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Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer
Apr 26, 2007, 2:03 PM EDT

Crashing the Net has a severe case of draft fever this week.

Fear not loyal readers, it should not prove fatal. Rather, it is likely a temporary condition, soon to be replaced by a second wave of Cup fever.

But for now, CTN can’t get its mind of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and all the possibilities that lie ahead in the next five weeks, the intrigue, the subterfuge, the trades, the rumors. Wednesday’s release of the final rankings of draft-eligible players certainly exacerbated CTN’s condition.

As a result of CTN’s current state, the Opening Faceoff veers away from its recent emphasis on the Stanley Cup Playoffs and focuses its gaze on the upcoming Entry Draft by presenting a mock draft of what the non-playoff qualifiers might do when taking their turns at the dais in Columbus on June 22.

All is not lost for those readers who can only concentrate on the drama of the Quest for the Cup, however. The rest of CTN is all playoffs, all the time.

The Breakaway takes quick-hit look at the playoff happenings making news this week. Working the Boards, meanwhile, sits down with New York Rangers rookie defenseman Daniel Girardi, who has made a major impact as the Blueshirts enter their second-round matchup against the favored Buffalo. Finally, in the Penalty Box CTN readers present their own playoff musings in the weekly mailbag segment.

Even in this draft fever-impaired state, CTN would still love to hear from readers with their comments or mocking of this week’s mock draft or any other hockey-related issue. Send your thoughts to Roarkeblog@nhl.com and make sure to include your name if you hope to make an appearance in an upcoming edition of the Penalty Box.

The Opening Faceoff

The NHL Entry Draft, scheduled for June 22-23 at Nationwide Arena, will be the first step in a new season of hope and promise for the non-playoff qualifiers that saw 2006-07 end far worse than they had hoped.

Crashing the Net figured the release of Central Scouting’s final rankings would be the perfect platform to take a stab at how CTN would like to see the first half of the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft play out in late June.

For this exercise, CTN only included the 14 non-playoff teams. The rest of the draft order will be determined at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perhaps, CTN will revisit this theme again at that time and take a stab at what all 30 teams will do come Draft Day, one of hockey’s highest holy days of the year.

Remember, this is just one man’s opinion -- and semi-educated guess -- of what the top 14 teams in the Entry Draft may do. A lot could change – including the trading of some of these picks -- before June 22 rolls around.

With that said, CTN is now on the clock.

No. 1, Chicago --

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