–Bryan Murray is putting the Sens first round pick (#15) up for grabs. “There are people on this team who we are not really interested in trading. But it may well happen that we would try to do something to either add a player or a higher pick. We’re very open minded. So if it gets out there that other managers would like to call, I’d be very open with that. There aren’t a lot of contracts I’m trying to dump. I think the people that have them, have a chance to play on our hockey team. During the training camp process, or after that, if some young player steps up and is really showing that he is ready to play now, I have to try to look after that at the time. It’s always been my theory that you pick the best player … at that time. And if you have to move him to get what you need later on, you probably can do that.” This isn’t an unusual or unexpected sentiment for Murray, who has made trades every single draft as Ottawa’s GM. Mind you, it’s one thing to be ready to deal and it’s another to find a dance partner.
–Pierre Dorion is also talking about the draft, “With the way the 2010-11 season ended, with us trading away a lot of assets, we approached last year as a very big draft. I think we go into this draft with a different mindset in that we know we’re not going to pick as often as we did last year. But we still go into it with the mindset that you never know what’s going to happen. We’re dealing from a position of power now when it comes to the quality prospects we have. A number of these players won the Calder Cup (in 2011), and a number of them played and contributed on our team this year. I think at every position we have what I would call blue-chip prospects. Some are playing right now, some will be playing down the road. There are some bigger names at the top [of the draft], but I see quite a few good players. Whether they make it next year, or whether it will take them one year or three years to make it will depend on their learning curves, physically and mentally. If you get caught up in drafting by position, you’re not drafting the best asset.” To me these comments compliment Murray’s desire for wheeling and dealing quite well.
-Not surprisingly Murray doesn’t expect to be very busy when it comes to free agency. There’s a need to fill a hole on the blueline, but otherwise nothing is certain.
–Alan Panzeri offers the names of six players the Sens might be eyeing for the draft: Sebastien Collberg, Hampus Lindholm, Pontus Aberg, Ollie Maata, Cody Ceci, and Radek Faksa. It’s an interesting list, but Panzeri doesn’t indicate whether it comes from his best guess or from talking to the organisation, so take it with a grain of salt.
–Sportsnet provides their list of top-five players rising in the draft: Tom Wilson, Derrick Pouliot, Teuvo Teravainen, Cody Ceci, and Lukas Sutter. The only nonsensical member of this list is Ceci, who was highly regarded at the beginning of the season.
-Mock drafts abound and THN see’s Ottawa selecting Hampus Lindholm. The NHL website has three mock drafts posted. Mike G. Morreale has Ottawa picking Matt Finn, Adam Kimelman see’s Ottawa picking Cody Ceci, and Steven Hoffner follows the trend of Ottawa picking Hampus Lindholm.
-The Sens have posted video of their amateur scouting meeting. The best part of this to me is watching Vaclav Burda’s expressions.
-For those of you who want a refresher on the various draft resources that I’ve looked at, here are the links:
International Scouting Service (ISS)
Red Line Report
Future Considerations
Hockey Prospects
Mckeen’s
The Hockey News
Hockey Prospectus
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eyeonthesens 
[…] G. Morreale, and Steven Hoffner) has the Sens picking: Max Domi (x2) or Kerby Rychel. Last year Kimmelman correctly predicted the Sens would take Cody Ceci in the first […]