1. NYI – John Tavares
2. TB – Victor Hedman
3. COL – Matt Duchene
4. ATL – Jared Cowan
5. LA – Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
6. PHX – Brayden Schenn
7. TOR – Evander Kane
8. DAL – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
9. OTT – Nazem Kadri
10. EDM – Jacob Josefson
11. NSH – Jordan Schroeder
12. MIN – Simon Despres
13. BUF – Scott Glennie
14. FLA – John Moore
15. ANA – David Rundblad
16. CLB – Zack Kassian
17. STL – Carl Klingberg
18. MTL – Ryan Ellis
19. NYR – Carter Ashton
20. PHX(From CGY Conditionally) – Olivier Roy
21. PHI – Peter Holland
22. VAN – Dmitry Kulikov
23. NJ – Louis Leblanc
24. WSH – Nick Leddy
25. BOS – Kyle Palmieri
26. NYI(From SJ) – Calvin De Haan
27. CAR – Chris Kreider
28. CHI – Marcus Johansson
29. DET – Stefan Elliott
30. PIT – Tim Erixon

A few notes of interest, the number 20 pick is conditional. Phoenix can either choose to use Calgary’s first round pick this year, or next year, and will wait until the pick comes up to decide. I have a strong feeling that they will choose to use it this year, based on Calgary’s poor playoff performance (they now have a somewhat lower pick) so they may think that this is the best pick they can get. Also, they are desparate for a goaltending prospect, so I think the time would be right to select Olivier Roy. He’s not neccesarily first round talent, but he’s my #1 ranked goalie, and I think they would be willing to take a stab at him, especially since they also have the #6 pick.

That changed once last season came to an end. Fleury was around to see the last game, and although it probably didn’t end the way he wanted it to, he gained valuable experience. It all started when he came back from a somewhat severe ankle injury sustained in early December. He came back with a renewed attitude, and noticeably whiter pads. Ty Conklin shined in his absence, but Fleury wasn’t about to let the starting role get away from him.

In the games prior to the injury, Fleury was 9-8-1. Hardly impressive, right? When he came back, he posted a 10-2-1 record, then followed that with a 14-6 playoff run. Was it his rehab from the ankle injury that caused such a dramatic change? Maybe. Was it because he stopped wearing those God-awful bright yellow pads? Believe it or not, it probably had something to do with it. While rehabbing from his ankle injury, Fleury received a letter from an Ottawa-area optometrist telling him that his yellow pads were more than just an eyesore, they were costing him goals. In the letter she told him that yellow is one of the easiest colours for the human eye to pick up. Players whizzing down the wing will catch a small glimpse of yellow in the corner of their eye, and immediately know where the net is. A switch to white would allow him to blend into the ice, possibly making him look bigger as well. Fleury took her advice, made the switch, and went on to sweep the optometrist’s beloved Senators in the first round of the playoffs.

This year Fleury hopes to build on the success of last year. Having guys like Malkin and Crosby shooting in the other direction sure helps. Ty Conklin moved on and signed with Detroit, so that allows Dany Sabourin to sneak into the backup role. This upcoming season for Marc-Andre Fleury is an exciting one. He has complete confidence from his coaches and teammates for the first time in a while, and now has confidence in himself. A strong playoff experience can work wonders on players, especially young goaltenders like Fleury.