FEATURE: TSN's Craig Button Gives Draft Insight

As the 2020 NHL Draft approaches and NHL Central Scouting has released their final ranks, teams like the New Jersey Devils have their picks set. New Jersey will benefit from three first-round picks, starting with seventh overall. A draft, considered as deep as the 2020 class, can help transform what is already a relatively young roster and set a franchise on a new, robust path.
TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button was a recent guest on the Speak of the Devils/Road to the Draft Podcast to talk all things 2020 NHL Draft and the up-and-coming core for the New Jersey Devils.

Amanda Stein: Looking at the draft boards, who do you see available and good fits for New Jersey to select with their first, first round selection at seventh overall?
Craig Button: Lafreniere is off the board, Byfield is gone, Stutzle is gone, Drysdale gone. So, those are four players that I believe that aren't going to be there at seven. So, it's Cole Perfetti, a brilliant left winger, I'm going to give you some comparables, Perfetti reminds me of Artemi Paneri. So, there's one. Lucas Raymond the Swedish winger, he reminds me of Mitch Marner. Then you have Alexander Holtz, who reminds me a lot of Filip Forsberg. Jack Quinn, who I think is the best goal scorer in this draft, reminds me of David Pastrnak. Then you have a centerman, Marco Rossi, who is Jack Quinn's teammate with the Ottawa 67s, who reminds me Niklas Backstrom. I named five forwards. I could name Jake Sanderson, who I think is Marc Edouard Vlasic, Josh Morrissey type player, if he has more offensive to his game, his game is going to be that much better but he's a top pair defenseman. So, I'll keep Jake out of the conversation for now. But those are the players that I think it comes down to for the New Jersey Devils at seven.
AS: In what way do those players you mention benefit with a team like New Jersey, and how does New Jersey benefit from their talents?
CB: Jack Hughes is a brilliant playmaker, he's an exciting playmaker, he opens up the ice with his skating. And I watched him create magic with Cole Caulfield, who is a Montreal Canadiens draft pick. You put smart players like Alexander Holtz, Cole Perfetti, Jack Quinn, and Lucas Raymond, they all have exceptional hockey sense. You have got to be able to think the game along the lines of smart players like Jack and Nico Hischier. So, I start to look at those types of players. And I just see, that one plus one equals three. When I look at those types of wingers, high end, offensive players, shooters, that hope score goals in different ways. The Devils acquired Nolan Foote at the trade deadline, you have a young Jack Hughes, young Nico Hischier, you have Kyle Palmieri, now you added now you add another player like that, you still Palmieri, now you've added Nolan at 20 [years old]. Now you add elite offensive players, and all of a sudden, you start to think about how you've gone from three players, to that offensive group starting to look pretty impressive. But it's not just that, it also puts other players into positions that they can handle. They don't have to be over extended.
AS: The league and general managers are in a unique scenario this year with no combine, no face-to-face interviews, how does this new-look change things for NHL General Managers and how they're getting to know their prospects away from the ice?
CB: It's different now. So, the combine, I like to call it '15-minute lunches'. You don't really find out a lot, it's face to face, and that's just the way the combine works. NHL teams have been afforded an unbelievable opportunity from this pandemic, not only with more time, but also with that time to be able to delve more deeply into it, to spend more time with the players, to talk to them more. Yeah, it's not face-to-face, but it is face to face and technology has really helped us manage this pandemic. And for me looking at it from the outside in, it's unbelievable to sit down and think, you can talk to Player A and Player B. You can circle back to Player A and Player B. And you can continue the conversation, bring their parents into it, all the different things that give you more information. NHL teams have time, use as much time as you possibly can to get as much information, which is the key here. It's the key to be as confident as you possibly can about the players you're going to draft, because that's really what it comes down to. You can assess, then go back and forth the scouting report. You want to have that real sense of confidence. This is our player.
AS: What more can you tell me about Jack Hughes, who just completed his first NHL season?
CB: We're so eager to get there tomorrow, that sometimes we don't focus on today. You can't speed what I call the natural laws of nature: physical, mental and emotional. I've watched Jack Hughes play since he was 12 years old, I know the Hughes family really well, and I've watched Jack, but Jack is only going to get better as he physically matures. The NHL is the best league on the planet, with the best players, but as an 18-year-old, just because you're the first overall pick doesn't mean automatically, you're going to come in and be the best player all of a sudden, Those are rare players. And there's no question in my mind that Jack is going to because he's going to progress. He's going to be that star player because he's talented. He's gifted and determined. I've seen Jack get knocked down, he just picks himself up and dusts himself off and keeps playing. He's another player, forget it, you don't get him pushed out of a game. And I think that having the competitive fire that Jack and Nico [Hischier] have, I think those are just tremendous qualities to build your team around.