SELECTING 10TH
Colorado stays in draft spot
The Edmonton Oilers won the Connor McDavid sweepstakes Saturday night in the NHL draft lottery, and the Avalanche retained the 10th pick.
With its fourth No. 1 pick in six years, Edmonton undoubtedly will select McDavid, considered a once-a-decade impact player, at the June 26-27 draft in Sunrise, Fla.
The Oilers had a 11.5 percent chance to win the lottery, behind Buffalo (20 percent) and Arizona (13.5). The Sabres and Coyotes will pick second and third, respectively.
McDavid, 18, plays for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. He has amassed 285 career points for Erie in 166 games, and is considered the best NHL prospect since Sidney Crosby in 2005.
“It’s going to affect your entire lineup, and getting the No. 1 pick is certainly going to fill a big hole in our lineup,” said Bill Scott, Edmonton’s assistant general manager.
The Oilers selected forwards Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan NugentHopkins (2011) and Nail Yakupov (2012) No. 1 overall and had the No. 7 and No. 3 picks the last two years.
The Avalanche had a 3.5 percent chance to pick No. 1, among the 14 nonplayoff teams. Plenty of impact players likely will be available at No. 10, including North American-rated defensemen Ivan Provorov, Jakub Zboril, Thomas Chabot and Jeremy Roy of the Canadian Hockey League’s major junior system, and Zachary Werenski of the University of Michigan.
The top-rated North American defenseman is Noah Hanifin of Boston College, but the freshman probably will be among the top five picks.
Buffalo likely will select Boston University center Jack Eichel with the No. 2 pick, and Arizona will get an outstanding player in Hanifan or major junior center Dylan Strome.
The Avs probably won’t trade their first pick, given what coach and executive Patrick Roy said about the team’s focus to build through the draft.
The Avs’ top pick may be a defenseman, their biggest need, but the best available player on the board will get priority.