Now while Pittsburgh soaks up the next few days, you can guess what the other 29 teams will be thinking about. Next season, starting with the Draft, then the opening day of free agency. You can tell that’s what they’re thinking about just by looking at some of the stories that have been reported in the past few days.

Lets start with the Flyers and their goaltending situation. Earlier this week the Flyers announced the signing of Ray Emery to a one-year $1.5 million contract. Many see it as a low-risk, high-reward kind of deal. I think any time you deal with Ray Emery, the situation is high risk. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, but he has the capability of bringing down a team from the inside. What’s the best scenario? He has a stellar year, the Flyers go far in the playoffs riding his play, and he asks for major bucks in the off season, or leaves the team. That being said, this is Emery’s second chance at an NHL career, so to speak. He blew his first chance in Ottawa, so you can bet he won’t want to screw up his second chance in Philly. I really hope he stays on his best behaviour and succeeds, I really do. Then today we are hit with another shocker. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Flyers are interested in bringing Robert Esche back! He had a stellar year playing in the KHL, posting a 1.87 goals against average and .912 save percentage. If that report turns out to be true, you can kiss Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki’s butts goodbye.

But then we’re forced to wonder, is a Emery-Esche tandem that much of an upgrade over a Biron-Niittymaki tandem? Is it even an upgrade at all? Sure they save a few bucks under the cap, but is it really worth taking such a risk with your goaltending situation? Only time will tell.

Then there was the Score’s report of Pronger being traded to LA for Jack Johnson and the 5th overall pick in this year’s draft. I saw that as soon as I turned on my TV and sat back, thought about it for a second, then muttered “What the hell is Los Angeles thinking??” Sure, lets trade away the 5th overall pick (Who I have as Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson in the Everything Hockey mock draft) and Jack Johnson, a former 3rd overall pick, for an older Chris Pronger, who has 1 year left on his contract and makes just over 4 million dollars more than Johnson. I really really hope LA has some kind of plan for this, like signing him to an extension and naming him captain or something. Seems to me like they could have just kept Rob Blake, a much cheaper leader.

I said that 29 teams will be thinking of next season already, but one team has a very unique situation. The Phoenix Coyotes aren’t just worried about their product on the ice, they are also worried about where the ice they will skate on will be located. Let me begin by saying I am a completely biased Hamiltonian. I have refrained from writing about the deal because of my bias. I would thouroughly enjoy having an NHL team in this city, as would hundreds of other people I know, but especially me seeing as how it would open all sorts of doors for jobs, especially in the media. So when you make the argument about how moving the team out of Phoenix will take away hundreds of jobs, think of all the jobs it would open up, especially to people like me! We all know what’s happening in terms of the court preceedings and so-on, so I won’t bore you with that. I just want you to know that the fan support for an NHL team in Hamilton is very real. The team will be immensly popular, and the area is a hockey gold mine. Oh…and Jim Balsillie for Prime Minister!

Now, without further ado, here are picks #6-#10 in the Everything Hockey Mock Draft 09:

#6 overall – Phoenix Coyotes select: Centre – Brayden Schenn – Brandon Wheat Kings

Schenn will be added to the quickly growing crop of young stars in Phoenix. With ownership stability up in the air, and a couple rebuilding years looming, Phoenix will be looking to add the best player available. Schenn is as much of a sure bet as they come. I’m not sure if he’ll make as quick of an impact as his brother Luke did, but we’ll see. With many scouts comparing him to the Flyers’ Mike Richards, you can expect him to turn out to be a gritty, 2-way, hard working forward. Phoenix would probably like to add a legit goaltending prospect, especially with rumours of Ilya Bryzgalov being traded, but like I said before, this year’s crop is way to weak to justify a top ten pick.

#7 overall – Toronto Maple Leafs select: Centre – Evander Kane – Vancouver Giants

The Leafs would be thrilled to see Kane drop to #7 and would gladly “settle for him.” Even if the reports of an attitude problem are true, GM Brian Burke would be sure to set him straight. The Leafs are not an organization that takes a lot of crap from people (except on the ice, of course). If the Leafs do end up setting him straight, they will have made a great selection at pick #7. This is assuming, of course, that Burke fails in his attempt to move up. If he reaches his potential, he could easily carry an entire team’s offense. Brian Burke has also stated that he does not look at position when drafting, it’s all about who the best player available is.

#8 overall – Dallas Stars select: Defenceman – Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Leksands IF

Dallas needs help in a lot of places. Their list of bona fide prospects isn’t all that big, most of them are on the team already. They’ll be happy to take anyone, really. I think Ekman-Larsson just fits in nicely with the Stars’ system. A big stud on defence may help turn the tide for them. The season was very up and down for the Stars, and some solid defence may add some stability to their lineup.

#9 overall – Ottawa Senators select: Centre – Nazem Kadri – London Knights

The Ottawa Senators have a ton of firepower. Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson and the gang sure know how to put the puck in the back of the net, but generating scoring chances was a problem for them this season. A big playmaking Centre like Kadri would be a welcome addition to their offence, and if he’s still around at #9, they’ll definitely take him. When I say “big playmaking centre” I don’t mean it in a physical sense, at 5’11 – 175 he certainly won’t be intimidating many players. I say it in a game-breaking sense. Kadri’s speed and grit can generate a ton of offense for a team.

#10 overall – Edmonton Oilers select: Centre – Jacob Josefson – Djurgardens IF

Jacob Josefson didn’t impress very many scouts at the World Juniors, but in his defense, he was very sick. He was held pointless, and was a minus 1 in the tournament. He speed is something to behold, and he put up very solid numbers in the Swedish league, especially since he was playing on the fourth line, and against grown men. He’s a bit of a project pick, but he certainly has a bright future. he is sometimes described as a “typical Swedish forward,”  and you can expect him to develop in Sweden for a few more years before heading over to North America.

That concludes the top ten picks in the Everything Hockey mock draft. Here is #1-5 in detail, and here it all is in list form:

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

I hope you have enjoyed my preview so far. Once the Stanley Cup final has concluded I will put up the rest of the results. Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree with one of my picks. Drop a comment and see you next time!