We do not know how the lotto will change things among the bottom 5--having said that--Chicago will draft either 1st (if they win the lotto--but we all know the hockey gods won't allow it) or more likely 2nd,3rd or 4th since they are certain to finish 2nd or 3rd worst...my own prediction now is that STL will catch the Hawks thus giving the Hawks 2nd pick pre-lotto--PITT though worst,cannot expect to win the lotto twice in a row--so either teams who are #3,or #4 or #5 pre-lotto will win it--thus shoving the Hawks to 3rd pick anyway...
I don't know who the 5th team pre-lotto will be ...CBJ looks like they are climbing up beyond that slot...so I'll assume that either STL or WASH from the 3rdor 4th pre-lott spots will win it...
1.STL or WASH will take Kessel : a) STL because it needs new "star" power to sell tickets -the'll market the Hell out of PHIL THE THRILL ;WASH will take him to centre OVECHKIN and SEMIN and complete a "tiop gun line" ...
2. PIIT -take Erik Johnson (woulda taken him at #1 if they had not been bumped back by lotto...
3. CHI --the choice here is Toews,Staal,or Backstrom...
Backstrom is the most advanced of the 3 but is the smallest of them,stiill,the one I would rank highest NOW --Toews may have the best pure shot of the three,Staal has the greatest size and physical play and has the greatest upside IF he develops (young baby of the draft with late birthdate,Staal genes etc) -but he is the least developed and has not yet shown he has brother Eric's great wrist shot nor is he good at faceoffs=he's still very raw...
So it it going to be a tough choice for the Hawks --risk it on the upside of a raw Jordan Staal and hope he turns into another Eric or risk the downside that he does not develop as well;take a safer pick in Toews but get a guy with no flash and who may be a better winger than a pure centre--and the Hawks need centres,OR take the smaller but passionate and pretty good all round player in Backstrom who is more advanced aleardy playing against men in the SEL and doing well holding down a #1 line centre job on Brynas --very impressive for an 18 year old.. He could be NHL -ready earliest after just 1 more year in the SEL..
I rate Backstrom ahead of Staal NOW--but scouts will be projecting Staal and what he could be 3-4 years from now and based on that upside hope,may influence a team to take him higher than he merits AT THIS TIME.
My feeling is the Hawks will gamble on Staal and that lightning will strike 3 times for the Staal family...but my fear is that --given the hockey gods cruel treatment of the Hawks,it just may not pan out as hoped...and we will all look back ONCE AGAIN and remind ouselves that old hawksfan50 had another "Frolov" hunch (the player he most wanted for the Hawks in the 2000 draft--but instead Mike Smith took Yakubov--now gone form the org --and Vorobiev --who may be gone next year if they do not renew his contract) and the hunch this time is in favour of Backstrom over Staal...maybe they will both become stars,in which case choosing either of them is a good choice for the Hawks--but the hockey gods usually make one or two teams in the top 5 into laughingstocks for passing on so and so to take such and such --and nowing their penchaant for kugel blitzing the Hawks--Tallon and his staff could be in line for another "mistake" in this difficult crapshoot with the 3rd pick to draft that elusive top line centre to develop within the organization...a tough difficult choice.