Well, it took a few extra months, but the day has finally come. Tonight — the 2020 NHL Draft will kick-off in a way we’ve never seen before. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Draft will be carried out virtually. The Red Wings hold the 4th overall pick, and the possibilities are endless for Steve Yzerman and his second Draft in charge of the Detroit Red Wings.
How to Watch
Time: 7:00pm
TV: NBC Sports Network
Live stream: NBC Sports Live
1st Round Draft Order
- New York Rangers
- Los Angeles Kings
- Ottawa Senators (From San Jose)
- Detroit Red Wings
- Ottawa Senators
- Anaheim Ducks
- New Jersey Devils
- Buffalo Sabres
- Minnesota Wild
- Winnipeg Jets
- Nashville Predators
- Florida Panthers
- Carolina Hurricanes (From Toronto)
- Edmonton Oilers
- Toronto Maple Leafs (From Pittsburgh)
- Montreal Canadiens
- Chicago Blackhawks
- New Jersey Devils (From Arizona)
- Calgary Flames
- New Jersey Devils (From Vancouver via Tampa Bay)
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New York Rangers (From Carolina)
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
- Colorado Avalanche
- St. Louis Blues
- Anaheim Ducks (From Boston)
- Ottawa Senators (From NYI)
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Dallas Stars
- San Jose Sharks (From Tampa Bay)
Who’s it gonna be?
The good news is that the speculation as to who Yzerman will take officially ends tonight. The bad news is that… Well, we have no damn idea who it’s going to be. Yzerman typically plays his cards close to the chest, but there have been a lot of rumors that the team is interested in the likes of Cole Perfetti, Jamie Drysdale, and Jaroslav Askarov, among other names. The Red Wings are in a good spot to pick up a potentially franchise-altering talent, but Steve Yzerman has shown us that he’s willing to go off the board if he thinks a player is special in his mind.
Mock Drafts
SB Nation – Tim Stutzle
In our sitewide mock, the top prospect in Europe fell to 4th overall, and we really couldn’t say no to that. Stutzle has seen a surge in interest after his impressive performance at the last WJC. It’s unlikely he falls out of the top-three picks, but crazier things have happened.
ESPN – Cole Perfetti
Chris Peters has the Wings reaching for the young stud from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. The center had a breakout season with 37 goals in 61 games. Peters also throws Askarov’s name as a potential pick.
NBC Sports Network – Cole Perfetti
Sean Leahy throws out a few potential names — Lucas Raymond, and Marco Rossi are listed as candidates, but Leahy likes the Perfetti pick at 4 for Steve Yzerman.
USA Today – Cole Perfetti
I’m sensing a pattern here…
NHL.com – Marco Rossi
In a bit of a roundtable mock, three NHL writers all agree think that Marco Rossi, a center with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, is the right choice. Rossi is an electric offensive force who led all CHL players with 120 points in 56 games.
Craig Button – Jamie Drysdale
Button has the Red Wings going defense in back-to-back drafts. Yzerman selected German defenseman Moritz Seider at 6th overall last year, so you’d think he would look for a high-end forward.. But there’s a lot of belief that Yzerman could go defense again and stock up the future defensive cupboard. Drysdale is thought of as the top defenseman in his class after putting up 56 points in 49 games with the OHL’s Erie Otters.
This is just the beginning for Steve Yzerman — the 2nd-year GM has nine more picks to play with after tonight. Three of those picks are in the 2nd round, one of them will be the first pick when day two kicks off Wednesday night on NHL Network. There’s a chance we’ll start to get a better understanding of what his plan is for the organization after two drafts under his belt.
