Did the Rangers make the right pick at #1? Redrafting the 2020 NHL Draft

The 2020 NHL Draft was the first draft that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also held online in September 2020. Scouts and general managers were relied upon for the first time to make more conjecture about top-ranked players.

Let’s take a look and redraft the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

An NHL draft with a mixed center class

1. New York Rangers: Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators)

Stutzle is just good. He’s not the most defensively responsible player in this draft, but he can score. He’s been carrying the Senators since coming into the NHL.

2. Los Angeles Kings: Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings)

Compared to forwards like Lafreniere and Byfield, Lucas Raymond, as the fourth overall pick, has had the best career out of all of them. Raymond has found the net but still needs to improve the defensive side of his game before becoming a superstar.

3. Ottawa Senators: Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers)

Who could have seen Anton Lundell soaring up this list to number three? Last season, Lundell finished sixth in Calder voting, scoring 44 points in 65 games.

4. Detroit Red Wings: Alexis Lafreniere (New York Rangers)

Despite what Rangers fans tell you, there’s still a ton of potential for Lafreniere to become a quality star player; it’s just going to take some time. Lafreniere has quietly been turning it around this season, and if the Rangers want to add another big piece before the deadline, Lafreniere will still be sought after by teams around the NHL.

5. Ottawa Senators: Jamie Drysdale (Anaheim Ducks)

Jamie Drysdale wasn’t the first defenseman taken off the board, but he’s definitely one of the best. Drysdale's two seasons on the Ducks are making Senators fans kick themselves that they didn’t take him over Jake Sanderson.

6. Anaheim Ducks: Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes)

Another Hurricanes draft win! Seth Jarvis was picked up by the Canes 13th overall as the fifth center selected. Here he is ranked third among those five. In 122 games, Jarvis has 67 points with 28 goals. He may be a key piece for the Hurricanes in the upcoming Deadline.

7. New Jersey Devils: Dawson Mercer (New Jersey Devils)

The Devils made up for their pick at seven with their pick later in the first round with Dawson Mercer. Mercer has the chance to project as a top-line center in the near future.

8. Buffalo Sabres: Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets)

The Jets took Cole Perfetti after the Wild passed on the center. Only a few seasons into their careers, it looks like the Jets got the better shake. In only 68 games, Perfetti has 36 points.

9. Minnesota Wild: Jack Quinn (Buffalo Sabres)

The Wild were in the market for a top line center in 2020. Maybe Marco Rossi will eventually develop into that role, but for now, the center depth in this draft was subpar. Jack Quinn has stood up as a good prospect for the Sabres and would help the Wild now rather than Rossi doing it later.

10. Winnipeg Jets: Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings)

Quinton Byfield nearly drops out of the top 10. He hasn't been as advertised for the Kings and is probably looking at a change of location at this year's NHL Trade Deadline.