Top Line: NHL Draft day after; the Luongo-Schneider debacle; more links
Seth Jones has no hard feelings for the Avs, but may come back to bite them. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• The NHL has a pick-by-pick listing of everyone selected in the 2013 Draft here.
• The Avalanche will rue the day they passed on Seth Jones, writes Terry Frei.
• Seth Jones has no hard feelings for the Avs after being bypassed by his hometown team.
• Patrick Roy already has Nathan MacKinnon penciled into his 2013-14 lineup. Poor kid will be asked to whip up the same magic with Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie that he did with Jonathan Drouin and Martin Frk.
• The Predators were counting on adding a high-end scoring forward to help shake them out of their offensive slump, writes David Climer. But when top-ranked defender Jones fell into their laps at four, he was too good to pass up.
• The Predators are already talking about breaking up their top defensive pair to play Jones with Shea Weber next season in Nashville.
• The Canucks managed to turn an embarrassment of riches into a flat-out embarrassment by trading Cory Schneider to the Devils and giving the nets back to a disgruntled Roberto Luongo.
• There are still roughly 3,000 unanswered questions about how this decision played out the way it did.
• Wyatt Arndt has a few thoughts on how the Canucks can win back Luongo's affections. I'm looking forward to Ludays myself.
• If Schneider thought Luongo would be a tough act to follow, wait until he tries to replace Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.
• And if a semi-proven youngster like Schneider will be hard-pressed to handle the pressure, imagine what it will be like for Brodeur's son Anthony to try to follow in the old man's footsteps.
• For now, Brodeur is still No. 1 in Jersey. Backup Johan Hedberg is likely to be bought out.
• Unfortunately, the Schneider deal failed to open the trade floodgates at the draft.
• Florida GM Dale Tallon showed the courage his peers often lack by choosing Sasha Barkov with the second overall pick.
• The Lightning feel they grabbed a potential Hall of Famer when they got Jonathan Drouin at three.
• The Bolts feel like they drafted at least one defenseman ... even though they didn't.
• The Flames knew this draft was a make-or-break moment for the rebuilding franchise. Not surprisingly, they feel like they aced the test.
• Calgary had two chances to nab local boy Hunter Shinkaruk in the first, but passed. The Canucks pounced at 24. This might not work out well for the Flames.
• New Oilers GM Craig MacTavish proclaimed that he would move draft picks and assets for NHL-ready players capable of supporting his team's current roster of young stars. Instead, he's coming home from New Jersey with plenty of help for Oklahoma City and Stockton, but nothing for Edmonton. Fail.
• Looks like that sentiment of disappointment is universal in Edmonton.
• Jim Matheson can't figure out why a team with an organizational black hole between the pipes traded away a chance at Tristan Jarry at 37, then passed on Eric Comrie at 44. Neither can I, but hey, look at all those extra picks!
• The Sabres made a small deal, adding skill defender Jamie McBain, but it'll be the team's two first rounders who change the look, and the fortunes, of Buffalo's defense. I'm thinking their fans should be giddy at the thought of Ristolainen and Zadorov chewing up minutes, and opposing forwards, in a couple of years.
• The best news for Columbus on draft day? That would be a new deal for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who reportedly was being shopped around on Sunday morning.
• They weren't able to make a deal for immediate help, but the Blue Jacketsadded a trio of forwards with top-six potential at the draft.
• The trade for Dave Bolland shows that Toronto GM Dave Nonis and coach Randy Carlyle are on the same page about the type of players who will shape Toronto's identity.
• Mike Heika got new GM Jim Nill to spill on his first draft in Dallas. Not surprisingly, Nill is pretty enthused that Valeri Nichushkin dropped to 10. "It's been awhile since Dallas has drafted a player with that kind of upside," he said. Have to agree: this is easily the most intriguing pick of the draft.
• The lede in this recap by Fluto Shinazawa perfectly captures the over-the-top enthusiasm that Bruins fans are bursting with after Boston's draft. Which is to say none at all.
• The Red Wings are interested in Vincent Lecavalier, but not if he's expecting a five or six-year deal. Detroit is said to be willing to hand him a two-year contract. That probably won't get it done.
• Detroit got the sniper it wanted in Anthony Mantha, but will have to be patient before unwrapping this gift.
• Looked like the Penguins and Kris Letang were closing in on a new contract on Sunday, but the team's refusal to offer a promise that they won't trade him before an NTC kicks in next summer is holding up the process.
• That might be a break for Pittsburgh. Re-signing Letang would set the Penguins up to be a team with a handful of superstars and a lot of low-cost foot soldiers at a time when depth seems to be a key attribute of Cup-contending squads.
• Hate to bury this great piece by Dejan Kovacevic, but it is the day after the draft, so what are you gonna do? He writes that Ray Shero's continued focus on the now risks turning the Penguins into a rear-view window team.