There was a time not long ago when my morning routine involved a quick check of the out-of-town scoreboard, a glance at the league standings and then a spin on the ol’ Draft simulator.
Now when I wake up, I nervously open Twitter wondering what terrible global developments I’ve missed over night. It’s…not great.
With each passing day, we get a better sense of just how long it might take to get back to normal. And honestly, it’s becoming more and more difficult to even imagine what that normal will look like.
In Quebec, they have already extended the school closures to May. Ontario can’t be far behind. Last night, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee made the right decision, announcing that they won’t send athletes to compete at the Tokyo Games.
The Olympics, which are almost certainly going to be postponed, aren’t even scheduled to start until the end of July.
We’re in this for the long haul.
For now, it’s so important that as much as possible, we continue to listen to the direction of our public health officials. It will save lives and hopefully ease the burden on our health care system.
And then maybe, just maybe, we can get back to normal.
For Sens fans, that normal includes the 2020 Draft Lottery and then the Draft itself. You know, two of the biggest days in the history of the franchise.
The league has yet to say anything about the format of a Draft Lottery but given that they are still considering options that would include finishing the regular season sometime this summer, we’ll likely have to wait a bit before finding out what happens with the lottery.
And while the date and format are still very much up in the air, what we know for certain is the Ottawa Senators are going to have two top ten picks in what is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in years.
Not a bad spot to be in.
So for the first time, here is how I rank the top 10 prospects. This list is based on limited viewings, zero scouting expertise, thorough (or casual) YouTube review, desperation for a new post and fairly blatant theft from other existing lists.
Here goes nothing…
10. Yaroslav Askarov-G- St. Petersburg (MHL)
9. Anton Lundell- C/LW- HIFK (Liiga)
8. Cole Perfetti- C/LW- Saginaw (OHL)
7. Alexander Holtz- RW/LW- Djurgarden (SHL)
6. Jamie Drysdale- D- Erie (OHL)
5. Marco Rossi- C- Ottawa (OHL)
4. Lucas Raymond- RW- Frolunda (SHL)
3. Tim Stutzle- C/LW- Mannheim (DEL)
2. Quinton Byfield- C- Sudbury (OHL)
1. Alexis Lafreniere- LW- Rimouski (QMJHL)
No big surprises here and mostly in-line with the experts. Because what the hell do I know?
The Russian goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is barely hanging on to a spot in the Top 10 but it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where he goes a little bit higher to a team in desperate need of a goalie on draft day.
Lundell, Perfetti and Holtz seem to be mostly interchangeable on a lot of the lists out there right now. Experts seem to question Lundell’s offensive potential but agree that he safely projects as an NHL forward. There is a little more risk with Perfetti and Holtz but it feels like their ceilings are a bit higher.
I have Drysdale a little bit lower than some (have seen him as high as 4th on the other lists) but that’s mostly because I think both Raymond and Rossi have a chance to be impact forwards.
I went back and forth on Stutzle and Byfield but in the end, the idea of a skilled yet giant centre is just too tempting. An underwhelming performance at the World Juniors combined with a quiet second-half on a weak Sudbury team seems to have lowered his stock a little bit but I still love him.
Stutzle looks like he’s going to be a hell of a player too though and many experts have him at second overall. You really can’t go wrong with either of those guys.
Alexis Lafreniere is the number one on everybody’s list and for good reason. As we saw at the World Juniors and basically throughout the QMJHL season, he is capable of dominating a game when he’s on. And when he’s not on, he still finds a way to contribute offensively.
The team that gets him is getting a franchise-changing player. Plain and simple.
So there it is. Let me know why I’m wrong in the comment section below.
And once more for good measure.
