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NHL draft: What do the Ducks do at No. 2?

June 24, 2023

The NHL’s 2023 entry draft begins Wednesday night in Nashville and, in many ways, the Ducks are the team that will ultimately control the direction it takes. Largely, that’s because the No. 1 choice is a foregone conclusion.

The Chicago Blackhawks will select Connor Bedard, a much-anticipated, franchise-style player who is being compared favorably to Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. The Ducks have the second overall choice, and according to former NHL general manager Craig Button, now an analyst with the TSN network in Canada, there is a case to be made for any one of three players at No. 2.

Or to put it another way, it’s not as clear-cut as many once believed among Canadian forward Adam Fantilli of the University of Michigan, Swedish forward Leo Carlsson of Orebro HK and Russian forward Matvei Michkov of the KHL.

Although Fantilli was considered the likely choice in many quarters when the Ducks finished second in the NHL’s draft lottery, Button made an especially convincing case for the 5-foot-10, 172-pound Michkov, the true definition of a wild card and ventured so far as to name check a soccer icon.

“The comparable I use for Michkov is Leo Messi – I think he is an elite striker,” said Button, TSN’s director of scouting, who was the general manager of the Calgary Flames from 2000-03 and, before that, the director of scouting with the Dallas Stars and a four-year member of the scouting staff with the Minnesota North Stars.

What might be an area of concern for many teams is that Michkov’s contract to play in the KHL runs through the 2025-26 season. But the Ducks aren’t hiding the fact they are in the early stages of what could be an extended rebuild.

Thus, Michkov’s arrival in North America could neatly coincide with the Ducks’ timetable. He won’t turn 19 until December and, conceivably, he would be close to 22 years old when his entry-level contract kicks in.

“My point is: why would Michkov not be a reasonable choice when you have (Trevor) Zegras, (Mason) McTavish and Ryan Strome up the middle of the ice and you don’t need him for another three years anyways?” Button said. “And (Ducks GM) Pat Verbeek doesn’t give a (rip) what anybody thinks.

“Pat Verbeek isn’t worried about consensus. I’m not trying to make a case against Fantilli or Carlsson. Pat Verbeek is his own man. He’s not going to be influenced by consensus or what other people think. He will make the decision that he thinks is best for his team.

“That’s why I don’t exclude Michkov from the conversation. I think there is zero risk with drafting Matvei Michkov.”

Button’s enthusiasm for Michkov and where he might fit into the overall picture with the Ducks doesn’t lessen his regard for Fantilli or Carlsson. In his final ranking of the class of 2023, Button had Fantilli at No. 2, followed by Carlsson, Michkov and Swedish defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka. Button’s TSN colleague Bob McKenzie’s list differed in that it had center Will Smith, who is headed to Boston College, ranked No. 4 behind Bedard, Fantilli and Carlsson but ahead of Michkov.

“Fantilli is more of a goal-scorer, and I would say that Leo is more of a play-making center, like (Washington Capital forward) Nick Backstrom,” Button said. “Get the puck to the right guys, set ’em up. He’s a big kid. Fantilli plays at more of a frenetic pace. He’s an excellent skater but everything he does is at this high-level pace. He’s not (Nathan) MacKinnon. But when MacKinnon gets the puck, you feel it. That’s Fantilli.”

One of the Ducks’ organizational strengths – gifted young centers like Zegras and McTavish – could ultimately tip the scale toward Fantilli.

“I’m not so sure Adam might not end up over on the wing, which might influence Pat Verbeek. Carlsson, to me, is a center through and through,” Button said. “I could see Fantilli as a winger.”

For Carlsson, one of the biggest adjustments in his draft year was a maturing body.

“He grew physically, pretty significantly,” Button said. “I think he had to get his legs underneath him. He was kind of this long, lean guy. Put on weight and he had to get used to carrying that weight and moving with that weight.

“What I saw from November and right through to the World Championships, he was becoming more fluid and more easy in his movements. That’s what happens when you mature. It’s one thing to say, ‘Put on weight.’ But you’ve got to carry that weight and I thought he did a nice job of doing that.”