Live blogging the draft

Draft day! I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love draft day. The NHL draft is very different from the ultra-hyped NFL and NBA drafts, but is probably more important to a team’s overall health because of the fact so few players go straight to the pros. Embracing that difference, we’re going to approach this draft a little differently from previous years. In the past, I’ve offered commentary on each pick as it happens, but this year I’ll be looking ahead a little more, offering a suggestion as to what each team should do with their upcoming pick. So let’s dive right in, tackling the New York Islanders and the first overall pick. Going back as far as the 2007 draft, the hockey world has been anticipating tonight’s John Tavares-Victor Hedman showdown. Tavares was the decisive winner in their most recent meeting, dominating the 2009 World Junior Championships and leading Canada past Hedman’s Swedish team. But questions about Tavares’ remaining potential were creeping into the discussion before the tournament, and it seemed Hedman would surpass him for good in the draft rankings (the two players have held the top two spots in the ISS rankings since November 2007). Tavares’ performance at the tournament laid any such talk to rest. That is, until the Islanders won the draft lottery. As I’m sure Islanders GM has also done, I’ve gone back and forth on this pick several times—changing my mind even yesterday. But the Isles are on the clock now, and I suppose I am, too. So here goes: with the first pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders should select: Jared Cowan of the Spokane Chiefs. How’s that for way off the board? The Islanders have a nice group of defensemen from last year’s draft, as well as 24-year old Bruno Gervais playing big minutes on the Island and Jack Hillen getting an extended 40-game look last season. That’s before even considering 2008 free agent gem Mark Streit. The trouble is they’re all small. Gervais tops the list at an even six feet tall, and none of them possess the prototypical nastiness we’ve come to expect from high-end shut-down defenders. Cowan could make the jump immediately, though another season in Spokane would probably be better for his development, and could be wearing the captain’s C before his 22nd birthday. It’s not a sexy pick, and Cowan certainly isn’t the most talented player in the draft at this moment, but there’s a little Duncan Keith in him, and a big, mean, sandpaper defenseman should be the Islanders’ top priority. Trading down to fourth, and picking up and extra pick in the top 15 would give the Islanders five picks in the top 37, which should lead to a very bright future. That said, I expect the Isles to call John Tavares’ name from the podium. HIDE YOUR REPORTERS TSN is reporting Chris Pronger has been traded to Philadelphia. Details to follow. 1 - TAVARES Ol' Garth there knows how to string us along. There you have it. Tavares goes first overall in a pick two years in the making. I have a soft spot for the Isles and I desperately want this pick to work out for them. Looking ahead to number two, I can't imagine the Lightning won't grab Victor Hedman. The logic is pretty simple: name a current Lightning defenseman. In a few moments, we all should be able to. 2 - HEDMAN This pick makes perfect sense. I'm a big Hedman fan, and the city of Tampa will be, too. He's a gregarious young man, and if the Lightning can get their gameplan sorted out, Hedman is going to become a very good player very soon. Expect Hedman to have a better 2009-10 season than Drew Doughty had in Los Angeles last season. At three, the Avalanche have some options. While it's hard to ignore Matt Duchene's talent, the Avs need a big body that creates space in the offensive zone. So much like I thought Cowan was perfect for New York, I think Vancouver's Evander Kane is perfect for Colorado. 3 - DUCHENE This is a great pick. Duchene is a wonderful young player, and I think the Avs would love to see him make the jump right away if they can get him hooked up with Joe Sakic for a year. Atlanta has the fourth pick, and there's talk it's available. Getting Zack Bogosian in last year's draft was the first big step in a big rebuild, and passing on a Cowan, Kane, Brayden Schenn or Nazem Kadri here would be a terrible choice. I'm not sure which of the four players is the best fit, but Thrashers fans will be pleased with any of them. 4 - KANE Great pick. Just great. Kane was one of the best players for team Canada at the World Juniors, and took his game to a whole new level as the games got bigger. The TSN guys figure he won't stick with Atlanta this fall, but no one thought Bogosian would stick last season. He'll get the nine-game look. Los Angeles is on the clock at five, and has to take Brayden Schenn. The Kings' back end is set for the future, and now it's time to make a big splash up front. 5 - SCHENN Great pick. Some technical trouble prevented me from getting that Oliver Ekman-Larsson prediction posted in time. But I like that pick for Phoenix. Ekman-Larsson has elite offensive skills, and should become an impact player for the Coyotes. At seven, the Leafs should be looking at Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson to begin to add speed up front. Nazem Kadri is a good selection for the Leafs. He's nearly as quick as Paajarvi-Svensson, but doesn't have the same high-end offesnive skill, or quite as much grit. TSN revealing now that Burke just hate-drafter Kadri. Paajarvi-Svensson should go to Ottawa at eight, but the Senators could really use Cowan. Oops. Pardon me, the Dallas Stars are up ahead of Ottawa, and all signs say Dmitri Kulikov because of the Sergei Zubov mentorship opportunities. WOW. Dallas goes a little off the board with Brandon's Scott Glennie. This is a surprising but great pick. Dallas really isn't in a place where they need to rush Glennie, and allowing this young man a couple years to mature in junior will be great for him. Now I expect Ottawa to take Paajarvi-Svensson. That's the best personnel decision the Senators have made in a long time. Jared Cowan is going to be a stud defenseman in the NHL, and the teams between three and eight will kick themselves one day for not taking this young man. Edmonton could use a guy like Dmitri Kulikov here at 10. Kulikov has good offensive instincts and is projected to become a Sergei Zubov-like player, which the Oilers could really use. If not Kulikov, the Oilers may jump at Jordan Schroeder, who's been falling down the board for months. As a 16-year old, Paajarvi-Svensson didn't play a lot of hockey at the 2008 World Juniors, but was one of the most talked-about players in the tournament. The Oilers will be happy with this young man in a couple years. The Oilers may even try to get him into the CHL for a year before bringing him to the big club. Nashville will take John Moore from Chicago of the USHL here. The Predators develop young defensemen as well as any team in the league and Moore will fit in nicely. That's a little earlier than Ryan Ellis was expected to go. Nashville is the perfect organization for Ellis to go to. He'll need some time to get bigger and develop his defensive game, and the Predators will give him the time to do it. Up next Minnesota could use a big, strong forward. Slightly off-the-board players that fit are Carter Ashton from Lethbridge or Zack Kassian from Peterborough. Moving down here is a good move for Minnesota, and moving up is good for the Islanders. Dmitri Kulikov or David Rundblad would fill out the back end here. A defenseman was the right choice. Calvin de Haan is a little off the board (second round rated by ISS). De Haan is an explosive offensive defenseman with good defensive instincts. Great choice from out of left field. Buffalo is up next, a team that traditionally doesn't draft based on need. American defenseman John Moore would not be a surprise here, nor would American forward Jordan Schroeder. And though they don't draft for need, the Sabres could really use a finisher. American winger Chris Kreider could be the pick. Kassian's a good pick for the Sabres. He's got a lot of skill and is a big body the Sabres could use to police opponents that want to rough it up-- looking at you Milan Lucic. Florida has the last pick of the lottery group, and has needs just about everywhere. The Panthers have had success drafting from the Western League, but they're more likely to roll the dice with Moore. Given his slide out of the top 10, Kulikov is a bit of a surprise at 14. If there's concern about the transfer agreement and KHL and Russia in general, Miami is the kind of town to convince a Russian to stay in the NHL. Anaheim is next up next, and couple be looking Jordan Schroeder's way. Peter Holland is a big forward with the potential to play as a first-line centre in the NHL. It will take him some time to get there, and he may top out as a second-line centre, but the future is very bright for this young man. That's all for tonight, be sure to check back Monday for a look at the second half of the first round.