For many months, the first three picks of the NHL Entry Draft were expected to go this way. The only question was the order.
Center John Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman were the top two players in this draft, no matter how you try to rate players. OHL star Matt Duchene joined them as the consensus third pick in the months before the draft. Right off the start Friday night, things played out as expected, as the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche stayed put and made the first three selections.
Tavares and Hedman were the top two going back to before the World Junior Championships, which started the day after Christmas. That Tavares ended up with the downtrodden Islanders, and Hedman with the defensively-challenged Lightning, could not be considered a surprise.
Both should play in the NHL this fall, and there's no question Tavares becomes the face of this Islander franchise. A draft night crowd at Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum went crazy when the pick was announced. It wouldn't even be a joke to say it was as loud as they've cheered in years, and it's clear Islander fans don't think he's a soccer player.
Hedman is a 6-foot-5 defenseman who should be a main anchor on the Tampa Bay blue line within a couple of years.
For Duchene, what happened next had to be considered a dream come true. Every young hockey player dreams of the chance to be drafted. Duchene's dream went one step further, because not only did he get drafted, but it was his favorite team growing up that made the pick.
Duchene grew up a huge Colorado Avalanche fan. During an interview with Duchene after the pick, TSN showed a photo of a much younger Duchene sitting in his bedroom, surrounded by Avalanche memorabilia. The Ontario native is a bit small, and might not be ready to play in the NHL this season as he continues to develop his game.
The first three picks went as expected, and there is some serious impact potential among these three players. In fact, it could be argued that they've already made an impact by giving their fans hope, if only for one night.
