The 2019 NHL Draft featured high-end talent at all three positions, headlined by New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes. Owen Cameron takes a look at what changes would be made if general managers across the league had a second chance to make their picks.
The 2019 NHL Draft was highlighted by some of the top American-born players in the game today.
The top three scorers in this class are also U.S.-born, producing multiple Olympians, NHL all-stars, and some very solid role players.
While the U.S. National Team Development Program dominated this draft, would that still be the case if general managers had a second chance to make their picks?
Considering the talent, organizational fit, and positional need for each franchise, this exercise aims to explore what each team selecting in the top-10 of the 2019 draft would do if given a second chance.
1. New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes, Center
Original Pick: Jack Hughes, Center
While Jack Hughes has had a lot of ups and downs in his career, nothing changes at the first pick here. He's put up nearly 100 more points than the next-best player in this class and has proven on multiple occasions that he’s a true franchise player.
He hasn’t been able to reach the same highs he had in his 99-point campaign in 2022-23, but that's largely due to his struggles with injuries over the years. A healthy Hughes sets the New Jersey Devils up to be a dangerous team in the playoff conversation.
Hughes has shown that he can shine in big moments from his time at the Olympics. If the Devils can surround him with the right pieces, and he can play a full 84-game season, it's only a matter of time before he has those moments on the NHL stage.
2. New York Rangers: Matt Boldy, Left Wing
Original Pick: Kaapo Kakko, Right Wing
The New York Rangers still take a winger at this spot, but this time it’s Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild. Similar to Hughes, Boldy came up big in the Olympics this past year by opening the scoring in the gold-medal game with arguably the nicest goal of the entire tournament.
The Rangers would have loved to bring on the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Boldy, who plays hard, blocks shots, and has some of the best skill in the NHL. Boldy has also proved himself in the playoffs this past year, where in 11 games he put up seven goals and 11 points.
3. Chicago Blackhawks: Moritz Seider, Defenseman
Original Pick: Kirby Dach, Center
The Chicago Blackhawks make out like bandits here by snagging Moritz Seider, whose flown under the radar for most of his NHL career due to the lack of success the Detroit Red Wings have had. The only real downside to Seider at this spot is that he would have made it a lot harder for the Blackhawks to get Connor Bedard in the 2023 draft.
Seider is so elite at the little details in the game, and when he puts it all together, you get a minute-munching defenseman who can score 60+ points in a season. The Blackhawks have desperately been searching for a No. 1 blueliner, and Seider could have been the answer.
4. Colorado Avalanche: Thomas Harley, Defenseman
Original Pick: Bowen Byram, Defenseman
The Colorado Avalanche still take a left-handed defenseman here, but instead it’s Thomas Harley. At 6-foot-3, Harley has a lot of range and you notice it in all three zones. He’s elite at breaking plays up off the rush, and he anticipates and intercepts passes well. When he’s given space on the blueline, he can also make plays for his teammates.
His point production dipped from 50 to 36 points this past season, but the elite offensive tools he possesses are still there. Those assets were also on display for Canada at the Olympics, where he had four points in six games. In this experiment, the Avalanche add another elite defenseman who can kill penalties and provide very solid all-around minutes.
5. Los Angeles Kings: Pavel Dorofeyev, Left Wing
Original Pick: Alex Turcotte, Center
While he was initially drafted 79th by the Vegas Golden Knights, Dorofeyev climbs to the fifth spot as the Los Angeles Kings take the power-winger out of Russia in this exercise.
At this point, the Kings were trying to return to being consistent Stanley Cup contenders. The team was a mix of old players from the Kings’ heyday like Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, and Ilya Kovalchuk, along with younger guys like Adrian Kempe, Tyler Toffoli, and Alex Iafallo.
Dorofeyev would have fit in with that group with his never-ending motor, great shot, and great ability to play anywhere on the ice. He led the Golden Knights in goals over the last two seasons and continued to showcase his high-end finishing ability in the playoffs this year, putting up 12 goals and 16 points in 22 games.
6. Detroit Red Wings: Cole Caufield, Right Wing
Original Pick: Moritz Seider, Defenseman
The Red Wings get the best goal-scorer in this class with the sixth pick in Cole Caufield. Caufield falls here for the same reason he fell to the Montreal Canadiens at 15th, with his size being a concern.
At 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds, Caufield is way smaller than the ideal size GMs are looking for nowadays. While some undersized players like Viggo Bjorck have polished off-puck habits to make up for it, Caufield still hasn’t rounded out that area of his game yet.
However, his scoring ability is something you can’t overlook. He was two goals shy of tying Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead in goals, and with three seasons of 80-plus games, he’s been really dependable. The Red Wings needed some firepower, and Caufield would have allowed them to build around a goal-scorer.
7. Buffalo Sabres: Jackson LaCombe, Defenseman
Original Pick: Dylan Cozens, Center
Jackson LaCombe was one of the few players at the top-end of this draft that took some time to break out, but the Buffalo Sabres are fine with that. The Sabres were looking to add to their blueline at the time, and adding a detailed defender like LaCombe opens up the game for many other players.
His offensive game has been sneakily impressive as well, finishing with 58 points last season while starting to look like a true No.1 defenseman.
His fit with the Sabres would have really worked. Rasmus Dahlin pushes the pace on offense while LaCombe plays a steady transition game where, in the blink of an eye, he has three points and you haven’t had one clean entry on his side all game.
8. Edmonton Oilers: Bowen Byram, Defenseman
Original Pick: Philip Broberg, Defenseman
The Edmonton Oilers land Bowen Byram with the eighth pick, and it gives them another defenseman alongside Evan Bouchard who can help produce offense.
Byram has already shown that he can play a more supportive role alongside an elite defenseman during his time with Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche. He would shore up the left side in Edmonton and give even more firepower to a team that really started to turn things around after this draft.
Even as a secondary offensive option, Byram was still able to put up 11 goals and 42 points in 82 games with the Sabres last season. He was also very solid in the playoffs, where his game away from the puck stood out. On an Oilers roster stacked with talent, Byram's style of play could potentially help move the needle in a seven-game series.
9. Anaheim Ducks: Dylan Cozens, Center
Original Pick: Trevor Zegras, Left Wing
Dylan Cozens is tied with Kappo Kakko for the most NHL games played from this class with 444. Cozens had a really good start to his career in Buffalo before getting shipped to the Ottawa Senators, where he put up 28 goals and 59 points in his first full season with his new team.
The Anaheim Ducks started to prioritize size and skill around this time, and Cozens brings both of those to the table. Adding in his positional versatility with the ability to play on the wing, and you have a really solid building block for the future.
Cozens alongside some of the Ducks' current pieces would confirm the identity they want to play with, and give them a Swiss Army Knife player you can use up and down your lineup.
10. Vancouver Canucks: Trevor Zegras, Left Wing
Original Pick: Vasili Podkolzin, Right Wing
To conclude this exercise, the Vancouver Canucks land one of the most entertaining players in the NHL with Trevor Zegras. His skill was always amazing, but he wasn’t able to adjust to the other parts of the game until he played under Rick Tocchet with the Philadelphia Flyers
The Canucks had some high-end skill up front with Elias Pettersson, and with this pick they would have added a lot more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
