Monday, June 20, 2011 /
By Andrew Chong, editor, & Danny Beck /
A year has gone by…which 2010 draft pick has been most impressive?
AC: It has to be Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes. This is a bit of a no-brainer. Skinner had 31 goals and 63 points to lead all NHL rookies in scoring. He was the youngest player in the league in 2010/11 and has already played in an All-Star Game.
DB: Cam Fowler quietly stepped in and stepped up. Quite unusual for a D-man to get 40 points as a 18-year-old not to mention on a team that on paper has a very weak Top 6 D crew.
What happens with the first overall pick?
AC: GM Steve Tambellini will take the best player available, and why wouldn’t he? Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be setting-up Eberle and Hall on the Oilers’ first-line powerplay for years to come.
DB: The last thing Edmonton needs is another small forward.
This is the time to trade down for top-end help. Send the pick to Nashville for Weber’s rights and sign Weber to a 10-year deal.
Which team has the most to gain from this year’s draft?
AC: With the second and 11th overall picks, the Colorado Avalanche are nicely set-up to draft two impact players. They will get a superb prospect in the Top 2 (either Nugent-Hopkins, Landeskog, Larsson, or Huberdeau) plus they can use their 11th pick to go after a number of other potential impact-NHLers. These two picks should really complement other young Avs players like Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Erik Johnson, and Chris Stewart.
DB: Toronto finally is back in the first round with two picks. I see Burke moving up, but he may be wise to keep both first rounders; the draft is deep and T.O. needs quality young players.
Which team is most desperate to draft an impact player?
AC: The Calgary Flames have very little in the prospect cupboard. With an aging group of core players, Calgary is desperate for young talent. With the 13th overall selection in a draft that some are saying is as deep as 2003 (Kesler, Getzlaf, Vanek, Weber, Perry, Parise, M. Richards, etc.), the Flames can’t afford to miss on this pick.
DB: New Jersey. As much as they have a reputation of great drafting and development, a hard look at their last ten years of drafting yields very little top-end players – they need to knock the 4th overall out of the park.
Who is likely to make the biggest splash at the draft?
AC: Leafs GM Brian Burke has already been vocal about wanting to move up in the draft by packaging their 39th overall pick with either their 25th overall pick or the late first-rounder they acquired from the Bruins. My bet is Burke makes something happen to bring in a roster player since he already has a slew of developing prospects.
DB: This is tough to predict, but my bet is Edmonton makes some moves. They have enough talented young forwards and really need some quality players soon/now. They can’t keep losing or they will destroy their young core. |
Five Big Questions As The NHL Draft Nears
