Hockey Rolls on with Intriguing Offseason

In football parlance, it’s time to ‘move the chains.’

With the Carolina Hurricanes galloping for the first down (and a Cup win) in convincing fashion this week, hockey now turns its attention to an off-season that looks to be appealing and intriguing.

First up – the NHL entry draft. Set for a little more than a week from now (June 26-27) at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, this year’s you-pick-‘em-and-cross-your-fingers selection is being hailed as one of the better ones in recent years.

The talent pool is deep.

This is good news for the Ottawa Senators who get a first-round pick late at No. 32 (last in the opening round). Accordingly, the always precise device known as AI says Ottawa is likely to go for a forward with scoring ability. Furthermore, suggestions include names like Casey Mutryn, Oliver Suvanto, Egor Shilov, Maddox Dagenais, Liam and Markus Ruck, and JP Hurlbert.

In other words – it’s a veritable crapshoot. But safe to say if the Senators have done their homework, they’re bound to add a skater who can help them out down the road.

Being that the aforementioned ‘talent pool is deep’ is not necessarily good news for Ottawa’s cross-province rivals in Toronto, though. The Leafs lucked out in the draft lottery and crashed the market in landing the No. 1 pick overall.

But.

The decision as to who goes No. 1 is not as simple as hitting the podium and saying Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby. The trouble for the Leafs is there doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut top guy.

Opinions differ here.

New boss John Chayka is expected to announce Penn State winger Gavin McKenna as his guy . . . from many sources like Yahoo Sports. But Sportsnet’s lead draft analyst Jason Bukala has Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg as his No. 1.

Suffice it to say there has been a bit of back-and-forth on the top draw.

Toronto’s issue – and they have plenty this offseason – is that of all the areas of need, defence is the priority. It’s been discussed here, there and everywhere that the Buds desperately need to score a Jake Sanderson-type puck-mover.

Make that two or three puck-movers.

Do they move down and attempt to load up . . . somehow?

New bosses Chayka and Mats Sundin will be interesting to watch as draft day approaches.

On the trade front there could be considerable action.

Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen put out a thought-jogger on Monday.

He first offered up the Chicago Blackhawks as creating a splash by trading the fourth pick overall for some veteran help now. The Hawks ideally would like to move the needle forward on their growth curve.

Meantime, the big suggestion for Steve Staios and Ottawa fans was roping in scoring winger Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis. The 28-year-old had a bit of a down year last season but has registered 30 goals three times in his career.

And he can really skate.

The move would likely prove costly for Ottawa given its lack of depth as far as prospects and upcoming picks. But perhaps a package including misfit Fabian Zetterlund entices the Blues.

Mr. Boylen – though – surely will rankle some Ottawa fans in writing that with Kyrou on board – “. . . he would provide shelter in case it ever does get to a point in the next year where Brady Tkachuk formally asks for a trade or indicates he won’t sign an extension.”

Nevertheless, from drafting to dealing we then move to NHL free agency (starts in two weeks, on July 1^st).

Unfortunately, unlike the draft discussion and potential dealings talk, the free agency period looks pretty dull. Many of the could-have-been’s have/had already signed deals to stay with their clubs during the past season.

The unrestricted free agent class doesn’t boast many studs unless you consider guys like Alex Tuch, Rasmus Andersson, breakout d-man Darren Raddysh and aging netminder Sergei Bobrovsky as top draws.

This could turn out to be another one of those ‘overpay’ situations which teams eventually regret. It is, after all, a July 1^st tradition.

Still, with the action on the ice over and done with, hockey does not slow down.

And that’s always a good thing.

Keep it going lads.

thegrossgame@yahoo.com