The Minnesota Wild saw their season come to an end on Friday night, but the silver lining is that they have a chance to win the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The NHL’s draft lottery process was a strange one as it included the seven teams not in the playoffs and one team from the qualifying round. In true 2020 fashion, the playoff team won that lottery and will give one grieving fan base a chance to obtain the No. 1 overall pick in a second lottery on Monday night.
The lottery will be televised at 5 p.m. on NHL Network and NBC Sports Network. Minnesota has a 12.5% chance to get the No. 1 pick. The draft is currently scheduled to take place Oct. 9-10.
With the Wild guaranteed to pick either first or ninth in the draft, there are several top skaters that can give them another piece to add to a roster that will already feature Kirill Kaprizov next season.
Alexis Lafreniere
Lafreniere is the consensus top prospect in the draft and a lot of that comes from his ability to score. In the past three seasons, Lafreniere has racked up 114 goals in the QMJHL but also has great vision that’s allowed his assist totals to go up every year, including 77 helpers in 2020.
Adding Lafreniere would help the Wild build impressive depth at wing and build the foundation for a strong second line. With Zach Parise not getting any younger, Lafreniere would be a tremendous replacement in the long-term.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHWi_FBCm9E
Marco Rossi
Dreaming about a top line that should include Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala next season raises the question of who will center that line. Ideally, the Wild would like to upgrade Eric Staal and find a left-handed center to put between their two future stars.
Rossi is a skater that can fill that void in the middle, using tremendous speed and passing ability to record 81 assists in the OHL last season. He stands at just 5-foot-9, but is strong enough to win along the boards and set his teammates up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSWJ0I77VE
Quinton Byfield
Rossi may be the more realistic target for the Wild if they don’t win the lottery, but an alternative might be Byfield, who some believe is the second-best prospect in the draft behind Lafreniere.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Byfield is a lumbering center that still skates with plenty of speed and agility. The only downside with Byfield is that he posted only one elite season in the OHL with 82 points last year, but he has the skill and upside to be an instant contributor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrNCooBZPAs
Cole Perfetti
It’s all about the center position, but it’s incredibly deep among the top skaters in the draft. Perfetti has tremendous hands and doesn’t need much space to set his teammates up for success.
As the second-leading scorer in the OHL (111 points), Perfetti would be a tremendous fit between Fiala and Kaprizov and help the Wild take another step forward in their youth movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNoKzZuyie0
