James Mirtle: Here's a quick look at who the Canadian NHL clubs selected with their first overall picks:
Calgary: 26th overall, Leland Irving
Edmonton: Did not pick
Montreal: 20th overall, David Fischer
Ottawa: 28th overall, Nick Foligno
Toronto: 13th overall, Jiri Tlusty
Vancouver: 14th overall, Michael Grabner
Posted Saturday at 9:15 p.m.
James Mirtle: So, as predicted, Americans dominate the first round selections, with a record 10 U.S.-born players picked among the top 30:
1. Canada, 11
2. USA, 10
3. Sweden, 3
4. Russia, 2
5. Czech Republic, 2
6. Finland, 1
7. Austria, 1
Posted Saturday at 9:09 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: How did the Calgary Flames manage to pry Alex Tanguay loose from a divisional rival?
According to general manager Darryl Sutter, he and his counterpart, Francois Giguere, have been negotiating the terms of the deal for more than a week; the only thing they needed to settle on were the draft choices involved in the transaction. Calgary gave up its second-rounder in this year's draft and a conditional pick in 2007. Presumably, that pick will change hands only if the Flames can sign Tanguay to a long-term contract extension.
Like so many players in the NHL right now, Tanguay is a restricted free agent one year removed from unrestricted free agency, so the risk — from Calgary's perspective — is that he walks away after one year in the organization.
Posted Saturday at 9:08 p.m.
James Mirtle: Closing out the first round, the New Jersey Devils go a little off the beaten path to select Saginaw (OHL) defenceman Matthew Corrente. The highest I can see him ranked among all the various draft lists is with McKeen's Hockey, where they've placed him at 37th. (Most other draft lists have him beyond the No. 50 spot.)
Only 5 foot 11, Corrente plays a very physical game and had 172 penalty minutes. He's another Canadian who has played for his country in the Under-18 program.
Posted Saturday at 9:05 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Phoenix Coyotes trade into the No. 29 spot, taking the Detroit Red Wings first-round selection in place of two second-round picks. The Coyotes select American defenceman Chris Summers, who scouts have raved over due to his skating ability. He's only 6 foot 1, 180 pounds, however, and hasn't created a ton of offence in his time witih the U.S. development program.
Posted Saturday at 9:02 p.m.
James Mirtle: Nick Foligno, the son of former Sabre/Maple Leaf Mike Foligno, is one of the feel-good stories of this draft, as he's a kid who seemingly has just willed himself to be selected as has as he was tonight, 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators. A Sudbury, Ont., kid, Foligno worked harder than anyone during the NHL's prospect combine and seems like a real, honest and hardworking type. He's not overly big, he's not the best playmaker or scorer, but scouts simply love the passion he has for the game.
Posted Saturday at 8:57 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Dallas Stars pickup Ivan Vishnevsky here near the end of the first round. Vishnevsky's described as an 'all offence' kind of defenceman, a guy along the lines of a Sergei Gonchar who can quarterback a power play but who frightens you a little in your own end. High-risk, high-reward, as they say.
Posted Saturday at 8:52 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: Jeff Gorton, the Bruins' assistant GM, described Rask as a guy the Bruins had targeted and said they had him rated in their top five in 2005, only to have the Leafs grab him one pick before their own in last year's draft.
"He's one of, if not the best goalie, not in the league right now," said Gorton, of Rask. "We think we're solidifying our goaltending for a long time. There had to be a move, so this made sense - for now and for the future."
Gorton said the decision to trade Raycroft was difficult because, "we drafted Andrew and he's a great kid. He won rookie of the year. He's a very good goalie. He'll do well in Toronto. But at the same time, it was an opportunity that we couldn't miss out on."
