2006 NHL Entry Draft

[Knightfall]

Full Draft Order

Copied from the NHL.com website...

4:41 PM EDT, 06/20/2006
Order of selection for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft

NEW YORK -- Following is the current order of selection for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Saturday, June 24 at General Motors Place in Vancouver (6 p.m. ET, OLN, TSN, RDS).

Round 1
1. St. Louis; 2. Pittsburgh; 3. Chicago; 4. Washington; 5. Boston; 6. Columbus; 7. NY Islanders; 8. Phoenix; 9. Minnesota; 10. Florida; 11. Los Angeles; 12. Atlanta; 13. Toronto; 14. Vancouver; 15. Tampa Bay; 16. Montreal; 17. Minnesota (from EDM); 18. Colorado; 19. Anaheim; 20. San Jose; 21. NY Rangers; 22. Philadelphia; 23. Washington (from NSH); 24. Buffalo; 25. New Jersey; 26. Calgary; 27. Dallas; 28. Ottawa; 29. Detroit; 30. St. Louis (from CAR).

Round 2
31. St. Louis; 32. Pittsburgh; 33. Chicago; 34. Washington; 35. Washington (from BOS); 36. Columbus; 37. Boston; 38. Anaheim (from NYI-VAN); 39. Philadelphia (from PHX); 40. Minnesota; 41. Phoenix (from FLA-PHI); 42. Philadelphia (from L.A.); 43. Atlanta; 44. Toronto; 45. Edmonton; 46. Buffalo (from VAN); 47. Phoenix (from T.B.-PHI); 48. Los Angeles; 49. Montreal; 50. Boston (from EDM); 51. Colorado; 52. Washington (from ANA); 53. San Jose; 54. NY Rangers; 55. Philadelphia; 56. Nashville; 57. Buffalo; 58. New Jersey; 59. Calgary; 60. NY Islanders (from DAL); 61. Chicago (from OTT); 62. Detroit; 63. Carolina.

Round 2 Notes
Pick 37 - assigned to Boston for club not signing 2000 first-round pick Lars Jonsson.
Pick 45 - assigned to Edmonton for club not signing 2002 first-round pick Jesse Niinimaki.
Pick 48 - assigned to Los Angeles for club not signing 2001 first-round pick Jens Karlsson.

Round 3
64. St. Louis; 65. Pittsburgh; 66. Philadelphia (from CHI); 67. New Jersey (from WSH); 68. Boston; 69. Columbus; 70. NY Islanders; 71. NY Islanders (from PHX); 72. Minnesota; 73. Florida; 74. Los Angeles; 75. Atlanta; 76. Toronto; 77. St. Louis (from VAN); 78. Tampa Bay; 79. Montreal; 80. Edmonton (conditional to ATL); 81. Colorado; 82. Vancouver (from ANA); 83. Anaheim (from SJ-NYR); 84. NY Rangers; 85. San Jose (from PHI); 86. Los Angeles (from NSH-PHI); 87. Calgary (from BUF); 88. NY Islanders (from N.J.); 89. Calgary; 90. Dallas; 91. Ottawa; 92. Detroit; 93. Carolina.

Round 3 Notes
Pick 80 - See pick 110.

Round 4
94. St. Louis; 95. Chicago (from PIT); 96. Chicago; 97. Washington; 98. Boston; 99. Chicago (from CBJ-CAR); 100. NY Islanders; 101. Phoenix (optional to PHI); 102. Minnesota; 103. Florida; 104. Los Angeles; 105. Nashville (from ATL); 106. St. Louis (from TOR-CAR); 107. New Jersey (from VAN); 108. San Jose (from T.B.); 109. Montreal; 110. Atlanta (from EDM-NYI-MIN); 111. Chicago (from COL); 112. Anaheim; 113. San Jose; 114. NY Rangers; 115. Philadelphia (optional to PHX); 116. Pittsburgh (from NSH); 117. Buffalo; 118. Calgary (from N.J.); 119. Phoenix (from CGY); 120. Dallas; 121. Ottawa; 122. Washington (from DET); 123. Carolina.

Round 4 Notes
Pick 101 - Philadelphia has the right to switch its 4th-round pick in 2006 and 3rd-round pick in 2007 for Phoenix's picks in each of these rounds.
Pick 110 - If Edmonton re-signs Michael Peca, Edmonton will instead transfer its 3rd-round pick in 2006 to Atlanta.
Pick 115 - See pick 101.

Round 5
124. St. Louis; 125. Pittsburgh; 126. Boston (from CHI); 127. Washington; 128. Boston; 129. Columbus; 130. NYI (conditional to PHX); 131. Phoenix; 132. Minnesota; 133. Florida (conditional to EDM); 134. Los Angeles; 135. Atlanta; 136. Columbus (from TOR); 137. Washington (from VAN); 138. Dallas (from T.B.); 139. Montreal; 140. Edmonton; 141. Colorado; 142. Columbus (from ANA); 143. San Jose; 144. NY Rangers; 145. Philadelphia; 146. Nashville; 147. Buffalo; 148. New Jersey; 149. Calgary; 150. Dallas; 151. Ottawa; 152. Detroit; 153. Carolina.

Round 5 Notes
Pick 130 - If Phoenix does not re-sign Oleg Kvasha, the Islanders will transfer this pick to Phoenix.
Pick 133 - See pick 193.

Round 6
154. St. Louis; 155. Florida (from PIT); 156. Chicago; 157. Washington; 158. Boston; 159. Columbus; 160. NY Islanders; 161. Phoenix; 162. Minnesota; 163. Florida; 164. Los Angeles; 165. Atlanta; 166. Toronto; 167. Vancouver; 168. Tampa Bay; 169. Chicago (from MTL); 170. Edmonton; 171. Colorado (optional to S.J.); 172. Anaheim; 173. San Jose; 174. NY Rangers; 175. Philadelphia; 176. Nashville; 177. Washington (from BUF); 178. New Jersey; 179. Calgary; 180. Toronto (from DAL); 181. Ottawa; 182. Detroit; 183. Carolina.

Round 6 Notes
Pick 171 - Colorado will transfer its 6th-round pick in the 2006 or 2007 Entry Draft to San Jose, at San Jose's option.

Round 7
184. St. Louis; 185. Pittsburgh; 186. Chicago; 187. Calgary (from WSH); 188. Toronto (from BOS); 189. Columbus; 190. NY Islanders; 191. Detroit (from PHX); 192. Minnesota; 193. Edmonton (from FLA); 194. Los Angeles; 195. Atlanta; 196. Toronto; 197. Vancouver; 198. Tampa Bay; 199. Montreal; 200. Edmonton; 201. Colorado; 202. San Jose (from ANA); 203. San Jose; 204. NY Rangers; 205. Philadelphia; 206. Nashville; 207. Buffalo; 208. New Jersey; 209. Calgary; 210. Dallas; 211. Ottawa; 212. Detroit; 213. Carolina.

Round 7 Notes
Pick 193 - If Florida re-signs Alexei Semenov, Florida will instead transfer its 5th-round pick in 2006 to Edmonton.

 

[Knightfall]

Other Important date for the NHL off-season

NHL Calendar
June 22: NHL Awards Presentation
June 24: NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver
June 28: Hockey Hall of Fame Selection meeting
July 1: Free Agency Begins
July 20: Salary Arbitration Begins
August 6: Deadline for arbitration decisions

BTW, when it comes to re-signings here's the major news.

Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche
Canadian Press
6/20/2006 11:28:51 AM

DENVER (CP) - The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed captain Joe Sakic to a one-year deal worth $5.75-million US.

The move keeps Sakic with the organization for an 18th season.

Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman is the only active NHL player to have been with the same team longer. He's played in Detroit for 22 years.

Sakic would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

He led the Avalanche in scoring this past season with 87 points and scored 30 goals for the eighth-straight year.

The Canadian Olympian has amassed 1,489 points during his stellar career.

 

[Knightfall]

From TSN.ca.

2006 Mock Draft

The Guessing Game
So who will go first? Johnson? Staal? Kessel? Different teams have different needs and viewpoints on prospects.

With that in mind, the following is TSN.ca's mock first round for non-playoff teams at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. As with every other year, it's pretty much a crap shoot.

Any three or four players have a shot at being taken by a given team, and this mock draft is, at best, a guess at the general area where a player may go. Hey, your guess is as good as ours.

The draft order for the 16 teams that made the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs is based on the playoff results, and were determined after the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. As champions, their pick (owned by the Blues) goes to No. 30.

Note: Mock trades are not projected in this scenario.

Follow link...
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=7065&hubname=
Check back for updates as the draft approaches.

 

[Knightfall]

From The Score's 2006 NHL Draft Center page

Another look at each teams needs heading towards Draft Day.

NHL TEAM NEEDS
Summer shopping lists begin with Draft Day...

The NHL Entry Draft is not the only way franchises can fill some of their weaknesses and team needs. However, it's probably the best solution in the long run. For short-term relief, NHL clubs will be busy making trades, attempting to re-sign pending free agents and setting up their shopping lists for when the UFA market opens on July 1. Here's a team-by-team look, as well as potential draft-day surprises...

http://forecaster.ca/thescore/hockey/extras.cgi?2006-nhl-draft-team-needs

Here are some highlighted bits from that page...

ANAHEIM DUCKS
>> Ducks GM Brian Burke is never conservative, and rarely does the expected move. His selection of right wing Bobby Ryan No. 2 overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft surprised many, as did the trading of Sergei Fedorov to Columbus at mid-season. This time around, Burke is expected to deal one of his netminders but he may choose to keep both. <<

BUFFALO SABRES
>> Of the 10 Sabres defensemen that appeared in at least one postseason game this spring, none are under contract for the 2006-07 campaign and beyond. Therefore, the team will definitely look for a defenseman with their first-round pick this time around. Since none of Buffalo's 10 playoff rearguards can be considered a legitimate No. 1 defenseman, they'll seek out an all-around type. <<

CALGARY FLAMES
>> When the Flames acquired Daymond Langkow from Phoenix in 2004, they expected better production than 59 points in 82 games. Langkow was supposed to be the player that would vault captain Jarome Iginla to another level of NHL superstars. It never materialized, so now the pressure is on GM/coach Darryl Sutter to once again upgrade the center position in Calgary. <<

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
>> With the No. 3 pick overall, the 'Hawks are in good position to fill a glaring organizational need. It was hoped that Tuomo Ruutu (No. 9 overall in 2001) would emerge as a franchise forward, but the talented Finn has been beset by major injuries. Therefore, a new offensive leader is required. Chicago GM Dale Tallon has pressure to make the right choice in a very important draft. <<

DALLAS STARS
>> Stars captain Mike Modano is better suited to being a second-line pivot at this stage of his brilliant career, while unrestricted free agent Jason Arnott is not expected back in Dallas for the 2006-07 campaign. Therefore, the club needs to start grooming Modano's eventual successor, as well as add more depth down the middle. Joel Lundqvist and Perttu Lindgren should help. <<

DETROIT RED WINGS
>> The Red Wings have already announced that Manny Legace, who was excellent during the regular season but struggled in the playoffs, will not return as the starting goalkeeper. Therefore, a new veteran will be brought in. With youngsters Jimmy Howard and Stefan Liv in the system, Detroit's prospects in goal are looking up. That said, neither is ready for the No. 1 gig in Motown. <<

EDMONTON OILERS
>> Lowe traded his first-round draft pick in 2006 in order to acquire Roloson's rights, and must now try to re-sign the 36-year-old veteran goalkeeper before he tests the UFA market. If Lowe fails to do so, he may make another bold move in order to secure the rights to another No. 1 netminder. Now more than ever, the Oilers know the value of goaltending. <<

FLORIDA PANTHERS
>> Goaltender Roberto Luongo continues to make headlines this off-season. A restricted free agent this summer, Luongo is one season away from becoming a UFA. There have been reports suggesting his agent won't agree to more than a one-year deal this off-season, so it's becoming more likely that Keenan may opt to trade Luongo this summer. <<

MONTREAL CANADIENS
>> The Habs have been linked to trade rumors involving goaltender David Aebischer, since the latter wants to be a starter again. If potential UFA netminder Cristobal Huet re-signs with Montreal, Aebischer is a good bet to be traded. However, Gainey has also expressed the notion of keeping both veteran puck-stoppers as an insurance policy. <<

NEW JERSEY DEVILS
>> The Devils never fully recovered from losing Scott Niedermayer to Anaheim via unrestricted free agency last summer. Potential replacements Vladimir Malakhov and Dan McGillis flamed out, so GM Lou Lamoriello was forced to nickel-and-dime the blueline situation the rest of the way. Look for the Devils to place a strong emphasis on defense at the draft table this year. <<

NEW YORK ISLANDERS
>> The Islanders are rumored to be interested in buying out the remaining five years of center Alexei Yashin's deal. There has even been speculation that the club would offer NHL teams their own 2006 first-round pick (No. 7 overall) to any team willing to take on Yashin's contract. Smith may want to wipe the slate clean in his first big move as GM. <<

OTTAWA SENATORS
>> The Sens are expected to lose one of stalwart defensemen Zdeno Chara or Wade Redden to unrestricted free agency. They may even lose both. Therefore, adding a top-four defenseman either right away or in the not-too-distant future is another top priority for Muckler. First rounder Brian Lee (2005) may soon be ready, but another early-round defenseman is needed. <<

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
>> Kim Johnsson, Eric Desjardins and Chris Therien may all leave via unrestricted free agency this summer, while Joni Pitkanen and Wade Skolney are also un-signed heading into 2006-07. The blueline is aging quickly and needs a greater infusion of youth. The Flyers must also do a better job of adding great-skating rearguards to their stable of hard-hitting behemoths. <<

PHOENIX COYOTES
>> Gretzky's presence behind the Phoenix bench for the next five seasons should entice veteran NHLers to move to the Desert as unrestricted free agents. However, Barnett and co. must also find enough homegrown talent in order to balance out the roster. The current Coyotes regime has shown a propensity to gamble at the draft table. <<

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
>> With Sidney Crosby already in the fold, the Penguins are expected to welcome fellow phenom center Evgeni Malkin to the roster in 2006-07. Therefore, wingers that are capable of finishing off plays are now a major need within the Pens organization. However, adding another reliable blueliner is still tops on Pittsburgh's wish list. That may be rectified via the free-agent market. <<

ST. LOUIS BLUES
>> Pleau may not be adverse to swinging a trade on draft day. He may decide to trade down from No. 1 in order to accumulate more players/picks, and he may also decide to move up from the bottom of the first round with his second selection. The rebuilding process has begun in the 'Show Me State', so Blues management will leave no stone unturned. <<

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
>> For head coach John Tortorella's sanity, as well as for the good of the team, the Lightning must find a new starting netminder this off-season. John Grahame is expected to leave via unrestricted free agency this summer, while veteran Sean Burke is no more than a backup these days. European imports Fredrik Norrena and Johan Holmqvist may help, but more is needed. <<

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
>> There have been rumblings this off-season about Sundin retiring, but expect him to play at least one more season. Enforcer Tie Domi, on the other hand, is expected to be bought out by Leafs management so that he can retire. Don't look for veteran goalie Ed Belfour to return in 2006-07, but center Eric Lindros might if he accepts a one-year contract. <<

VANCOUVER CANUCKS
>> Once and for all, GM Dave Nonis must resolve the starting goalie issue--whether it be by sticking with either Alex Auld or Dan Cloutier, or finding outside help. Also, the Canucks have suddenly gone from a super-skilled lineup to a top-heavy roster. They'll need to find more wingers that can put the puck in the net in order to take more pressure of Naslund and Bertuzzi. <<

WASHINGTON CAPITALS
>> The Capitals need to spend some money this off-season in accordance with the NHL's salary floor. That, plus the presence of Ovechkin, could attract several free agents to the District this summer. However, McPhee may decide to stay the course for one more season to allow several other youngsters the opportunity to develop at the NHL level. <<

 

[Knightfall]

From Sportsnet.ca

Here's an interesting article from www.Sportsnet.ca.

2006 NHL Entry Draft Primer
June 21, 2006

As clubs and players arrive in Vancouver for the NHL's 2006 Entry Draft the excitement builds for all. Each player dreams about a storied career in the NHL and each club hopes that their picks turn out to be productive at the NHL level.

Different Considerations
Prior to drafting a player, a club must consider various issues. For example, how old is the player? Where did he play during the 2005/06 season, Junior, Europe or College? Did he play high school or provincial tier II? Did he play with the U.S. National Under 18 team? Will he be going to college? Is he still under contract to a European team? How long will a club have exclusive "rights" to the player? clubs must carefully craft a plan that must be followed over time so that they have the right flow of players coming into their respective systems at the right time.

Eligibility/Rounds
Players no longer have to opt-in the Draft. All players who are 18 years of age as of September 15, 2006 are eligible to be drafted. Approximately 210 players will be drafted over the course of 7 rounds (there may be some additional compensatory picks awarded to clubs in the event their respective first round picks from the 2004 Entry Draft remain unsigned and re-enter the 2006 Entry Draft, clubs and agents will carefully monitor each selection to see what "rights" flow from each name being selected.

What follows is an overview of some of the inner workings of the Draft and how "rights" flow to clubs when they select a player. By no means is this an exhaustive review of the operation of Article 8 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement("CBA") but rather it provides the reader with an understanding of some of the different rules that govern the Draft.

Routes to the NHL
When it was decided that a Hard Cap system would be negotiated by the parties, the "systemic non-cap" parts (entry Draft/entry level system/salary arbitration and free agency) of the CBA under went some significant change. Being a primary point person on the non-cap systemic changes of the CBA one of the areas that needed to be addressed was the disparate treatment of Draft eligible players and the "rights" that flowed to the clubs based on where they came from. In the past players would be treated differently depending on where they were Drafted from whether it from Junior, College or Europe. Now, under the terms of the new CBA, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to have players for the most part be treated similarly regardless of where they were drafted from.

Article 8-Entry Draft
On Draft day Gary Bettman may announce, "With the first pick of the Entry Draft the St. Louis Blues select defenseman Erik Johnson from the U.S. National Under-18 team, with the second pick in the Draft the Pittsburgh Penguins select forward Jordan Staal from Peterborough of the CHL, with the third pick in the entry Draft the Chicago Blackhawks select forward Nicklas Backstrom from Brynas Sweden." While the above selections are speculative each example illustrates a different route a player may take to enter into the NHL. For the most part players are drafted by clubs from the Canadian Hockey League ("CHL"), U.S. College (U.S. National Under-18 team) and Europe. Set forth below is a discussion based on players who are drafted as 18-year-olds. The reader should be aware that there are different rules that apply based on a player's age but for the purposes of this short essay the discussion will only focus on 18-year-old players who are drafted.

CHL
Under the CBA, which was the same in the past, when clubs draft 18-year-old players from the CHL they retain the exclusive right to their services for two years so long as they comply with the rules of the CBA. For example, if the Pittsburgh Penguins Draft Jordan Staal they will retain the exclusive "rights" to Staal for two years. If they do not sign Staal he will re-enter the 2008 Draft and become eligible to be drafted by another team.

European players
Under the CBA the same rules that apply to CHL players will apply to European players. If, for example, Nicklas Backstrom is selected by the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blackhawks will retain the exclusive "rights" to Backstrom for two years so long as they comply with the rules of the CBA. Even though he will be playing professional hockey in Sweden the Hawks must sign Backstrom by June 1, 2008 or he will re-enter the 2008 Draft just like Staal. In prior CBA's, European players who were Drafted did not have the right to re-enter the Draft if they were under contract to a European team at the time of the Draft and they remained in Europe playing professional hockey. clubs had the right to retain these types of players on their reserve list for a considerable period of time without losing the player to another club. While European players, under the old CBA, did have the right to apply to become a Group 4 Free Agent, in the past very few players if any were able to secure offer sheets from other NHL clubs. As such players in the past who were Drafted from Europe did not have the same "rights" as players Drafted from the CHL. Now clubs who Draft players from Europe, such as Backstrom, must reach agreement on a contract by the 2008 Draft or the club will lose the exclusive right to the player and he may be drafted again.

College players
If, for example, the St. Louis Blues make Erik Johnson the first overall selection and he then decides to play in College, the Blues would be able to hold the exclusive "rights" to Johnson until he graduates college so long as he remains in college. In the event Johnson does not stay in college there are different rules that govern how long they will retain the exclusive "rights" to Johnson but in no event will they retain exclusivity on Johnson for more than four years. A major difference between College players and Junior/European players is that the drafting club does not lose the exclusive negotiating "rights" to the player after two years. Recently, Jack Johnson, Carolina's first round pick from the '05 Draft announced that he will be staying at the University of Michigan for another season. Carolina will retain their exclusive right to Johnson so long as he stays in college or thereafter if he leaves college for a period of time of no more then four years since his original draft year class graduates. The Draft rules improved dramatically for players drafted from College or entering College. In the past clubs held exclusive "rights" to players who were deemed College players for as long as they remained in college plus 180 days until the next June 1 if the player left college. College players had very little leverage because if they did not want to sign with their Drafting club their only "rights" were not to play professionally for an entire year after college in order to become an unrestricted free agent. They could go on and play professional hockey elsewhere during that period of time but the original drafting club retain a right to match any offer they may have received from a new club. In recent memory only one player, RJ Umberger of the Philadelphia Flyers, who could not reach agreement with his original Drafting club the Vancouver Canucks, made the decision not to play for a full year and ended up signing a lucrative contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Article 9 - Entry Level System
Should Johnson, Staal or Backstrom immediately sign a NHL Standard player Contract and play a full season with the NHL team that Drafts them they will sign mandatory 3 year contacts. The maximum annual Paragraph 1 NHL Salary, Signing Bonuses and games played bonuses permitted is $850,000 USD. They are able to negotiate minor league compensation in the amount of $62,500. A major change in the new CBA is the "aggregate of all Signing Bonuses attributable to any League Year to be paid to a Group 1 player may not exceed 10 per cent of the player's compensation for such league year". In past years,

Players were able to negotiate signing bonuses that could amount to 50 per cent of the player's compensation for such league year.

The following is an example of what Erik Johnson's NHL Contract may look like:

Year 1 Salary   Signing Bonus   NHL Base Salary   Minor League 
2006/07         $85,000         $765,000          $62,500 
2007/08         $85,000         $765,000          $62,500 
2008/09         $85,000         $765,000          $62,500

Exhibit 5: Individual "A" bonuses paid by the clubs
Every player that is drafted will be eligible to negotiate "Individual "A" Bonuses paid by the clubs. There are minimum threshold levels set out in Exhibit 5 for both forwards and defensemen.

For example, Erik Johnson may negotiate bonuses tailored for defensemen for achieving the following: 10 or more goals; 25 or more assists; 40 or more points; points per game of .49 or more; Ice time(aggregate and/or per Game) must be among top four(4) defensemen on the club; plus/minus rating among top three(3) defensemen on the club; blocked shots among top two(2) on the team, End-of-Season NHL All-Rookie Team, NHL All-Star Game and NHL All-Star MVP. Johnson may only receive up to $212,500 for each category and cannot make more then $850,000. If he achieves 10 categories and the amount negotiated for each category is $212,500 he will only receive payment on four categories.

Individual "B" Bonuses-League-wide Awards/Trophies and league performance bonuses paid by league and/or club

"Every player party to an Entry Level SPC shall automatically be deemed eligible for Individual B bonuses." For example Johnson would be eligible to receive payment from the League if he is first place in voting for Norris, $250,000, second place in voting, $200,000, third place in voting, $150,000, 4th place in voting, $100,000, 5th place in voting, $50,000. In addition, Johnson can negotiate a clause that if he wins the Norris or any other major trophy like the Hart that he will receive $2,000,000. In addition, a defenseman who finishes among the top 10 in the League in goals, assists, points, points per game or ice time may receive up to $2,000,000. A player in this section cannot receive more then $2,000,000.

Exhibit 5 was set up to reward entry level players who perform at high levels. Players like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin who performed at the levels they did will be compensated for their elite performances.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by: Ian C. Pulver, former Associate Counsel NHLPA from 1990-2006, among other CBA issues, Pulver played a major role in negotiating the system issues in the CBA including but not limited to the new rules governing the NHL Entry Draft and NHL Entry Level System during the last round of bargaining between the NHL and NHLPA

 

[Welverin]

I am impressed with the effort you've put forth. Kudos to you.

Seconded, and glad to see the P-wings have so many early round pikcs. Clarke may be clueless a lot of time with trades and FA signigns, but the team does a damn good job drafting.

 

[Knightfall]

NHL GMs talking trade in Vancouver
Canadian Press
6/23/2006 6:11:09 PM

VANCOUVER (CP) - The NHL's 30 general managers sat in the same room Friday, officially to discuss the state of the game but taking time to talk trade on the side.

Whether or not commissioner Gary Bettman will have any major trade announcement before the start of Saturday's 6 p.m. ET NHL entry draft remains to be seen.

But there's plenty of talk and goalies are the leading the way.

Florida's Roberto Luongo, San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov, Anaheim's J.S. Giguere, Buffalo's Martin Biron, Vancouver's Dan Cloutier, Boston's Andrew Raycroft and Marc Denis of Columbus are among goalies possibly available for trade.

The Ottawa Senators are among the teams looking for a goalie although they may stick with Dominik Hasek.

"We're looking at everything that's available," GM John Muckler said Friday. "And there are going to be good goalies who are UFAs so we'll look at that, too."

And in the end, the Senators may end up going back to Hasek, who missed the rest of the season after injuring a groin at the Olympics. He's an unrestricted free agent July 1.

"Yes, you look at all the options that we have, we keep going back to Dominik because he played so well last year," said Muckler. "Whether we'll make that decision, it'll be sometime down the road. I'd like to talk to Dominik, I never got a chance to talk to him before he left."

Pascal Leclaire is ready to be a starter in Columbus so Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean may be ready to deal Denis for the right price.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are believed to be interested.

On the coaching front, former Detroit Red Wings coach Dave Lewis met with the Boston Bruins here Friday.

The job isn't officially vacant yet, although Mike Sullivan's days appear to be numbered.

New Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli also interviewed former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn last week and it appears it's between Lewis and Quinn for the job.

The St. Louis Blues continued to get calls for their first overall pick ahead of Saturday's draft, but odds are they won't move it and will draft American defenceman Erik Johnson.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the second overall pick and the Carolina Hurricanes have made a courtesy call. With Eric Staal already a star on their team, getting his brother Jordan would be a coup.

"Any time you have a chance to move up and draft a player like Jordan Staal you have to look into it but honestly there isn't anything serious at this point," Jim Rutherford, the GM of the Stanley Cup champions, said Friday.

Meanwhile agents and GMs are also meeting in a bid to get players re-signed before July 1.

Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland met with Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom and his agent Don Meehan on Friday. The star blue-liner can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

"We've had a number of meetings and I think today was a good meeting," Meehan said. "Ken will get back to us on Monday."

Muckler also has his hands full with time running out before both star defencemen Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden become unrestricted free agents. Can he get it done?

"That's a hard question for me to answer," Muckler said Friday. "I met with Matt Keator (Chara's agent) yesterday, we had a good conversation. No results at this particular time. But it's going in the right direction I think."

Said Keator on Friday: "We're staying in touch. We'll see what happens."

Time is of the essence. Muckler needs an answer soon from both players.

"We want to know before the deadline (July 1)," said Muckler. "We pretty well have to know that because we have to know what path we're going to take. We can't decide that until this is settled one way or another."

The Montreal Canadiens also have a pair of pending unrestricted free agents in goalie Cristobal Huet and defenceman Francis Bouillon.

"We're in discussions with both of them and we've told them we'd like to keep both of them," said Canadiens GM Bob Gainey.

"But again it comes down to the parties coming to an agreement that is going to make them feel that they didn't miss anything by not going to free agency and for the team to know that they still have enough money to do the other things still on their list to get their team together."

Star defenceman Rob Blake is hoping to join teammate Joe Sakic and re-sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

"It's where I want to play, in Denver," Blake told the Rocky Mountain News in Friday's edition, adding that he planned to talk with the Avs on Monday or Tuesday.

"I've enjoyed every bit of time I've had there and I'm pretty confident something should get done next week. I don't see why it wouldn't.

"Until it's signed and everything is done, you never know what could happen, but from my side, I've enjoyed my time there and would like to continue there, for sure."

 

[Teflon Billy]

Vancouver Canucks

2005 - LUC BOURDON, D - Tenth overall selection collected three goals and 25 assists in just 30 games with Moncton and Val-d'Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season. Suffered a broken ankle and missed the entire second half of the campaign.

2004 - CORY SCHNEIDER, G - Helped lead Boston College to the NCAA Frozen Four and made 37 saves in the national championship game, a 2-1 loss to Wisconsin. Went 24-13-2 while posting a .929 save percentage in 39 games with the Eagles.

2003 - RYAN KESLER, C - Scored 10 goals and 23 points for the Canucks in 2005-06, his first full campaign in the NHL. Rebounded from a slow start to register six tallies and 12 assists over his final 40 games.

Kesler and Bourdon are both money. Bourdon moreso. The guy plays like a 10 ton truck and has a shot like a rifle. Give him a year in the big game and he will be a first line D man.

Kesler is pretty much what folks call a "Complete Player". He's decent in most categories (including scrapping) and seems to be ina constant state of improvement. When we were trying to replace the perenially injured Dan Cloutier, every single trade suggestion from other teams seemd to include Kesler.

And we said no.

Schneider? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm not familiar with the kid and he has never been touted by either management or the local media as a "Goalie of the Future" or even a particularly good prospect.

* Any news on Ed?

Yeah. We can't really afford him under the cap and he doesn't really want to be here (which kind of hurts). Luckily we have Ohlund, Allen, Bourdon, Old Man Carney, and Baumgartner....which is plenty of depth to get by with.

Still Jovanovski is not exactly replaceable. We can make do without him, but god...the list of what he adds to the team is hard to measure.

As for the draft: Common sense says we will again be looking for a Big Centre.

 

[Teflon Billy]

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Once and for all, GM Dave Nonis must resolve the starting goalie issue--whether it be by sticking with either Alex Auld or Dan Cloutier, or finding outside help. Also, the Canucks have suddenly gone from a super-skilled lineup to a top-heavy roster. They'll need to find more wingers that can put the puck in the net in order to take more pressure of Naslund and Bertuzzi.

This is nonsense.

Makes me wonder how some folks make their living writing about sports.

First: The "pressure" is off Naslund and Bertuzzi already. Our leading scorer last year was neither of them. It was 2nd line RW Anson Carter. His linemates Daniel and Henrik Sedin also had banner years. If Naslund and Bertuzzi are still under such enormous "pressure" that they need the wingers on the third goddam line to start scoring huge, then they should start looking for other work.

That said, the long-suspected "nagging injury" to Naslund and Bertuzzi's centre--Brendan Morrison--was confirmed during the off season and has been surgically dealt with. We are told he is 100% and I have no reason to think otherwise. of that whole line it's Morrison who consistently gives his whole effort every game. If he is back in fighting shape, Naslind and Betuzzi will most likley start plunking goals in.

Second: Goaltender Dan Cloutier is, granted, made of cardboard. The guy has a history of going down with injuries late in the season. Now, credit where credit is due, his regualr season stats are comparable to those of Martin Brodeur...Cloutier, whatever he isn't is a star goalie.

Now, unfortunately, he has never been in a situation where he had a backup that the coach (the departed Mark Crawford) felt was reliable enough to throw in for even semi-important games. So by the time the end of the season rolled around, Cloutier was worn out and any backup had had effectively no experience during the season.

Cloutier's injury last year had one very slight silver lining: backup Alex Auld played a full schedule...and came through.

When Cloutier went down Auld was basically "Tossed into the deep end to see if he could swim"; though--given the division we play in--a more apt analogy might've been "thrown off a cliff to see if he could fly".

Turns out the kid can fly.

So now we have a historically semi-fragile superstar goalie, and a backup who could credibly play a regular schedule.

I'll go with that any day. If they give Auld some games, it'll keep Cloutier from getting run down before the playoffs. Everybody wins.

 

[Agamon]

Re: Leafs
Ugh, I feel dirty going to all those Leaf sites to find this info, but I thought it would prove amusing:

2003 1st: (Steve Bernier) traded with Alyn McCauley and Brad Boyes (now in Boston) to San Jose for Owen Nolan.

2004 1st: (Kris Chucko, now in Calgary for Lauri Korpikoski) traded to New York Rangers with Maxim Kondratiev and Jarkko Immonen and Round 2 pick in the 2005 draft (Marc-Andre Cliche) for Brian Leetch and Round 4 pick in the 2004 draft (Roman Kukumberg)

Neither of those are wonderful trades, by any stretch.

Re: Habs
I sure hope Price is the next Ward. Montreal doesn't get a top 5 pick very often, it better not turn out to be a dud. But from what I've seen and heard about him, I think it'll work out good.

They don't need to draft a big d-man so much as sign or trade for one (both would be a good idea) Jovo or one of the two Sens would be nice.

I am pleased that Muller was brought in a Assistant Coach. Hopefully someday Patrick Roy is on the management staff, he obviously can do the job.

Re: Luongo
He ain't going nowhere. He doesn't want to sign a long-term deal with anyone, so Florida won't get anything for him.

Re: Pens' pick
They'd be stupid to trade that pick unless the offer was insane. Yeah, they could use Johnson on the blueline, but so could the Blues, so I doubt that'll happen. And they need that 2nd pick to get Staal to increase the talent and then sign a d-man, much like Montreal does.

Anyone know why the draft is so late tomorrow?