2003 NHL Draft... Who will come out first overall
Come Saturday and Dudley still hasn't made a trade changing his position in the first round selection, without a doubt Staal with be first pick overall.
Don't get me wrong Fleury is anything short of amazing, but the 6'2 netminder doesn't fit Florida's puzzle. Luongo is one of the best young goalies in the league (though he went 20-34-7) he posted 6 shutouts. Besides Hurme isn't a shabby backup making Florida's last line of defense pretty impressive for a young expansion team. Staal is a strong center and will help out the Panthers offensively along side Cullen and Kozlov.
With Staal clinching first pick overall the Europeans will dominate the draft. There's Zherdev, Michalek, Nilsson. Belarus' hockey stars are becoming more and more talented Andrei Kostitsyn is a future star. Though Detroit gave up their first round pick to L.A in the Schneider trade, Kostitsyn would be a perfect pick for the Wings helping them with the re-building of the team.
|