(picture courtesy of www.icethetics.info)
Obviously teams are going to move up and down the rankings as the season and post-season carry on, but I decided to post a mock draft if the season were to end today. This is not my draft rankings but rather who I think teams will be targetting and a very general idea of where I expect players to go. I hope you enjoy this read in lieu of a prospect portfolio.
1. Edmonton Oilers- Adam Larsson
(Edmonton is clearly lacking on the backend and is sitting second worst in the leauge in goals against. Larsson is supposed to be the best defenceman in the past 20 years. They will be tempted to take a center but according to Tambo they will take need into consideration this year much more then years prior.)
2. Ottawa Senators- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
(Ottawa is already deep on defence and has size in Jason Spezza. They may be torn between RNH and Landeskog but IMO Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is much more dynamic and will help solidify their center position for years.)
3. Colorado Avalanche- Gabriel Landeskog
(Already deep at center and with the newly acquired Erik Johnson, Colorado is able to address the hole left by Chris Stewart. Although Landeskog probably wont be as successful in the NHL as Couturier he is a much better fit in Colorado.)
4. New York Islanders- Sean Couturier
(Long Island could use a defenceman or a winger, but can't pass over Couturier. He will being size and create a great 1-2 punch for the Islanders for many years to come. He will be able to concentrade on dominating defensively while Tavares can flourish offensively)
5. Florida Panthers- Ryan Strome
(The Panthers are set on defence for quite a while with Gudbrandon, Kulikov, Ellerby, etc. They jump at the chance to add an offensive weapon in Strome down the middle. Although they will try and target Couturiers size, I see them being able to build something around the dyanmic Strome)
6. New Jersey Devils- Ryan Murphy
(Much like Brian Rafalski, Ryan Murphy will bring some much needed offence to the Devils back end. He can move the puck and add a wow factor that is desperately needed in New Jersey.)
7. Atlanta Thrashers- Jonathan Huberdeau
(Atlanta needs help up front and is already set on the back end with Bogosian, Buff and Enstrom. Huberdeau, Burmistrov and Little up front give the team some variety and socring ability. Best forward available.)
8. Boston Bruins (From Toronto Maple Leafs)- Dougie Hamilton
(Chara isn't going to last forever and Boston could use a stud. Hamilton is a steal here and should be a great fit. He can do it all and has a hidden mean streak the the bruins should be able to bring out of him.)
9. St. Louis Blues- Mika Zibanejad
(St.Louis loves to draft the Swedes and they get a good one in Zibanejad. Obviously looking to bloster their forward lineup, Mika can use a year or two in sweden before coming over and making an impact. He will provide a much needed wow factor to an offensively struggling franchise.)
10. Columbus Blue Jackets- Duncan Siemens
(Columbus misses out on all the possible puck moving defencemen and potential number one centers but is happy for Siemens. He can still move the puck but really stands out as a guy that can help their blueline for years to come.)
11. Carolina Hurricanes- Jamie Oleksiak
(The biggest boom-bust project this far goes to a Carolina team that can afford to take a risk on Oleksiak. With Pitkanen and McBain on the back end he should have some time to develop before they bring this kid in.)
12. Minnesota Wild- Joel Armia
(Finish powerforward joins the likes of Granlund and should have instant chemistry on a team that needs offensive fowards)
13. Anaheim Ducks- Tyler Biggs
(Big hard hitting player is the style of player that Anaheim needs to continue to draft in order to be successful. Surprising that he is still on the board here and not taken by Carolina)
14. Ottawa Senators (From Nashville Predators)- Matt Puempel
(Puempel will look great beside Spezza or RNH at the NHL level. Kid is a goal scorer going to the team with the lowest amount of goals in the NHL.)
15. New York Rangers- Nathan Beaulieu
(Rangers could use a defenceman but already have a tough guy in McIlrath. They grab a guy that can help dictate the pace of the game and allow them to play to their strengths up front.)
16. Buffalo Sabres- Brandon Saad
(Buffalo adds some size that they need up front. Lots of raw potential in Saad that is too good to pass up.)
17. Edmonton Oilers (From Los Angeles Kings)- Mark McNeill
(Hometown boy that fills the size issue down the middle.)
18. Dallas Stars- Scott Mayfield
(Dallas needs help on the blueline IMO and Mayfield can play all situations and be an anchor on the team for many years to come.)
19. Calgary Flames- Ty Rattie
(Flames need a center or some kind of help up front. They always seem to look inside the WHL for scoring and should be able to get it out of the slick Portland wizard.)
20. Phoenix Coyotes- Alexandr Khoklachev
(Phoenix grabs a great goalscorer and isn't affraid to go russian to do so. They are already set on the back end with Yandle and OEL. Phoenix looks like bandits in a year)
21. Montreal Canadiens- Nicklas Jensen
(Montreal could use some size and skill up front. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see them draft a dman with all the UFA's they have on their blueline, Jensen is too good to pass up.)
22. Chicago Blackhawks- Sven Baertschi
(The rich get richer. Great complimentary player for the forwards already up front on the Hawks.)
23. Tampa Bay Lightning- Myles Bell
(Tampa could use another offensive minded dman with a glut of forwards already up front.)
24. Pittsburgh Penguins- Tomas Jurco
(slick dynamic winger that will compliment the Centers in Pittsburgh)
25. San Jose Sharks- David Musil
(Tough defence first kid that should help stabilize the San Jose blueline. They already have a plethora of forwards)
26. Toronto Maple Leafs (From Boston Bruins)- Zack Phillips
(Hard working two-way forward that would look playing behind Nazem Kadri)
27. Washington Capitals- Vladislav Namestnikov
(Washington picks up another fast russian forward to hopefully add some chemistry to their powerplay. Already set with Carlson and Alzner on the back end.)
28. Detroit Red Wings- Jonas Brodin
(The wings stay Swedish. It paid off in the past and will continue to pay off with the talented rearguard.)
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (From Philadelphia Flyers)- Stefan Noesen
(Noesen will add some size and goalscoring to a team that will need it.)
30. Vancouver Canucks- Dmitri Jaskin
(Skilled forward that should have the freedom to develop and hopefully turn out to be a steal.)
Hope You enjoyed!
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