Name: The No. 1 pick draft: NHL execs reveal how Alexis Lafreniere stacks up
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The No. 1 pick draft: NHL execs reveal how Alexis Lafreniere stacks up

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Jun 25, 2020When a player emerges as a consensus No. 1 overall pick, as appears to be right now, there’s a natural follow-up question: How does he stack up to previous No. 1 overall picks?It’s a fun debate. Plus, it gives you an indication of the impact the potential star might have on an organization. Add to your rebuild and it skyrockets. But not every draft class has a McDavid. Not every decade has a McDavid.To get a sense of how the No. 1 overall picks from the past decade compare and where Lafreniere slots in, 10 executives agreed to participate in a bit of a thought exercise. The last 10 No. 1 picks were put into a pool of available players, Lafreniere was added in as an 11th option, and these executives made selections in a No. 1 overall pick draft one-by-one.“You should have done this on Zoom,” joked one of the executives as I explained the rules.Just as a refresher, here’s the pool of No. 1 overall picks over the last 10 years:2019:2018:2017:2016:2015: Connor McDavid2014:2013:2012:2011:2010:Add in Lafreniere and we had our available players.Here were the results of the first (annual?) No. 1 overall pick draft:1. Eastern Conference executive: Connor McDavidEasy one. There was no hesitation when making this selection by the executive.“It’s obviously McDavid,” he said.Not even a little debate for, say, Matthews?“Are you kidding me? McDavid might go down as one of the best ever. McDavid is going to be an all-generation talent,” he said.In fact, this executive said he wouldn’t have Matthews next on his list: “I would go McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews.”And, we’re off.2. Western Conference executive: Auston MatthewsThis executive weighed his decision between Matthews and MacKinnon. Really, you can’t lose. We’re still in the franchise-altering territory of this draft.“Matthews. He’s a goal-scorer,” said the executive in making his decision. “MacKinnon is in the discussion but you look at their first two years, first three years – Matthews is ahead of MacKinnon and then MacKinnon came on strong.”Yeah, it’s been pretty impressive how Matthews basically arrived a superstar. In his first three seasons in the league, he had 111 goals and 205 points in 212 games. By comparison, MacKinnon had 58 goals and 153 points in his first 218 games.3. Eastern Conference executive: Nathan MacKinnonThis is where it gets interesting. Not because MacKinnon is picked but because this was the first executive to seriously consider Lafreniere. Like, seriously consider it.“I love MacKinnon. And he’s already done it,” he said. “I’m taking MacKinnon.”But not without taking a long look at the 18-year-old who put up 112 points in 52 games with Rimouski this season.“(Lafreniere) brings everything you need,” he said, explaining the decision-making process. “He has the skating, the hockey sense, the skills and the hands. And he has that enthusiasm for hockey. He LOVES the game. This guy loves hockey. It’s important to him. Sid loves hockey. Connor McDavid loves hockey. That tends to make you better. You’re passionate and love what you do. But I just love MacKinnon and that combination of power, speed and skill.”4. Eastern Conference scouting director: Rasmus DahlinThis was the person who really struggled with their decision. Let’s go through the thought process.“It’s between Dahlin and Lafreniere for me,” he said. “If Lafreniere was a center, it wouldn’t be close. Hughes, he’s small. Nugent-Hopkins is really smart. Hischier is an interesting one, I don’t think he’s a No. 1 center. He’s more of a two. He’s a really, really good all-around player. Just a smart, two-way, skilled, low-maintenance guy. But I don’t think he’s a pure No. 1.”OK, so down to Dahlin and the kid.“It’s close. Given the fact that Dahlin is a No. 1 D, I would take that over the winger,” said the scout. “Take Dahlin off Buffalo and put him in Colorado, and he’s a completely different player.”Got it, so it’s Dahlin.But then, he started talking about Lafreniere and how much he liked him. And just how good he looked at the world junior tournament. And he made the switch, talking himself into Lafreniere. Momentarily.“It’s almost like a gene the great ones have. In big moments, they step up. All the best players in the world – the top, top guys – have that. That’s the thing (Sidney) Crosby has. (Alex) Ovechkin has. It’s that ability to just say, ‘This is me. This is where I’m going to be.’ It’s that ‘It’ factor. When the game is on the line, there’s one person on the planet you want on the ice. I think Lafreniere has that,” the scout said.That settles it.Wait, nope.“You can’t replace that 30 minute a night D,” he said. And settled on Dahlin.5. Eastern Conference executive: Alexis LafreniereHere it is. The promise of Lafreniere was more than this executive could pass up, even with really, good established NHL players on the board – including a recent Hart Trophy winner. This executive narrowed the pick down to Lafreniere or Hughes and ultimately was so impressed with Lafreniere’s performance at the world juniors that he couldn’t pass him up.“For me, the Q is one thing. The U20s, he was outstanding,” said the executive. “It was pretty amazing to see his ability to get to different places and finish. It seems like he didn’t feel any pressure, which was impressive. Hall obviously comes into play here. Hischier comes into play, but I think Lafreniere has the higher upside. He’s also not afraid to be competitive physically, which is a differentiating factor.”6. Eastern Conference executive: Jack HughesHughes came into the league with huge expectations, including comparisons to . He’s still young, still filling out and that helps explain his first-year struggles where he put up 21 points in 61 games. But this executive, and those considering Hughes, still believe in his upside and ability to be a difference-maker.“I think he was rushed. He shouldn’t have been in the league,” said the executive. “He’s not a very big body and it’s not like he was going to the St. Louis Blues or . I’m not sure he can play No. 1 center, there’s not many No. 1 centers who are that size. I do think he has dynamic qualities like his brother (). There’s still upside. I’m not sure he gets there, he has to get stronger, but the talent itself is huge.”The talent bet was enough to pass on more sure-fire NHL players.“It’s an interesting exercise because a lot of these guys are really young and not established. Hischier, I’m worried about his ceiling. Ekblad went into a dip but I think they’ve got him going in the right direction. The upside of Hughes is pretty scary.”7. Western conference executive: Aaron EkbladThe defenseman wasn’t great a couple years ago but bounced back to put up his most productive offensive season to date, points-wise. He averaged 0.61 points per game this season, even if his goal totals were down.“It would be between Ekblad and Taylor Hall,” said the executive in picking Ekblad. “He’s a guy who gives you 23, 24 minutes a night. He’s a right-shot defenseman. That would be hard to pass up. Taylor is a winger. If he’s a center, maybe it’s him. But I’d take Ekblad and I think Taylor is right behind him.”8. Western conference executive: Nico HischierThis is a moderate surprise considering Hall’s availability. But getting a well-rounded center was the appeal here for the executive in picking Hischier.“He’s a No. 2 but I think he’s responsible,” said the executive of Hischier. “He has high-end skill. I like his skillset overall, in terms of brains, hands, skating and puck skills. If he’s a No. 2 center … that’s a pretty high-end player. What’s (Patrice) Bergeron? Is he a legitimate No. 1 center? A lot of people say yeah, but when he was Hischier’s age, he was probably labeled as a really good No. 2. That’s how I see Hischier. He’s a bonafide, legitimate, still-developing, young, second-line center.”As for skipping Hall?“I respect the fact that he won the Hart and can produce points and his speed. … But you can always find wingers,” explained the executive.9. Eastern Conference executive: Ryan Nugent-HopkinsHall continues to slip as executives show a preference for a center over the dynamic winger. This executive joked that he’d prefer to trade down but when pressed to make his pick, he went with the ’ center, who went first overall in 2011.“I think he’s underrated and a little bit overshadowed,” said the executive of Nugent-Hopkins. “He’s a good 2C. A good second-line player. … I think if Nugent-Hopkins was selected No. 9 overall instead of one, people would be like, ‘What a player.’ He’s smart. Versatile and responsible in his own zone. He’s not overly hard to play against but not easy to play against.”Nugent-Hopkins’ versatility and consistency won out over Hall’s game-breaking ability.“Hall gives you moments of flash and dash,” he said. “He gives you that break down the wing where you’re like, ‘Man, I haven’t seen that since Bobby Hull’ where he’s flying and rips it. In between that play and the next time he does it, it’s like, ‘Did he take a break? Where did he go?’”10. Western Conference executive: Taylor Hall“I think you know where I’m going,” said the executive when it was explained to him that his two options where Hall and Nail Yakupov.And he seemed happy with the value of getting Hall at No. 10.“I would have thought he would have come into the discussion at six or seven,” said the executive. “He’s a legitimate top-six scoring winger. He can drive play and he can play with pace. He’s probably a little bit more one-on-one oriented than some other guys, but he’s still dangerous and a legit threat, that’s for sure. He’s a good player.”Not selected: Nail Yakupov(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

Jun 25, 2020When a player emerges as a consensus No. 1 overall pick, as appears to be right now, there’s a natural follow-up question: How does he stack up to previous No. 1 overall picks?It’s a fun debate. Plus, it gives you an indication of the impact the potential star might have on an organization. Add to your rebuild and it skyrockets. But not every draft class has a McDavid. Not every decade has a McDavid.To get a sense of how the No. 1 overall picks from the past decade compare and where Lafreniere slots in, 10 executives agreed to participate in a bit of a thought exercise. The last...

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Craig Custance

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The No. 1 pick draft: NHL execs reveal how Alexis Lafreniere stacks up

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