NHL mock draft: Final projections for every first-round pick

15. Florida Panthers – C Rasmus Kupari

The Florida Panthers put together quite a run at the end of last season. Unfortunately, it was not enough. The Panthers missed the playoffs again but look like they could be a threatening team next season. After giving away Riley Smith and Jonathan Marchessault the Panthers lost a lot of depth scoring options. Rasmus Kupari is a couple years away but eventually will give the Panthers that scoring punch back they are missing. Defense could be tempting for the Florida Panthers in this slot but it is likely they will look to address their need at forward. Their bottom six lines are just so bare when it comes to goals.

The center from Finland had an interesting season that left his draft status all over the board. He had a great international tournament at the start of the season but then fell back to earth during the regular season. Kupari then represented Finland at the World Junior Championship. He struggled there and his draft stock fell again. When watching Kupari, it is clear to see he has skill offensively. He can skate circles around everyone on the ice, make crisp passes and shoot the lights out. It makes him a threat from everywhere in the offensive zone. Opposing teams never know when he is going to turn to the net and shoot or hit an open teammate with a pass.

An area of improvement for Rasmus Kupari will be his defense. He struggled at times with awareness and discipline in his own end. Kupari will need to find away to get his defensive level even with his offensive skill. He also struggles greatly with faceoffs. Something pretty important for center. He has time to fill out all of these areas, and he will likely go back to Finland after the draft.