Tomorrow will perhaps be the biggest day in recent Bruins history. In fact, screw the “perhaps,” tomorrow basically decides the future of the team. The big question: Taylor or Tyler? The way I see it, both players are destined to be stars in the league, so the Bruins are in great position at pick 2. Last week, I blessed the readers with my Bruins Draft Preview. Earlier this week, I pitted my picks up against BSP correspondent Danny D’s picks. Now, I give you my in depth analysis of each pick in the first round. Make no mistake about it, I’ve given thought to this draft for months now (probably since December), and will spend hours watching each and every pick of the first round tomorrow night (tomorrow is basically a holiday for Bruin die-hards). Am I terrified that the Bruins will fuck things up? Nope. The B’s are on an extreme hot-streak right now in terms of Front Office “common sense.” Now, all they have to do is take the leftover of the Taylor/Tyler debate and they’ll be on their way to re-shaping the franchise. There is a slight chance they trade the pick, and if they do, they’ll likely move down to the 3rd pick or, the very latest, #4. I don’t see it happening, but if they make out with Erik Gudbranson, it will be a victory for the team (he’s seen as the next Pronger). If they end up with Cam Fowler, it’ll be a catastrophe. But, as I said, they’re on a hot streak. I anticipate them staying at 2 and taking one of the two elite forwards, but Gudbranson would be a welcome sight to my eyes as well. With all that said, here is how I project the first round of the draft to play out:
1. Edmonton - Taylor Hall (LW): Every Draft-report that I’ve looked at has said that Edmonton is leaning toward Hall. I think, for months now, that the battle for first pick has been a bit overstated. Hall is the premier player in the Draft and is the most NHL-ready.
2. Boston - Tyler Seguin (C): Like I said up top, Hall is the premier player in this draft, and the argument “Taylor or Tyler” has been largely media-based. The Bruins will have no problem taking Seguin, who has drawn comparisons to Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic. If the B’s feel VERY strongly about Hall, there is a chance they package roster players and/or picks to swap with the Oil.
3. Florida - Erik Gudbranson (D): In the event that the Panthers keep the pick, they’ll look to add the best player available. Gudbranson is seen as the best defender in the draft and is a perfect compliment to last year’s first-rounder, Dmitry Kulikov.
4. Columbus - Cam Fowler (D): The Jackets could use a top-line center, but there isn’t one available after Seguin is gone. So they’ll go for their second-most pressing need, a mobile defenseman with elite puck moving ability, Fowler fits that.
5. NY Islanders - Brett Connolly (LW): Connolly is rated as the third best North American skater, but he comes with a ton of risk (battled a hip injury last year). If he gets the nod from team doctors, it should be a no-brainer for the Isles. Having Connolly’s elite playmaking alongside John Tavares’ scoring touch would be a lethal combination.
6. Tampa Bay - Brandon Gormley (D): They got Hedman last year at #2, and this year they'll add a stalwart D-man to pair him with for years to come. This pick could be different if Lecavalier is shipped out of town by Draft Day. They could take goalie Jack Campbell here, but I think that’s too big of a risk for new GM Steve Yzerman to take with his first pick.
7. Carolina - Ryan Johansen (C): If any of the top 3 defensemen in the draft fall to the Canes, then Jim Rutherford would jump all over it. But all of them should be gone at this point, and the Canes need to A: fill a hole at center behind Eric Staal, and B: draft the best player available (it's Campbell at this point, but they don't need a 'tender with Cam Ward)
8. Atlanta - Jack Campbell (G): They traded their former “franchise goalie” last year at the deadline when they shipped Kari Lehtonen to Dallas. They have a lot of depth up front and a stalwart on D in Zach Bogosian, but they lack security in the crease. Campbell’s stock is rising fast, though, and he could be long-gone at this point.
9. Minnesota - Jeff Skinner (C): 70 goals in his last 84 games in junior. Probably the purest goal-scorer in the draft outside of Hall, and the Wild need a top-line scoring centerman. They’ve lacked any amount of star power since Gaborik left town, but Skinner should help fill the void.
10. NY Rangers - Nino Niederreiter (LW): The Rangers, outside of the aforementioned Gaborik, struggled for offense last year. El Nino is a big power forward with a great shot who should help light the lamp on Broadway. He's the drafts youngest player (still only 17), but he's already filled out his body and could be ready to contribute as soon as next year.
11. Dallas - Derek Forbort (D): The Stars are thin on defense, and they traded their top prospect at the position in the Kari Lehtonen deal last trade deadline. Forbort isn’t NHL ready, but at this point, he offers the highest upside among the remaining defensemen.
12. Anaheim - Mark Pysyk (D): It’s a shame that Scott Niedermayer called it a career. He was still a great player and one of the purest skaters in the league. Fortunately for the Ducks, Pysyk offers a game much similar. He’s considered the best skater in the draft and has been compared to both Niedermayer and Duncan Keith…not bad for the 12th pick.
13. Phoenix - Austin Watson (C): Watson is the drafts best defensive forward. He doesn’t have the star-upside of some of the drafts other forwards, but Phoenix’s biggest need is a centerman who isn’t afraid to do the dirty work.
14. St. Louis - Mikael Granlund (F): St. Louis has no need on defense and likely won’t get a shot at Jack Campbell, so they’ll probably go with the best talent available up front. There are questions about Granlund’s size, but not his skill. He’s an elite playmaker who has been compared to countryman Saku Koivu. They’d love to have Watson’s two-way play, I’m sure, but they’ll settle on Granlund’s star-potential.
15. Florida- Emerson Etem (C): With the pick they acquired in dealing Nathan Horton to Boston, the Panthers will look to fill the hole left by their 2003 first-rounder. Etem is an American with great speed, a nose for the net, and a finishing touch. Florida should make out nicely with this pick if Etem falls this far.
16. Ottawa - Nick Bjugstad (C): The Sens might feel that Bjugstad is too much of a “project” to take here, but he offers great size and, more importantly, great upside. He’s college-bound, so it’ll take a few years before he’s in the NHL, but it could be a worthwhile gamble for Brian Murray and company.
17. Colorado - Dylan McIlrath (D): McIlrath’s skill-set isn’t up to par with Pysyk, Forbort, or even Jon Merrill, but he’s a huge kid and has a wicked mean-streak.
18. Nashville - Jon Merrill (D): The Predators already have an elite top-pairing on D with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, but they did just lose Dan Hamhuis via free agency and could use some added depth. Merrill is one of many US defenseman that figure to go in the first round this year, and he could wind up being a very good #3 defenseman.
19. Los Angeles - Alexander Burmistrov (F): If rumors are correct, the Kings will make a huge push toward Ilya Kovalchuk this offseason. Why? They need that type of electrifying scorer to compliment Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Burmistrov offers much of what Kovie does, but will take a year to fully develop into an NHL ready center.
20. Pittsburgh - Vladimir Tarasenko (LW): If the KHL doesn’t exist, Tarasenko probably goes #3 overall, or in the top 5 at the very least. But, the KHL does exist and Tarasenko comes with as much risk as anyone in the draft. Pittsburgh has never had an elite winger to play with Sidney Crosby, but if Tarasenko comes to North America, they’ve instantly got their guy.
21. Detroit - Ludvig Rensfeldt (C): Detroit needs a forward, and they’ve had tremendous success in scouting Swedish-born players. Rensfeldt compares a lot to a current Red Wing…Johan Franzen.
22. Phoenix - Calvin Pickard (G): Ilya Bryzgalov came very close to a Vezina Trophy last year, but the ‘Yotes don’t have anyone behind him, or anyone for the future. Jack Campbell won’t be available to them, so they’ll go with the second best option at the position…Pickard.
23. Buffalo - John McFarland (C): They were frustrated last year by a lack of size and intensity from their forward group. I doubt Tim Connolly plays another game as a Sabre, and Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe are diminutive. McFarland brings skill and size to the bunch, something they’ll need if they want to make it out of the first round next year.
24. Chicago- Quinton Howden (C): With the pick they acquired in the Byfuglien trade, they’ll look to add some size up front. At 6’2, 200 lbs, Howden isn’t quite as big as Big Buff, but he is the safe pick here and should develop into a top-6 forward for the Hawks.
25. Vancouver - Alexander Petrovic (D): If there was one thing that prevented the Canucks from a prolonged playoff run, it was their lack of a top defenseman. Petrovic is huge (6’5), and offers the upside of a top-pairing guy that Vancouver covets. Of course, the Canucks will be very open to dealing this pick for a more proven defender (Braydon Coburn or Tomas Kaberle).
26. Washington - Jared Tinordi (D): The Caps are in a similar situation as Vancouver. Although they have great young players on the blue-line (Mike Green, John Carlson, and Karl Alzner), they lack the true “stay-at-home” type that Tinordi is. He’s a huge kid at 6’6 and could fill out to be 245 lbs. He’ll make his mark in the NHL as a big-hitting, “safe” defenseman.
27. Montreal - Stanislav Galiev (LW): Montreal likes drafting guys close to home, and Galiev offers that. He’s a talented forward with good size, something the Canadiens lack. If McFarland is available here, I think they would go with his combination of size and skill. They'll also have a long, hard look at Riley Sheahan.
28. San Jose - Tyler Toffoli (C): San Jose might look to trade up for a shot at Cal Pickard (now that they have closed the book on Nabokov). But if they stay here, they will look to add a talented forward. Toffoli is a two-way player that fits nicely into the Sharks’ system. If they want a guy with more of a scoring touch, they could look to Petr Straka or Beau Bennett.
29. Anaheim - Riley Sheahan (C): They paid dearly for this pick (dealing Chris Pronger to the Flyers last offseason), and they might never recover. With two first round picks, they could look to land a talented Russian (Kabanov or Kuznetsov), but Sheahan dropping this far could be great value. He’ll probably be a checking-line center in the NHL, but he has solid offensive upside and great skating ability.
30. Chicago - Tyler Pitlick (C): I originally had them taking Brock Nelson, and they still could, because Nelson is a pretty big kid for a High Schooler and will only get bigger. But Pitlick is a very good two-way forward, and if the Hawks have any one weakness, it’s depth at center (and goaltending). Pitlick heads to the WHL next season, and won’t be NHL-ready for at least 2 years.
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