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Future Watch 2020
The Hockey News' Future Watch 2020 has all the staples of our popular annual prospect-blowout: our Top 100 list, Top 10s and team grades for every franchise, and Sneak Peeks at the next three NHL drafts. Also in the issue, we have features on the how Seattle is building a team from scratch, and prospects Bowen Byram, Kirill Kaprizov, Moritz Sieder and Trevor Zegras.
Vegas Golden Knights
ALWAYS IN THE HUNT It’s unusual for an expansion team to eschew development and hang with the contenders. Vegas finds a way RANK: B- / 20 VEGAS GAMBLED AWAY SOME of its future to roll the dice on the present. Moves that dealt original first-round picks Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom were unexpected from a team in just its third year of existence, but the Golden Knights’ success expedited matters, and they had to ship out some highly regarded prospects to address immediate needs. That’s not to say, however, that the prospect cupboard is bare. In fact, Vegas’ depth of talent made those trades easier to make. As salary-cap concerns become more of an issue, the Golden Knights will be looking for players on entry-level deals to become factors by next season. 1. PEYTON…
Tampa Bay Lightning
RIPENING ON THE VINE A strong and deep roster at NHL level gives Lightning the luxury of letting young talent fine-tune game in AHL RANK: C / 26 DESPITE TRADING FIRST-ROUND picks and promising prospects the past few seasons in pursuit of a second Stanley Cup, the Lightning continue to produce NHL-caliber players capable of stepping in. Tampa Bay has dealt first-round prospects such as Nolan Foote (to New Jersey in the Blake Coleman deal) and Brett Howden (to the Rangers in 2018) to boost playoff runs, but the Bolts have still been able to graduate Anthony Cirelli, Mitchell Stephens and Carter Verhaeghe to the NHL. And there are more of those prospects in the system, including Cal Foote, one of only two remaining first-round picks out of the nine the team has…
Boston Bruins
TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT The Bruins want to celebrate another Stanley Cup now, and if that means sacrificing future assets, so be it RANK: C / 28 IF ANYONE DOUBTED THAT the Bruins see themselves in “future is now” mode, the B’s proved it again at the 2020 NHL trade deadline: for the second time in three years, they used a first-round draft pick and defense prospect to acquire pieces for a playoff run. That stretch also saw them sacrifice top scoring prospect Ryan Donato and a second-round pick. GM Don Sweeney, however, has made certain to acquire mid-20s assets such as Charlie Coyle and Ondrej Kase, and some top prospects remain in development for the day that veteran core players Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand retire. 1. JACK STUDNICKA C,…
Edmonton Oilers
FINALLY HIT PAYDIRT For a long time, the Oilers’ blueline pipeline ran dry. But thanks to a recent focus, it’s now overflowing RANK: C + / 22 AFTER YEARS OF GETTING little contribution from the drafting and developmental arms of the organization – other than the obvious No. 1 overall picks and top-10 selections – the Oilers are finally reaping the benefits of a proper feeder system. Top-six forward Kailer Yamamoto (22nd overall in 2017) and top-four defenseman Ethan Bear (124th overall in 2015) have both made a difference in Edmonton, while defenseman Caleb Jones (117th overall in 2015) looks ready to stick. The Oilers invested heavily in defense prospects and believe Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov are all on track to become NHLers in the coming years. 1. EVAN BOUCHARD D, 20,…
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