Nearly eight years have passed since the 2019 NHL Draft, held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Some players have blossomed into stars, while others have struggled to meet expectations.
Jack Hughes, to this point, is the only player from this class to establish himself early as an elite talent in the NHL. Others, like Dylan Cozens and Moritz Seider, have solidified themselves as strong contributors and talented players, but the top-end talent outside of Hughes is somewhat lacking in this class.
With the benefit of hindsight, we’re redrafting this class to see where some of the players might have ended up if the scouts had done their jobs, starting with the top 5 picks.
1. New Jersey Devils
Original Pick: Jack Hughes
Redraft: Jack Hughes
We can give the scouts credit on this one—Hughes entered the draft as the unanimous top prospect and hasn’t disappointed. Now in his sixth year with the Devils, Hughes has tallied 138 goals and 346 points across 363 contests with the club. At just 23 years old, there’s plenty of room for him to grow, even as one of the league’s premier talents. This is an easy redraft pick for the Devils, who made the right call initially.
2. New York Rangers
Original Pick: Kaapo Kakko
Redraft: Moritz Seider
Seider has developed into a dominant presence on the blue line for Detroit after originally being taken with the sixth overall pick, earning the second spot in this redraft. The Rangers initially took Kakko second overall, but after an underwhelming tenure in the Big Apple, he was traded to the Seattle Kraken. Instead, New York pivots here to solidify its defensive core alongside Adam Fox with one of the league’s top young defenders.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
Original Pick: Kirby Dach
Redraft: Matt Boldy
Minnesota found a gem outside the top 10 when they picked Boldy 12th overall, making him one of the biggest steals of the class. The 23-year-old has recorded 95 goals and 219 points across 259 contests with the Wild and has already proven to be a strong playoff performer—a trait that cannot be overlooked in today’s game. If Boldy had gone to Chicago, there’s no telling what he and Connor Bedard could have cooked up.
4. Colorado Avalanche
Original Pick: Bowen Byram
Redraft: Cole Caufield
Caufield proved the doubters wrong after initially being labeled as “too small” to have a big impact, despite dominating at the junior level. He quickly shut down that narrative with an impressive rookie campaign and has since recorded 20+ goals in every season he’s played. Injuries have been a concern, but if you inserted Caufield into Colorado’s top six, they might just have another Stanley Cup to their name with the other talent they have.
5. LA Kings
Original Pick: Alex Turcotte
Redraft: Bowen Byram
Byram drops one spot in this redraft as the Kings add a promising young dual-threat defenseman to their aging blue line. Originally selected by Colorado, he was stuck behind elite talents like Cale Makar and Devon Toews and has since been traded to the Sabres, where he’s currently having his best season. His defensive play has raised some questions, but Byram remains one of the league’s more promising defensemen with significant offensive upside.
Check out the redraft for picks 6-10 here