Quality picks in abundance among Top 30

Draft pool is well-stocked after McDavid, Eichel

Everybody knows all signs point to Connor McDavid going No. 1 to the Edmonton Oilers in Friday’s NHL draft.

The Buffalo Sabres are expected to follow with centre Jack Eichel at No. 2.

But the rest of the top 30 prospects, and even into the second round of this year’s NHL draft, will hardly be chump change. There’s a drop-off, for sure. Many scouts, however, say this first round will packed with quality players who will likely see NHL ice time in their careers.

The real suspense is the No. 3 pick, held by the Arizona Coyotes. Several teams looking for a young defenceman such as prospect Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov are trying to get Coyotes general manager Don Maloney to flip that third overall pick for more immediate help.

Maloney needs a centre, not a defenceman, but he could get one later than No. 3.

Incredibly, eight teams have 29 of the first 61 picks — close to 50 per cent of the opening two rounds. Edmonton, Buffalo, Arizona, Calgary and Columbus each have four picks in the first two go-throughs. Philadelphia, New Jersey and Winnipeg each have three.

The first two rounds of the draft normally total 60 picks, but this year there are 61 because Chicago was afforded a compensatory pick after drafted forward Kevin Hayes signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers rather than the Blackhawks.

The big losers in this draft are the Rangers who don’t pick until No. 59 and the St. Louis Blues, who must wait until No. 56.

Here are five other things to consider about the 2015 draft, based on interviews with several scouts leading up to the event.