My Mock Entry Draft 2009

Well, I have prepared my first copy of my 2009 Mock Entry Draft, but it still may need a little tweaking in the next few weeks, as the Red Wings & Penguins still have to determine their final spots, although I don't think the picks will necessarily change there. If there is some significant trading up in the next couple weeks, I might think about revising who goes where, but for now, I think this list looks to be pretty solid.

Draft Day is one of the more fun days in the NHL's silly season and it's something I watch religiously... if I can. Good to see the first round of the draft on a Friday night, I might have to have some people around for some beers and some good hockey chatter. Well, here's a look at how I think the draft will go down.

Team	Pick	Player	Pos
	1	John Tavares	F	No-brainer. Despite the controversy surrounding the number one overall pick in the NHL, Tavares will be picked in the number one spot by either the Islanders or whomever they decide to trade the pick to.  The Islanders are in desperate need of a franchise forward and there is little doubt that Tavares has been groomed to be one through his junior career.  Look for Tavares to even make the jump right away.
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	2	Victor Hedman	D	With their franchise forward already drafted, it is only fitting that the Lightning go after Hedman, as he does come with the hype of being a franchise defender.  Hedman brings plenty of size to the table, which the Lightning do sort of lack in their better defenders, so Hedman can upgrade that position almost immediately.  Look for Hedman to make the jump to the NHL this Fall.
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	3	Jared Cowen	D	If you look at the Colorado Pool Outlook, they don't have any goaltending.  Sadly, there isn't a goalie to be seen in many top postings of prospects, so we'll skip that.  Saying that, I think they may want to add some youth right away on the back-end, stocking up their blueline.  Cowen comes with size and could protect whoever is in net for the Avs this Fall.
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	4	Matt Duchene	F	You would have to know that the Thrashers would be awfully pleased to see Duchene drop down to the fourth spot, as he could be a good well-rounded centre that can skate and play with some of Atlanta's top forwards.  Adding a speedy centre to a line with Ilya Kovalchuk is a possibility, it would be silly not to.  There really is no word as to his immediate availabity to the big time, but he could be quick.
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	5	Evander Kane	F	The Kings likely have Kane fairly high on their list, as he somewhat measures up to Dustin Brown in size and scoring talent.  Kane should be looked upon to help anchor the team's second line in scoring, as their defense should be pretty solid going forward, as is their goaltending.  Kane had a good season with the Vancouver Giants and played well for Canada at the WJC.  This looks like a good fit.
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	6	Ryan Ellis	D	The Coyotes are building a fast, offensive team in the desert and with some of the size they already have on the blueline, Ellis seems to be the right kind of fit to help the team with their power play and other offensive situations.  After his showing at the WJC and Memorial Cup tournament, I can definitely see Ellis' skill help his cause to move up a lot in the draft.  Look for the Coyotes to make this splash.
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	7	Brayden Schenn	F	The brothers Schenn should be too much to pass up on for Brian Burke in Toronto.  Younger brother, Brayden, won't come just for the sake of going to Toronto, either.  Schenn will bring a well-rounded talent to wherever he goes this Summer, including some really good grit and good defensive abilities.  He really does fit the mould that Burke is wanting to build for Toronto and you may even see Toronto move up in the draft to make sure he gets him.
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	8	Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson	F	Dallas has also shown a love affair with Sweden and the playmaking forward from Norrkoping could be a very good fit for the Stars.  The Stars could use a little more playmaking down the road, possibly to go along with fellow countryman, Fabian Brunnstrom.  If Paajarvi-Svensson is still available at the 8th pick, I would expect Dallas to pick him up.
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	9	Nazem Kadri	F	The biggest issue with the Senators in 2009 was the scoring depth and it should be their priority to find some more scorng in the top ten in the draft.  Kadri not only possesses some good playmaking, but he is noted to be a great forechecker with exceptional speed, something that the Senators have been known to have.  This pick should fit into the Senators long-term plans.
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	10	Jordan Schroeder	F	Schroeder fits the bill of the Oilers' line-up at the moment and has plenty of skill to back-up what he may lack in speed.  He is also listed as more of a stocky player at 5' 9", which could benefit players like Gagner or Cogliano, as a guy who can dig in the corners for the puck, not to mention put it to his skilled linemates on the ice.  Stocking up at forward could be beneficial to the Oilers down the road.
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	11	Scott Glennie	F	Deep in defense, looking deep in goal, the Predators should be going after the best forward available at this point.  Glennie moved up the rankings of the CSB from the mid-season to the final rankings, bringing good size and hockey sense, according to some scouts.  Glennie could be a good compliment to some of the young talent already in the Predators' system, making him a good fit going forward.
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	12	Simon Despres	D	New management in Minnesota means that there will be a new direction taken by the Wild going forward.  Look for a start with a strong steady two-way defender in Simon Despres out of the QMJHL.  He comes with that exact package with more in store.  He may have left some scouts wanting a bit more to rank him higher, but his size and good skating should be enough to get a high pick out of him.
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	13	David Rundblad	D	Offense from the backend may be on the docket for the Sabres this summer, as most of their better offensive defenders are growing aged and the blueline is in need of a refresh with someone in the blue-chip variety.  Rundblad has fallen into the shadows behind Hedman, but Rundblad comes with a good offensive upside and moves the puck very well.
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	14	Dimitri Kulikov	D	The potential loss of Jay Bouwmeester could swing the vote towards an offensive defenseman in Florida and Kulikov was certainly impressive in the Memorial Cup tournament for Drummondville.  His regular season was very good and his WJC wasn't too bad either.  He should help fill some good gaps.
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	15	John Moore	D	The Ducks will look for some more size on the back end this summer and John Moore is the kind of kid that fits the bill to a tee.  Moore's size at 6'2" and 180 lbs. (according to the Hockey News), should be a good building block, but it's his mobility that will be looked upon to do good things in Anaheim when veterans disappear.
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	16	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	D	The Blue Jackets have a bundle of forwards in their system, so they should want to improve the back-end a bit, which should give them the best defensive prospect available in Ekman-Larsson, who fell a little down to 16th.  Having an offensive defenseman on the ledger should mean some big things for the Jackets in the future.
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	17	Zack Kassian	F	The Blues have lots of young talent coming up the ranks, but they do seem to be short on some power up front.  Kassian would be a good fit for the club's playmaking forwards, especially when he's drawing defenders away from them.  Kassian draws similaritys to Milan Lucic, which is the kind of player the Blues would like in the Central Division.
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	18	Jacob Josefson	F	It could be awfully difficult for Bob Gainey not to pick up a projected two-way centre, especially with some of the changes coming and some of the slower developments of previous draft picks.  Josefson has lots of good credits to his name, including skating and abilities at both ends of the ice, which has to look attractive for a team that disappointed at both ends of the ice.
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	19	Carter Ashton	F	Goal scoring from the wing is an attractive prospect for the Rangers, especially when comparing their top prospects to what they could get in the draft.  Ashton brings a big frame at 6'3" and 200 lbs., which could make him into a good power forward, as well as a goal scorer.  The Rangers are deep down the middle in their youth, so a good scoring winger is a good compliment.
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	20	Nick Leddy	D	Flames like size and skill at both ends of the ice.  It could be a defensive lockdown again though in Calgary, so maybe look towards a good two-way defender like Nick Leddy, who will bring some explosive skating to the development system, as well as being good at both ends of the ice. He is heading to University, so he won't be an immediate prospect.
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	21	Kyle Palmieri	F	The Flyers have benefitted from good two-way forwards on their squad and Palmieri really impressed physically at the Combine in Toronto, which should raise the eyebrows of the Flyers this summer.  Understood by most scouts as a good two-way forward, his character has been questioned both good & bad, but that seems to be the perfect fit of the Flyers organization.
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	22	Stefan Elliot	D	A Vancouver native and a good sized defenseman makes Elliot a good fit for the Canucks in the first round.  Elliot is ranked 27th in the Hockey News Draft Preview and 17th among NA Skaters by the CSB, so he should be pegged righ in the middle at the 22nd pick.
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	23	Calvin de Haan	D	An offensive defenseman is what the Devils need immediately, but they shouldn't expect to get one from the draft.  Calvin de Haan is pegged as one, but he will likely be groomed in the Devils way in order to maximize his abilties both offensively and most importantly, defensively.  Size is good, skating is good, weight & strength are concerns.
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	24	Tim Erixon	D	European skill has got the Capitals this far, so why change the formula?  An upgrade to the blueline offensively shouldn't hurt the team at all, even when there are already some skilled defenders already on the Capitals team.  He certainly wouldn't be rushed to the top, but should be able to work well with the other Euros in Washington when his time comes.
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	25	Chris Kreider	F	Big speed, offensive talent... seems like the kind of player the Bruins would want to bring in to increase the offense that much more.  The Boxford, Mass. native would be close to home, which has to appeal, but he may need plenty of time to make it to the NHL.  He should be a pretty good fit in the long-term for the Bruins.
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	26	Drew Shore	F	The Islanders already hit the jackpot offensively, so why not take a highly rated defensive forward to add some more depth to the team down the middle.  Shore is listed more as a two-way forward at the centre position, which could give the team a good third or fourth line centre down the road.  Certainly not going to make the immediate impact that Tavares will.
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	27	Peter Holland	F	The Hurricanes are branding themselves well with some really smart talent from previous drafts and a guy like Holland has been scouted as a high-energy, smart, calculating player.  He is listed as a centre, where the Canes are certainly deep at, but if he is still a year or two away, the salary cap constraints may see the need for another young pivot to emerge.
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	28	Ryan Button	D	Depth on the blueline is something that the Blackhawks already have, but some more that is not expected to come up right away might be on the radar for the Blackhawks late in the first round.  Button moved up in the rankings in North America by 13 spots from the mid-term and should need a couple seasons more to get the size he needs for the big leagues.
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	29	Landon Ferraro	F	The Penguins are surely built on offense and adding another good quality scoring winger to the mix of superstar centres should be another step forward in creating a dominating offensive style game.  Adding a player with some NHL genes couldn't hurt the team either.  The Penguins will look to be a strong team and will likely use their deeper picks to sure up their defense.
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	30	Marcus Johansson	F	The love affair between the Red Wings and Sweden has a good chance to continue with a pick of Johansson.  A smaller centre who fits the mould of a Henrik Zetterberg could be attractive, especially since Johansson will still be another season or two, possibly three, before making it into the Red Wings organization.  With cap money spent on superstars, Johansson will hone his game before joining the NHL.

Finals Tied at Two

Thursday night's Game 4 saw the Penguins climb right back into this series, now making it a best of three and a new leader in the playoff pool. This is very exciting going forward.

The Penguins, much like the Red Wings, used their home-ice advantage to work for them, winning both games in the comfort of their own building. On Thursday, the Penguins rocked the Red Wings in the second period for 3 goals and took Game 4 by a score of 4-2. The third period, held to no goals, was a sign of maturity for the Penguins, as they were able to hold off the Red Wings onslaught and win the game. This now looks to be the series we were all waiting for.

Yes, we have a new leader in the pool as well. Trevor B. has been riding both of these teams to the top of the pool by just having the right combination of players. Granted, he and Steve W. are now tied in points, but Trevor does have the first tie-breaker in goals scored, so this is why we have a new leader. As foreseen earlier, Mike D. has now fallen out of the money and into 5th place, while Brad W. and Chris M. have moved either into or a little further into the money. Trevor, Steve, Brad & Chris should be considered the final four teams for the money, but there is the small matter of where they all finish up.

The Penguins were led by Sidney Crosby on Thursday night, as he scored the winning goal and added an assist for a 3-point night in the pool. When the Penguins needed him most, he really came through for the team. Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin both figured on the score sheet with a goal and an assist each, while Marc-Andre Fleury received his customary 2 points for earning the win. Fleury made 37 stops in the effort for the win, so it was well-deserved.

Malkin leads the pool in scoring, both in this series and overall. His 38 points is 5 better than Crosby's 33 points. In the first four games of this series, Malkin has 7 points, leading six others who have 4 points each.

Game-Winning Goals
Crosby's game-winner on Thursday night was only his second GWG bonus point of these playoffs, but with the possibility of two more goals, he could end up with the playoffs bonus point title when it's all said and done. He's still a ways back from being the playoff pool MVP, but a GWG title would be rather fitting for him. I'm sure the 38 people in the pool that have him will agree.

The "Will he or won't he" saga of Pavel Datsyuk's continued on Thursday night, as he deemed himself unfit to go with his foot problems in Game 4. He still hasn't played a game in these playoffs and Chris M., who is in 4th place right now, is chomping at the bit to see him in the line-up, as no one else in the top four have him.

Rumour: Emery to Philly

As we found out in the Flyers' pool outlook for next season, they don't have a starting goalie signed on for next year, as of yet. Enter the possibility of Ray Emery signing on in Philadelphia. According to a number of sources and blog posts, there have been talks between the two sides in order to bring back the troubled keeper from the KHL where he went 22-8-0 last season. Of course, there has been little word as to what a deal would look like, as to the years and the value, but I would guess that any deal would see Emery be a cap hit of about $2.5 - $3 million over a couple seasons. The Flyers are going to struggle with the cap, hence the outsourcing to Emery.

Stars Sign Two Goalies

The Dallas Stars have signed a pair of goaltenders that will work either behind Marty Turco or in the AHL next season. Matt Climie, who figured into 185 minutes of action, winning 2 games, and Brent Krahn, played 20 minutes in 2009 with no wins, each signed a 1-year deal on Tuesday. There was some whispering that Climie could figure into the back-up role for the Stars next season, but that's just hearsay at the moment. Could be something to watch out for though.

Penguins Take Their First At Home

Good news for all you fans of the Finals, it looks like we've got ourselves a series. The Penguins managed to pull themselves together at home and make good use of their home-ice advantage, taking Game 3 by a score of 4-2. The Penguins used their power play to get past the Wings, scoring two goals with the extra man and they were finally getting some of the bounces and calls to go their way. That would be the best way to describe how Game 3 looked in their favour.

In the pool, the shorthanded Mike D. fell down a position, down to 3rd place and now sits only 1 point above 4th & 5th place. Trevor B. has continued his climb to the top, taking 2nd place and closing down Steve W.'s lead down to 1 point as well. It looks like it'll be a race to the bitter end this year, which is good to see. I don't think we can count out Mike E. from proceedings just yet, as he's sitting only a point back of 4th & 5th place and he has Chris Osgood as his difference maker.

Alright, let's get to who did the business in the pool last night. Sergei Gonchar was a key contributor last night for the Pens, scoring the winning goal and adding an assist for a 3-point night. Gonchar isn't to be seen on any of the teams in the running for the money, which renders those points somewhat moot. Evgeni Malkin also had a 3-point night, thanks to a trio of assists in the game. He is owned by all of the top five teams, which almost renders his points moot as well, except to Mike E., who doesn't have him. Kristopher Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury round out the players for Pittsburgh who finished with multiple points.

For the Red Wings, it was Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg that finished with a goal and an assist each in the game, helping their pool team's cause to go higher. Zetterberg being the big key, as Trevor B. used his points to vault into second place in the pool.

Game-Winning Goals
Scoring his second game-winner of the playoffs, Sergei Gonchar has really stepped up his contribution level for the Penguins this Spring, now having 16 points in the playoffs. He now adds himself to the list of players that have scored more than one winner in these playoffs and now sits only 1 GWG behind the leaders, so he could still claim the bonus points title for these playoffs with a good showing in the last four games. Evgeni Malkin and Johan Franzen continue to be the leaders in the pool and you would have to believe that they have one more winning goal in them, if their team is to win it all.

The Wings are still without Pavel Datsyuk in these Finals, now having missed all three games in the series. With Detroit losing Game 3, it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff will rush him back into the line-up to try and restore some of their defensive order going into Game 4.

Bruins Sign Krejci

The Bruins are taking care of some business before the Entry Draft comes along, which is good, because they will likely have to make some moves for salary cap purposes. At least they know now that they will have David Krejci under contract for the next three seasons at an annual cap hit of $3.75 million per year.

Krejci finished the year with 73 points in 82 GP, ranking him 43rd among all pool players last season. The cap hit does seem to be a very good bargain, if he can continue scoring at that sort of pace. It will be that question that will determine where he ends up getting drafted in your hockey pool drafts this Fall. Likely, there will be someone who will take him at face value.

Forwards	Defense	Goaltenders
Marc Savard	Zdeno Chara	Tim Thomas
David Krejci	Dennis Wideman
Michael Ryder	Mark Stuart
Blake Wheeler	Andrew Ference
Chuck Kobasew	Aaron Ward
Milan Lucic
Patrice Bergeron
Marco Sturm
Shawn Thornton

Krejci's signing now brings the Bruins up to 15 players signed at an approximate cap hit of $49.2 million, which is still awfully high. Expect the Bruins to be players at the Entry Draft in a few weeks time.

The Weekend in the Cup Finals

Well, Game 1 did start with all the intensity that everyone was looking for and it was a pretty good start to the Cup Finals altogether. Detroit, as the home team, did take home ice advantage and got all of the bounces off the lively boards at Joe Louis Arena to help take the game by the throat and run with it. The Wings took Game 1 with a score of 3-1, opening up the series lead at 1-0.

The defense of the Red Wings was on top of it's game on Saturday, keeping the bulk of Pittsburgh's 32 shots to the outside, trying to give Chris Osgood an easier time in net, but he did have to make a number of good saves, including a breakaway stop on Evgeni Malkin when the score was tied at 1-1.

Only two Red Wings hit better than a single point, both Johan Franzen (GWG) and Chris Osgood (win) both left the game with a pair of points, Osgood's certainly being the more valuable, as everyone in the top levels has Franzen. Also picking up points in the pool were Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart, Henrik Zetterberg, Evgeni Malkin and Ruslan Fedotenko. If you had any of those players, you would be in good shape.

Points were at a premium in Game 1, but there were some good players picking them up, so you probably were not left in the cold completely.

On Sunday, Game 2 didn't quite have the same feeling to start the game, but the result didn't change a single bit from Game 1 the day before. The Penguins could seem to solve the Red Wings after period one again, but they did carry a lead into the second, which might be considered a small victory, which counts for nothing in the end. The Red Wings ended up flexing their home ice muscles again, winning the game by the same score of 3-1, taking a 2-0 series lead to Pittsburgh for Tuesday night.

Amazingly, it was a night for the young kids to show up and dominate for Detroit, which sounds really strange, doesn't it? Jonathan Ericsson, Valtteri Filppula and Justin Abdekader all tallied for the Red Wings, keeping any goals away from the playoff pool.

Actually making an impact in the hockey pool on Sunday were Marian Hossa (2 assists), Tomas Holmstrom (2 assists) and Chris Osgood (win), all picking up a pair of points for the poolies in Game 2. Also picking up single points in the pool in Game 2 were Bill Guerin, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Jiri Hudler. This game was not a marvel for pool scoring again, which is trending against any big movement in the pool altogether.

After two nights in the Cup Finals, we have a new occupant in second place and a larger lead. The lead has now been extended to 3 points, as Steve W. opened up a little bit of a gap over 2nd place. Trevor B. had a couple of good games, moving him past Mike D. on the goals for tie-breaker. Both teams now sitting 3 back of Steve for 1st. Mike E. has jumped up to 4th place over Brad W. and Chris M., sitting 2 points over both of them. Paul W. has dropped down a bit further, now 6 points back, tied with Dale C. #2. This does now look to be a six team race going forward, as the gap between 7th & 8th to 4th is now 8 points.

Game-Winning Goals
Well, a quick recap of the game-winning goal bonus points in the first two games of the series. Johan Franzen now tied Evgeni Malkin for the playoff pool lead in GWG bonus points with his winner in Game 1. They both now have 3 bonus points between them. In Game 2, it was Valtteri Filppula who scored the winner in the second period to help lead Detroit to the win. Sadly, his goal was not a counter in the pool, leaving us at 1-for-2 in counting bonus points so far in these Finals. With the way that these playoffs are going, I would expect to see Franzen or Malkin to score one more to keep the title winners total consistent with four goals a piece.

Over the two games, the only injury of note continues to be Pavel Datsyuk, who didn't play in either game in Detroit over the weekend. His bruised foot has not been cleared by doctors to continue playing, but as of right now, no one seems to mind in Detroit. Oh yeah, there are a few people who seem to mind in the hockey pool though.