NHL Draft 2017: 10 Bold Predictions for This Year's Event

The power brokers of the NHL have packed up from Las Vegas after Wednesday's awards show and expansion draft. Now, it's on to Chicago, where the 2017 entry draft will kick off with the first 31 selections on Friday, followed by Rounds 2 through 7 on Saturday.

The draft is the culmination of a lifetime's worth of work for the prospects who are waiting to hear their names called. For the teams, good drafting is more important than ever in the salary-cap era. It's crucial to be able to fill roster spots with inexpensive young talent in order to balance the big contracts that have been handed out to veterans and stars.

It's not just about the kids, either. Draft weekend has also become a stage for trades.

Expect to see plenty of action this weekend, on the big board and the draft floor. Here are 10 important moments to watch for.

The New Jersey Devils Will Stick with Nolan Patrick at No. 1

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One year ago it looked like a slam dunk that Nolan Patrick would be the next elite center to follow in the footsteps of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews as the No. 1 pick in 2017.

Patrick has the size and the bloodlines and was coming off an excellent 2015-16 season with the Brandon Wheat Kings. He finished in the top five in WHL scoring, then led the league in playoff scoring while helping Brandon earn a WHL title and a Memorial Cup berth.

But a double sports hernia limited Patrick to just 33 games in the 2016-17 season. He wasn't able to play at the World Junior Championship or in the WHL playoffs—the two most important showcases for draft-eligible prospects.

While Patrick was sidelined, Switzerland's Nico Hischier seized the moment with an outstanding performance at the World Juniors, then followed up with an excellent second half of the season. Shifty and clever with the puck, he started to be seen as a legitimate rival for Patrick. When TSN's Bob McKenzie released his final draft rankings Monday, Hischier had climbed to No. 1.

Momentum is on Hischier's side, but history says that Patrick will still go first overall. New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero holds that first pick and will use it on the tried-and-true Canadian with hockey running through his veins rather than the talented Swiss upstart.

Cale Makar Will Be the Highest-Ever Pick to Come out of the AJHL

He's not big. Cale Makar is listed at 5'11" and 187 pounds on the final draft rankings from NHL Central Scouting.

He hasn't competed at hockey's top levels. Makar has spent his last two seasons manning the blue line for the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League—one step below major junior.

Regardless, scouts have fallen in love with Makar's strong skating and impressive puck-handling skills. He projects to be a future power-play quarterback at the NHL level—a highly desirable skill set in a league where goals are becoming increasingly hard to generate.

Though he's ranked ninth among North American skaters by Central Scouting, Makar's popularity is surging in the lead-up to draft day. One NHL scout even ranked him ahead of Patrick and Hischier as the best prospect in the entire draft, according to Bob McKenzie.

Per Matt Battochio of Global TV, forward Joe Colborne holds the record as the AJHL player drafted highest into the NHL. The big center was selected 16th overall in 2008 by the Boston Bruins and has gone on to play 275 NHL games for three NHL teams.

Makar will almost certainly set a record on Friday. Look for his name to be called in the top five—he could even be a surprise selection in the top three.

Casey Mittelstadt Will Fall Outside the Top 10

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As Makar's stock has risen, Minnesota native Casey Mittelstadt has seen his momentum drop off significantly as the draft approaches.

Mittelstadt's father, Tom, told John Matisz of the Toronto Sun that his son was "a short, little fat kid, a late bloomer" who missed the cut as one of the state's top 100 players at the under-16 level.

Once he grew into his body, Mittelstadt played his way into the mix as part of a strong group of centers available at this year's draft, but he raised eyebrows when he opted to forego early entry to the University of Minnesota and a chance to grow his game against NCAA players during the 2016-17 season.

Instead, Mittelstadt split his year between the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and his high school team, the Eden Prairie Eagles, with the dream of bringing home a state title at the huge Minnesota high school hockey championship in March.

It was not to be, as the top-seeded Eagles were upset by No. 5 Grand Rapids in the tournament semifinal. On an individual level, Mittelstadt was named the U.S. high school hockey player of the year for a second straight season and earned Minnesota's Mr. Hockey Award as the top senior in the state.

A four-month detour during his draft year didn't endear him to some scouts, but his draft stock remained high. NHL Central Scouting ranks him third among North American skaters.

Good fitness-testing results at the draft combine certainly don't guarantee NHL success, but poor results can raise question marks. This year, it was Mittelstadt who underperformed, unable to do a pull-up and managing just one rep on the bench press. 

Once considered a surefire top-10 pick, don't be surprised if Mittelstadt's name stays on the draft board longer than expected on Friday—passed over in favour of players that made stronger late-season impressions.

Timothy Liljegren Will Turn out to Be a Late First-Round Steal

Timothy Liljegren fell in the draft rankings over the course of the season, but scouts should not ignore this talented Swedish defenseman.

Per Mike Johnston at Sportsnet, a bout of mononucleosis derailed Liljegren's draft year. He missed the first two months of the season, then was unspectacular upon his return, playing just 19 games with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League and underwhelming at the U18 World Junior Championship in April.

Originally projected as the top defenseman in the draft, Liljegren was drawing comparisons to Erik Karlsson before his illness but has fallen behind Makar and flashy Finn Miro Heiskanen in the draft rankings.

Just as Jakob Chychrun's draft stock took a late tumble that saw him picked 16th in the 2016 draft, it's likely that Liljegren will also drop to the second half of the first round on Friday.

Though Chychrun was the fifth defenseman taken last year, he ended up being the only one to crack an NHL lineup during the regular season, playing 68 games with the Arizona Coyotes. Expect to see Liljegren follow a similar path. He'll stay in Sweden to keep developing his game next season, but he'll show the scouts that passed on him that he is indeed one of the best blueliners in his draft class.

Kailer Yamamoto Will Stand Tall

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Kailer Yamamoto is ranked 17th among North American skaters in the final draft rankings from NHL's Central Scouting, but the diminutive sharpshooter from Spokane, Washington, is the type of player who could thrive in today's NHL.

You want speed and skill? Yamamoto has both. Size? Not so much. Central Scouting lists him at 5'8" and 146 pounds.

But don't write him off. Yamamoto finished sixth in WHL scoring in 2016-17 with 42 goals and 99 points. His standout performance to date was on the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 2016 U18 World Championship, where he finished third in tournament scoring with seven goals and 13 points in seven games while playing on a line with Logan Brown and Casey Mittelstadt.

Yamamoto's a dynamic player who can generate offense off the rush and also quarterback a power play. His small stature isn't as much of an issue in today's NHL, so he'll be catnip for a team that's looking to add some excitement to its lineup.

In early May, Jeremy Davis of Canucks Army published a chart that analyzes the draft rankings of various prospects. Yamamoto is listed at No. 20, but expect to see him chosen well before that on Friday. Listen for his name somewhere between Nos. 10 and 15.

Michael DiPietro Will Be the First Goalie Selected

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We don't see goalies picked high in the draft anymore. Last year, Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips was the top goalie selected (48th overall). In 2015, Ilya Samsonov was chosen at No. 22 by the Washington Capitals.

This year, expect Michael DiPietro's Memorial Cup win to propel him past Boston University's Jake Oettinger to become the top goalie selected. It's rare to see a draft-eligible goaltender dominate at the Memorial Cup, but DiPietro was outstanding, posting a .932 save percentage and giving up just eight goals in four games on his way to winning the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament's most outstanding goaltender.

At 6'0", DiPietro is considered small—part of the reason he's ranked fourth among North American goaltenders on the Central Scouting list. He won't crack the first round, but he will move up and should be the first goalie selected—ahead of top-ranked Oettinger—early in the second round.

The Vegas Golden Knights Will Keep Making Waves

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The Vegas Golden Knights stocked their roster at Wednesday's expansion draft and will continue to play a strong role in Friday's draft.

By the end of Wednesday's proceedings, owner Bill Foley and general manager George McPhee had not just selected 30 players. They had also made 10 trades that brought in additional bodies and a bounty of draft picks that stretches to 2020.

Per CapFriendly, Vegas is now set to pick 12 times in Friday's seven-round draft, including three times in the first 15 selections. That's an outstanding opportunity to bring some young talent into the fold.

Don't be surprised to see McPhee's wheeling and dealing continue during Friday's draft, either. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported before the expansion draft that McPhee said, "We're going to have to move some defencemen because we're going to claim a bunch."

Friedman mentioned the possibility of Marc Methot being moved to Dallas. If that doesn't happen when the trade freeze is lifted on Thursday, a deal could go down on the draft floor.

At Least 1 Top-5 Pick Will Be Traded

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Don't count on the draft order staying static during Friday's first round.

Back in mid-May, Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars website reported that Stars GM Jim Nill was open to moving his third overall pick if he could get "an established player back." With Dallas thin on the blue line and a Marc Methot trade expected, don't be surprised if Vegas adds yet another first-rounder to its arsenal.

The Philadelphia Flyers hold the second pick, which could also be in play. Bill Meltzer of the Flyers website says Flyers general manager Ron Hextall told the media that he is not "completely ruling out the possibility of trading down a bit." If there's a team that wants the consolation prize from Nico vs. Nolan badly enough, we could see some fireworks.

Matt Duchene Will Finally Be Traded

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For the better part of a year, Matt Duchene's name has been bandied about as a player who's likely to be on the move from the Colorado Avalanche.

After a horrific last-place finish in the league standings, the Avs must make changes. Duchene's a talented, versatile player who had an off year with just 18 goals but could help spark a team's offense.

Back in January, Duchene told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post that he is open to a deal: "I know it's part of the business, and it's something that might happen." 

Now that teams have navigated their way through the expansion draft, they're back on more familiar ground. Though the trade freeze has lifted on Thursday morning, it'll take the general managers a couple of days to get their feet back under them, which means the draft will be the perfect time to consummate the next round of trades—even if draft picks aren't crucial components of those deals.

It's time for Colorado GM Joe Sakic to pull the trigger and start his roster overhaul with a big move.

Top European Klim Kostin Will Slide

Though he's listed as the top-ranked European skater on Central Scouting's final draft ranking, there's enough uncertainty surrounding Russian forward Klim Kostin that he could end up being a late first-round selection.

Kostin has great size at 6'2" and 207 pounds, but his offensive skill set has a level of refinement that usually only comes from smaller players. He has also been pegged as a leader in Russia's hockey program, serving as captain for his country's U17 and U18 entries over the past two years.

He didn't turn 18 until May, but Kostin had already logged some games with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL before his season ended in January due to a shoulder injury. A short scouting window and limited ice time in a men's league left some negative impressions—Kostin sits 15th on the Canucks Army ranking survey chart, below fellow Europeans Liljegren, Martin Necas, Miro Heiskanen, Elias Pettersson and Lias Andersson.

It remains unclear what Kostin's ceiling might be as a player, and if he's committed to stay in the KHL next season, that's another black mark. Teams might prefer to keep a closer eye on him and see him develop his game in a North American environment.

Kostin will slide—maybe even right out of the first round.