As the NHL Entry Draft approaches tonight, every blog has their own “Draft Preview”. If the Hawks were picking in the top 10-12, I could see speculating on who the Hawks 1st round selection would be. But with the #28 overall pick, too much can happen. Look at last year, Kyle Beach was not in anyone’s mock draft for the Hawks. Even though this draft is deep, there have been a few GMs who have stated they are looking to move up, particularly Toronto, Boston and the Rangers. Several players names have been floating around as available (Heatley, Kessel, Kaberle, Bouwmeester, LaCavalier), though we typically don’t see too many big deals on draft night. Last years draft was unusually heavy with trades. This draft is also notably thin between the pipes as there are no goalies expected to go until the 2nd round.
It is puzzling that the Islanders have been quiet with their #1 pick. Unlike last year, where the Lightning started their “Seen Stamkos?” campaign that was launched well before the draft. Why the Islanders are holding their cards so close to the vest is curious. I can not see Garth giving up the #1 overall pick for anything. The consensus seems to be the Isle selects young phenom John Tavares (C) as the #1 overall. The Islander’s can’t score in a brothel and Tavares is all about putting the puck in the net (pun intended).
Swedish giant Victor Hedman (D) would go second to the Lightning. This would fill a desperate need that TB has for D. As of late, Hedman has been getting a great deal of attention as the #1, but it doesn’t make sense for the Islanders from a positional standpoint, not to mention drawing fans in to fill an empty rink. Matt Duchene (C) rounds out the top 3 in scout ranking. Colorado is on the board at #3 and will need a Center to fill the void Sakic will leave upon his future retirement. After that, its a crap shoot.
Here is the predictions on the various draft previews and mock drafts. Who do the Hawks take at #28?
NHL.com Jordan Caron (C)
TotalProSports Nick Leddy (D)
Draft Nation Zach Budish (RW)
The Hockey News Tim Erixon (D)
TSN Jordan Caron (C)
USA Today Kyle Clifford (LW)
Blackhawks Confidential Drew Shore (C)
These predictions on the Hawks 1st rounder are all over the board. The problem with these prediction is that they all have the Hawks drafting to fill a need at center and not taking the best player available at pick #28. A pick that late is not going to make an impact on your roster for 2-3 years, at least. If you want to fill a hole in your roster on draft day, you need to address that with an early pick thats almost NHL ready, or make a trade for a established player using your draft picks. Looking at the Hawks track record, they typically do not make any significant moves on draft day.
All we can do is hope for the best. Maybe Duchene will slide down to #28 . . .