NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Potential 2015 Draft-Day Picks and Trades

Let's be honest, folks—the NHL draft starts with the No. 3 overall pick. Everyone knows the Edmonton Oilers are going to select Connor McDavid with the top pick and the Buffalo Sabres will nab Jack Eichel with the No. 2 pick. Either team would be crazy to do anything other than draft one of those two generational talents.

But the Arizona Coyotes will have a big decision to make at No. 3, and according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, one of the decisions will be whether they keep the pick at all:

"

The Arizona Coyotes continued to listen on their third overall pick. A source told ESPN.com that as of Thursday afternoon the Coyotes had two firm offers for the pick outright plus several other trade offers that involved pick(s) and player(s). Said a rival scout about why perhaps the Coyotes were willing to move down for the right deal: "Because there isn’t that much of a drop-off between the quality of players at the No. 3 spot down to the 11th or 12th spot. You’re getting a real good prospect either way."

"

According to Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona, general manager Don Maloney has already verified at least one offer came his way:

Damien Cox of Sportsnet, meanwhile, speculated that the Columbus Blue Jackets might try to put together a package for the No. 3 selection:

Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada also suggested the Blue Jackets could be a candidate to move up in the draft:

Meanwhile, Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated also noted that the Boston Bruins are rumored to be in the running for the No. 3 pick. Per his report, the recent news that the team signed goalie Zane McIntyre means the team has two intriguing netminders in its system, with Malcolm Subban also waiting in the wings. 

Muir speculates that the Bruins could consider moving Subban, the No. 14 pick and a veteran player—potentially Milan Lucic or Loui Eriksson—to move up to No. 3 and select a player like Noah Hanifin or Mitch Marner. That could ultimately be too enticing an offer for the Coyotes to reject.

One of the reasons there isn't much buzz about other picks in this draft or potential draft-day trades is simply because the entire draft hinges on that third pick. Depending on what the Coyotes do, teams that couldn't trade up to No. 3 may look to get up to the fourth or fifth pick. Also, the board will likely be altered for teams quite a bit depending on who is selected at No. 3. 

The consolation prize for the Coyotes after missing out on the McDavid and Eichel sweepstakes, then, is the right to be the biggest power play in the draft. Nothing will happen until the Coyotes decide who they want at No. 3 or what they want to get in return for exchanging the pick. 

Yes, teams will check in with Edmonton and Buffalo, but they'll each likely be looking for an absurd trade, the sort that conjures up memories of what the Philadelphia Flyers once gave up to nab Eric Lindros. 

Yes, it will probably take a trade that involves a Peter Forsberg-esque talent (there aren't exactly many of those players just lying around) and then some to move into the top two picks in this draft. So expect all of the action, as has been speculated, to really begin with the No. 3 pick.