2009 SBN NHL Mock Draft: Day 5: Buffalo goes big with Kassian

by James Mirtle on Jun 20, 2009 5:00 AM CDT Comment 6 comments

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Welcome to Day 5 of SB Nation's mock draft, where it's the weekend and there little time for chitchat. The Sabres, Panthers and Ducks all make their picks:

#	Team	Pick	Blogger's notes	More analysis:
1	N.Y. Islanders	John Tavares, London (OHL)	The sexy pick, the consensus pick, the right pick. He's what this team and franchise needs most. Get ready for "Islanders goal scored by #91..." because they're coming in bunches.	Lighthouse Hockey
2	Tampa Bay	Victor Hedman, Modo (Swe)	A boy playing among men in the Swedish Elite League (and thriving) the past two seasons, Hedman starts immediately on the TB blueline and can contribute at both ends of the ice.	Raw Charge
3	Colorado	Matt Duchene, Brampton (OHL)	No big surprise here; we’ll take whichever of the big 3 is available and immediately offer them a position as GM & coach.	Mile High Hockey
4	Atlanta	Evander Kane, Vancouver (WHL)	Named after Atlanta boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Kane adds some scoring punch to Atlanta's top six — perhaps as early as this fall.	Bird Watchers Anonymous
5	Los Angeles	Braydon Schenn, Brandon (WHL)	Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson is the popular pick here, seeing as how the Kings need a left winger badly, but I'm counting on Dean Lombardi's love of grit and distaste for Swedes to influence his decision here. Plus, I really wanted to upset Toronto fans.	Battle of California
6	Phoenix	Jared Cowen, Spokane (WHL)	The Coyotes are deep on forward prospects and badly need young defensemen. Cowen is a beast who could play in the NHL very soon if his recently repaired knee doesn't hamper him.	Five For Howling
7	Toronto	Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson, Timra IK (Swe)	Most of Canada already hates him, so he'll fit in just fine. Plus he provides the high-end Swedish forward that the Leafs have been missing since last April.	Pension Plan Puppets
8	Dallas	Oliver Ekman-Larssen, Leksand IF (Swe-2)	Dallas is fortunate to not only draft the best player available but also pick a defenseman that fills a glaring need in the Stars' system.	Defending Big D
9	Ottawa	Nazem Kadri, London (OHL)	With Ottawa's recent emphasis on drafting skilled defencemen, Kadri gives the Senators a good skilled forward to fill out the team's development systems — maybe even one of those ever-elusive top-six forwards.	Silver Seven
10	Edmonton	Ryan Ellis, Windsor (OHL)	No 17-year old defensemen has ever led the OHL in assists — not even Bobby Orr. That is, no one has done it until Ryan Ellis did this year. The only thing keeping him out of the top three is his height.	Copper & Blue
11	Nashville	Jordan Schroeder, University of Minnesota (NCAA)	He may be short in stature, but he's long on talent and strength. Just as he played alongside Colin Wilson at the World Juniors, he projects to be the next top Predators prospect to come out of collegiate hockey.	On The Forecheck
12	Minnesota	Zach Budish, Edina Minnesota (USHS)	After missing last season for the Hornets with a torn ACL from his football playing days, Budish has added size and strength during his rehab. Now at 6'3" and 229 pounds, Budish is the type of power forward the Wild have always lacked.	Hockey Wilderness
13	Buffalo	Zack Kassian, Peterborough (OHL)	At 6'3" and 215 pounds, Kassian is the most NHL-ready prospect in the draft. His offensive upside may not be as great as some of the other prospects but he makes up for that with size, speed and strength. He is everything the Sabres are not. Big, strong and tough.	Die By The Blade
14	Florida	Louis Leblanc, Omaha (USHL)	It's no secret Florida is in dire need of offensive-minded centers, and LeBlanc - the USHL Rookie of the Year - has impressed by leading his club in scoring and having a way-cool hockey name.	The Litter Box
15	Anaheim	Dmitri Kulikov, Drum'ville (QMJHL)	I haven't seen a draft projection that has him picked later than 16th, and I'll have to assume he has some value. The Ducks don't have a great history of picking Russian defensemen with their top picks so I may be off-base.	Battle of California
16	Columbus
17	St. Louis
18	Montreal
19	N.Y. Rangers
20	Calgary
21	Philadelphia
22	Vancouver
23	New Jersey
24	Washington
25	Boston
26	N.Y. Islanders
27	Carolina
28	Chicago
29	Detroit
30	Pittsburgh

Head on over to The Cannon (Blue Jackets), St. Louis Game Time (Blues) and Eyes On The Prize (Habs) to join the discussion on who will be picked 16th through 18th tomorrow.

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Comments

“He is everything the Sabres are not. Big, strong and tough.”

Exactly. That is precisely why he is needed.

by Afino on Jun 20, 2009 8:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

And precisely why they won’t take him.

There’s also no way that Kulikov slips to 15. Any team picking based on team needs that passes on Kulikov is going to regret it. Kulikov is definitely a better bet than Budish, Kassian, and Leblanc, and should be more enticing than Ellis as a blueliner. He’s got the full package, already speaks English and French fluently, so he doesn’t appear to have the KHL fear attached to him.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Jun 20, 2009 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And precisely why they won’t take him.

I prefer to have my dreams crushed on draft day, thank you. I still have 6 days of hope.

by Afino on Jun 20, 2009 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That’s the spirit, Reg…

The Litter Box - Your SBNation Florida Panthers Blogging Colossus

by Whale4ever on Jun 20, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kulikov

No ways Kulikov slips to 15. I see oilers picking him over Ellis. Or another scenario Dallas will pick Kulikov and Murray has been saying he will pick a swede blueliner whom he bleives to be better than Hedman. But as Big D picked OEL, I can see why Silver screen went for Kadri.
Also I dont see panthers going for Leblanc over John Moore. I dont understand why he is so underrated here at SB nation. He is slightly lesser version of Bowmeester and will be perfect replacement in about 3-4 years.

by SumOil on Jun 21, 2009 4:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs