Quick Notes on the Top Three

I think last year, I really didn't talk about the better picks in the Entry Draft until they were all signed, but I thought I would give it a go here, just for kicks.

I didn't really think there was much of a debate to whether or not the Edmonton Oilers would take Taylor Hall as their first overall pick this year.  Sure, you could concede that the Oilers could have used a pure centre to go with all of their wingers, but I personally think they would have been passing up on the flashiest, most skilled player in the draft pool in Hall.  For what it's worth, the Entry Draft should be about getting the best player available or helping your team in certain areas, which more often than not, go hand-in-hand.  The Oilers will have some work to do this Summer, but the goal is still going to be the same; get some servicing centres for all their talent on the wing. 

What's great about the Bruins in this storied Entry Draft is that they are the complete opposite of the Oilers in the needs they needed to fill.  The Bruins would have died and gone to heaven if the Oilers picked Tyler Seguin instead, but now the team from Beantown has a plethora of centres and likely created a few more trade targets for other teams going forward.  The word on Seguin is that he is close to being ready for the NHL, but I have not read that he is ready to make an impact, but there is still a Summer of working out and maturing left, so stay tuned.  If you're in a keeper league, he'll be fine to store away for a later date, I'm sure.

The third pick in the Entry Draft, Erik Gudbranson, is labeled as a shut down defenseman, which doesn't reflect well on him as a fantasy player, if you're basing everything on scoring, like my pools do.  I have no doubt that he will evolve in the system that Panthers GM Dale Tallon is setting out for the Florida Panthers, but his numbers may be upwards of five years from being notable in fantasy pools.  The counter-argument on Gudbranson on scoring is that it would have only taken 15 points to jump into the top 120 in defensemen scoring, which isn't out of the question and 20 points would put him safely in the top 100. 

It's not fair to drop expectations for the 2011 season on these kids in late-June, so I won't.  I will, however, remark that there will be a close eye on them, much like John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Evander Kane and Victor Hedman the year before.  You can say and believe all you like when you compare the 2010 class to the 2009, which there are a few easy comparisons to make, but they are all speculative predictions in June.  I'd rather wait until September before I get too excited, personally.