Live at the NHL Draft in L.A.
11:22 p.m. - So the first round is in the books. The big winners?
Florida Panthers -- Tthree first-round picks is no easy feat to achieve, especially these days.
Anaheim Ducks -- Without doing anything, they picked up two top-10 prospects.
Edmonton and Boston -- They were in a win-win situation, right?.
The losers? Well, those teams with no first-round draft picks.
Nabokov update: Philadelphia wouldn't comment on Evgeni Nabokov rumors, but they did trade the rights to Dan Hamhuis to Pittsburgh for a third rounder after negotiations didn't work out.
10:45 -- Given how early the draft ends here in California (8 p.m. local time), there is actually a ton of time left for general managers to continue making deals if they want. That could lead to a really interesting second day, but hey, we say these sort of things all the time (read: four hours ago), and often they just don't pan out (read: the last four hours).
10:30 -- There's some speculation that the Philadelphia Flyers are looking into acquiring the rights to San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Given that the organizations have neighboring tables, it's not surprising there have been multiple drop-ins all night. Whether or not something will get done tonight, however, is the question.
9:50 p.m. -- The trade rumor buzz seems to have quieted down to a very low hum, like one of those really expensive humidifiers low. Unexpected that nothing big has happened tonight? Not entirely. Sort of like last year, the hopes of an active day on the draft floor going unrealized.
"It's difficult to make a trade here," says Ottawa GM Bryan Murray.
Now there are still nine more picks to be made, and Tallon remains a busy body here, but it doesn't seem like there is as much activity as people (read: writers) hoped.
9:30 p.m. -- AnAnaheim source tells me: "You should've seen our table after Dallas picked. Everyone was shocked."
Cam Fowler wasn't even on their realistic draft board because they thought he was so out of reach.
9:15 p.m. --We have a trade. Los Angeles moves up to pick Derek Forbort from Duluth, Minn. He's the third American taken thus far, and it seems the fans are behind the selection of the 6-5, 198-pound defenseman. Phoenix pick Brandon Gormley, a projected top 10 who fell to No. 14, which was slightly surprising, had this to say: "Regardless of the number, it's what you do after." Michigan native Cam Fowler says he thinks he's going to get used to the weather. The Ducks front office told him that they couldn't believe he was still available at 12. "It's hard anytime you have expectations and they don't work out for you," Fowler says. But nonetheless, he's plenty happy about it.
8:45 p.m. -- American goalie Jack Campbell is selected by Dallas Stars. Heard some U-S-A! chants going. The two-time U-18 gold-medal winner and world junior champ has franchise goalie written all over him. It'll take a few years, but he will be worth it. Minnesota draftee Mikael Granlund says he'll play in Finland next season, he thinks. And defenseman Cam Fowler finally goes to Anaheim. Nice skater. And really, how appropriate that he gets his jersey from Scott Niedermayer? A bit of torch-passing going on.
8:25 p.m. --Tyler Seguin to the Bruins will likely mean that if he makes the team next season, he will likely have to start out on the wing given Boston's depth down the middle. Marc Savard, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are all proven NHL centermen, and maybe Boston GM Peter Chiarelli sees the depth to his advantage and as a bargaining chip in the future. Seguin is no stranger to the wing. He's played on the outside before, deferring to older, more experienced pivots on his team.
"It was an adjustment then," he says, "but I'm very confident and comfortable anywhere. Whatever they want me to do, wherever they want me to play."
Eight picks in and defensemen Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley are still on the board. The only d-man selected thus far has been Erik Gudbranson out of Ottawa, who was selected by the Florida Panthers. With the imminent trade of defenseman Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich to the Vancouver Canucks for Steve Bernier, Michael Grabner and the 25th pick, it may leave a spot open for Gudbranson. The 6'4", 195-pounder still could add a little bulk to his frame, but the right-handed shot should be a nice addition to a rebuilding team like the Panthers.
7:20 p.m. -- The wait is finally over, and it's official. The Oilers select Taylor Hall, which isn't all that big of a surprise. The winger out of Kingston, Ont., is an exciting player and several scouts last week told me that they thought this would be the way Edmonton would lean. Hall is the more NHL-ready player today. Creative and fearless on the ice, he will win over the hearts of Edmonton quickly, and he'll be the kind of franchise player that this team sorely needs. Boston's on the clock, and all money --smart and dumb -- is on Seguin.
6:50 p.m. -- Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren doesn't have a pick in the first round, but he has been a popular stop for a lot of GMs. Steve Yzerman and Brian Burke were among the people who chatted. But that could all be chalked up to the fact that Holmgren may just be a popular guy. One assistant GM said he thought we'd see a decent amount of action tonight. Maybe not early -- "Everyone kind of knows who the first two are going to be," he says -- but maybe as picks are made, things could happen. Roll call time. But I think everyone is here. The Anaheim Ducks are the first on roll call. The crowd starts booing early, booing loud.
5:37 PM -- Welcome from the draft floor. Plenty of buzzing around an hour and a half before the show begins. No big news out yet, but that certainly doesn't mean there won't be. Give it some time. The latest word is that Florida defenseman Keith Ballard is on the block and could be headed out to the Western Conference. Stay tuned, as I'll be updating with tidbits from draftees, general managers and news as it comes. Update:Sounds like Ballard may be heading to Vancouver, according to TSN. But that trade may take a little while before it gets announced.
