from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,
Dale Tallon says the big poker game has begun.
A month before the National Hockey League draft in New Jersey, the general manager of the Florida Panthers is finding out the true value of what he’s been dealt, the No. 2 pick in what could be a volatile order of selection.
“I enjoy this part where you get to play a little poker with the teams around you and see what they’re willing to pay,” Tallon said Friday at the league’s scouting combine near Pearson airport in Toronto.
“This is the exciting part of the process. It was a painful year for us (last place, then losing the lottery to Colorado and dropping from top spot). Now this is where we can get some of the cream to salve the injuries.
“I’ve had a couple of minor conversations here and there (with teams asking) ‘are you going to move the pick?’ Well, make me an offer. That’s the way it goes. Start the process early and you work it all the way through until five minutes before, maybe a minute before you make your pick.”
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