Three Peat

Nail Yakupov - Consensus 1st Overall Pick

Wow. Talk about winning the lottery. Literally. Much to the dismay of most GMs and fans of other teams throughout the league, for the 3^rd year in a row the Edmonton Oilers will be selecting first in the National Hockey League’s entry draft this upcoming June in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was a massive bonus for the Oilers who are about to enter year 3 of their 5 year rebuild plan and already have budding stars like Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Taylor Hall (the latter two being the last 2 number 1 overall picks).  However, this poses an interesting situation for all teams in the lottery, and particularly those with the top 5 draft picks.

With the general consensus being that the Sarnia Sting’s Nail Yakupov of Russia will be the number 1 overall pick, Edmonton is faced with a problem (one most teams would probably like to have). Do they take another couple years of development that comes with drafting a young 18 year old, or do they exercise all options that having the first overall pick offers them – in an attempt to address more pressing concerns than offensive fire power. Here we look at the teams that have the top 5 picks and avenues they could explore in order to bolster their roster through the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

A Happy Steve Tambellini

11)   Edmonton Oilers – With 21+ million dollars in cap space available for next year, and already a wealth of young offensive talent the Oilers are in an absolutely amazing position having picked up the number 1 pick in this years draft. Edmonton obviously needs to address a lackluster defensive core, as well as sketchy goaltending. Nick Schultz, Ladislav Smid and Ryan Whitney will all be back next year and are a good basis for any defense while Devan Dubnyk will be a starter in the NHL for years to come and is really finding himself in Edmonton. Starting here, Edmonton could, and is expected to by many, to try to deal the number 1 overall pick for some own-zone help. The two biggest names on that will be bantered around this summer are obviously Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Who’s to say that a sign and deal for either one of those defenseman in exchange for the number 1 overall pick plus considerations (read: Ales Hemsky or Shawn Horcoff) couldn’t happen? If not Nashville, look perhaps to Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook in Chicago to be names that get bantered around a lot by the Oilers, all while keeping in mind that there are 29 teams in the league that will be looking to take the number 1 pick off of Edmonton’s hand.

22)   Columbus Blue Jackets – For some reason, this team just couldn’t win anything this year, even something they had a 48% chance of winning, when the next best chance was 18%! Even though GM Scott Howson is pleased with getting the second overall pick, Columbus will be more concerned with a different transaction this summer. It’s obvious that Rick Nash wants out, and most draft-day trade talk will probably center around the big Right Winger. Columbus already took a step in the right direction in rebuilding during the season by acquiring Jack Johnson, but now they are faced with the plight that is drafting second overall. The Jackets have never had much success in the last few years when they’ve drafted Russians (ie Nikita Nikitin who was a bust) and obviously need to improve in all facets of the game. Ryan Murray has just surpassed Mikhail Grigorenko as the number 2 ranked skater heading into this draft and is an extremely viable option for the Jackets who are looking to land a solid player at any position. Given their struggles with Russian players, this might be the safest direction for them to go, unless they are able to pick up a proven defenceman via a Rick Nash trade, in which case Grigorenko or even Alex Galchenyuk are both worth the risk for them.

33)   Montreal Canadiens – The Habs are the most curious team that partook in this year’s draft lottery. The fell far below expectations this year and with the uncertainty surrounding the front office and coaches for the team leading into next year, it’s hard to determine if they are going to be entering a re-build or if they are still able to work with the assets they already have. Regardless, they need scoring touch and someone that Max Pacioretty can feed off of. Mikhail Grigorenko and Alex Galchenyuk seem to be the two most logical picks that Montreal could add to their roster. Both are big centers, with good speed, soft hands and skill sets that are unmatched by anyone but Yakupov. If Galchenyuk had been healthy all this year, there’s a good chance that he would be the consensus 1^st overall pick and should be considered a steal at anything past the 3^rd pick. Montreal is in a great position having this pick because they are almost guaranteed a stellar draft pick to fill a hole up the middle for them.

44)   New York Islanders – The Isles showed flashes of brilliance at times this year and it is clear with talent in John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner up front, offence shouldn’t be an issue for the Isles for years to come. But goaltending and defence, like most teams in the draft lottery, are issues that dearly need to be addressed. Matthew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels snuck up into the top 5 of TSN’s annual pre-draft rankings and could be a good fit here for the Islanders. He is a big and fast defenceman, not afraid to throw the body around, and as exhibited through his captaincy at this spring’s World Under 18 IIHF Hockey Championships, he is a natural born leader. This is a long shot, but there is also the potentiality that the Islanders look to a goaltender and draft Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls with the 4^th pick. They need goaltending arguably more than anyone else with Rick DiPietro constantly injured and Evgeni Nabokov seemingly on the way out.

55)   Toronto Maple Leafs – Just like an 18 wheeler driving off a cliff, the Maple Leafs are a disaster waiting to happen in recent years it seems. The talent on this team suggests it should be a playoff contender every year but something just doesn’t click. Most critics are looking to blame this year’s debacle on goaltending, which is very plausible, since James Reimer and Jonas Gustavson being thrown into a media hell fire. That being said, the Leafs will be looking to draft the best available player at this slot. That means Alex Galchenyuk, Filip Forsberg and Jacob Trouba will all be on the radar of the Leafs this off season, and the Buds would have the chance to add talent in one of 3 different positions by drafting any of these guys. Trouba is a big defenceman who would be a good counterpart for a veteran like Komisarek, while Galchenyuk would provide size and skill down the middle. Forsberg was one of the key members of this years World Junior Championship team and is clearly a bundle of skill on the left wing that Tyler Bozak would probably enjoy passing too. Regardless of who they draft, the Leafs will be getting a very good talent at the 5 slot, as much as it pains me to say that. 

Brian Burke - Happy or Mad?

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