Major statement on Kaiden Guhle from journalist

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Carl Vaillancourt
June 2, 2024 (10:30 PM)

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The 2020 draft was brimming with talented young players. After a slow start in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Alexis Lafrenière is beginning to establish himself as a future elite player in the Bettman circuit. The recent performances of the hometown player are promising for the team.

With personal records for goals and points, the former Rimouski Océanic player is becoming more well-rounded in various phases of the game. His offensive and physical involvement during the playoffs helped the New York Rangers secure a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In a recent segment of a radio episode on BPM Sports, journalist Mathias Brunet didn't hesitate to revisit the 2020 amateur draft. Despite Alexis Lafrenière's recent performances, he does not top Brunet's personal mock draft as of June 1, 2024.

What does the journalist's top 3 look like?

1- Jake Sanderson
2- Tim Stützle
3- A tie between Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafrenière

Kaiden Guhle, a top-10 pick in the 2020 draft according to Mathias Brunet, a few ranks behind Alexis Lafrenière
Brunet also places Kaiden Guhle in the top 10 of this draft, although he was originally selected 16th overall.

If we understand correctly, Kaiden Guhle would move ahead of at least six players who were drafted with him in 2020. Certainly, players like Cole Perfetti, Jack Quinn, Alexander Holtz, and Dylan Holloway have not had the expected starts four years after being drafted. Russian player Rodion Amirov, selected 15th, passed away far too soon under tragic circumstances. Mathias Brunet makes his stance clear: there are no players drafted behind Kaiden Guhle who would be selected before him now.

Juraj Slafkovsky over Alexis Lafrenière nonetheless, according to Mathias Brunet
Given that Jake Sanderson is likely to be the face of the team on the blue line in power plays and various situations, it is not surprising to see him ranked so high on Mathias Brunet's list. Tim Stützle, another representative of the Ottawa Senators, is seen as the second-best player of the 2020 class according to Brunet. This means that Alexis Lafrenière and Quinton Byfield have been overshadowed by the two Ottawa prospects.

In the same radio segment, Brunet also stated that he would choose Juraj Slafkovsky over Lafrenière. Among the reasons for his choice are the significant difference in their development curves and the marked superiority in the size of the current Canadiens player compared to the Rangers player. He admires what Slafkovsky has achieved at just 19 years old.

With 50 points last season, Slafkovsky is not far from the statistics posted by the first overall pick of 2020, despite a 2.5-year age gap. It's reasonable to project Juraj Slafkovsky's offensive statistics for the 2025-2026 season, which will be his fourth campaign. He was eight goals and seven points short of reaching the same level as the Rangers forward. Moreover, Lafrenière does not have the advantage of playing alongside someone like Artemi Panarin.

You can listen to Brunet's full audio here:

BPM Sports - Jake Sanderson at the top, Guhle in the top 10