Atlantic draft strategy | Metropolitan | Central | Pacific
Most NHL teams say they subscribe strictly to the "best player available" theory. In my experience, some are being honest, some do that in the first round (and incorporate their depth charts beyond) and some take position into account from the beginning. If I were running a team, I'd fall somewhere in the middle because of the very marginal differences in prospect value outside the very top.
Team strategies in the draft should be slightly more complex than simply, "Draft the best player." Teams should try to balance their depth chart if the option is within a reasonable talent range, or they can make trades to either address the need or trade to a spot where the player they want would be a better value. In this series, I'll recommend the best strategies for every NHL team going into this year's draft, division by division. For more on the draft prospects mentioned here (and many more), be sure to check in on our Top 100 NHL draft prospects list.
For the purposes of this column, team strengths and weaknesses generally refer to a team's under-23 NHLers, or players who have not lost rookie eligibility. Players not specifically mentioned are included in the evaluation.
Anaheim Ducks
Strengths: The Ducks have one of the best young cores in the NHL. Cam Fowler is an emerging star blueliner, fellow defenseman Hampus Lindholm was one of the league's top rookies in 2013-14, and while Sami Vatanen isn't at the same level, he's a pretty good defensive prospect himself. John Gibson is an elite goalie prospect who showed flashes of what he can be in the Stanley Cup playoffs, while Rickard Rakell and William Karlsson are both very strong center prospects.
Weaknesses: I don't think the Ducks have an issue on the wing, but some of their top wing prospects in Kyle Palmieri, Emerson Etem and Devante Smith-Pelly haven't seen their development go as hoped, although they are all still NHL regulars. Nic Kerdiles and Nick Sorensen are among the club's promising wing prospects.
Recommended strategy: As a team on the upswing to contender status -- and one with a pretty deep system -- the Ducks are likely at a point where they need to be aggressive at the draft. That can mean taking home run swings on Russians, trading depth for quality and anything else that can get them good players on their NHL team the fastest. Their system is well-rounded enough where they don't need to pick for position. With two first-round picks (Nos. 10 and 24), they are a team to watch on the first night of the draft.
Calgary Flames
Strengths: The Flames are pretty strong at forward at all positions except maybe right wing. Sean Monahan is an obvious pillar for them going forward, but Markus Granlund's development has been promising. Left wing Johnny Gaudreau had a great season (including work at Boston College, Calgary and internationally), while Sven Baertschi had a bumpier one. The two other wings they drafted in the first round in 2013 -- Emile Poirier and Morgan Klimchuk -- are also good, yet not great prospects. Jon Gillies is a top goalie prospect.
Weaknesses: They can use some shoring up on defense. While Tyler Wotherspoon is a decent prospect, he doesn't have a ton of upside while Pat Sieloff was sidelined most of the season with an injury.
Recommended strategy: The Flames were one of the NHL's worst in the standings in 2013-14, and they could use some more young defensemen; then again, they could also use a whole lot more of everything. Star talent is what wins in the NHL, and I see four clear star talents in the draft between Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, William Nylander and Sam Reinhart. At No. 4 overall, they'll be in a position to pick one of those players, and they should select whoever is remaining. After that point, it would be ideal to stick with the best-player-available strategy, but they should try to add some defense talent and maybe some right-handed forwards.
Edmonton Oilers
Strengths: The three No. 1 overall picks -- Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov -- are the obvious strengths for Edmonton, even if Yakupov's development hasn't gone too well. There is star talent there for the Oilers if things go well. On defense, Martin Marincin had a pleasantly surprising season, playing a significant role at times with the NHL club. Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse had their share of both ups and downs.
Weaknesses: Nugent-Hopkins aside, they need a little more at the center position. Anton Lander's development hasn't gone well, and while Bogdan Yakimov is an interesting prospect, he's likely more of a third-line center. They could also use some help in goal, as their top goalie prospects from the past few years haven't developed well.
Recommended strategy: It may be tough for Oilers fans to hear, but the strategy going forward is much of the same. Their rebuild hasn't worked, as the top overall picks -- other than Hall -- haven't really emerged as stars, they dealt away good defensemen for nothing, and they haven't gotten much help from nonlottery picks, other than a few players like Jordan Eberle. They aren't close to contending, and they need to prepare for a few more years of the same type of rebuilding with hopefully better results. That means taking star talent high in the draft and waiting on the development. Given that Ekblad will very likely be gone by Edmonton's pick, the next tier on my board is essentially a three-way tie between Bennett, Nylander and Reinhart. Given that they need a center, they should pick either Bennett or Reinhart if either are available.
Los Angeles Kings
Strengths: The Kings have a fair amount of young talent at forward. Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli obviously displayed this during their Stanley Cup run. Linden Vey continues to produce in the AHL, while both Valentin Zykov and Nikolai Prokhorkin are top prospects, as well. Their strengths lie more on the wing, but they're decent at center, too.
Weaknesses: They lack a cornerstone type of prospect, as most of their top prospects project as good, not great, NHLers. Despite their great core of blueliners at the NHL level, they need some help in the pipeline. Derek Forbort's development has been OK at best since being drafted, and while they acquired Brayden McNabb at the trade deadline, they do lack a real top defense prospect. One of their more "touted" defense prospects, Kevin Gravel, was just signed to an AHL deal, which illustrates the problem.
Recommended strategy: The draft is heavy in forwards, but toward the bottom of the first round, there are some good defenseman options, including Julius Honka, Travis Sanheim and Sebastian Aho. Sanheim is a player who continues to rise, so he would be an appealing choice for them at the No. 29 spot based on talent and organizational need.
Phoenix Coyotes
Strengths: Oliver Ekman-Larsson doesn't turn 23 years old until July 17, and he is very much the pillar of Phoenix's young core as a dynamic two-way defenseman. Other defenders like Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy are top prospects who haven't broken through yet, but they are likely to do so soon. They are decent at center, primarily due to picking Max Domi and Laurent Dauphin with their top two picks last summer.
Weaknesses: The Coyotes could use more depth at all positions, as well as more scoring. Henrik Samuelsson's development has gone just OK, and they could use some more talent on the wings. LW Lucas Lessio is an interesting prospect whose development could go either way at this point, but he's had good stretches.
Recommended strategy: The Coyotes could probably use some help at forward and defense, but unless Haydn Fleury gets to them at No. 12, they likely will be in a position to take a scorer, which would be best for the organization. It's unclear if Domi will stick at center in the NHL, but they should just take the best player available regardless of forward position. Trading down -- if they can stay within a tier of talent -- may be beneficial in order to add picks and help their system depth.
San Jose Sharks
Strengths: Their strength is simply their top best youngsters in Tomas Hertl and Mirco Mueller. That's a predictable answer, but these are two top-level young players. Hertl obviously had a fantastic rookie season aside from his injury, and Mueller is a top prospect even without great counting numbers, because of his immense defensive value.
Weaknesses: The Sharks need pretty much everything in their system, which may be quickly addressed as general manager Doug Wilson has announced the team is entering a rebuild. Hertl and Matt Nieto impressed this season, while Freddie Hamilton is solid, but I wouldn't say they're strong overall at forward.
Recommended strategy: The team doesn't really need to "rebuild," given that the Sharks were a top NHL team last season. If they really want to "retool" for one or two seasons -- given that their core forwards are aging -- then they add some more high picks and pick the best players available for the most part. A puck-moving defenseman or two would be a welcome addition to the pipeline, as well.
Vancouver Canucks
Strengths: The Canucks' strength lies with top prospects Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk. They are two high-end center prospects with differing skill sets, and both project to play in Vancouver's top six. Horvat is a very good two-way center, while Shinkaruk is a dynamic skill player who was injured this season. Cole Cassels is a decent center prospect, as well, but he's more of a long-term shot.
Weaknesses: Vancouver's pipeline is somewhat thin. Frank Corrado is an impressive defense prospect, but after him, they could use a whole lot in terms of defense talent. The same can be said on the wings, as Nicklas Jensen is fine but not outstanding, and they could use a lot more scoring talent. After graduating Eddie Lack, they could also use another goalie in the pipeline.
Recommended strategy: With the No. 6 pick -- and a team that looks like it's not going to be a contender soon -- the Canucks should opt for the best player available on their board, which will probably be either Nylander or Nikolaj Ehlers. They don't need to take a center with any of their picks in the first three rounds, but given the needs of their system, they should be looking to draft the best player available for most of the draft.