North East Division Draft Preview

The Montreal Canadiens have the third overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft so with the third overall pick the Montreal Canadiens are likely to take Alex Galchenyuk from the Sarnia Sting.
If it had not been for the injuries that plagued his season many think Galchenyuk could have legitimately challenged Nail Yakupov for the first overall pick. There will be a major risk factor for the Habs who would be drafting Gahchenyuk based on his play from 2 seasons ago, but he could pan out.

The Toronto Maple Leafs went from playoff contenders early in the season to a team that debated "Failing for Nail", while the Leafs didn't exactly end up with the first overall pick they did end up with the 5th overall pick. While there are talks they will trade that pick and Luke Schenn to Edmonton to get their hands on Yakupov, let's just assume for this article that they will keep the 5th overall pick. So with the fifth overall pick the most likely of targets for the Leafs is Mikhail Grigorenko from the Quebec City Remparts in QMJHL. Whether people agree or not Grigorenko's work ethic has come into question and has severely hurt his drat stock. He has all the ability and skill to potentially go first overall but has almost no chance of going first overall. He has fallen victim to another player bit by the Russian Stereotype.  If the Canadiens or another team end up taking Galchenyuk than expect Leafs GM Brian Burke to select Mikhail Grigorenko.

The Buffalo Sabres had a ruff season, entering the year with high expectations and ending the year by narrowly missing the 8th and final playoff spot. But the Sabres are in a great spot having 4 of the first 44 picks in the draft including 2 in the first round. But the Sabres need to draft for today not the future, which is why the Sabres should draft Cody Ceci of the Ottawa 67's. Ceci's stock has risen over the past OHL season and is now just outside the top 10 instead of possibly going in the 2nd round. Ceci already has the size and skill to play in the NHL and could see ice time for the Sabres next season. He would be perfect for quarterbacking the Sabres power play who could use a kick in the butt after their performance last season. Ceci and Tyler Myers moving the puck together could be quite something to watch next season. It would also give the Sabres the tallest blue line in the NHL with an average of 6'3".

The Ottawa Senators had an amazing season pretty much the polar opposite of the Season the Sabres had. At the beginning of the year no one expected the Senators to go anywhere, in fact they were pegged to finish 15th in the Eastern Conference. But the Senators were able to make the playoffs and  took the first place New York Rangers to 7 games. As a result of their season the Senators have the 15th pick in the Draft. With the 15th pick the Senators should draft Sebastian Collberg from the Swedish elite league. The Senators have a knack for drafting swedish super stars (Alfredsson, Karlsson) so Collberg could turn into yet another swedish success story in the nations Capital. He has a flare of excitement in his game and could help bring out fans with his flashy style. Only hesitation with Collberg is he will likely need 3-4 years to develop into a solid scoring threat.

The Boston Bruins were expected by many to repeat as the Stanley Cup champions, but with what happened in the locker room (Tim Thomas) and some key injuries the Bruins were eliminated in the first round of playoffs. A tough place for a team to be in: on one hand you're happy you made the playoffs but due to the early exit you get a late draft pick. As a result the Bruins have the 24th pick in the draft and should select, Nicholas Kerdiles from the USHL. The Bruins were able to snag away Dougie Hamilton from last years draft, so they don't need another defenceman. When a team doesn't need a defenceman and doesn't really need a goaltender they are likely to choose a forward. While Kerdiles is the wild card in this draft expected to either go just outside the top 20 or wait for the second round. He's a very good face-off man and has the potential to be a solid 2nd line centre for the Bruins, if it had not been for his performance at the U-18 championship he would likely not be on the first round radar. 

This was just a fun little post about the draft, the North Eastern division is the division I know the most about so it was easier to throw a piece together about them. I will have more draft pieces coming out this week. But for those that know me they know I am not a huge fan of the draft, considering these kids haven't played an NHL game yet and may not pan out they're given far too much attention. This is the first year I am really paying much attention to the draft, so bear with me guys.