WhatTheDuck
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1) NYI--> John Tavares- Forget all the speculation, the Islanders need fans in the seats. They need a franchise player, and a guy that isn't far off from making it. Tavares is that guy.
2) TB--> Victor Hedman- The Bolts are thrilled that the big, mobile puck-mover that they have been searching for years, has fallen into their laps at #2.
3) Colorado--> Matt Duchene- With Joe Sakic on his way out, the Avs take a stud at center to give them a 1-2 punch up the middle with Paul Stastny for years to come.
4) Atlanta--> Brayden Schenn- Many have said that the Thrashers like Kane at four, and some have Schenn falling out of the top 5. But I think when you look at what the Thrashers need, Schenn is the right pick here. A heart and soul type who can do it in both ends.
5) LA--> Evander Kane- LA will likely be targeting a forward, and Kane is the best fit for them at 5. He will add offensive punch to a young group needing just that.
6) Phoenix–> Jared Cowen- The Coyotes will likely be looking for a stud D-man to accompany their impressive stable of young forwards. Cowen is a great pick here if Phoenix can overlook his knee injury.
7) Toronto–> Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson- With offense being their biggest need, the Leafs take a skilled, speedy winger who will instantly become their best offensive prospect.
8) Dallas–> Oliver Ekman-Larsson- Long in need of a stud blueliner, the Stars get one in OEL who has a ton of potential.
9) Ottawa–> Nazem Kadri- The Sens need scoring depth and take Kadri as many have predicted. Kadri hasn’t received the hype of many top picks, but this is more likely because the spotlight in London was focused on Tavares.
10) Edmonton–> Dimitri Kulikov- Edmonton has gone with forwards with their past few first rounders and feel that it is time to bring a potential top pairing d-man into the fold.
11) Nashville–> Scott Glennie- Nashville is more than set on defence, and needs scoring depth. Glennie will make a great power-forward combo with Colin Wilson a few years down the road.
12) Minnesota–> Jordan Schroeder- The Wild will likely lose Marian Gaborik, and will need to stock their cupboard with offensive players. Schroeder is a dynamic player and the Wild will be able to keep a close eye on him.
13) Buffalo–> Ryan Ellis- Despite their need for offense, the Sabres can’t fight the urge to take a high octane PP quarterback, to compliment last year’s selection of a stalwart stay-at-home guy in Tyler Myers.
14) Florida–> John Moore- The Panthers would probably be better off going for offense with this pick, but with Boumeester’s likely departure, they will also need to stabilize their defense.
15) Anaheim–> Carter Ashton- In perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft so far, the Ducks select the lanky power-forward who many have compared to Jeff Carter. Ashton is big and strong, but has offensive ability, which makes him a great fit for the Ducks.
16) Columbus–> David Runblad- The Jackets blueline was definitely better this year than any other in their short existence, but it is still their biggest weakness. Runblad isn’t far away from making an impact in the NHL.
17) St. Louis–> Zach Kassian- The Blues have acquired many talented young forwards through the draft the past few years, and now they compliment them with a big, mean winger in Kassian who has underrated talent.
18) Montreal–> Jeremy Morin- This pick may be a bit of a stretch, but Montreal is set for depth on D as far as prospects go, and need scoring depth. Morin is said by many to be the 2nd most natural finisher in the draft behind Tavares.
19) NYR–> Chris Kreider- The Rangers have gone with defense with their past few selections, and take a speedster who can score in Kreider.
20) Calgary–> Landon Ferraro- The Flames could use a solid d-man, but Ferraro is a sniper and Calgary lacks scoring depth.
21) Philadelphia–> Dylan Olsen- After being passed up by his hometown Flames, Olsen finds himself in Philly, who have always coveted tough western d-men.
22) Vancouver–> Calvin De Haan- The Canucks select a dynamic offensive threat from the blueline in De Haan, who may be a few years away.
23) New Jersey–> Jacob Josefson- A two-way playmaker with underrated skill, Josefson will the Devils first rounder from last year, fellow Swede Mattias Tedenby.
24) Washington–> Louis Leblanc- Although the Caps are pretty well stocked for firepower up front, they decide that Leblanc is the best player available.
25) Boston–> Simon Despres- The Bruins are pleased to see a big, mobile d-man fall into their lap. Despres is a top 10 or 15 talent who will fall because of consistency issues.
26) NYI–> Nick Leddy- After taking a prolific scorer with the first overall pick, the Isles use their second 1st rounder to select an intriguing puck-moving dman.
27) Carolina–> Jordan Caron- Carolina has a lot of talent up front but are slightly undersized. Caron is a big, strong power forward who can put the puck in the net.
28) Chicago–> Stefan Elliot- The Hawks are very deep and have the luxury of taking a long-term prospect in Elliot, who has great puck-moving skills.
29) Detroit–> Peter Holland- Another offensive guy who has been criticized for lack of effort at times, Holland is a good fit for the Wings.
30) Pittsburgh–> Richard Panik- The Pens can afford to take a chance on the uber talented Panik, hoping his offensive potential can carry him to become the scoring winger needed beside Crosby.
2) TB--> Victor Hedman- The Bolts are thrilled that the big, mobile puck-mover that they have been searching for years, has fallen into their laps at #2.
3) Colorado--> Matt Duchene- With Joe Sakic on his way out, the Avs take a stud at center to give them a 1-2 punch up the middle with Paul Stastny for years to come.
4) Atlanta--> Brayden Schenn- Many have said that the Thrashers like Kane at four, and some have Schenn falling out of the top 5. But I think when you look at what the Thrashers need, Schenn is the right pick here. A heart and soul type who can do it in both ends.
5) LA--> Evander Kane- LA will likely be targeting a forward, and Kane is the best fit for them at 5. He will add offensive punch to a young group needing just that.
6) Phoenix–> Jared Cowen- The Coyotes will likely be looking for a stud D-man to accompany their impressive stable of young forwards. Cowen is a great pick here if Phoenix can overlook his knee injury.
7) Toronto–> Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson- With offense being their biggest need, the Leafs take a skilled, speedy winger who will instantly become their best offensive prospect.
8) Dallas–> Oliver Ekman-Larsson- Long in need of a stud blueliner, the Stars get one in OEL who has a ton of potential.
9) Ottawa–> Nazem Kadri- The Sens need scoring depth and take Kadri as many have predicted. Kadri hasn’t received the hype of many top picks, but this is more likely because the spotlight in London was focused on Tavares.
10) Edmonton–> Dimitri Kulikov- Edmonton has gone with forwards with their past few first rounders and feel that it is time to bring a potential top pairing d-man into the fold.
11) Nashville–> Scott Glennie- Nashville is more than set on defence, and needs scoring depth. Glennie will make a great power-forward combo with Colin Wilson a few years down the road.
12) Minnesota–> Jordan Schroeder- The Wild will likely lose Marian Gaborik, and will need to stock their cupboard with offensive players. Schroeder is a dynamic player and the Wild will be able to keep a close eye on him.
13) Buffalo–> Ryan Ellis- Despite their need for offense, the Sabres can’t fight the urge to take a high octane PP quarterback, to compliment last year’s selection of a stalwart stay-at-home guy in Tyler Myers.
14) Florida–> John Moore- The Panthers would probably be better off going for offense with this pick, but with Boumeester’s likely departure, they will also need to stabilize their defense.
15) Anaheim–> Carter Ashton- In perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft so far, the Ducks select the lanky power-forward who many have compared to Jeff Carter. Ashton is big and strong, but has offensive ability, which makes him a great fit for the Ducks.
16) Columbus–> David Runblad- The Jackets blueline was definitely better this year than any other in their short existence, but it is still their biggest weakness. Runblad isn’t far away from making an impact in the NHL.
17) St. Louis–> Zach Kassian- The Blues have acquired many talented young forwards through the draft the past few years, and now they compliment them with a big, mean winger in Kassian who has underrated talent.
18) Montreal–> Jeremy Morin- This pick may be a bit of a stretch, but Montreal is set for depth on D as far as prospects go, and need scoring depth. Morin is said by many to be the 2nd most natural finisher in the draft behind Tavares.
19) NYR–> Chris Kreider- The Rangers have gone with defense with their past few selections, and take a speedster who can score in Kreider.
20) Calgary–> Landon Ferraro- The Flames could use a solid d-man, but Ferraro is a sniper and Calgary lacks scoring depth.
21) Philadelphia–> Dylan Olsen- After being passed up by his hometown Flames, Olsen finds himself in Philly, who have always coveted tough western d-men.
22) Vancouver–> Calvin De Haan- The Canucks select a dynamic offensive threat from the blueline in De Haan, who may be a few years away.
23) New Jersey–> Jacob Josefson- A two-way playmaker with underrated skill, Josefson will the Devils first rounder from last year, fellow Swede Mattias Tedenby.
24) Washington–> Louis Leblanc- Although the Caps are pretty well stocked for firepower up front, they decide that Leblanc is the best player available.
25) Boston–> Simon Despres- The Bruins are pleased to see a big, mobile d-man fall into their lap. Despres is a top 10 or 15 talent who will fall because of consistency issues.
26) NYI–> Nick Leddy- After taking a prolific scorer with the first overall pick, the Isles use their second 1st rounder to select an intriguing puck-moving dman.
27) Carolina–> Jordan Caron- Carolina has a lot of talent up front but are slightly undersized. Caron is a big, strong power forward who can put the puck in the net.
28) Chicago–> Stefan Elliot- The Hawks are very deep and have the luxury of taking a long-term prospect in Elliot, who has great puck-moving skills.
29) Detroit–> Peter Holland- Another offensive guy who has been criticized for lack of effort at times, Holland is a good fit for the Wings.
30) Pittsburgh–> Richard Panik- The Pens can afford to take a chance on the uber talented Panik, hoping his offensive potential can carry him to become the scoring winger needed beside Crosby.
