Bleacher Report - 2013 NHL Draft

The 5 Biggest Storylines to Follow During Carolina Hurricanes' Offseason

Mark Jones — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:38:11 -0400

The Carolina Hurricanes will be faced with an offseason of difficult decisions and intriguing plot lines in the coming months.

From a prominent role in the 2013 NHL draft to a plethora of choices to make in the free-agent market, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford will direct the offseason actions of a franchise in great need of improvement.

How will stars such as Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner work through their struggles and keep the 'Canes moving forward? What changes and additions will be made to a squad that allowed the second-most goals against during the regular season? What other important topics and decisions should fans keep an eye on during the offseason?

Here's a breakdown of the Hurricanes' biggest summer storylines.

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Ideal Draft Picks for Philadelphia Flyers' 5 Biggest Needs

Michael Pizzutillo — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:26:28 -0400

The Philadelphia Flyers will be looking to rebuild this offseason and once again become an elite hockey franchise. The team will use this year's draft as a major step in the right direction.

With a number of issues to be addressed, team owner Ed Snider and general manager Paul Holmgren must decide on the main focal points when making their selections and improving the team. Luckily, according to an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia's director of hockey operations, Chris Pryor, claimed this to be a very deep draft.

It's also apparent the Flyers could use help at all positions on the roster—some more important than others—to add depth and talent for seasons to come. And with a stacked draft class, here are the ideal draft picks for each of the Flyers' five biggest needs.

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One Player Each NHL Team Should Target in 2013 Offseason

Mark Jones — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:12:49 -0400

For 22 of the NHL's 30 franchises, the ongoing 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs are no longer of immediate relevance.

For those nearly two dozen teams unfortunate enough to have tee times, not puck drops, populating the rest of the May calendar, the time has already come to look ahead to the offseason.

On June 30 is the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in New Jersey. And on July 5 is the opening of this year's free-agent market. Those two crucial dates will determine the short-term future of every single team and, for a few, the long-term future too.

This spring's impressive draft class is juxtapositioned with an underwhelming and still shrinking free-agent crop; as a result, 2013 will focus more on the young'uns than any offseason in recent memory.

Nonetheless, every club will pick out one player—be it either a top prospect or juicy pending UFA—to target above all others. Which players will they be? We point out and examine one possibility for each team on the 30 coming slides.

Note: For the sake of diversity, each individual player is listed only for one realistic team, regardless of the widespread interest they may garner.

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5-Year Projections for the Top Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft

Al Daniel — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:34:38 -0400

Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin are part of one of history’s more memorable build-ups to the NHL entry draft when their respective teams face off in the Memorial Cup this weekend.

The bid for Canadian Hockey League supremacy could be the last major-junior hurrah for the three highest-ranked North American skaters in the draft pool. And win or lose, their individual performances should still be relatively fresh when they convene yet again a month later in Newark.

That final performance should make the NHL's future appear brighter than ever.

Of course, there are other great prospects to keep thinking about before a franchise claims their rights.

Balancing best-case scenarios with a dollop of realism, here is what NHL fans can look for in 10 of the highest-ranked North American and European skaters over the next five years. Players are presented and assessed in alphabetical order.

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2013 NHL Draft: Why NHL Fans Do Not Want to Miss the 2013 Memorial Cup

Al Daniel — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:30:40 -0400

Is it Saturday yet?

That is when each of the top three 2013 NHL draft prospects, as determined by Central Scouting, will intersect for their respective teams’ Memorial Cup opener in Canada in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Defenseman Seth Jones, of the Western Hockey League champion Portland Winterhawks, shall confront the Quebec League champion Halifax Mooseheads’ dynamic duo of Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon.

This will be the second time this troika has shared a sheet of ice in a high-profile, competitive amateur event during their draft year. Jones and his fellow Americans previously faced Team Canada, complete with Drouin and MacKinnon, twice at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

None of the three made a substantive impact in those games, but they will doubtlessly be leaned on more heavily when they meet for Canadian Hockey League bragging rights.

Besides the presumptive high-end picks, Jones will accompany two other promising Portland players in Nicolas Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The two forwards are ranked among the top 50 North American skaters and placed among the Western League’s top 10 postseason point-getters, Petan surpassing all playmakers with 19 assists.

In their round-robin opener on Saturday, and possibly again in the playoff round, they will be tasked with countering the regal force of MacKinnon and Drouin. But they will also be tested by the NHL draft pool’s highest-ranking North American netminder, Zach Fucale.

By the same token, this will be Fucale’s rigorous final exam after what can be deemed a relatively breezy QMJHL playoff run. The Halifax goalie stamped a .918 save percentage and 2.02 goals-against average amidst an incredible 16-1 romp through the four rounds, although he generally blinked with more frequency as the tournament wore on and more biscuits came his way.

Fucale never faced more than 20 shots in any of four first-round bouts with the Saint John Sea Dogs, and confined them to a single goal each night. He allowed three goals for the first time in the playoffs on the same night of his first workload of 21 opposing shots or more when the Mooseheads eliminated Gatineau from the second round.

The encouraging news: Fucale’s most efficient night with a quantitative workload was the President’s Cup clincher this past Friday, when he repelled 34 out of 35 stabs by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

He will need to stave off a week’s worth of rust and fill up on academic and mental preparation before he confronts the Winterhawks, who in addition to explosive forwards have four defensemen who combined for 15 goals in the WHL playoffs. That includes five off the blade of Jones, who placed third among blueliners with 15 points in 21 postseason tilts.

Both teams could later face another party ripe with impending draftees bidding for national glory and a stamp on their big-game aptitude. The Ontario League’s Memorial Cup representative will be decided Monday night when the defending league champion and 2012 Memorial Cup finalist London Knights host the Barrie Colts.

London bears three of Central Scouting’s top 50 North American skaters in Max Domi, Bo Horvat and Nikita Zadorov. Domi and Horvat are both holdovers from last season, but have been playing a more visible role this spring and can elevate their draft stock by giving the Knights another passport to the Memorial Cup.

Of course, the alternative scenario would have the Colts joining in the pool with Halifax, Portland and the host Saskatoon Blades. In that event, the undrafted prodigies will have another sound measuring pole anchored by Mark Scheifele, the prolific pivot who was selected seventh overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.

Scheifele would not be unfamiliar to any of the presumptive top three choices of 2013. He opposed Jones and was allied with Drouin and MacKinnon at the WJC.

Regardless, the most recognizable names among soon-to-be NHL draftees of each position have already secured their right to convene in Saskatoon. That alone is sufficient to start envisioning a peerlessly historic Memorial Cup tournament.

Read more 2013 NHL Draft news on BleacherReport.com

NHL Draft 2013: Top-Rated Prospects Who Will Be Instant Stars in Rookie Year

Dan Talintyre — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:59:20 -0400

Many prospects will enter the 2013 NHL draft as projects for the future, or even just a year or two away from being pro-ready. However, there are also a number of players who could make a strong impact in the National Hockey League and are likely to do just that in their rookie season.

Some of them are the can't-miss talent that is touted around for weeks and months prior to the draft; other times they're players who we didn't expect to thrive instantly.

Which top-rated prospects will find instant success in the NHL?

Read on and find out.

Jonathan Drouin, LW, Halifax Mooseheads

Whoever ends up taking Drouin in the draft this year will be looking at drafting a franchise winger and an offensive wizard who is capable of creating goals seemingly at will and out of nothing.

He has exceptional vision and speed, and his quick hands can cause huge problems for defensemen right around the league. At 5'11", 176 pounds, we're not talking about the biggest guy in the world, but what we are talking about is a creative goalscorer who is more than capable of netting lots of goals.

Drouin had 41 goals and 64 assists in just 49 games this year, and he's the type of player who is going to sell tickets to fans and create excitement whenever he crosses the blue line. That's the type of thing you cannot evaluate all that well in rookies, but it's one of the many things that Drouin provides.

He has the potential to be an instant star for whichever team picks him up.

Valeri Nichushkin, LW/RW, Chelyabinsk

There might be some big question marks about Nichushkin and his Russian background, but the reality is that this is a very powerful forward. So much so that it would be incredibly surprising not to see Nichushkin in the All-Star game at some point in his long NHL career.

That's how good he is.

At 6'4", 200 pounds, Nichushkin has good size about him, but it's how he uses that size that's most impressive. He is able to protect the puck with ease and drive hard to the net—finishing with devastating power and skill when needed.

He's still scheduled to play in the KHL for another two years, so his rookie year is going to be a little while away—giving him even more time to develop into one of the most potent wingers in the game.

Which, with some good coaching, there's no doubt he could be.

Seth Jones, D, Portland Winterhawks

However, there can be no talking about top-rated prospects and "thriving in the pros" and not include Seth Jones, who will be the No. 1 overall pick in 2013.

The defenseman scored 14 goals and had 42 assists in just 61 games, which also included 13 points in 15 playoff games. His prowess from inside the blue line is second-to-none when we're talking defensemen in the draft class this year—and we haven't even begun to talk about his defensive skills!

At 6'4", 206 pounds, Jones has the size and strength to win battles and understands how to use his body to always stay in a good position—something that will definitely help him make the transition from junior hockey to the big time.

He gives big minutes on defense and lots of points on offense. Few teams are going to say no to that, and he'll thrive from the moment he takes the ice in 2013.

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness: Follow @dantalintyre

Read more 2013 NHL Draft news on BleacherReport.com