Nashville will receive blue-liner Steven Santini, defensive prospect Jeremy Davies, as well as a second-round pick in this draft and a second-rounder in 2020.
The Canadiens couldn't have run to the podium any faster when Cole Caufield slipped to 15th overall. He scored 72 goals in 64 games for the U.S. National Team Development Program this past season, and it's quite baffling why he fell as far as he did. His size (5-foot-7, 163 lbs) may have played a role, and while that reasoning has haunted teams in the past, it appears size is still a concern for some in 2019.
It's possible teams attributed Caufield's gaudy numbers to being Jack Hughes' linemate, but Caufield's shot is truly elite. His wrister is hard and accurate, the release is quick, and he's great at getting it through traffic. He uses this off the rush, but his one-time blast from the left circle will arguably be just as lethal, especially as he continues to get stronger.
The Avalanche already entered the day as winners, as the Matt Duchene thievery from 2017 netted them the fourth overall pick from the Ottawa Senators. The Avs put the selection to good use, snagging dynamic blue-liner Bowen Byram. With Cale Makar already in the fold, Colorado now has two of the world's best defensive prospects. Its under-24 core of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Makar, and Byram is one of the most enviable in the league.
The Avs made an astute pick with their own first-rounder, too. With the No. 16 selection, they took speedy sniper Alex Newhook. He played center for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL, though he may be better suited to shift to the wing in the pros. Regardless, he plays with a lot of pace, which fits Colorado's style of play, and he's dangerous from all areas of the ice thanks to his lethal shot.
U.S. National Team Development Program
Seven of the first 15 selections on Friday night were graduates of the U.S. National Team Development Program. Add in John Beecher, who went 30th overall to the Boston Bruins, and eight cracked the first round.
Pick
Player
Pos.
Team
1
Jack Hughes
F
NJ
5
Alex Turcotte
F
LA
9
Trevor Zegras
F
ANA
12
Matthew Boldy
F
MIN
13
Spencer Knight
G
FLA
14
Cam York
D
PHI
15
Cole Caufield
F
MTL
30
John Beecher
F
BOS
The CHL will have more players taken in the draft overall, but the NTDP is now unquestionably ahead of the pack when it comes to producing elite, high-end talent. Of the NTDP's 20 draft eligible players, only 12 remain.
The NTDP has a greater focus on individual skill and growth, and other developmental programs may begin to take note.
Losers
Detroit Red Wings
This is not a knock on Mortiz Seider, whom the Red Wings took with the No. 6 pick. All indicators point to the German defenseman being a good player - but not great. He's big, he can skate, defend well, and make a nice first pass, but his offensive upside is very limited. At sixth overall, teams should be reaching a bit higher. Especially the Red Wings, who have needs throughout their organization and should've take the best player available.
It's difficult to question Steve Yzerman, arguably the best GM in hockey, but it's not like he has spotless track record in the first round. He's made risky picks before, and some, such as Brett Connolly (No. 6, 2010), Slater Koekkoek (No. 10, 2012), and Tony DeAngelo (No. 19, 2014), didn't quite pan out.
If the Wings were that infatuated with Seider, they would've been better off trading down to select him and getting additional darts to throw on the board. For reference, The Athletic's Corey Pronman had Seider as his 22nd ranked player, TSN's Bob McKenzie had him at 16, and Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino slotted him at 24.
Florida Panthers
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Again, this is not a knock on the player. Spencer Knight, by all indications, could be a very special goalie. It's about the position.
In the last 11 years, eight goalies have been selected in the first round. Andrei Vasilevskiy, this year's Vezina Trophy winner, is the clear outlier among this group, as the other seven goalies have played a combined 87 games in the NHL.
Sure, it's unfair to group Knight with the likes of Chet Pickard and Mark Visentin, but there's just far less certainty with netminders. They take longer to get to the NHL, and when/if they do, their success is tougher to predict.
With the 13th pick, the Panthers could've gotten a player who could impact the NHL club in a year or two, but instead, they may be waiting on Knight, who's NHL success could be very dependent on the team playing in front of him. It's not out of the question that Knight could have been available in Round 2.
The OHL
Not very long ago, the OHL was the hotbed for producing top talent. After Friday night, that feels like decades ago.
A player from the OHL didn't hear his name called until Thomas Harley was selected 18th overall by the Dallas Stars. That's tied for the longest it's taken for an OHL player to be drafted since the league was founded in 1980. It's also the first time since 1986 an OHL player wasn't drafted in the top 10. In total, just four OHLers were taken in Round 1.
It'd be easy to say the OHL needs to prioritize individual growth like the USNTDP, but for team owners in the OHL, it's a business, and winning - not individual growth and preparation for the draft - drives business. Maybe there needs to be changes made to the developmental strategy at the grassroots level in Ontario, and perhaps Canada as a whole.
Dach entered the draft as the third-ranked North American skater, and he has all the tools to become a prominent NHL center. He likely won't jump straight to the big leagues out of junior, but Dach immediately upgrades Chicago's prospect pool.
The Alberta native possesses soft hands and strong skating ability that's rare for a player his size. He should pay off to be a smart pick at No. 3.
What they're saying
"He's huge, he's strong on the puck, he handles it well in tight (rare for a player his size), he's a better skater than he gets credit and his length makes him a lot to handle when he drives the net (which he needs to do more often) or controls the puck on the cycle. He's also a player coaches lean on defensively because he uses his stick effectively to disrupt plays and win battles." - The Athletic's Scott Wheeler
Only three European skaters were ranked higher than Heinola on NHL Central Scouting's final list, and The Athletic's Corey Pronman had the blue-liner slotted in at No. 28 overall on his draft board in May.
In addition to notching nearly half a point per game in his first year in Finland's top league, Heinola helped his home nation capture gold at the 2019 World Junior Championship. He also represented his country at the 2019 Under-18 worlds and the 2017 Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Heinola produced nine points in as many games for Lukko's junior squad in 2018-19 before being promoted to the big club.
What they're saying
"Heinola is a calm, poised puck-moving defenseman who generates clean exits and entries with his vision, and makes plays on the man advantage," Pronman wrote in May. "He’s fine defensively due to his positional play, despite not being the biggest defender. However, he has limitations that may hinder him as he progresses.
"His size is obvious but his skating is also a minor concern. His stride breaks down when he gets going in a straight line, which is worrisome in a 5-foot-11 defender. I like his edges a lot, with Heinola showing a powerful burst on his first few steps to balance out the stride issue somewhat."
Soderstrom has the potential to be a special player. His game is perfectly built for today's NHL. As a right-handed, puck-moving defenseman, he'll be a highly coveted commodity. His stats don't jump off the page, but that's because he was a 17-year-old playing against grown men in Sweden's top professional league.
He's your prototypical Swedish blue-liner. He's a smooth skater, calm with the puck, and makes an excellent first pass. After moving the puck, he loves joining the attack. He's not afraid to get creative at the point as the last man back. It can get him into trouble at times, but he has the quick hands to make plays that other players could only dream of. Adept at quarterbacking a power play.
Soderstrom gets it done on the defensive end as well. He isn't very physical, but has a good stick, closes gaps well, and can read plays.
What they're saying
In an exercise with The Athletic's Craig Custance, an amateur scout was asked to draw comparisons between draft prospects and current NHLers. For Soderstrom, the scout decided on Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi.
"He’s another offensive player. He’s not Erik Karlsson. How offensive is he going to be? Who knows? He’s reliable. He’s dependable. He could be top 10 in the draft. He could be the second D off the board. Josi is a pretty good all-around defenseman who has some offense, too."
Faulk has one year left on his current contract with a cap hit of $4.83 million and is eligible to sign an extension with the Hurricanes at any time. He's one of several reliable right-handed shots on Carolina's blue line, however, and could thus be deemed expendable if an agreement isn't reached.
The 27-year-old Minnesota native is the longest-tenured member of the Hurricanes with eight seasons in Raleigh, N.C., under his belt.
Faulk suited up in all 82 games for the Hurricanes this past season, notching 11 goals and 24 assists while averaging 22:25 per contest. He added eight points in 15 playoff games during the club's run to the Eastern Conference Final.
The NHL's salary cap will be between $81.5 and $82 million for the 2019-20 season, according to The Associated Press.
Commissioner Gary Bettman projected during the NHL Board of Governors meetings in December that the current $79.5-million cap would increase to $83 million.
The lower-than-expected number will result in added difficulty for teams trying to re-sign key players and fill out their rosters while already facing limited cap space.
