Winners & Losers From NHL Draft: After Taking Jack Hughes, Does New Jersey Have a Shot to Win the Cup?

• The 1st round of the NHL Draft took place yesterday
• Jack Hughes was taken first overall 
• See the winners and losers from day one

Jack Hughes was the first person to walk across the stage in Vancouver as the New Jersey Devils made him the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Taking the consensus top player, and a player who can change a franchise was an obvious win for the Devils, but there were some teams who picked later on that had some really good value. Some players will help teams that made the playoffs look like cup contenders, while other picks should lift their clubs into a playoff spot.

But, will it change 2020 Stanley Cup Odds? That is the question.

2020 Stanley Cup Odds

Odds Taken 06/22/19. 

Winners

New Jersey Devils (+5000)

When you have the first overall pick, it is hard to not come out of the draft as a winner. As mentioned above, they took a player who can be an impact in the starting lineup right away. Jack Hughes has dominated everywhere he has played, and having him in the Devils lineup alongside Taylor Hall will only make that offense better. For New Jersey to really have a shot at the playoffs they will need solid goaltending and defense as the offense is there.

Colorado Avalanche (+1200)

There is serious value on the Colorado Avalanche at +1200, and I think after drafting Bowen Byram fourth overall, will only add to their very solid defensive core. Then add in the 16th overall pick, Alex Newhook, and the Avs, in my opinion, had the best draft. Colorado got much better than most teams, and already have a very good roster, that it should be expected they enter the playoffs this upcoming season.

Vegas Golden Knights (+900)

The lineup alone in Vegas has a shot to make the Stanley Cup Finals. They have a solid roster including the likes of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Marc-Andre Fleury in goal, among others. This team was already one that was destined to make it to the playoffs and adding Peyton Krebs, who could make the roster, is a very good two-way forward. His player comparison is Jonathan Toews, and having that on this Vegas roster will be important.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+800)

This isn’t so much about what Tampa did during the draft, as they took Nolan Foote, a power forward. 27th overall. But, this is about the news that Ryan Callahan won’t be able to play and he can be placed on the long-term injured reserve. That saves the Lightning, a team up against the cap, six million dollars which will be important this offseason as they look to re-sign Brayden Point.

Losers

New York Islanders (+2500)

The New York Islanders had a phenomenal playoff run that saw them upset the Washington Capitals. Even without John Tavares, the Islanders proved they could hang with the top team. But, on draft day, they didn’t help their cause at all. They took Simon Holmstrom 23rd overall who dealt with injuries and poor play all last season. It was a reach, and there were still impact players available.

Detroit Red Wings (+6600)

Talk about reaching. Drafting sixth overall, the Red Wings, now under general manager, Steve Yzerman was set to get a player who can help them right away. But, that was not the case. Instead, they took Moritz Seider, a defenseman, who on many draft boards was a player expected to go in the 15-20 range, but Yzerman and company surprised many and took him. He is NHL ready, which will help Detroit, but at sixth overall, there were better players and better defenseman available.

Ottawa Senators (+10000)

The Ottawa Senators are losers in the draft because they didn’t have their original pick. At fourth overall, they could have taken a player that was ready to make an impact this season, but because of the dumb Matt Duchene trade, that pick went to Colorado. Although they did have a decent pick in Lassi Thompson, it wasn’t enough, and it will be another long season in Canada’s national city.

Ultimately, after day one of the draft, I really like what the Colorado Avalanche did. They impressed me a lot with their picks but after the draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning still have the best roster and are the favorites to win the cup for a reason.