Got a Working Crystal Ball Anyone?

A week from Friday all the drama and all the debate as to who the Rangers will select or even what the Rangers will do with their draft picks. Until then we all will be subjected to rumors and more rumors until they drive all of us insane.

If you are looking for rumors then sorry you are at the wrong site, we hate rumors because most have next to no legit value and even worse they are about 17-18-19 year old teenagers who do not deserve to be treated like that.

So what we choose to believe is the direction we see the draft taking as we have seen some changes. As one expects the draft outlook has changed so we will pull out our crystal ball and see what if anything has changed.

Today we will play with the first half of the draft picks 1-15 and address the rest tomorrow.

Tampa Bay firing John Tortorella will have no effect on who they pick as Steve Stamkos will remain their pick. Not much to add there.

Los Angeles will jump Zach Bogosian into 2nd because of his efforts at the combine. Drew Doughty had a good combine but the difference we believe will be 2 inches which is the difference in their height.

Because the NHL/IIHF impasse regarding the player transfer agreement we see Atlanta going after Russian Nikita Filatov. By taking Filatov, Thrasher GM Don Waddell is hoping to keep Ilya Kovalchuk happy.

At 4, the Blue will see Doughty still there as they stockpile several very talented young prospects and while they think about Alex Pietrangelo they will grab Doughty to give Erik Johnson an offensive minded partner.

The Islanders will have their choice of defensive monsters from Alex Pietrangelo or Luke Schenn but Colin Wilson's performance, his family background and his power forward potential is too much to ignore.

At 6 Ken Hitchcock will be unable to contain himself as the master of defense will grab Alex Pietrangelo as the physical defender will be the first of Columbus's two first round picks.

Toronto needs a player to show their fans that they are going to turn the franchise around and while Maple Leaf fans will be divided over LW Mikkel Boedker or C Cody Hodgson, the Leafs will see Luke Schenn who has a solid upside on offense and is a player to build around.

Who knows which will be harder for Don Maloney to do; convincing Wayne Gretzky to take a safe pick or which player to take? We think Maloney will convince Wayne Gretzky to not gamble and will grab Colton Teubert who will make their defense that much better.

Nashville fresh off their embarrassing sting of their co-owner "Boots" Del Biaggio's being under investigation for loan fraud needs to be careful with who they pick. The Preds remain true believers in their "defense first" system so they will grab 6'7 defenseman Tyler Meyers who shows all signs of getting even better. A big player who has skating skill is a scary thought.

Vancouver is going to have a lot of their fans demanding some offense and at first Kyle Beach of Everett would have been ideal but Mikkel Boedker being out there is too safe a pick given Beach's reputation. The Canucks need offense and Boedker will give them a solid dependable LW.

Chicago is wanting the hockey world to know that this is the new generation running the show so to prove it they will take Luca Sbisa the Swiss born defenseman who will compliment the young Blackhawks Kane and Toew.

The Ducks taking advantage of Edmonton's signing of Dustin Penner will use this pick on Cody Hodgson who may not be as big as some of the current Duck forwards but is just as tough and an excellent playmaker.

Buffalo is needing help all over the place after losing Drury, Briere to free agency and then forced to trade Campbell. That being said there is Zach Boychuk a smallish but very talented center who will give the Sabres some offensive help.

Carolina is watching key players get old so they have so holes to fill for the future and the kid who got their attention is the prospect we wanted in John Carlson. We can not get mad at the Canes as they are getting old in key positions and Carlson who thinks of himself as another Scott Stevens was too tempting to ignore.

Nashville has a second pick here at 15 so they will use it on a gamble which is 6'3 (depending on who you listen) bad boy/not so bad boy Kyle Beach of Everett. The Preds like that Beach has size but more importantly that he comes from the Everett defensive system. Beach if behaving will fit in well with the Preds.

The Bruins will break our hearts by start breathing as their pick Michael Delzotto was still there for the taking and the 5'11 talented offensive minded defender is their man. Delzotto averaged close to a point a game for Oshawa but the real question is how will he play with out John Tavares as a teammate?

Tomorrow the second half of the first round as we will address how the Rangers might pick at 20 now that our top pick is now gone