Here we are a few days until the 2010 NHL Draft! Very excited to see where everyone goes both in the draft and through the trades that seem like they'll inevitably happen.
And as we approach the draft, here are a few general thoughts:
...
Horton to Boston?
I'd actually be surprised if this didn't happen. It just seems to make a lot of sense given both teams needs. It makes me jealous to know that Boston may be (will be?) adding a potential 30 goal scorer like Horton AND a top-pick in this years draft. I mean, Boston's not a bad team by any stretch so to add this type of talent to a playoff team is pretty dangerous.
Florida's going to explode?
I'm really interested in seeing the direction Tallon goes. He wants to rebuild/restock, but he doesn't want to bottom out. It should be interesting to see the type of return he gets seeing as he'll likely want roster players back for players such as Weiss and Horton.
Halak feeling Blue..
Like most, I was taken back by this deal. I thought for sure Halak would come to some sort of agreement with Montreal, but it just proves how crazy the NHL can be at times. The return wasn't amazing in respect to what Halak did for Montreal this past year, but it wasn't totally lopsided. Lars Eller is a good prospect in his own right, and Ian Shultz, if he develops, will be valuable to a club like Montreal who is seeking size. This move however is risky, very risky. It ultimately could be Gauthiers undoing if Price flops next season.
Deals with the Devils?
Had to say I was a bit surprised to see Lou Lamoriello shell out more future assets to acquire an old center like Jason Arnott. I mean, he didn't give a kings ransom, but Arnott's on the downside of his career and is starting to become more injury prone. This signals that the Devils want to make one last strong push for the playoffs ... Kaberle rumours anyone?
Kaberle could be dealt by the draft ... or he may not be.
Pierre LeBrun mentioned that he feels Kaberle will be dealt by Saturday, then Darren Dreger pointed out that he feels Burke won't set Saturday as a deadline. The truth of the matter is both of them are probably right, but you have to think Burke feels a little bit pressure to make a deal by Saturday. If Burke wants to play with fire, try and hold out for a deal that may never come, he may end up burning himself. If the offers aren't remotely close to what Burke would accept for Kaberle, I don't see how the price would dramatically increase given there's a bit of defensive depth on the free-agent market.
Draft Day direction?
If all else fails, it'll be interesting to see who the Maple Leafs select with their six picks. There's some good talent that is bound to slip out of the top-60 and hopefully the Maple Leafs are there to pick up the left overs. Does your teams direction change when you don't have a top-60 selection? Are you as a GM more persuaded to take a player who may have re-entered the draft? In a sense that you gain a year of development on the other 18-year-old's to try and compensate for the lack of a 1st? (Similar to how the Maple Leafs took Nikolai Kulemin as an over-age player in the draft). Either way, I'm excited to welcome new Maple Leafs into the fold.
Trade bait?
We all know Kaberle's name has been rumored on the block, but what other Maple Leafs will be on the way out? Here are some names I think may be involved in potential trades:
John Mitchell - Yeah, he had a bad year. But he did also have a strong rookie-year and that can't be ignored either. It's not impossible to believe that he suffered from a sophomore slump like so many have before him. He protects the puck well, isn't afraid to skate with the puck, and has decent offensive ability. In the long-run he probably doesn't fit in with the type of team Burke is trying to assemble. Would any team take a shot on him for a draft pick?
James Reimer - Burke bringing in Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas makes James Reimer an odd man out I think. Not that he's a lock to be moved, but I think Burke wouldn't hesitate to include him in a deal now that he's added some depth to the position.
Mikhail Grabovski - Comes with a bit of a price-tag, but a team looking for cheap secondary offensive production may find him useful. On the other hand, he's still useful to the Maple Leafs, but he's another player I don't see as a long-term solution as the clubs second-line center. Opening up cap-space may be more important at this point if Burke has big dreams.
Those are just three players that I wouldn't be surprised to see leave by this time next week.
...
Hopefully we do see some action lead up to the draft. I'll be posting my draft favourites on Thursday for each Maple Leaf selection for the 2010 Draft.
