The New Jersey Devils would need to win the second lottery spot to need to make the decision between Tim Stutzle and Quinton Byfield but its a good debate.
The New Jersey Devils fans are all having insane debates online over who should be the second overall pick. They have been the team that had to make the tough decision at the first overall pick in two of the last three years. In 2017, it was Nico vs Nolan and they took Nico Hischier. In 2019 it was Hughes vs Kakko and they selected Jack Hughes. Well, in 2020 it is a little bit different.
Alexis Lafreniere is the lock to be the first-overall pick. There is no debate there. The debate comes with the second-overall pick which is a unique scenario. Most of the time the debate is for the top spot between two prospects who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. In 2018, pick one (Rasmus Dahlin) was a lock and pick two (Andrei Svechnikov) was a lock and the intrigue started at three.
So in 2020, the debate is between Canadian center Quinton Byfield and German winger Tim Stutzle. They both are in all likelihood going to be great NHL players in their own right when that time comes. Whoever has the second overall, however, needs to decide who they believe is going to be the better player even if the margin is small.
Byfield currently plays for the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario League. He is a giant centerman standing at 6’4″ and 214 lbs. That is huge and he is only 17 years old. He doesn’t turn 18 until mid-August so there is a lot of time for him to develop his game. The fact that he is this big already with the potential to put on even more man muscle is also incredible to think about. Byfield has been the number two guy in a lot of people’s minds since the preseason.
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Then there is Tim Stutzle. His rise to the top of the draft has been remarkable. He sort of did what Nico Hischier did to get himself selected as the first overall pick in the draft. One thing that is different is the fact that he plays in a men’s pro league which intrigues a lot of people. In 41 games for Adler Mannheim, he had seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points. He also, like Nico, played very well for a somewhat less traditional hockey country.
Tim Stutzle is German, so he played for them in the 2019-20 World Junior Championships. He had no goals but five assists in five games before the Germans were eliminated. It has been fun to see him rise up the ranks and make a great argument to be the second overall pick.
The fact of the matter is, however, that it may come down to positional needs. If it was the New Jersey Devils picking at number two, they might go with Stutzle because of the fact that he is a winger. With Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes in the mix, adding a high volume scoring winger could go a long way for the young centermen. They also might just go with whoever they deem is the better player regardless of their position.
Whoever has the third overall pick is for sure going to get a great player without having to even make a decision. The New Jersey Devils scouts and managers have a lot to decide whenever this 2020 draft is underway. It is a lot of fun to debate and study these two players and every other player in the draft that has a chance to play for our team.