Re-Drafting Quinn Hughes and the Top 10 Picks From the 2018 NHL Draft
A post-Olympics re-draft with three Olympians, including two gold medal winners, in the top 10? Say less.
We're looking at the 2018 NHL Draft and trying to decide who would be in our top 10 if we knew then what we know now. I dug into the archives for this to see how well my opinions in 2018 lined up with the players we see now, and it's about what you'd expect. On point for some players, extremely off base for others (I was so hopeful about Oliver Wahlstrom), and of course, the expected handful of guys who didn't pan out because of injury or development issues.
How would that top ten look today? The league's landscape would be pretty different, I can tell you that much.
First overall isn't going to be a surprise.
1. Quinn Hughes, D, Buffalo Sabres
1 of 10
I actually had defenseman Quinn Hughes as my personal first overall going into the 2018 draft.
It felt apparent to me that he was going to wind up the best player out of this bunch, even as far back as the beginning of his draft year into his D-1 year. I never ranked him there, because for public work—especially mock drafts—I tend to try to marry my observations with which way the wind is blowing league-wise to determine where I think a player will end up.
I clearly should have, looking at his career in the interim. He's at nearly a point-per-game as a defenseman with 467, was the captain of the Vancouver Canucks for two years before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, won the Norris Trophy in 2024, and recently added an Olympic gold medal to his list of achievements. Watching how he's able to control the flow of a game, it almost makes you feel like the Canucks got a steal drafting him at seventh overall.
2. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
2 of 10
Brady Tkachuk, fellow Olympic gold medalist alongside our previous pick, is another easy mark here. Who else are you going to pick second overall? This is, of course, zero slight to Andrei Svechnikov, who didn't go far, but I have to give the very slight edge to Tkachuk as an all-around player. Tkachuk has also passed the 200-goal mark, the only player in this class to do so.
Stylistically, I can actually see Tkachuk working out quite well with the Hurricanes. He would've fit right in with the "Bunch of Jerks" era, for certain, given how he always plays with an edge, and he has the kind of approach to offense that the Hurricanes like. This re-draft also makes me wonder what a difference having Tkachuk could've made in the Hurricanes' many playoff runs. Is he the piece that finally pushes them over the edge, one of those years? Or do they not even get that far without Svechnikov?
Guess we'll never know. He definitely would've been a fan-favorite, though.
3. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Montreal Canadiens
3 of 10
See? Andrei Svechnikov didn't go far.
The first player from this draft class to hit the 300-game mark, Svechnikov is a really intelligent forward with a dangerous shot and a great physical element to his game. On paper, he's everything an old-school hockey man wants, and it makes me really intrigued by what sort of difference-maker he could've been for the Montreal Canadiens. While researching for this, I got stuck for a few minutes imagining him playing alongside guys like Nick Suzuki or Lane Hutson, and I have to admit it was fun.
At the same time, who's to say that he would've had the same opportunities in Montreal that he did in Carolina? With beloved Habs like Brendan Gallagher and Andrew Shaw on the right side, there's no guarantee that he starts that season in the NHL. If he goes back to the OHL, does he then develop poor habits due to likely dominating the league? Butterfly effect! I could think about this stuff for hours.
.png?w=256 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=256 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=256)
4. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Ottawa Senators
4 of 10
Imagine with me for just one moment what Rasmus Dahlin's career could've looked like to this point somewhere other than the Buffalo Sabres. Now dial it back a bit because I'm sending him to the Ottawa Senators.
Picturing the Senators without Brady Tkachuk, the offense-minded yapper-in-chief, as their captain, and instead putting a cerebral puck-moving defenseman in that spot—because I do think Dahlin would've ended up captain on the Senators like he's done on the Sabres—is a fascinating thought experiment because it really changes the whole tone. I don't even think it changes it for the better or for the worse; it just makes the overall style and approach different.
Another interesting wrinkle: if the Senators draft Dahlin in June of 2018, are they so quick to trade defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks in September of that same year? Or do they keep him around to mentor the rookie, a fellow Swede? I think they hold on to him at least a bit longer, which then calls into question the 2023 trade to the Penguins. This is what I mean when I say this re-draft really reimagines the NHL landscape.
5. K'Andre Miller, D, Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Mammoth)
5 of 10
Having K'Andre Miller as the next defenseman up might ruffle some feathers, but he's a great player, and I'm not afraid to say so. That being said, he and the next two players are basically on a tier for me, so if you don't like this pick, flip to the next. Or the next!
If Miller's career had started somewhere other than with the New York Rangers, I think he would be in a different place, production and perception-wise, right now. I don't know that I think the then-Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Mammoth, is the right place for that, but what the heck. Worth a try, right?
Miller with this franchise could've gone one of two very disparate ways. Scenario one: it's too much weight, and it goes really poorly. We've all seen it. I think scenario two is more likely: he thrives under the pressure, and we get to see him really use that puck-carrying ability and transition play to use the offensive side of his game to its full potential.
I also think he would've ended up beloved by the fanbase—shoutout to Coyotes fans who are as deeply loyal as they come—but probably would've been traded both because he was a valuable asset and because he would've commanded too much money in salary.
6. Noah Dobson, D, Detroit Red Wings
6 of 10
I'm going to be quite frank: in this run of three with K'Andre Miller, Noah Dobson, and Evan Bouchard, I had them all so close together that in the end, I separated them stylistically and in terms of who I thought would be the best team fit. I could really go with any given combination in the actual rankings.
And for some reason, to me, Noah Dobson just feels like a guy who would be a good fit for the Detroit Red Wings. I have this thing in my head that pings when I see a player who feels like he makes sense as a Detroit Red Wing. I've referenced it before, and I stand by it every single time.
He can eat minutes when needed (he averaged 24 minutes and change per game for the New York Islanders in 2023-24), he produces offensively, and he's just a solid all-around player.
The Islanders sent Dobson back to the QMJHL, where he won the Memorial Cup for the second year in a row in 2019, and I think the same would've happened if he'd been drafted by the Red Wings. I don't see his career trajectory going much differently. Ironically, his first NHL game was against the Red Wings.
7. Evan Bouchard, D, Vancouver Canucks
7 of 10
He's not quite Quinn Hughes, but part of me thinks that the Vancouver Canucks fanbase might be happier with Evan Bouchard solely because he is 6'3". Fortunately, he brings a lot more than that to the table. I admit I was skeptical of Bouchard during his draft season—his numbers seemed a little too gaudy to me, and also, I've just learned to be skeptical of London Knights players because their results don't always translate to the real world.
Thankfully, Bouchard has grown into quite the player, passing the 300 point mark recently—and in impressive fashion, recording a point in 5 different game situations in a single game last month. He's the kind of prototypical build the proverbial hockey men like to root for, and he's intelligent and productive on the ice, and he's large. You're really making every corner of the fandom happy here. He's also having a great season production-wise with 60 points so far, which I feel like the Canucks could really use.
8. Yegor Sharangovich, C/W, Chicago Blackhawks
8 of 10
Confession: I almost put Joel Farabee here because I am and have been Farabee-pilled since his D-1 season. However, I do think that (Farabee's current teammate!) Yegor Sharangovich has the edge over him very slightly; frankly, it came down to goals scored and the fact that I don't think the New York Rangers would've taken Sharangovich at 9th, and I wasn't moving him any lower.
I do, however, think that Sharangovich could've worked out really well with the current iteration of the Chicago Blackhawks. And since their real first-round pick, Adam Boqvist, didn't work out (I have thoughts on this that boil down to 'development'), why not try a different tactic? Sharangovich was originally a fifth-round pick—141st overall—and while we can't be sure that his development would've been on the same trajectory, and that he would've ended up the same player, as it was with New Jersey, I'd take the swing.
He's a really useful guy, and I cannot express how high the praise is from me. He has an excellent shot; he can play in all situations and has great awareness. This one is very hindsight-based, but I stand by it.
9. Joel Farabee, LW, New York Rangers
9 of 10
Is this entirely with the benefit of hindsight? Yes.
Was I a huge Farabee fan from his days with the NTDP, which led me to rank him highly? Yes. Would I still put him here at 9th if I'm being completely objective? Fortunately, also yes. Farabee is just one of those players you need on your roster, and I usually hate it when people say that, but it's true. He's a Chris Kunitz, an Andrew Shaw—perhaps not the most elite skill set on the ice but absolutely relentless on the forecheck and able to complement those elite players when needed.
That style of play definitely would've set him on a good path with the Rangers. Add to that David Quinn getting hired as the Rangers' head coach right before the draft—out of Boston University, where he would've played a role in recruiting Farabee—and it really does seem like a great fit. He was meant to be a Flyer, but I can absolutely see this working.
10. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Edmonton Oilers
10 of 10
I think Jesperi Kotkaniemi has a lot more to offer than we're seeing this year and probably just needs a change of environment. To be so transparent: I also think if the Edmonton Oilers had drafted him, it would've ended up a Jesse Puljujarvi rerun. But we carry on!
Kotkaniemi was long praised for his vision, his intelligence, and his ability to control play. It was really his skating that was the issue. At the time, current Dallas Stars assistant coach David Pelletier (former Olympic figure skater, you might've heard of him) was employed by the Oilers as a skating coach. Maybe that aspect of his game would've been improved, and who knows what could've come from that?
Unfortunately, being drafted by the Oilers in that weird era before the McDrai Machine got rolling probably would've led to a trade, so who knows where he would be? Maybe once again with the Hurricanes. Regardless, I think there's more to be mined there. Don't give up on him, hypothetically or otherwise.
.png?w=480 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=480 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=480)
.png?w=600 "B/R NHL Staff Second-Round Predictions 🏒")
