love the puck

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Draft Day. The biggest day of these young men's lives. The day they become the actual property of an NHL franchise that fancies them. Here's my take.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins- Sidney Crosby- What!!! Did he say S- oh nevermind, he did say Sidney Crosby. False alarm.

2. Anaheim Mighty Ducks- Bobby Ryan- This pick doesn't suprise me in the least. Burkie has a lot of young talent, but it's all skill, with the exception of Ryan Getzlaf, who has the best of both worlds. Ryan gives the Ducks a large body presence, with good hands and a nose for the net. Their second powerplay unit of Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan will play a nice second fiddle to Fedorov, Chistov and Lupul's orchestra.

3. Carolina Hurricanes- Jack Johnson- This would have been a nice fit in Anaheim too, but like the Ducks Carolina has no one on D. Johnson will have to fall flat on his face not to make their team this year- if he's as good as advertised, which is hard to tell sometimes with the U.S. Under 18 team.

4. Minnesota Wild- Benoit Pouliot- I just love this pick. From all accounts Pouliot is like Vincent Lecavier Lite. All the skills, just needs to get that mean streak, but Vinny has got it figured out, and he works out with Pouliot in Montreal. Minnesota gets a golden pick here.

5. Montreal Canadiens- Cary Price- I don't have anything against Price. He's a good kid and a good goalie. But Jose Theodore mans the net, and they could have bolstered their blueline. Bob Gainey kind of shocked me here.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets- Gilbert Brule - After seeing him play in person a handful of times he finally grew on me. If it wasn't for the new look NHL I don't know if he'd go this high. But he carries a nice balance of skill, grit and a work ethic that would put a lot of pro's to shame. Columbus is going to be a great place to play hockey this year. A lot of exciting young talent, and a good fan base.

7. Chicago Blackhawks- Jack Skille- This makes sense on paper. The Blackhawks have a lot of young guys on D, so they need to fill up the front line. I think Ryan O'Marra would have been good here, because he's got lot's of heart and I think Chicago needs that. But apparently this Skille kid is the real deal, but he's not going to play for a few years.

8. San Jose Sharks (via Atlanta)- Devin Setoguchi- I love this pick for both teams. I think Setoguchi is a unique mix of skills and toughness, and although is a little streaky, he'll be good in San Jose. If he went to a team where he was asked to do too much, then I could see some problems, but in San Jose there is already such a good cast of players, he'll be able to ease his way in.

9. Ottawa Senators- Brian Lee- I don't know how you pick this guy over Mark Staal, but I am glad, cause Staal is a great player, and I don't want him in Ottawa where he can burn us for years. I saw Lee at the World Juniors, and he only played a couple of shifts, but he got danced around like Ben Affleck at a J-Lo houseparty. He won't see the NHL for a few years.

10. Vancouver Canucks- Luc Bourdon- Now I've seen Bourdon play a fair bit, and he's going to be a solid NHL'er. But that's it. How do you pick him over Mark Staal? Especially since in Vancouver, there are a tonne of solid defenseman. Let's get Staaler out there to get them some skill on the point to help Jovo.

11. Los Angeles Kings- Anze Kopitar- Great skill set, I just think he's a touch on the soft side. Like, if he get knocked around a bit, it could take him off his game. L.A. is no doubt trying to replace some of the skills that once roamed around that city in Martin Straka.

12. New York Rangers(via Atlanta/SJ)- Mark Staal- In some sort of cruel twist of fate, Mark Staal gets overlooked multiple times to end up on the Rangers. I'm so sorry Mark. At least Eric will be able to relate to you, cause Carolina sucks hard too.

13. Buffalo Sabres- Marek Zagrapan- This guy is smooth like Peanut butter. But he looks at times like he could just care less. If he ever decides to play a full game like there's something to prove (and there is always something to prove) he'll be a great NHL player.

14. Washington Capitals- Sasha Pokulok- Who? Whatever, this is why washington is going nowhere.

15. New York Islanders- Ryan O'Marra- Finally. I think this kid is a great prospect, sort of like this years Mike Richards. New York needs a tonne of leadership, especially if Aucoin leaves town. At the very least maybe Alexei Yashin could learn a thing or too about leading.

16. Atlanta Thrashers (via N.Y.)- Alex Bourret- I like what Don Waddell's plan was, to trade down, but he should have tried to get some veterans to complement the great young nucleus in ATL. But then again, the pick went to New York, and they have none. Oh well, Bourrett is a fireball, energy waiting to happen. I saw him wreck Bobby Ryan's shoulder in the Top Prospect's game. Since then, I've like this kid's game. He'll hammer you, then put the puck in your net.

17. Phoenix Coyotes- Martin Hanzal- I think this is a perfect fit for Hanzal. He's got talent coming out his ears, but at the under 18 worlds, he had a tendency to dive a lot. He won't get away with that while Wayne is on board, and while the Golden Brett and Shane Doan look on.

18. Nashville Predators- Ryan Parent- Damnit!! I wanted him to come to T.O. at 21. Nashville is going to have one hell of a blueline in a few years. Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and now Parent. Wow.

19. Detroit Red Wings- Jakub Kindl- A huge sleeper. I think he'll be a great fit in Detroit, but not for a few years. I think he's going to be one of those guys that blossoms late in his career.

20. Florida Panthers (via Philadelphia)- Kenndal McArdle- Does a little bit of everything well, nothing spectacular, but I think he'll play a lot years in the league.

21. Toronto Maple Leafs- Tukka Rask- Rask is a good goalie, but he's very small, and with the equipment getting smaller, he'll have to be very, very, very good to play. In a few years.

22. Boston Bruins- Matt Lashoff- Now we're getting towards guys I've never heard of.

23. New Jersey Devils- Niklas Bergfors- This is a good pick. New Jersey never fails to do a lot with their late round picks. Bergfors has a good skill set, but will need to play much stronger to make it in the NHL.

24. St. Louis Blues- T.J. Oshie- I'm not even going to pretend like I know.

25. Edmonton Oilers- Andrew Cogliano- Zoom, zoom. This guy is world class speed. Another fella that benefits from the promise of less obstruction.

26. Calgary Flames- Matt Pelech- I have a hard time understanding why Sutter would draft another defenceman. Their defense is what makes them special. They need bodies up front, and there were good players left on the board. Makes no sense.

There was nothing else really of note in the first round. All in all it was a great draft, and it will be exciting when training camp comes around. Who's this years Nathan Horton without the messed up shoulder? Who's this years early flame out like Marc-Andre Fleury? Can't wait to find out.

Jeff O'Neill is a Maple Leaf for 1.5 million a year. I hate to say I told you so, but I think I told you so. I think this is a fantastic move for O'Neill and for the Leafs. He'll inject some serious scoring prowess to their powerplay, and unlike Carolina, Toronto has some players that can set him up. Hopefully his regular shifts come with Joe Nieuwendyk, Joe loves to share that puck. And unlike Owen Nolan, O'Neill can bury it when it's put on a platter for him.

Okay, so now comes the furious push towards free agency, I'll be back tomorrow for a Free Agent preview.

Posted by Jon at 6:27 PM | | e-mail me