Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

This Year's Draft Class

04/27/2017 at 8:09am EDT

from Michael Traikos at the Toronto Sun,

The last two draft lotteries were game-changers. Connor McDavid won the scoring title and led the Oilers to the second round of the playoffs just two years after being selected first overall, while Matthews finished second in the Rocket Richard Trophy race with 40 goals and led the Leafs to a playoff spot as a rookie.

This year, there is no McDavid, no Matthews. There might not even be a Jack Eichel or a Patrik Laine or even a Matthew Tkachuk at the top of the order. Instead, there are question marks surrounding top prospects Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier.

“We’re excited about the top five, but I don’t know that there’s that generational player that we’ve seen the last couple of years with McDavid and Matthews and Eichel and Laine,” said Canucks GM Jim Benning.

“But we think those top two players (Patrick and Hischier) are both real good players in their own right and conceivably could come to training camp and compete for a job on the team next year. But I feel comfortable that we’re going to get a real good player.”

In some ways, this year’s draft resembles the 2012 draft, where Nail Yakupov went first overall and many players were coming off a season where they had missed time with significant injury. There was plenty of talent available — including Morgan Rielly (5th overall), Hampus Lindholm (6th) and Filip Forsberg (11th) — but no slam dunks.

You had to do your homework, while also crossing your fingers. This year is more of the same.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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