NHL Draft: Picks and What Didn't Pan Out

Craig Custance - SportingNews.com

MONTREAL ­-- The buildup and rumors surrounding Friday night's NHL Draft were much more entertaining than the draft itself. Some of the speculation panned out, some didn't.

Three biggest things on draft night that happened:

 1. Flyers landed Pronger: Of all the wild trade rumors that surrounded the draft, this was the one that panned out. Anaheim received a huge package of picks along with Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa in return for defenseman Chris Pronger and a forward prospect. The Flyers, Ducks GM Bob Murray said, now have a shot at a championship. "[Pronger] gives them a chance to win a Stanley Cup immediately," he said.

2. John Tavares goes No. 1: The Islanders hid their intentions right up until the moment they selected Tavares with the first pick and in doing so added an elite goal-scorer who is destined to be a star. "It was a great moment for me and a special feeling," Tavares said. "I couldn't be more happy right now and excited about my opportunity to play for Long Island."

3. Lightning add two: Tampa Bay got the player it coveted in Victor Hedman, who fills a serious need on defense and should play immediately. They also traded with Detroit to get another first-round pick and selected power forward Carter Ashton. Hedman is confident he can help fix the Lightning. "I'm looking forward to help the team," he said. "They struggled a bit this year, so I look forward to turning things around with that team."

Three biggest things that didn't happen:

1. Lecavalier wasn't traded: The buzz before the draft was that the Montreal Canadiens were looking to make a big splash for the home crowd, and trading for Lecavalier would have done it. But Pronger was the only big name moved on Friday night despite talk that players including Lecavalier, Dany Heatley and Jay Bouwmeester were on the move.

2. Matt Duchene going No. 1: The speculation that Islanders GM Garth Snow would pass on Tavares and pick Duchene was intense right until the moment the Islanders made their selection. Duchene grew up a Colorado Avalanche fan, so he was thrilled to go to the Avs at No. 3 but admitted the drama was high before the Islanders made their pick. "Mr. Snow did a great job in keeping his cards close to his chest and making it dramatic," Duchene said. "This is the best draft in terms of drama that I've ever seen."

3. Toronto moving into the top three: Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke didn't hide his desire to move into the top part of the draft so he could have a shot at John Tavares or Brayden Schenn. But that didn't happen. The Islanders didn't want to move down and Burke wasn't willing to include Luke Schenn in a deal for the other top picks. "If we put Luke Schenn in the deal, to me, that's a step backward for our franchise," Burke said. "My ego is not that big that I have to get up in the top two picks every couple years."

Craig Custance is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at ccustance@sportingnews.com.

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