The Detroit Red Wings were the worst team in the NHL during the 2019-2020 season and because of that, they will have a top 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Red Wings will have an 18.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick when the NHL Draft Lottery is held and a 49.4% chance of picking in the top 3.
Though getting the No. 1 overall pick would be ideal, we all know how these draft lotteries work and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman is surely preparing for whatever scenario arises.
In a piece recently published by The Hockey Writers, they went through various NHL Draft scenarios and we will be going over those scenarios with you in the coming days/weeks.
That being said, here is Mock Draft scenario 1.0. As you can see, this mock has the Red Wings selecting landing LW Alexis Lafreniere with the No. 1 overall pick?
1) Detroit Red Wings — Alexis Lafreniere (LW, Canada, Rimouski QMJHL)
ANALYSIS: Detroit retains first overall and makes the obvious pick. Lafreniere is the best player in this draft class, as of today, and he’ll thrive under Steve Yzerman’s leadership and mentorship. He’ll contend for the Calder next season and become a perennial all-star as the Red Wings’ franchise player. Yzerman might be tempted by Tim Stutzle — and the prospect of uniting him with fellow top-10 German Moritz Seider — or consider Quinton Byfield because Detroit has a bigger positional need at centre, but Lafreniere is too good to pass up. Sure, the Red Wings already have their share of scoring wingers, but Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina aren’t on Lafreniere’s level and Anthony Mantha might not be long for Detroit. Worth noting, Zadina can play both wings and shouldn’t suffer by shifting over to the right side if he ends up on the same line as Lafreniere in the future.
Recapping Results for Mock 1.0
1) Detroit Red Wings — Alexis Lafreniere (LW, Canada, Rimouski QMJHL)
2) New Jersey Devils — Quinton Byfield (LC, Canada, Sudbury OHL)
3) Los Angeles Kings — Jamie Drysdale (RD, Canada, Erie OHL)
4) Ottawa Senators — Marco Rossi (LC, Austria/Switzerland, Ottawa OHL)
5) Ottawa Senators (San Jose) — Lucas Raymond (RW, Sweden, Frolunda SHL)
6) Anaheim Ducks — Alexander Holtz (LW/RW, Sweden, Djurgardens SHL)
7) Buffalo Sabres — Tim Stutzle (LC/LW, Germany, Adler Mannheim DEL)
8) Montreal Canadiens — Cole Perfetti (LW/LC, Canada, Saginaw OHL)
9) Chicago Blackhawks — Yaroslav Askarov (G, Russia, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg VHL)
10) New Jersey Devils (via Arizona) — Jack Quinn (RW, Canada, Ottawa OHL)
As noted in the summary, if the Red Wings are fortunate enough to land the No. 1 pick, selecting Lafreniere will be a no-brainer.
