The NHL will hold its annual Entry Draft this weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and the New York Islanders, owners of this year's No. 1 overall pick, will get the event started Friday evening.
The Islanders had the NHL's worst record during the 2008-09 season and were rewarded with the top prize at the draft lottery back in April. New York has the No. 1 overall selection for the fourth time in team history, and for the first time since taking goaltender Rick DiPietro in 2000.
Tampa Bay had the No. 1 overall pick a year ago and are picking second in this year's draft.
Last year, Steven Stamkos was a no-brainer as the No. 1 overall pick for the Lightning, but the Islanders have a tougher decision to make this time around. However, it appears as if it is down to a two-skater race for the Islanders between center John Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman.
Tavares has been a household name in Canada for years and was always expected to be a No. 1 overall pick. However, Hedman - the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swede - has emerged as a challenger for the top spot over the course of the year.
While it's difficult to say who will go first, it's nearly a lock that Tavares and Hedman will be the first two players selected in the 2009 draft. The Isles have the tough task, but the Lightning, who have the second pick, can merely sit back and take whoever is left out of Hedman and Tavares.
Tavares has developed quite a following north of the border thanks to his prolific scoring knack as a junior. His big breakthrough came during the 2006-07 season, when he potted 72 goals for Oshawa and broke Wayne Gretzky's OHL record for goals by a 16-year-old.
Over four seasons in the OHL with Oshawa and London, Tavares averaged nearly 54 goals per year. Tavares also dominated the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, as he was named tournament MVP in leading Team Canada to a fifth straight gold medal at the event.
Unlike Tavares, Hedman was not being touted years in advance as a candidate for the top pick in the 2009 draft. The mammoth blueliner did, however, begin playing in the Elitserien, Sweden's top professional hockey league, as a 16- year-old. Slowly but surely, scouts realized that a player with Hedman's combination of size and skill could actually be even more valuable than a scoring prodigy like Tavares.
After Hedman and Tavares, the next-best players available are mostly forwards. Canadian centerman Matt Duchene and Swedish winger Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson are the best of this group, and both could be top-five picks.
Once again there isn't a goaltender eligible for this year's draft that could be considered a can't-miss prospect. In fact, it would be surprising if any netminder is taken before the latter stages of the first round this year.
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