PRE-DRAFT RAMBLINGS

The 2008 Entry Draft is fast approaching and everyone already knows that the Bolts plan on taking Steven Stamkos with their #1 pick. Stamkos (a 6’-3” 185 lbs. center out of Scarborough, ON.) isn’t something you pass up on even if he won’t necessarily address your needs. Some think that with this draft being heavy with defensemen and goalies that the Bolts in particular should start building up their back end, but keep in mind that in this draft they can accomplish that in later rounds. That is why they jumped right away and announced their intention on picking Stamkos. There will be no surprises on who goes 1st overall on Friday.

This year on draft day I think I will be most interested in what trades go down more so than who picks who. I just have this feeling that there will be a plethora of movement amongst teams trying to shed payroll and gather more picks for either this draft or ones in the near future. This will most likely be a last ditch effort for teams to trade away players before buying them out or losing them to free agency come July 1st. Hey sometimes a future draft pick and a bag of pucks is better than taking a cap hit on a buyout or getting nothing in return. Ahh yes, I can see it now, sort of like a clearance sale or better yet like a concession vendor; “Emery…Emery here…get ‘yer ice cold Emery here…” or “Only one Murray left…last chance for a Murray here…buy one Murray and get a Fernandez free…and by free I mean we’ll be free of him…get ‘yer Murray here…”

I think we will see a lot of defensemen taken in the first couple of rounds this year, as they seem to dominate the landscape. There will be a fair share of goaltenders taken as well and the Bolts will get their chance at a number of them and d-men to boot. By taking Stamkos with their first pick they will get the leftovers when it comes to the back end but in this draft the leftovers will be solid as well. In Stamkos they will however get the future replacement for Vinnie, this time I am hoping they will seriously consider how much they should pay a young super-talent.

Settle in on Friday and watch your teams select the future and attempt to move payroll and enjoy it hockey fans, it will be the last bit of excitement until July 1st. I will hand out my report card on how everyone did after the draft ends, most likely in a wacky format so until then keep your head up and enjoy!