Luck of the Lottery: Devils, Rangers Benefit from the Ping-Pong Balls
April 19, 2019The first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs is in full swing, but that’s not the only news making waves across the NHL.
Prior to the start of the first round of this year’s postseason, the league held its annual draft lottery in Toronto, ON, on April 9. 14 teams who missed the playoffs – and the Colorado Avalanche – were in attendance, hoping that the ping-pong balls used to choose the top three picks would bounce their way. The Avalanche, who are currently taking on the Calgary Flames in a first-round playoff matchup, had the best chance to win the first-overall pick, with a 18.6 percent chance at victory. GM Joe Sakic acquired the unprotected lottery pick from the Ottawa Senators in 2017 as part of a trade that sent 2009 third-overall pick Matt Duchene to Canada’s capital.
However, luck was on the side of the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks this year, as those three teams earned the top three picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, respectively, dropping Colorado down to the four spot.
Chicago’s rise to the third pick was a shocking one, considering the Blackhawks only had a three percent chance at moving into third, but the real winners of this year’s draft lottery are the two teams above Chicago: the Devils and the Rangers.
The Devils moving from third-to-first isn’t as remarkable as the Rangers moving up four spots to second overall. The Rangers had just a 7.8 percent chance at the second-overall pick and the ping-pong balls bounced the Blueshirts’ way. Meanwhile, the Devils had a 11.5 percent chance at first overall, three percentage points more than the 8.5 percent chance that won the team the first-overall pick two years ago, with which they selected Swiss center Nico Hischier.
This year’s draft features two forwards that are projected to be elite NHL players in American-born center Jack Hughes and Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko. Hughes is expected to be the first-overall pick, with Kakko immediately following him, but there’s no telling what kind of surprises we could be in for ahead of June 21. With both players almost certain to land across the Hudson River from each other – regardless of who goes first and who goes second – here’s what fans of both franchises should expect from both players.
Jack Hughes
Center – Orlando, FL
Projected to be the first player off the board in Vancouver this summer, the New Jersey Devils would have a one-two punch down the middle for the next decade if they select Hughes and pair him with the previously mentioned Hischier.
Listed at 5-foot-10-inches, Hughes isn’t known for his size. Instead, the center is known for his explosive speed and is able to elude defenses to make a play. He’s the type of player that will rack up assists with his playmaking abilities, making him the perfect partner for 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall.
Hughes spent this past season playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 team, putting up an incredible 92 points in just 43 games. The year before, Hughes posted 116 points in 60 games, including 76 assists, ranking him second all-time in single-season scoring in USNTDP history.
Internationally, Hughes was a member of the silver medal-winning Team USA at this year’s World Junior Championships. Hughes contributed four assists in four games with Team USA while playing on the same team with his older brother, defenseman Quinn Hughes, who was drafted seventh overall in 2018 by the Vancouver Canucks.
Whether Hughes goes first or second is yet to be determined but no matter what, the 17-year-old – who turns 18 next month – will be expected to be a difference maker this October.
Kaapo Kakko
Right Wing – Turku, FIN
At 6-foot-2-inches and 190 pounds, the Finnish-born Kakko has something that Hughes doesn’t, and that’s size.
Ranked as the second-best prospect behind Hughes in the scouting reports, Kakko projects to be more of a scorer compared to the playmaking center in Hughes.
Kakko spent this season playing for TPS in the league SM-Liiga, also known as the Finnish Elite League, which is the highest ranked professional hockey league in Finland. Playing against men in SM-Liiga, the 18-year-old Kakko didn’t struggle with the age gap. In 45 games, Kakko scored just below a point-per-game pace, recording 38 points, including 22 goals.
On the international stage, Kakko was a major factor for Finland’s U-20 team in the 2019 World Junior Championships. The winger scored twice and added three assists for five points in seven games as the Finns went on to win their fifth World Junior Championship gold medal.
With the size to play with the big boys and the strength to protect the puck from the opposing team, putting the young winger on a line with a playmaking center should help the transition to North America, where Kakko will have to adjust to playing on the smaller-sized rinks. However, he should have no problem finding the back of the net for whichever team ends up selecting him with their first pick in this summer’s draft.
Who Goes First?
Whether the New Jersey Devils choose to pick a center in Hughes or a winger that can play with Nico Hischier in Kakko, there’s no wrong pick to be made. Either way, the two rivals in the Devils and the New York Rangers will acquire a player who can immediately make a difference on both teams’ top-two forward lines, a department both teams are severely lacking skill.
I’m not Devils GM Ray Shero, but if I were to be for a moment on June 21, the selection should be an easy one. Center depth is important to have in the NHL if you want to build a winning team and after winning the NHL Draft Lottery for the second time in three years, the general manager – who is entering his fifth year in New Jersey – has the opportunity to have two dynamic, young centers for a long, long time. To me, the choice should be Jack Hughes.
Loading ...Stats courtesy EliteProspects.com
