NHL Draft Q&A

The Phoenix Pub would like to thank Greg Wyshynski,who runs the Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy blog for taking a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer some draft questions from our own FirstDerivative. Despite being a Devs fan, we really like Greg over here and hope you visit him at Puck Daddy.Check it out his quick draft primer after the jump.

FD: Should/Will the Isles take Tavares? Why or why not will they pick him?

Wysh: The Islanders will take Tavares, but like you said: It’s a different issue than if they should take him. Victor Hedman can play 30 minutes a night and be the sort of foundational defenseman who collects Norris Trophies. Tavares is going to score a ton of goals, but from a team-building standpoint, I’d snag Hedman.

FD: What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of this draft?

Wysh: From everything I’ve been told, it’s a deep draft for puck-moving defenseman; which as we know are essential in this silly little no-touch league we have.

Weaknesses? As a Devils fan with an aging goalie, I can tell you it’s goaltending without a second thought.

FD: Are there any sleeper prospects that may be over looked but can step in and play right away?

Wysh: What am I, the Mel Kiper, Jr. of hockey?

There really isn’t anyone “NHL ready” that’s going to sneak up on anybody. As far as sleeper prospects … I’ve heard good things about Tim Erixon, Jan’s kid. But he’s a first rounder.

One thing I’ll say is that Duchene might be a player that could use a little more time developing, while Tavares and Hedman can step right in.

FD: Are there any players you expect to be moved in draft day deals?

Wysh: Bouwmeester for sure. Heatley … probably. Everything I hear is that Lecavalier won’t be in play, but who knows with those knuckleheads down there.

FD: What teams draft interests you the most and why?

Wysh: The No. 4 and No. 5 picks from the Atlanta Thrashers and the Los Angeles Kings, because they should be obvious and yet they could move’em too.

Tags: draft, first derivative, hedman, islanders, nhl, puck daddy, taveres, wysh
Categories: Daily Specials, Domestics

This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 11:45 am and is filed under Daily Specials, Domestics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.