It's Draft Day!

Here we are on Draft Day and the Toronto Maple Leafs still hold their first round pick (fifth pick overall) now that can change over the next 12 hours with Brian Burke in charge. Draft Day always has this positive aura about it. Every pick is analysed but with a positive slant to it. You know that big power forward your team has drafted well everyone is talking about the best case scenario when they say this is a guy who will develop into a top 6 forward that will play on the powerplay. No one talks about the downside where he might only develop into a 4th liner playing about 8 minutes a game. Remember the optimism around the selection of Nazem Kadri, 7th overall in 2009. No one is that positive about his development anymore.

This draft is deep in defenseman but the Leafs really badly need to draft centres which sometimes lends itself to trading up or down. If you follow the theory that you draft the best player available and that happens to be a defenseman when your turn comes up then you might look at moving that pick. Except that this draft is not loaded with stud picks which means that many of the teams' lists could look much different. So a guy you really wanted but did expect to be around when you picked may still be available. That means fewer picks will be flipped.

So who might the Maple Leafs pick? Well it appears the Oilers will keep their pick since the offers they received for the #1 overall needed blow them away (supposedly Leafs offered their first pick and Schenn). The Oilers will choose Nail Yakupov.

The Blue Jackets need help on defense and the best defenseman in the draft is Ryan Murray so he will go next. Some think the Oilers who also need help on defense will pick Murray but Edmonton will follow the rule that you pick the best player available with is Yakupov.

I think after these two players the order of who is the next best becomes debatable already. Montreal like the Leafs need help at centre and need to make a splash at the draft so they will likely pick Mikhail Grigorenko. He is a big strong centre and a safe pick.

The next best player appears to be Flip Forsberg who is a big strong left winger and I'm guessing the Islanders will pick him.

So when Burke stands up to pick I would think he will grab Alex Galchenyuk. It's your typical "high risk that comes with high rewards" pick that Burke likes. Galchenyuk only played 2 Junior games last season because of a torn ACL. He is highly skilled and a fitness freak. His stock has risen considerably after scouts saw him at the NHL combines. It is possible that the Canadiens will pick him over Grigorenko in which case Burke will take Grigorenko. The fact that the two teams may be after the same player only makes the Rick Dudley hiring looking worse.

Anyway looking forward to the next "saviour" of the Maple Leafs franchise.