We can only hope the actual NHL entry draft is more exciting or dramatic than this year's draft lottery, which turned out to be a colossal bore and waste of pretty much everybody's time. Surely the NHL will grasp the rather obvious notion that the time has come to spice this process up a bit even if it means throwing the names of all 14 non-playoff teams in a hat and picking out the draft order one by one.
Tuesday night, the lottery changed absolutely nothing from the way the NHL standings read at the end of the regular season on Sunday, which meant the New York Islanders, who finished the season with the worst record, now officially own the No. 1 pick in the June draft, slated to be held in Montreal. It's the third straight year the league's worst team held on to the No. 1 selection.
If you are one of those conspiratorial types who believed the Isles were playing for John Tavares all along, well, you've been proven right. The much-heralded Tavares, the pride of Oakville, Ont., could be the second straight GTA product to go first overall if the Isles hold the pick.
The Isles will be followed in order by Tampa Bay, Colorado, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and then, of course, the Maple Leafs, who neither won the lottery nor budged from the No. 7 slot, a position they "earned" with an 81-point season that put them in 24th position at the end of the regular season and out of the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
Leafs GM Brian Burke promises to trade up and possibly get a shot at Tavares, and maybe he'll be able to do that. Back in 1993, as GM of the Hartford Whalers, he started with the sixth overall pick and traded up to the No. 2 pick, selecting defenceman Chris Pronger.
Last year, interim Leaf GM Cliff Fletcher traded the No. 7 pick, a second-round selection and third-round pick to the Islanders in exchange for the fifth overall pick, which they used to select Kelowna blueliner Luke Schenn.
To get to No. 1 this year, however, would cost Burke and the Leafs a bigger package of picks and players, a tough chore to say the least.
For now, they have the No. 7 pick. So whom might they take if they don't budge from that spot?
Well, odds are four players —- Tavares, Swedish defenceman Viktor Hedman, Vancouver forward Evander Kane and Brampton centre Matt Duchene —- will be gone by the time the Leafs pick.
So that leaves us probably with five candidates to be the Leaf top pick if nothing changes between today and draft day.
The top name on that list has to be Brayden Schenn, brother of Luke, a scoring centre with the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings. The younger Schenn has undeniable talents, but the Leafs in making this decision would have to be careful not to assume that all the characteristics that Luke Schenn brought to the club would necessarily again follow with his brother.
Big Kelowna blueliner Jared Cowan would be another candidate, and don't believe for a second the Leafs will be looking for a forward just because they took a defenceman last year in the first round. The complication is that Cowan missed much of the year with a knee injury. That, however, didn't stop Burke from signing University of Denver forward Tyler Bozak two weeks ago.
The third CHLer on the Leaf list might be abrasive Peterbrough Petes winger Zack Kassian, who might be the perfect antidote to the Leafs' lack of size and grit. Some argue Kassian might not have the skill to go this high, but he excels in the aggressiveness and truculence categories which Burke covets.
The other two prime candidates for the Leaf pick might then be two hyphenated Swedes, forward Magnus Paarjarvi-Svensson and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Paarjarvi-Svensson is a speedy winger who can take the puck to the net and is projected as a top six forward in the NHL, an area of desperate need for the Leafs.
Ekman-Larsson, meanwhile, is a smooth puckmover who might theoretically be the successor to Tomas Kaberle on the Toronto blueline. He's nowhere near as big as Hedman, but he's been slowly but surely working his way up the scouting charts as the season has moved along.
If the Leafs stay at No. 7, it's unlikely the player they get will change the face of the team or even play in the NHL next season. He would be a quality building block, and the Leafs are at the stage they need a bunch of those to become competitive again.
Two years ago, Columbus took forward Jakub Voracek seventh overall, and Voracek will be a key contributor starting Thursday night as the Blue Jackets look to upset the defending champion Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In 2006, the Isles took winger Kyle Okposo at No. 7, and he's showing great promise. The 10 seventh overall picks before that were F Jack Skille (Chicago), F Rostislav Olesz (Florida), D Ryan Suter (Nashville), RW Joffrey Lupul (Anaheim), D Mike Komisarek (Montreal), D Lars Jonsson (Boston), F Kris Beech (Washington), C Manny Malhotra (N.Y. Rangers), D Paul Mara (Tampa Bay) and LW Erik Rasmussen (Buffalo).
The best No. 7 selection ever? Probably Bill Barber ('72, Flyers), with Bernie Federko ('76, Blues) a close second.
The worst? Probably Greg Vaydik of the Medicine Hat Tigers, drafted by Chicago in 1975, with Dan Woodley ('86, Canucks) a close second.
So the Leafs can only dream of No. 7 for now. But it's a long time until draft day.
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| FILE PHOTO |
| Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi at the 2008 world juniors. |
Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi
Forward, Timra (Sweden)
6'1", 200
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
50 |
7 |
10
|
17 |
-6 |
12 |
| Playoffs |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
WJC
|
6
|
2
|
5
|
7
|
+6
|
6
|
Links:
Profile page
YouTube highlights
In Forum: Svensson-Paajarvi has five points in Sweden's win
NHL.com: Prospects to watch at under-18
NHL.com: Paajarvi-Svensson already has look of NHL star
 |
| FILE PHOTO |
| Jared Cowan looms large in front of the net. |
Jared Cowan
Defenceman, Spokane (WHL)
6'5", 218
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
48 |
7 |
14
|
21 |
+15 |
45 |
Links:
Profile page
Video profile at WHL website
 |
| FILE PHOTO |
| Nazem Kadri skates at world junior camp. |
Nazem Kadri
Forward, London (OHL)
6'1", 177
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
56 |
25 |
53 |
78 |
+13 |
31 |
| Playoffs |
9 |
8 |
7 |
15 |
+7 |
18 |
Links:
Profile page
YouTube: Kadri scores great goal
London Free Press: Kadri keeps eye on draft board
Brayden Schenn
Forward, Brandon (WHL)
6'0", 192
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
70 |
32 |
56 |
88 |
+20 |
82 |
| Playoffs |
8 |
6 |
9 |
15 |
+10 |
10 |
Links:
Profile page
Toronto Star: Could Schenn join brother on Leafs?
Google Video: Brayden Schenn
John Moore
Defenceman, Chicago (USHL)
6"2', 180
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
57 |
14 |
25
|
39 |
-7 |
50 |
Links:
Profile page
 |
| FILE PHOTO |
| Zack Kassian gets physical. |
Zack Kassian
Forward, Peterborough (OHL)
6"3', 205
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
61 |
24 |
39 |
63 |
-14 |
136 |
| Playoffs |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
-1 |
8 |
Links:
Profile page
Windsor Star: Kassian answers country's call
YouTube: Zack Kassian
Peterborough Examiner: Coaches praise Kassian and Romano
Scott Glennie
Forward, Brandon (WHL)
6"1', 180
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
55 |
28 |
42 |
70 |
+22 |
25 |
| Playoffs |
8 |
3 |
12 |
15 |
+10 |
9 |
Links:
Profile page
Google Video: Scott Glennie
 |
| FILE PHOTO |
| Simon Despres went first overall in the 2007 QMJHL entry draft. |
Simon Despres
Defenceman, Saint John (QMJHL)
6"4', 214
2009 stats:
| |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
+- |
PIM |
Reg. Season
|
66 |
2 |
30
|
32 |
+16 |
74 |
| Playoffs |
4 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
-5 |
2 |
Links:
Profile page
Telegraph Journal: Sea Dog named to U-18 Nats
YouTube: Simon Despres
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