NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The NHL's amateur draft is a time for hope. The teams have it. The young prospects have it. The fans have it.
It's a weekend without wins and losses. Instead, there are just different opinions. This year, those opinions were about Marc-Andre Fleury, Eric Staal, Nathan Horton and hundreds of other teenaged hopefuls. This draft class of 2003 -- viewed by many insiders as one of the deepest in history -- has one thing in common with the others that came before it: Simply, we won't know for sure exactly how things will play out for several years.
Right now, it's simply about preference. It's about opinions. With that said, here's my strongest 10 from a weekend in Music City:
Pittsburgh Penguins: Some folks have suggested that GM Craig Patrick has lost his fastball over the last few years. But on this draft day, he didn't let Fleury slip through his fingers. Down the road, the Cape Breton stopper projects to be a franchise goalie. Of course, the Pens still figure to be a bad franchise next season. If they're really bad and really lucky (and win the draft lottery), they could bag Russian phenom Alexander Ovechkin with the No. 1 pick next year. If that happens, the Pens will go forward with Fleury and Ovechkin. That's an exacta that new coach Eddie Olczyk would love to bet on.
Florida Panthers: Wheeling-and-dealing GM Rick Dudley wanted some big North American forwards to add to his mix of European skaters. For the second year in a row, he dropped back from No. 1 to No. 3, picked up some assets for the organization and still got the guy he wanted -- Horton. Later, Dudley traded up to get hulking forward Anthony Stewart, who has a high upside. At the end of the weekend, Dudley walked away with 13 prospects. In this case, there just might be strength in numbers.
Nashville Predators: I felt it was a great weekend for the host team, which selected eight of the first 98 players. They started in great fashion by picking defenseman Ryan Suter. There are no "can't miss kids," but Suter is pretty close. Actually, the Stars were trying to deal up to Columbus' No. 4 spot to get him. When that deal fell through, Suter dropped to the Predators, who were thrilled to make the pick. Among their three picks in the second round, they tabbed Russian skill forward Konstantin Glazachev and defenseman Kevin Klein. Both Glazachev and Klein project nicely into the NHL. Later, in the third round, GM David Poile tapped big Slovak D-man Richard Stehlik, whom many thought would go in the early second. The Preds, like the Panthers, made 13 selections over the course of the two days.
New Jersey Devils: GM Lou Lamoriello has enjoyed a pretty good month of June. First, his team wins its third Stanley Cup in nine years, then he somehow manages to steal a top-10 pick (Zach Parise) at No. 17. Is it any wonder why this franchise remains at or near the top of the league year after year? Later, the Devils grabbed Czech left winger Peter Vrana (42nd) and Russian forward Ivan Khomutov (93rd). Both players were excellent value picks. Lamoriello and scouting guru David Conte are so good at accessing talent you wonder if Russian left wing Arseny Bondarev -- selected with the 292nd and final pick of the draft -- might someday score a few big goals in The Swamp.
Los Angeles Kings: Well, in my opinion, the Kings could have done better with their three first round picks. I love Jeff Tambellini at No. 27, but Brian Boyle (No. 26) was a major reach. Dustin Brown was a very highly touted player who produced good numbers at Guelph. I'll be watching to see how he progresses through the Kings' system. At this point, I don't see him as a top-six forward. The Kings might have caught a sleeper in the third round when they selected goalie Ryan Munce, who enjoyed a good year with the Sarnia Sting and played extremely well for Canada at the Under-18 championships. With a couple of more years of seasoning, Munce could make a run for a job at the NHL level.
New York Rangers: GM Glen Sather didn't announce a blockbuster deal for Capitals right winger Jaromir Jagr, nor did he name a new coach. Sather privately acknowledged that there has been talk about Jagr and he did admit to talking to ex-Kings and Devils coach Larry Robinson. In the end, the deal for Jagr might be too complicated and Robinson isn't a great fit for this bunch of high-priced underachievers. I still believe Sather will end up coaching the club during the upcoming season. At the draft, the Rangers picked a nice long-term prospect in Dartmouth College right winger Hugh Jessiman, who has three more years of NCAA eligibility. If he's smart, he'll use it, rather than leaving early. And if the Rangers are smart, they'll advise him to do so.
Philadelphia Flyers: The search for a new goaltender will go on a bit longer. GM Bob Clarke told reporters that many goalies are available via trade. The names that have been mentioned are the Coyotes' Sean Burke, the Lightning's Nikolai Khabibulin and the Sabres' Martin Biron, who might be the best fit for the Flyers. Also, one source heard the Wings' were listening to offers for Curtis Joseph. Hmmm? In the draft, I loved Mike Richards at No. 24. I feel he'll be a better player than Jeff Carter, who they selected 13 picks earlier.
Dallas Stars: GM Doug Armstrong, like several of his peers around the league, continues to search for places to dump salary. We know that Pierre Turgeon is available. We've heard that $9-million man Bill Guerin is available. So, it's not difficult to assume that Jason Arnott is available. This weekend, though, Armstrong couldn't find any takers. He nearly had a deal with the Blue Jackets for the fourth-overall pick, but it didn't pan out. They would have loved selecting Suter. Later in the first round, they just missed getting Tambellini, who was selected by the Kings with the pick before the Stars. Once Tambellini went off the board, the Stars opted to trade back into the second round where they picked Swedish left winger Loui Eriksson and Czech forward Vojtech Polak. They picked Polak at No. 36 as a fallback after the Preds took Glazachev off the board at No. 35.
Detroit Red Wings: GM Ken Holland spent some quality time with Pat Brisson, who is Sergei Fedorov's agent. The two exchanged thoughts about a new deal for Fedorov, who lost a five-year, $50-million offer -- personally delivered by owner Mike Ilitch in November -- when he asked for more time to think about it. In retrospect, that wasn't a very smart decision by Fedorov. Now, with a four-year, $40-million offer on the table, the two sides seem stuck in neutral. It's likely that Fedorov will hit the open market on July 1. Somehow, I figure that Fedorov will remain in Motown. The Wings didn't have a pick in the first round and didn't step to the microphone until No. 60, when they chose Maine goalie James Howard. They might have been better off going in another direction.
Anaheim Mighty Ducks: I wasn't really crazy about either of their two first round picks -- Ryan Getzlaf (19th) and Corey Perry (28th) -- but they fit a particular need. Getzlaf and Perry are big forwards who aren't afraid to get a little "greasy," as Ducks coach Mike Babcock likes to say. And, you can't really argue with a Stanley Cup finalist having two picks in the first round of the draft. Now, GM Bryan Murray can get down to the business of re-signing restricted free agent goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Good luck, Mr. Murray, and don't forget your checkbook.
E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.
