NHL Draft Lottery: Arizona Coyotes Get Third Pick
The NHL Draft Lottery results are in and unfortunately for the Coyotes, they were unable to take home the first overall pick and Connor McDavid.
Instead, McDavid will join the Edmonton Oilers and their three former No. 1 overall picks (Taylor Hall ’10, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ’11, and Nail Yakupov ’12)
Since Edmonton jumped ahead of both Buffalo and Arizona, the Sabres took home the second overall pick and the Coyotes were left with the third pick. With McDavid heading to Edmonton and Jack Eichel going to Buffalo, Arizona is left with a few options.
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After McDavid and Eichel, many, if not all platforms, have Noah Hanifin as the next best prospect. Hanifin is a 6-foot-3 defenseman that has spent his past year playing in the NCAA with the Boston College Eagles. In January, Hanifin appeared in the World Junior Championships representing the United States.
Dylan Strome is also a top five prospect. A member of the Erie Otters of the OHL, Strome was McDavid’s teammate this past season. Strome led the OHL with 129 points (45 Goals, 84 Assists) in 68 games. In the OHL playoffs, Strome currently has 11 points in 9 games.
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Max Domi and Christian Dvorak are already Coyotes property and another London Knight may soon join them. Mitch Marner was second in the OHL with 126 points (44 Goals, 82 Assists) behind Strome. In the OHL playoffs, Marner had 16 points in 7 games.
Although Coyotes fans may be dejected that they did not win the McDavid sweepstakes or that they’ll miss on Eichel, but there are plenty of options here. Hanifin, Strome, or Marner would be excellent selections.