NHL Hockey Thread

[mikebiacsi]

Blackhawks win Draft Drawing, gain first pick.

NEW YORK -- The Chicago Blackhawks won the National Hockey League Draft Drawing today and gained the first overall drafting position for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, June 22 and 23 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Blackhawks, who would have picked fifth based on inverse order of regular-season finish, had the fifth-greatest percentage likelihood, 8.1%, that one of the numbered sequences assigned to them would be the winning combination. Under the lottery system, only the five teams with the fewest points had the chance to win the first overall selection; no team could move up more than four spots and no team could move backward more than one.

The Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals, who would have picked first, second, third and fourth, respectively, now own the second, third, fourth and fifth drafting positions in the first round.

The Blackhawks have never selected first overall. Denis Savard (1980), Ed Olczyk (1984), Cam Barker (2004) and Jonathan Toews (2006), each of whom was claimed with the third overall selection, are the highest-drafted Blackhawks players since 1969.

The order of selection for the first 14 drafting positions in the first round, only, of the 2007 Entry

Clicky

[Fred Derf Veteran]

[Thread Split]

All Playoff posts were move here:

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=554099

[Thread Un-Pinned]

[Googintosh]

I'm not going to go back and look at who I was talking to, but I told you the Atlanta Thrashers were legit.

That was me. I waited to see how far they'd go in the playoffs before I replied. :p

[Ayepecks]

That was me. I waited to see how far they'd go in the playoffs before I replied. :p

I believe the discussion was whether they'd make the playoffs ;)

[Googintosh]

I believe the discussion was whether they'd make the playoffs ;)

Nope. We didn't discuss whether or not they would make the playoffs. I thought the GM paid a high price for the trades he made, and said the Thrashers would have to go deep into the playoffs for it to pay-off, otherwise he would get the axe. We'll see if he gets fired or not.

This was the discussion...

The Atlanta GM will be fired within the next few months and if he's not the ownership there is sleeping. He overpaid for Tkachuck and Zhitnik by a lot. To make those deals work he has to go to the Conference Finals at a very minimum.

^^ Atlanta hasn't been a league power since... well... really since the team's been in Atlanta. You think management is going to fire a GM when they finally start winning, no matter how much he overpaid by?

The owners probably told him to go wild, and that's what he did -- it's not exactly easy getting big names to come to a crapshoot like Atlanta. Their younger players are finally starting to develop more, and now with the talent they signed in the off-season the team has some guidance. I don't see anything wrong with what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up like Nashville in a few years.

Waddell is paying for his guarantee last year. He looked like a dope last year when he made the guarantee to make the playoffs and he looks even worse this year losing what seemed to be an unassailable lead in the South. Atlanta has no defence and no depth and trading Cobourn and all those picks is actually the opposite of what Nashville did. What did Sullivan cost them? Nothing. And Kariya, Arnott and Dumont were FAs. Witt cost them little last year as did Vishneski this year. Forsberg was a heavy price but they have a good shot at the Cup. Also, convincing Tkachuk had little to do with what they traded to get him (unless of course Tkachuk has a vested interest in seeing St. Louis get as much as possible). It was probably a good pick up for Atlanta but getting Tkachuk and Zhitnik cost them a lot. I'll eat my words if they win the Cup. :p

My point was Nashville had a solid group of young players and slowly added key veterans in the off-season and through trades in which they give up numerous prospects and draft picks to get leadership. This is exactly like Nashville in that regard.

[Ayepecks]

Ah, you're right.

I'm not sure he'll be fired, though. It's the Thrashers... them just making the playoffs was good. I think the team getting swept definitely hurt his chances of returning more than making bad trades, though.