working home grown team. And there is a lot more "home grown" yet to come!
There are a number of options for the New York Islanders at the 2013 draft, including dealing the pick to obtain an established player. Garth Snow has his price in his mind as he has proven time and again. He will not overpay. But if the right deal comes along, Snow might be more willing in 2013 to trade the pick with such a deep system. He may try to poach off a cap strapped team, or he could shoot for the moon with a team looking to move an asset they can long afford but who is just entering his prime.
Picking at #15, the Islanders are more than likely seeking the player they feel is the best available player. They could draft a defender, a forward or perhaps even a goalie.
I believe the Islanders will have a choice to make between Bo Horvat, Anthony Mantha, Samuel Morin and Ryan Pulock.
If available at 15, I am not sure how the Islanders could pass on Horvat. He brings a solid combination of a 2-way game that would be difficult to pass up. If Horvat is gone, he may be a "stretch" at 15, but I like Ryan Pulock very much.
- Andre Garabedian of HockeyIndependent.com
NY RANGERS
Tempering expectations is a tough task when you are in a city like New York but it is a must nowadays. After a season where clueless pundits pencilled the team in for the Stanley Cup and turned on the head coach when it fell far short, all so-called experts are excited again. Gone is the abrasiveness of John Tortorella, and here is the glad-handing Alain Vigneault. Given Vancouver didn't develop many players drafted during Vigneault's tenure (the good work was done before he made it to VanCity), it is hard to say what (if any) influence his presence may have.
Gordie Clark is still the DIrector of Player Personnel and the man who makes most of the decisions draft day. As of the moment, he doesn't have too much to work with as the team doesn't have a first or second round selection thanks to the transactions for Nash and Clowe. Unless Sather swings another deal, Clark will have three third rounders, a fourth and a sixth to address some of the franchise's needs. With top end talent essentially off the table by the time the team picks, the Rangers should look at some big bodies as projects up front. Mike Sauer sadly looks like his career is over and a steady defensive defenseman of his ilk may be attainable in the third round. No goaltenders have been selected in the last three drafts and none of the free agents signed instead appear to be a successor to the King, should Henrik move on next summer. But let's face it, if that happens this team is screwed so it won't matter what kids are coming in.
- ScottyHockey of ScottyHockey.com
OTTAWA SENATORS
A steady flow of graduates from the minors helped Paul MacLean earn the top coaching honours in 2013. With this infusion of young, promising talent to the Ottawa Senators lineup such as Mika Zibanejad, Jakob Silfverberg and Robin Lehner, the Sens’ future looks bright. Along with acquisitions Corey Conacher and Kyle Turris gaining experience at a pro level, it’s now time to restock the pipeline.
The Ottawa Senators are staring at the 17th spot overall in the draft this year. Binghamton, their AHL affiliate still boasts depth at forward and defence with Stefan Noesen (RW, 21st overall in 2011) leading the charge of Ottawa prospects not in the NHL. Cody Ceci (D, 15th overall in 2012) had another solid year for the Ottawa 67s and will undoubtedly be a fan favourite when he reaches the NHL as he hails from just outside of Ottawa (Orleans).
Since trading Ben Bishop, General Manager, Bryan Murray will be looking to add some help between the pipes in the upcoming draft. Chris Driedger, who backstopped the Calgary Hitmen in the CHL, being the lone goaltending hopeful at this point in the system. Keep in mind, that the Senators are without a 2nd round pick that was dealt to St. Louis in said Bishop trade.
- Tyler Cameron @tycam HockeyIndependent.com
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
It’s quite clear what the Flyers need in June 30th’s draft: defensive depth. And with the 11th pick, there should be no shortage of prospects to choose from. This year’s draft is deep. So deep that some have compared it to the 2003 draft, which is the best draft the league has ever seen. But that’s a tad premature.
While Seth Jones will be long gone by 11, the Flyers will have a handful of defenders to choose from. There’s a possibility that Darnell Nurse -- Donovan McNabb’s nephew -- slips to No. 11, at which it would be a no-brainer for the Flyers’ brass. One, if not all, of Rasmus Ristolainen, Robert Hagg, Nikita Zadorov and Ryan Pulock will be on the board, and either one of those would be fine selections (Zadorov gets our/my vote).
Don’t sleep on the Flyers picking a forward with their first-round pick. They’re notorious to take the best player available, and most of the time that happens to be a forward. Here are some names to look out for: Hunter Shinkaruk, Max Domi, Anthony Mantha and Elias Lindholm.
- Tom Dougherty , web producer/writer for CSNPhilly.com
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are universally thought to be among the top two or three players in the National Hockey League, but keeping those two on one roster presents some interesting problems in terms of roster and salary cap management, which is why the NHL Draft is so important for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The draft is one avenue that a team like the Penguins has got to utilize to keep the cupboards flush with talent and tradable assets. Some critics might say that general manager Ray Shero, who was just named the best in the league during the NHL Awards, hasn’t always done his best work on draft day, but he has definitely found the right guys in terms of assets that can be turned into NHL talent.
He has selected just seven players who have played meaningful NHL minutes for the organization, but that number should increase next season as ’11 second round pick Scott Harrington and ’12 first round pick Olli Maatta could be ready to take the next step. D Robert Bortuzzo, a third round pick in ’07, will also have
Shero has thrived during the first round, where his picks have either made it to the NHL or been used as trade chips to bolster his lineup. Jordan Staal, Shero’s first selection for the franchise, was probably his best and was a huge part of two Stanley Cup appearances and a victory in 2009. Shero then turned Staal into ’12 first round pick D Derrick Pouliot, D Brian Dumoulin and C Brandon Sutter.
Angelo Esposito, Shero’s ’07 first round selection, might be looked at as a bust, but he managed to use him in a deal to acquire Marian Hossa, who helped the team reach the ’08 Stanley Cup Final. His ’09 and ’10 first round picks D Simon Despres and RW Beau Bennett contributed during the past season and are primed for bigger roles next season. He turned ’11 first found pick D Joe Morrow into LW Brenden Morrow and flipped mid-round selections from ’09 (Kenny Agostino) and ’10 (Ben Hanowski) to the Flames in exchange for Jarome Iginla.
He also understands that the currency of today’s NHL is the puck moving defenseman and he has a stable full of them, which have been acquired almost exclusively during the draft. Previously mentioned players such as Pouliot, Maatta, and Dumoulin allowed him to deal Morrow and will likely give him flexibility in dealing with Kris Letang’s impending contract negotiations.
He also has talents like ’07 fourth round pick Alex Grant and ’09 second round selection Philip Samuelsson playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to bolster organizational depth.
If there has been a weakness in his drafting, it is on the front end, but that started to change with the selection of Bennett, Teddy Blueger (’12, R2), Mattia Marcantuoni (’12, R4) and former Memorial Cup hero Anton Zlobin (’12, R6).
Overall, the draft may not always bring the flash that some would like in terms of pure talent on the ice at the CONSOL Energy Center, but Shero never fails to utilize it to make a bang.