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.

I have evaluated each team, and have a pretty good idea of who they plan on going after in this draft. Some teams need desperate help in a certain area, others will just draft who they think is the best available player at the time. Of course, all of this is barring any kind of trade where a team moves up, which is very possible. I can only go up to the first 14 picks, because the playoffs decide where all of the other teams pick. Here are the first 5 picks in this years’ draft, including a detailed explanation:

#1 overall – New York Islanders select: Centre - John Tavares - London Knights

Lets face it, there is no way the Islanders will pass on this guy. Unless someone approaches the Islanders with a hugely one-sided deal, I think this pick is a lock. Even if someone does offer up a huge trade for the first overall pick, GM Garth Snow will have to think long and hard about it. Tavares is the game-breaker that the Islanders desperately need. I really don’t think they will pass that up.

#2 overall – Tampa Bay Lightning select: Defenceman – Victor Hedman – Modo Hockey

If Tavares goes first like we all expect him to go, the Lightning will snatch up Victor Hedman. Hedman is no small consolation prize either, every team wishes they could get their hands on the 6’6 220 pounder. The Lightning have always struggled with defence, and Hedman should fit in nicely. Mike Smith will love having this guy play in front of him. Hedman’s not known for his offense, but he should contribute.

#3 overall – Colorado Avalanche select: Centre – Matt Duchene – Brampton Battalion

Colorado would love to add a top prospect goalie into their mix of prospects, but with the #3 pick, Duchene is too good to pass up. A little on the small side, but his speed and skill should provide Colorado with strength down the middle for years to come. He’s a very low risk pick, one scout even was quoted saying that the worst possible outcome of drafting Duchene would be that he would become a steady #2 centre. The Avalanche will snatch him up with the #3 pick if they get the chance.

#4 overall – Atlanta Thrashers select: Defenceman – Jared Cowen – Spokane Chiefs

The Thrashers are in need of a big-time game changing defenceman, and while they’d love to get Hedman, they’ll have to settle with the #2 rated defenceman in this year’s draft, Jared Cowan. He’s smaller than Hedman, at 6’5 218 pounds, but size is all you can compare the two with. Where Hedman is a strong two-way defenceman, Cowen is very much a defensive-minded defenceman. He is very steady in his own end, and could have been in the running for the top pick this year if he didn’t end up getting injured. He may take a few years in the minors to refine his game, but taking Cowen with the #4 selection isn’t a bad deal at all.

#5 overall – Los Angeles Kings select: Left Winger – Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson – Timra IK

The Kings have drafted a number of defenceman in the past two drafts, Thomas Hickey 4th overall in 2007, Drew Doughty 3rd overall in 2008, Colten Teubert 13th overall in 2008, and Vyacheslav Voinov 32nd overall in 2008 just to name a few. With Jonathan Bernier well on his way to becoming their #1, they have their back-end set up nicely. That’s why I think the Kings will go out and take the skilled playmaking forward Paajarvi-Svensson (or Svensson-Paajarvi, whatever floats your boat) with the 5th pick if he’s available when they make their selection. Alexander Frolov, Anze Kopitar, and Jarret Stoll are already established scorers at the NHL level, and the playmaking of Paajarvi-Svensson should compliment them nicely. I really think he’s a perfect fit for the Kings’ system, and they should enjoy what he has to bring to the table.

That’s all for now, I will slowly be releasing the rest of the draft as the playoffs finish up, and we work our way towards the big day. I hope you enjoyed, and I would love to hear who you think teams will draft and why.