The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup on Monday night, and just like that, everyone shifts gears to the 2024 NHL draft, which will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday night, starting at 7 p.m. EST.
After a miserable 2023-24 season, the San Jose Sharks have the #1 overall pick, most likely Macklin Celebrini out of Boston University. Once Celebrini inevitably goes first, the next few selections are up in the air. That said, this year’s draft is labeled as the year of the defensemen. Artyom Levshunov, Zayne Parekh, and Zeev Buium are anticipated to be the top three defensemen picked come Friday night, but where will they all fall?
This draft will be a bit more unpredictable than years prior, but that’s what makes it exciting, as always.
Let’s look at the potential top five picks of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Second overall pick: Artyom Levshunov -270
The Chicago Blackhawks have the second overall pick in the 2024 draft. They can go with an offensively gifted player like Ivan Demidov out of the MHL or the elite defenseman with some size in Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State. Many scouts and draft experts have labeled Levshunov as the consensus #1 defenseman in this year’s class, and he feels much closer to stepping into the NHL than Demidov does. Chicago certainly needs to add more to their blue line and taking Levshunov at #2 makes sense.
Third overall pick: Ivan Demidov +500
The Anaheim Ducks will be selecting in the top three for the second straight season. Last year, they took talented forward Leo Carlsson. This year, they have a chance to take the most skilled forward in the entire class. Ivan Demidov has that capability, but he still has room for improvement. His skill and hockey IQ are there, but there is some concern about his skating. However, he is expected to play in the KHL next season, which will help his development. This one is a bit riskier but has some great value if the Ducks decide to go with him, which, to me, isn’t very far-fetched.
Fourth overall pick: Zayne Parekh +7500
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back in the top five as well. Last year was huge for them as they picked up Adam Fantilli with the third overall selection. This year, it may benefit them to strengthen their blue line. Zayne Parekh is the second-best defenseman available. He is fresh off winning the Memorial Cup with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. He’s a strong offensive defenseman that would bolster their young roster.
Fifth overall pick: Cayden Lindstrom +220
NHL teams always want to be strong down the middle of the ice at the center position. The Montreal Canadiens will be in a good spot if Cayden Lindstrom is still available at number five, which I think he will be. Lindstrom has great size and looks physically ready to step into the NHL. The Canadiens aren’t necessarily the best team down the middle at the moment and don’t have much size in that category either. Lindstrom would be a great fit in their organization with what they’re trying to build and could complement Juraj Slafkovsky very well.
2024 NHL Draft Props
Zayne Parekh to be drafted before Zeev Buium +200
Zeev Buium and Zayne Parekh are the best two defensemen outside of Artyom Levshunov. In my opinion, there is no doubt that Levshunov is the first defenseman taken off the board, but then it’s essentially a 50/50 toss-up between Buium and Parekh. Both of them are incredibly reliable on the backend, and they each have some offensive ability, but to me, Parekh may have some more upside in the point production category which is why I feel that he’ll be selected before Buium. There is great value in their head-to-head, and I like Parekh to go before Buium at +200.
Over 11.5 total defensemen taken in the first round +140
There are plenty of other players that I have yet to mention like EJ Emery, Adam Jiricek, Charlie Elick and Stian Solberg. Teams want to build out their blue lines, and this draft is the perfect time to do so. I anticipate we will see a ton of defensemen be selected on Friday night, and while 11 seems like a big number, I think it’s incredibly realistic.
