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1. New York Islanders—C John Tavares, London (OHL)—6′0″/199 lbs.
The Islanders should use today as a coming-out party. Their fans are so excited for this day because no matter who they pick, they have reason to show optimism for the future. Don’t be surprised to see JT at Nassau at the Islanders’ draft party rather than in Montreal.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning—D Victor Hedman, MoDo (Swe)—6′6″/220 lbs.
Brian Lawton is now in charge. That being said, anything can happen here—including trading the pick. However, their best bet is to take the most NHL-ready player in the draft. Peter Forsberg says Hedman is the best Swedish defenseman since Niklas Lidstrom.
3. Colorado Avalanche—C Matt Duchene, Brampton (OHL)—5′11″/190 lbs.
Many scouts say that he is the best all-around player in the draft, drawing comparisons to Steve Yzerman. He could go as high as No. 1. However, sticking Duchene in a locker room with Joe Sakic could be the best thing for the kid.
4. Atlanta Thrashers—C Evander Kane, Vancouver, (WHL)—6′0″/170 lbs.
He is the most athletically gifted player in the draft. Great body to put muscle on, and he showed very good strength potential at the combine. I like Kane. If the Leafs move up, they should target Kane or Brayden Schenn.
5. Los Angeles King—C Brayden Schenn, Brandon (WHL)—6′0″/196 lbs.
Pairing up Schenn and Dustin Brown will scare other teams because of their physical play. Very good work ethic, hard worker, brown noser, call him whatever you want—this guy will try to outwork any opponent. Leafs would love to have him.
6. Phoenix Coyotes—D Jared Cowen, Spokane (WHL)—6′5″/216 lbs.
Cowen can step right in as a big, physical defenseman to replace Derek Morris, who was lost at the deadline last season. The Coyotes have a lot of young offensive firepower, so shoring up their blueline is a calculated move.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs—LW Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, Timra (Swe)—6′1″/187 lbs.
This is the scorer that the Leafs need. I don’t expect Burke to stay put at this spot, but if they do, Paajarvi is a really nice consolation prize. For Leafs fans, you had better hope they do not trade Tomas Kaberle and this pick for Phil Kessel. More on that later, but in a nutshell, that is a steep price to pay for Kessel.
8. Dallas Stars—D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Leksand (Swe)—6′1″/165 lbs.
The Stars still do not have Sergei Zubov under contract, and he is not getting any younger. Larsson can complement a good power play for the Stars and has too much talent to pass up.
9. Ottawa Senators—D Dmitri Kulikov, Drummondville (QMJHL)—6′1″/195 lbs.
The Sens need an offensive defenseman, and this guy is it. Already playing in North America, he has 62 points in 52 games from the blue line. They can go with Jordan Schroeder or Nazem Kadri here to compensate for losing Dany Heatley, but Bryan Murray says that he will not let Heatley affect his draft choice.
10. Edmonton Oilers—C Nazem Kadri, London (WHL)—6′1″/177 lbs.
Kadri has been moving up the draft boards as of late due to his performance in the OHL playoffs and his combine results. He has great speed, crafty hands, and has a nose for the net.
11. Nashville Predators—RW Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota (NCAA)—5′8″/168 lbs.
The Predators need scoring. They need it really bad. Really really bad.
Schroeder can definitely help with that. The Preds love American talent, and Schroeder is the best one in this draft. Reuniting with Colin Wilson is nice to imagine in a year or two.
12. Minnesota Wild—RW Scott Glennie, Brandon (WHL)—6′1″/180 lbs.
He has good size and good hands to be a productive NHL scorer. He's jumping up on draft boards because of his scoring ability and physical play.
13. Buffalo Sabres—D Ryan Ellis, Windsor (OHL)—5′10″/173 lbs.
Ellis is another player that is gradually rising on draft boards. He was well introduced during the World Junior Championships with his poise with the puck, ability to man the power play, and his booming shot. This type of defenseman is exactly what the Sabres need.
14. Florida Panthers—RW Zack Kassian, Peterborough (OHL)—6′3″/205 lbs.
Huge power forward who brings a lot of energy.
15. Anaheim Ducks—C Peter Holland, Guelph (OHL)—6′2″/190 lbs.
An Anaheim-type forward—big, thick, and has hands.
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