TOP NHL PICKS HAVE BIG SHOES TO FILL
American Hughes, Finland’s Kakko go 1-2 in draft, just as Matthews, Laine did in 2016
Where have we seen this before?
A dazzling U.S. centre who torched the National Team Development Program is chosen No. 1 overall, followed by a hulking Finnish winger at No. 2 who is already a dominating presence among men at the pro level.
It looks familiar, doesn’t it? After all, it was only three years ago when Toronto star Auston Matthews and Winnipeg ’s Patrik Laine went first and second overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
On Friday night in Vancouver, a similar scene unfolded on the draft floor of Rogers Arena when the New Jersey Devils chose American centre Jack Hughes with the No. 1 pick and the New York Rangers followed it up by selecting Finland’s Kaapo Kakko at No. 2.
Not to heap too much pressure on the young kids, but their two respective franchises can only hope they have a similar effect as Matthews and Laine have had on the Maple Leafs and Jets.
It’s obviously a high bar to meet. We haven’t seen a one-two combination like Matthews and Laine since Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin went first and second in 2004. In his first year in Toronto, Matthews finished second in the Rocket Richard Trophy race as the Leafs went from worst in the NHL to making the playoffs. A year later, the Jets reached the conference final after Laine finished ranked second in league scoring with 44 goals.
Can Hughes and Kappo do the same for New Jersey and New York? Time will obviously tell. But they certainly have the pedigree to make it happen.
“(Laine is) playing so well, like the last three years, so I hope I can play like Patrik,” said Kakko. “He’s a little bit different than me, but yeah.”
In Hughes, the Devils are getting a player whom Patrick Kane predicted could be even better than himself after scoring 112 points in 50 games with the U.S. national squad. He joins a team that missed the playoffs last year mostly because 2018 MVP Taylor Hall was injured for half the season and should give New Jersey a one-two punch down the middle with 2017 No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier.
“They’re a team that just made the playoffs and missed out this year because of injuries,” said Hughes. “I think they’re right there. There’s a lot of great players with the Devils. I’m blessed to be with the organization.”
In Kakko, the Rangers are looking at a six-foot-two winger who had 22 goals and 38 points in 45 games in the top Finnish league. New York is in the early stages of a rebuild, but after acquiring defenceman Jacob Trouba in a trade with Winnipeg last week, the finish date might have been bumped up.
“Of course, I hope, so I can help the team get to the playoffs someday,” said Kakko, who joins a team that had five first-round picks in the previous two drafts. “I know the players.”
In other words, don’t be surprised if the Devils, who finished 12th in the East last season, and Rangers, who were 15th, find a way into the post-season as early as next year.
“They’re both stars,” said Mark Seidel, chief scout for North American Central Scouting. “Hughes is going to come in, he’s going to be electrifying, they’re going to sell tickets around him, he’s going to put up a lot of points. And Kakko isn’t going to be as flashy, but if he’s on a winning team, he’s going to be kind of like (Anze) Kopitar or a (Mikko) Rantanen type of guy. He’s going to help you win.”
That’s what the draft can do. It’s a shot of adrenalin for a comatose franchise. We saw that in 2016 not only with Toronto and Winnipeg, but also Columbus, which selected Pierre Luc-dubois at No. 3, Calgary (Matthew Tkachuk, sixth) and even Boston (Charlie Mcavoy, 14th).
According to Seidel, who called this “one of the strongest drafts we’ve seen in a long time,” this year could unearth similar gems. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Saskatoon Blades centre Kirby Dach with the No. 3 pick — the first Canadian picked — while Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram went fourth to the Colorado Avalanche (a pick that originally belonged to the Ottawa Senators), followed by Los Angeles taking U.S. centre Alex Turcotte to round out the top five.
“I ended up in a great spot,” Byram said of joining an Avalanche team that upset the Flames in the first round of the playoffs. “They have an unbelievable team right now, so many superstars. Now, the biggest worry for me is making the team.”
The Edmonton Oilers, who had the eighth-overall pick, selected Swedish defenceman Philip Broberg, while the Vancouver Canucks took a chance on Russian winger Vasily Podkolzin, who has two more years remaining on his KHL contract, with the 10th pick.
The Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, might have got lucky when diminutive sniper Cole Caufield fell in their laps with the 15th-overall pick.
“Up until you get to 10 or 11, you’re going to get a guy who’s going to be a solid star in the National Hockey League,” said Seidel. “Similar to the 2016 draft, some guys will be stars with their teams and some guys will be filling roles. It won’t shock me if more than a couple are playing next year.”
And don’t be surprised if they help some teams get into the playoffs.