NHL Draft: 5 Reasons To Fall In Love With Lucas Raymond
By Nick Villano
3. Raymond Is Incredibly Aggressive Towards The Net
One of the more underrated aspects of Raymond’s game is his penchant for driving towards the net. He has a way about him that sneaks around the defense and ends up wide open five feet from the net. That’s a perfect spot to surprise a goalie, giving him the chance to be patient and see what opening he’s given.
The Devils don’t have a lot of players like that on the roster. Taylor Hall was the player that did those types of things for the Devils. He was extremely aggressive, and that’s what helped lead to his Hart Trophy win in 2018. Being able to drive to the net in traffic with and without the puck leads to a lot of goals in the National Hockey League.
It’s never smart to draft a player for the current needs. Signing a free agent to fill a need? Sure. Trade a player who fits what the team is looking for at the current moment? That also works. Drafting your future based on how your team is constructed currently? That’s a bad idea. However, if the best player available also fits one of the team’s long-term needs, then that’s a dream scenario.
That’s what the Devils would be facing if Raymond falls to seven; a dream scenario. He’s so good at multiple aspects of hockey the Devils struggle at, it just feels like the perfect fit.