I'm not quite sure whether Colorado Avalanche coach and/or de-facto GM Patrick Roy's pulling some classic gamesmanship here, but he told ESPN's Craig Custance that the Avalanche will pick Halifax Mooseheads forward Nathan MacKinnon when the Avs step to the podium and open the 2013 draft with the #1 overall pick in Newark on Sunday:

Last week, the Colorado Avalanche made it clear they weren't going to draft Seth Jones, the presumed choice, with the No. 1 overall pick. Now, according to new coach Patrick Roy, they have a clear order of preference among the top forwards.

If the draft was today, he said, they'd select Halifax center Nathan MacKinnon with the first pick.

"It would be tough for us not to take MacKinnon," Roy told ESPN The Magazine. "MacKinnon is ready to play tomorrow."

Roy didn't rule out trading the pick and said there's been plenty of interest from other teams since word spread that Colorado was open to a deal. Roy has a say in personnel with the Avalanche as the coach and vice president of hockey operations.

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