Well, now that the Stanley Cup Playoffs have now ended, it means we won't see any more hockey until September, unless you're going to watch the anniversary Summit Series with all the under-18's this summer. For all of you who are off-season junkies, like myself, you're already looking foward to the Entry Draft which goes on the 22nd. The perfect lead-up towards the Free Agency free-for-all which starts on July 1st.If you noticed whilst watching the playoff news in the blog, you'd have seen the first part of the draft preview. Now I'll continue the draft preview with some of the teams and who they may be looking at. In this part, I'll review picks 11 through 20. A few teams that didn't make the playoffs and a couple who did.
Outside of the top 10 picks, the depth of the picks does seem to fade a bit. There was no real marquee pick in the top 10, but there was a few that will surely make the jump to the bigs sooner rather than later.j
The Carolina Hurricanes hold the 11th pick in the draft and they missed the playoffs this past season, so they’ll be looking for an instant increase in ability so they don’t miss the playoffs this coming season. It'll be interesting to see if they can find something in the draft that can do that for them or it could be just as reasonable to think they'd move the pick for established talent. If they are still looking at the talent pool, they may find themselves with the choice of some really young talent that will not make the jump right away (ie. Angelo Esposito or Sam Gagner).
In the last five years, the Montreal Canadiens have done pretty well at the Entry Draft. Chris Higgins, Alexander Perezhogin, Mike Komisarek, Kyle Chipchura, Carey Price and Guillaume Latendresse are all products of a promising scouting system. It will be quite interesting to see what kind of gem they pick out of the woodwork this year. By all accounts, it would look like they'd tap the Canadian system again. David Perron's stock went up in the Memorial Cup and I would think he'd be a good fit up front in the Canadiens' system.
Rumours are swirling and they mostly involve veteran players for veteran players. Quite possibly to sweeten the deal, the Maple Leafs will want to throw the 13th overall pick in a deal for another scoring forward. It's possible. If not, then I would imagine another European will end up in the Maple Leafs arsenal... maybe fill the goaltending hole that was made when they dealt prospect Tukka Rask to Boston. European goaltenders are all the rage these days.
In the 14th slot, the last of the non-playoff teams will make their pick. The Colorado Avalanche and their rich history at the Entry Draft will have a go at their highest overall pick since 2000. The Avalanche may have to look to the goaltending situation as well as there wasn't a lot of confidence in Peter Budaj or Jose Theodore last season. Some of the higher-rated goaltenders should still be around at the 14th pick, so they could be able to solve a problem or two in this pick.
From the Islanders in the Ryan Smyth deal, the Oilers will then pick 15th, their second pick of the first round. Depending on their first pick (6th overall), you may see them sure up the blue line or the goaltending. There is ample opportunity to get someone reliable, who may put some good minutes in before (hopefully) becoming a full-time NHL'er.
The Stanley Cup champs managed to snag this pick at the trade deadline with every indication that they'd deal it for a player to help them out win the Cup... well, they didn't make a deal, they won the Cup and they've now got a draft pick which is higher than the pick they dealt in the off-season to Edmonton for Chris Pronger. By June 22, GM Brian Burke should have a good idea of who is staying and who is going to free agency or perhaps retirement. This isn't a bad spot to pick at to see if they can make the future a bit brighter.
The Rangers are a bit of mixed bag already between the big club and the minors. I don't think it will be much different than picking the best player available when it comes to their 17th pick. Since the Rangers made the playoffs last season, there probably isn't a big rush to make a pick for a kid that can make the jump right away and if you look at their recent draft history, they really haven't made those picks anyways. A player like Marc Staal, taken in 2005, could have made the jump this season, but they chose to give him one more year in junior.
The Flames are rich in depth going into this draft year and have had success in their drafts the last few years. Names like Dion Phaneuf, Dustin Boyd and Leland Irving come to mind, so obviously they're doing something right in the scouting meetings. Being down in the 18th slot has taken away some of the top talent and I don't think there is enough in the tank to move up, so they'll more than likely make their pick this time around. Another Sutter is ranked in the top 30 North American prospects, but he'll more than likely be a second or third rounder and possibly wasteful to take him this high. 
The Wild will take a long hard look at this 19th pick. This could be another case of the best available. There is a lot of talent on this Minnesota team and they haven't done a bad job stacking up talent in the minors and the juniors. If there is some natural goal scoring talent, however, look for them pick someone up of that calibre, rather than the hard-working grinder. More of a Gaborik than a Derek Boogaard.
The Penguins are already a testament to good drafting... and a little luck as well. Drafting players like Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Ryan Whitney... you've gotta be successful at some point. Sure enough, this was a big boost to the squad as they will now pick from the 20th position... a far cry from the second overall pick from last season. This draft may also favour the Penguins in drafting a good hard-working player who wants to make his mark in the NHL, any way that he can.Technorati Tags
NHL, Hockey Pool, Entry Draft, David Perron, Sam Gagner, Carolina Hurricanes
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