2017 NHL mock draft: What if Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier fall?

The overriding theme of the 2017 NHL draft is uncertainty.

The last few drafts have spoiled us. No doubt many fans feel each NHL draft offers someone like Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Aaron Ekblad, or Connor McDavid at the top of the pile.

You can’t really blame that sentiment, but it’s not accurate. Especially this year. The first round of this draft is full of quality players, yes, but none are sure-fire best overall players. While Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick have risen to the top of everyone’s draft boards, there’s been enough questions about both over the last year that it’s worth wondering what might happen if neither go first overall.

Patrick has endured an injury-plagued draft season that dampened hype over a guy most expected to be the obvious No. 1 choice. Hischier rose out of relative first-round obscurity to the top of everyone’s boards with a terrific season. Heck, Timothy Liljegren dropped from the consensus best defenseman to a mid-first-round pick in most mocks after illnesses kept him out of Rogle’s lineup for stretches.

Who knows what might happen? Certainly not us, so let’s imagine a world where the “Consensus Top Two” don’t go in the top two.

I honestly think Vilardi’s draft stock has risen to the point that this scenario isn’t ridiculous. That’s thanks to Windsor winning the Memorial Cup, with Vilardi making the Memorial Cup All-Star Team after racking up seven points in four Memorial Cup games. Vilardi was a 1.19 points-per-game player this year between the regular season and playoffs and impressed many with his ability to protect the puck and make plays below the circles. His patience, vision, and intelligence are top notch and would give the Devils a sure-fire top-six playmaker for years.

I realize asking the Flyers to pass on Hischier and Patrick at No. 2 is past the point of believability, but them’s the rules. Philly has drafted very well on defense and goaltending lately but lack playmaking forwards. Owen Tippett might be a fit here, but if the Flyers somehow pass on Patrick or Hischier it means they think there’s a better player at those two positions. And the only other contender here is Mittelstadt, a high-octane playmaker committed to the University of Minnesota next year.

Patrick wouldn’t fall past this spot. Dallas would snap up the draft’s best all-around forward in a heartbeat. Often compared to Jonathan Toews or Anze Kopitar, Patrick’s hockey I.Q., mobility, and excellent playmaking skills make him a terrific two-way center capable of making a big difference in whatever role he’s asked to play.

You’re welcome, Avalanche fans. The worst NHL team in about five years didn’t win the draft lottery but somehow gets a top-two player anyway in this scenario. Matt Duchene is probably on his way out this summer via trade, opening up a top-six role for Hischier down the road. He’s quick, he’s elusive as hell, and owns superior playmaking skills. This is as far as he would fall.

Worst possible scenario for Vancouver, who’d love to snap up one of the top four centers with this pick. Instead, Heiskanen falls to them. Not a bad prize at all; Heiskanen is a smooth skater and one of the better puck distributors from the back end. The best news is that his 6’0 frame isn’t a problem for him. Heiskanen has an active stick and uses positioning instead of physicality to clean up things in his own end.

Vegas will need guys who can score, and Tippett might own the best shot in the draft. He’s drawn comparisons to Phil Kessel for his scoring ability, speed, and power play proficiency, which led him to 44 goals in 60 games this year.

Makar might be the highest riser in the draft this year after an eye-popping 24-goal, 75-point season in one of Canada’s tier-two junior leagues. He’ll face stiffer competition with UMass-Amherst next season, but for now the 5’11 defenseman will make for a fine prize for a Coyotes team stacked with talented forwards to receive his passes.

Another riser. Glass is one of the better two-way forwards in the class who developed into a true scoring threat this season. His 32-goal, 94-point season was pleasantly surprising and indicates a kind of NHL versatility few young forwards possess. Buffalo already has an elite player like that in Ryan O’Reilly, and Glass would be another welcome addition.

As Detroit rebuilds, they can hang their hat on one of the more flashy pivots in the draft. Necas lacks size (he’s 6’0) and needs to work on his defensive responsibility but is a threat in the offensive zone and knows how to deceive goalies with his shots. A top-six, playmaking forward Detroit can build around.

Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen are nearing retirement, and the Panthers will need scoring replacements on the wing. Tolvanen fills that need with a bomb of a shot and scoring instincts you can’t teach. However, Tolvanen is small and lacks top-end speed, which may make it difficult for those talents to translate to the NHL game.

The front-office shake up indicates some sort of change in philosophy, but Rasmussen is skilled enough to still fit into those plans. He’s also the prototypical Kings forward: A 6’6 center with excellent net-front skills and a good shot. Rasmussen isn’t overly physical yet, but that can be coaxed as he fills out his fame.

A playmaking center in the truest sense of the term, Pettersson owns a nice mix of speed, vision, and passing ability that makes him an offensive threat. He also has shown some tenacity in board play and forechecking, indicating he might become a better all-around player than he seems to be now. Carolina could use a center like him.

I really like Valimaki. His transition to the North American game was as smooth as you’d want from a young player. Valimaki’s two-way game shined, racking up 42 assists in 60 games. But his ability to backtrack and shut down advances the other way is equally impressive; of all the defensemen in this draft, I think Valimaki might crack an NHL lineup the quickest.

Another small (5’10), puck-moving defenseman, eh? And another fast riser: Brannstrom has the makings of a power-play quarterback at the NHL level. The key with any player of this type is his intelligence at both ends, and Brannstrom already demonstrates that. Tampa Bay adds a defenseman capable of giving their talented forwards the puck.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A big Russian winger with a high skill set going in the top 15 picks. Usually this is where the Stars draft Valeri Nichushkin and Denis Gurianov.

Kostin plays along those same lines, but with a better shot and willingness to shoot than Nichushkin and an encouraging attention to detail in his own end. A shoulder injury cut his season short, and any KHL forward will draw some wariness, but there’s plenty to like about Kostin’s potential.

A 6’6 defenseman who can distribute the puck with aplomb is a rare thing, but Hague qualifies. He may not use his body as a weapon enough, but a player with his vision, reach, and frame can be taught to separate opponents from the puck. His skating is pretty meh, but with patience Hague could become a quality top-four defender in Calgary.

Really can’t see the Leafs taking anyone other than a defenseman in this first round considering the kind of forward talent they’ve accumulated lately. With Hague gone, Foote is the next-best thing. Despite flashes of two-way play, it’s more likely the son of Adam Foote follows those footsteps as a defensive defenseman at the NHL level.

Andersson is everything you think of when it comes to Bruins hockey: An intelligent center with a high work ethic and compete level despite a slight 5’11 frame. Andersson possesses the skills to become an offensive weapon and the tenacity to work the penalty kill.

This Finnish winger fell in draft rankings after a slower year, but the offensive skills are still there. The 6’4 winger is a power forward in the making, with a strong drive to the net and a well-developing defensive game.

Even if Suzuki doesn’t end up as a pivot in the NHL, he projects as an impactful, all-situations forward. A feared penalty killer for years in the OHL, Suzuki’s offensive game blossomed this season into one of the league’s top scorers. Few draft players compete as well and as hard as him.

Once considered a top-five pick, a couple of factors have hurt Liljegren this year. First, an illness hurt his playing time. Second, he didn’t improve from season to season like other players in the draft. And now he looks more like a boom-or-bust offensive defenseman; a player worth taking as long as you understand the risk-taking style he might never shake. Obviously worth a swing for the Rangers, though, who lack that kind of blueliner.

This would be so fun to watch. Yamamoto is a 5’8 player and a lock for the first round because his offensive senses and skills are so superior to so many other forwards in this class. He knows how to use his speed and awareness to evade physical opponents. If he can translate that to the NHL, he and Connor McDavid could become must-watch duo.

If you have a system full of skilled forwards, what do you add to balance it out? A humongous-big winger with offensive instincts. Ratcliffe, 6’6, is a force all over the ice, willing to run over anyone in his way to get to the puck. Arizona would have Clayton Keller and Cale Makar to man the boards and point on the power play and Ratcliffe to terrorize defenders in front of the net.

A big, two-way center in the mold of Brandon Dubinsky or even Pierre-Luc Dubois, who the Jackets drafted third overall last year. He lacks the top-end scoring talent of Dubois, though, and would fill a more secondary role in the top nine.

Popugaev is a massive winger who uses his 6’5 frame to aid his scoring ability as much as remove others from the puck. The knock on him is that he’s a one-trick pony: He waits for the puck and then drives straight to the net and shoots. Can you get him to commit to a 200-foot game and use his strength more? Montreal would like to find out.

If I’m Chicago, I draft a defenseman. Any defenseman who falls here. Timmins hasn’t fallen as much as he’s risen after a 61-point season that highlighted his impressive puck-moving abilities.

Would the Blues take a defenseman with more flash than defensive substance at this point? I’d like to see them try it out. Much like many of his first-round counterparts, Jokiharju is a puck-rush-first defender who likes to take the puck and cut into the offensive zone. Think Trevor Daley in his heyday with the Stars: A quick defenseman who may not generate points but drags the play into the offensive zone very well.

And the run on goalies begins with a team that has no future goalies to speak of. Oettinger might be the best ’tender in a quality crop this year, a 6’4 goalie with size and impressive mobility and instincts. He had a fantastic freshman year with the Eagles.

Luukkonen is another 6’4 goalie with good agility and starting potential. Like most Finnish netminders, he possesses a calm focus in his crease at a young age. Dallas fans will rejoice at getting a good quality netminder they can look forward to.

Vaakanainen isn’t flashy at all, but have you seen the defensemen the Penguins have rolled out this postseason? They’ll take safe and sound any day.

A two-way center with tons of skill and upside. Fills a massive need for the Predators, who might lose Mike Fisher this summer to retirement and don’t have any great center prospects in the wings.