A brief look at the upcoming break
We are three games into the Stanley Cup final and the upcoming offseason is looking to be one of the most interesting in years. The most anticipated, of course, is the arrival of Connor McDavid, hailed as the Edmonton Oilers’ savior—a generational talent—by scouts and analysts. McDavid’s selection is highly anticipated but there will likely not be any confusion if the Oilers choose him with their first overall pick or not. What is more uncertain is how many blockbuster trades will be present this summer. The Leafs look to go into full rebuild mode after another embarrassing season and could be looking to go younger by trading veteran assets for prospects and draft picks. Less than a month ago, Toronto signed a monster contract with ex-Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, making him the highest paid coach in league history—a bold move representing how badly the organization wants to turn things around.
There have been links between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Leafs trying to put together a huge deal that is rumoured to include names like Carolina’s Alex Semin, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, and Toronto’s Kadri, Gardiner, Phaneuf. The Leafs are very interested in Carolina’s fifth overall draft pick at this summer’s draft—the Leafs have the fourth overall pick and having two top-five picks in this year’s highly regarded draft would be ideal for rebuilding.
A month ago, top goaltending prospect Boston University star Matt O’Connor signed with the Ottawa Senators after having teams from all over the league offer him contracts. The Senators have since said that they intend to trade one of their goalies in order to make space for O’Connor, who is expected to become the starting goalie for Ottawa’s AHL affiliate the Binghamton Senators. This comes right after an amazing season that saw Andrew “Hamburglar” Hammond take over as the Senators starting goalie and lead the team to a record-setting season comeback to make the playoffs. With O’Connor guaranteed the starting job in Binghamton, and Hammond deserving to begin next season as the starter, Craig Anderson or Robin Lehner will most likely be traded before or at the draft. The two teams rumoured to be most interested are Edmonton and San Jose, and most of the interest is said to be in top prospect, 23-year-old Robin Lehner. There is less interest in Anderson, although he is a respected veteran who can be a team’s starter right now.
Scouts and analysts have seemingly decided upon the top five picks in the draft. After, that the order of players selected is less clear. A mock draft provides a possible top five pick order: The Edmonton Oilers selecting McDavid, the Buffalo Sabres drafting Jack Eichel, the Arizona Coyotes selecting Noah Hanifin, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Dylan Strome, and the Carolina Hurricanes choosing Lawson Crouse.
These are the five players that analysts and scouts are certain should be selected first in this year’s draft. This year’s draft has been regarded as the best in years—it should be an interesting summer.