Hockey Trade Rumors

It is about 5 months until the long awaited 2009 Entry Draft. Here is a little mock draft I cooked up about which team will be getting which player, what I know about the player, and justification for the team that gets him.

1. New York Islanders- John Tavares
Ok, the obvious pick. This franchise is just awful and if there is one talent out there that can lift them up it is the super scorer Tavares. He has supreme vision, a lethal shot, and although he is not a terribly fast skater, he is a very strong skater. As he proved in the WJC, he is also no slack defensively and he has completely shaken of the “lazy” label.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs- Victor Hedman
The Leafs originally were to pick 5th overall and Brian Burke tried desperately to trade up to 1st overall but NYI wouldn’t bite. The Atlanta Thrashers however agree to trade the 2nd for the 5th, along with the Leaf a 2nd rounder the Leafs acquired at the deadline, and the leafs 3rd rounder. Brian Burke sees the next Chris Pronger in Victor Hedman and Burke tends to go for a specific player, rather than prospect depth. Hedman is big, strong, has a monster of a shot, and can shutdown effectively. Think Leafs fans, a Schenn-Hedman pairing, enough said.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning- Jordan Schroeder- Tampa Bay has been a disaster for the past two seasons and although they would have loved to take a defensemen, they decided to stick with their pick and just go for prospect depth. The best player available is the speedy American forward and Tampa loves the prospect of Stamkos player with Schroeder. Schroeder is fast, he has a great shot, great vision, and can do wonders with the puck. Think Patrick Kane.

4. St. Louis Blues- Evander Kane- St. Louis is set on defense, they need some elite forwards and Evander Kane fits the bill. He is magic with the puck, he can player a hitting role, and St. Louis sees him as the future up front. He can stick handle like nobodies business, he can score, and as I said he can hit.

5. Atlanta Thrashers- Matt Duchene- Since they will lose Kovalchuk in all likely hood they decided to go for prospect depth. They traded down and landed an excellent prospect from the OHL, Matt Duchene is a potential franchise player and is disappointed he fell this far. He is has good speed, a good shot, just your typical elite scorer.

6. Los Angeles Kings- Brayden Schenn- The Kings are more than set on defense, they need some forward depth. Brayden Schenn has been called a more skilled Mike Richards. He shares his Brothers heart and grit and the Kings are drooling of the prospect of having him on a line with Dustin Brown. He is your typical power forward, he is physical, he is an excellent forchecker, he will stick up for his teammates, and perhaps most importantly, he can score. He does not have the scoring potential of the forwards taken before him, but he will be good for 70-80 points per year.

7. Ottawa Senators- Magnus Svenson-Paajarvi- It was looking like the Sens would be in contention for Tavares but a surge in January had them knocking at the door of 8th place, they held that position until mid March when the wheels fell of the bus. They fall down to 7th overall where MSP is waiting patiently to be picked. Ottawa loves the thought of getting another talented Swede to replace Alfredsson who appears to be slowing down. He has all the offensive tools.

8. Dallas Stars- Jared Cowan- Jared Cowan was considered a top 5 pick without question. However every team had their heart set on a different player. The Dallas Stars don’t care, all they care about is that they got top 5 talent at 8th overall. Jared Cowan will be the corner stone of the Dallas blueline for years to come. He is big, strong, no slack offensively and has a bomb of a shot from the blueline. Think Braydon Coburn.

9. Nashville Predators- Nazim Kadri- The Nashville Predators love Kadri, he reminds them of their current player, Steve Sullivan. Small, speedy, he has great offensive potential, perhaps 90-100 point, but it is not as sure a thing as the other offensive guys.

10. Carolina Hurricane- Ryan Ellis- He made a name for himself at the WJC, he has shown himself to be a phenomenal PP QB, his hockey sense is off the charts and he is a great skater. He is a project however, he will stay in junior for the next couple years and will probably be 21 or 22 by the time he makes an appearance in the NHL.

11. Minnisota Wild- Simon Despres- Defense
12. Edmonton Oilers- Peter Holland- Center
13. Colarado Avalanche- Richard Panik- Center
14. Florida Panthers- Jeremy Morin- Center
15. Columbus Blue Jackets- John Moore – Defense
16. Phoenix Coyotes- David Runblad- Defense
17. Vancouver Canucks- Dmitry Kulikov – Defense
18. Pittsburgh Penguins- Carter Ashton – Left Wing
19. Anaheim Ducks- Scott Glenie- Center
20. Buffalo Sabres- Zach Cassian- Right Wing
21. New Jersey Devils- Stefan Elliot- Defense
22. Calgary Flames- Louis Leblanc- Center
23. Chicago Blackhawks- Zach Budish- Center
24. Montreal Canadiens- Landon Ferraro- Right Wing
25. New York Rangers- Tommi Kivisto- Defense
26. Philadelphia Flyers- Jacob Josefson- Center
27. Washington Capitals- Ryan O’Reilly- Center
28. Detroit Red Wings- Calvin deHaan- Defense
29. Boston Bruins- Kyle Palmieri – Centre
30. Ottawa Senators- Taylor Doherty