Buffalo Sabres: 2018 NHL Mock Draft Post Draft Lottery Edition
By Austin Owens
Pick Analysis. Left Wing. Boston University (NCAA). player. Scouting Report. 91. 4. Brady Tkachuk
The Senators missed out on the top three this year, which is a rough bounce for a team that had a rough season.
While they could go defence here, Tkachuk is a forward who can’t be passed on. He plays a similar play style to his older brother Matthew, but has more bite and a heap of skill to go along with it.
He will pair nicely with the group of forwards the Sens currently possess. While defence is also a need of sorts for Ottawa, it’s not the most pressing issue. They can go best player available and get a tenacious force up front to help out with scoring.
Pick Analysis. Quinn Hughes. 5. player. Scouting Report. Defence. Univesity of Michigan (NCAA). 121
After the top four, which seems like a lock at the moment, the race for defencemen will begin.
While Hughes isn’t the highest-rated defenceman after Dahlin on most boards, Arizona just seems like a good fit for the American defender.
He has fantastic vision and is a creative passer in all zones. He needs to add a bit of muscle to his frame in order to help his defensive efficiency.
With some big bodies in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychrun and Niklas Hjalmarsson, the Coyotes can add a smaller guy who packs a lot of punch and will be another power-play quarterback for the ‘Yotes to utilize.
72. Defence. 6. player. London Knights (OHL). Evan Bouchard. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Detroit has had a trend of draft picks over the last decade and change. While they have taken European players in the first round previously, they haven’t selected a player that spent his draft year overseas since Nicklas Kronwall in 2001.
Detroit took defender Dennis Cholowski two years ago. He and Bouchard would give the Red Wings a solid one-two punch for the future on defence.
Bouchard has been described as a quintessential two-way defender who has an ideal frame for a top defender and the ability to log big minutes for a team down the road.
He’s also a right-handed shot who posted over 80 points in the OHL this season. So he’s efficient in every zone.