals, 77 assists) in 52 games, his MVP award for helping Canada win the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and his second straight CHL Player of the Year award, Lafreniere lived up to all the expectations this season and proved himself to be a cut above his fellow prospects.
Kimelman — Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury (OHL): Byfield has everything a rebuilding team is looking for, with great size (6-4, 215), skill and tremendous skating ability. The 17-year-old said he has been focusing on getting stronger since his season ended, with the goal of being able to handle physical play in the NHL next season. Byfield has the look of a franchise center the Kings will be able to build around with veterans Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter each advancing into the later stage of his NHL career.
Morreale — Byfield: The left-shot center is a powerful skater with breakaway speed and an exceptional skill set. He had 82 points (32 goals, 50 assists) in 45 games this season.
Lepage — Tim Stuetzle, LW, Mannheim (DEL): The Kings have made a concerted effort to find dynamic, creative forwards at the draft the past few years, including Rasmus Kupari (No. 20, 2018), Akil Thomas (No. 51, 2018) and Alex Turcotte (No. 5, 2019). With his impressive vision and hockey IQ, Stuetzle fits that mold.
3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks)
Kimelman — Stuetzle: The 18-year-old was rookie of the year in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany’s top pro league. His mature game allowed him to earn a significant role on one of the top teams in the league, and that experience against more developed competition should help him make a quicker jump to the NHL. He could be a top-nine forward for the Senators as soon as next season.
Morreale — Stuetzle: A hard-working left-handed shot capable of playing all situations with speed, great vision and swagger. He scored 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) and had 132 shots on goal in 41 games this season.
Lepage — Byfield: Even though they already have several promising forward prospects, the Senators can’t afford to overlook Byfield. The imposing center is an excellent skater and a dangerous scorer and would fit nicely playing alongside left wing Brady Tkachuk.
4. Detroit Red Wings
Kimelman — Marco Rossi, C, Ottawa (OHL): Rossi plays bigger than his size (5-9, 183) with a feistiness and competitive level reminiscent of Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux. Rossi led all CHL players with 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists) in 56 games, willingly goes to the net to produce offense and his high hockey IQ makes him a solid two-way player who can kill penalties.
Morreale — Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie (OHL): Drysdale might be the best defenseman available in the draft. The 5-11, 175-pound right-handed shot is capable of driving play with his skating and elite hockey sense.
Lepage — Rossi: The 18-year-old may give up a few inches to his opponents but still dominated this season. He would be a key addition to the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort at forward.
Kimelman — Drysdale: After taking a top forward, the Senators can opt here for the best defenseman in the draft. The 18-year-old is a complete player, able to skate the puck out of his zone and lead the breakout or smartly and accurately pass the puck up the ice.
Morreale — Rossi: The Austria-born left-shot forward averaged 2.14 points per game, second in the CHL behind Lafreniere, is capable of winning puck battles, is strong on face-offs (58.5 winning percentage) and generates offense with his high hockey IQ, good hands and playmaking ability.
Lepage — Drysdale: This is the best possible outcome for the Senators. After selecting Byfield at No. 3, they could end up with the best defenseman in the draft. With Thomas Chabot, Erik Brannstrom and Drysdale, Ottawa’s future at the position appears to be in good hands for years to come.
6. Anaheim Ducks
Kimelman — Cole Perfetti, C, Saginaw (OHL): As much as Perfetti’s skill level stands out, it’s his smarts and high hockey IQ that allows the 18-year-old left-shot forward (5-10, 177) to always be in the right spot in all three zones. He doesn’t have the flash of other players in the draft, but does everything well.
Morreale — Perfetti: A skilled forward with high hockey IQ, compete and a great release on his shot. Perfetti was second in the OHL with 111 points (37 goals, 74 assists) in 61 games.
Lepage — Lucas Raymond, LW, Frolunda (SHL): The Ducks have focused on forwards early in the draft the past few years and Raymond (5-11, 170) has a wide range of offensive skills that could be reason to add one more. With his silky hands and unrivaled vision, he could reignite the Anaheim offense within a few seasons.
7. New Jersey Devils
Kimelman — Alexander Holtz, RW, Djurgarden (SHL): With left-shot centers Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes as the foundation in New Jersey, adding a shoot-first right wing would be smart for the Devils. Holtz (6-0, 192) is a strong skater and can get a hard, accurate shot off from anywhere in the offensive zone. He led all 18-and-under players in the Swedish Hockey League in points (16) and tied for the lead in goals (nine).
Morreale — Raymond: The 18-year-old plays a strong two-way game with excellent vision, intensity, a good wrist shot and a nose for the net and is a tremendous asset on the power play and penalty kill.
Lepage — Holtz: The Devils have their two centers of the future in Hischier and Hughes; combine their playmaking abilities with Holtz, who has a dangerous shot, and the foundation could be in place for an offensive attack.
8. Buffalo Sabres
Kimelman — Jack Quinn, RW, Ottawa (OHL): The 18-year-old arguably is the best goal-scorer in the draft, with his 52 goals in 62 games second among all CHL players behind Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect Nicholas Robertson (55). Quinn’s skating got better as the season went on and he’s confident it will continue to improve when he gets better off-ice training at the pro level. He’s already strong enough to win most battles along the wall and is tough to knock off the puck. The Sabres have a number of strong prospects, but the chance to add someone of Quinn’s ability is too much to pass up.
Morreale — Holtz: A pure goal scorer with a great selection of shots, Holtz plays a tough, intelligent game. He had 55 shots on goal and averaged 12:53 of ice time in 35 games in the SHL this season.
Lepage — Perfetti: He isn’t the biggest player but is an offensive catalyst. The Sabres have selected a forward with their first pick in seven of the past nine drafts but don’t have much to show for it at the NHL level other than Sam Reinhart (No. 2, 2014) and Jack Eichel (No. 2, 2015). Buffalo shouldn’t pass on a center with Perfetti’s well-rounded skill set.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
