And on the 14th Day.......Still Nothing Happened

I have to say, it's a really boring time in the NHL World. But we are only 6 days away from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, which takes place on Friday in Ottawa, Ontario.

This year, the draft means more than the previous season to the Islanders. Obviously, center Steven Stamkos will be the first pick in the draft, by the Tampa Bay Lightning. But with the Isles slotted in at the #5 pick, who will they take?

Top defensive guys like Drew Doughty or former New Yorker Zach Bogosian will probably be going top 5. Sorry. Definitely going top 5. Tough defenseman Luke Schenn will also be going top 7, at least. Also, LW/C Nikita Filatov will be on the Isles' radar.

This is how I'll draw up the top 5 picks:

1. Tampa Bay - Steven Stamkos
2. Los Angeles - Drew Doughty
3. Atlanta - Zach Bogosian
4. St. Louis - Luke Schenn
5. New York Islanders - Nikita Filatov

That would be the most likely to happen. Also, that could really turn in the Isles' favor. Sure, we'd love to have Doughty or Bogosian, maybe even Schenn (I sure hope not), but Nikita Filatov, a huge offensive threat, is what we need.

Another guy to throw out there is defensman Alex Pietrangelo. His outstanding previous season was put to a halt when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. He took a big fall from #2 in the ISS top ten, all the way to #5. The Isles may consider him, but if Filatov is available at #5, it would be the better move to draft Filatov. If Filatov is not available at #5, then Pietrangelo would be my choice over Schenn. It's not like mono lasts forever, and Pietrangelo is the better defenseman.

I'll do some more coverage of the draft later in the week. And where you see the 2007-2008 schedule, there will be a list of the first round of the draft. LIVE updates of the draft will come on Friday!

Let's Go Isles!!!