Where’s Darko Milicic when the Avalanche needs him?
The Avalanche, currently without a general manager, has more than two months to decide which player to zero in on as its probable selection in the No. 3 slot in the first round of the June 26-27 NHL entry draft in Montreal.
It still seems a safe bet that the New York Islanders will take London Knights center John Tavares and the Tampa Bay Lightning will claim Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.
But surprises happen, even high in drafts, as the Nuggets discovered when Detroit took Milicic with the second choice of the NBA draft six years ago, allowing Denver the chance to select Carmelo Anthony.
The parallel development would be the Lightning passing on Hedman, allowing him to drop, but that seems unlikely.
The Avalanche scouting staff will meet soon to update its information and opinions on draft-eligible prospects, and the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau also will hold a scouting combine in Toronto on May 25-30. That will involve only physicals and interviews, not on-ice work.
“As an organization, I’m confident in saying (team scouts) have done a complete and competent job,” Avalanche vice president of hockey operations Craig Billington said. “Internally, we’re comfortable in knowing that we’re going to be drafting an elite player.”
Central Scouting this week released its final rankings. Behind Tavares on the rankings of North American skaters are centers Matt Duchene of the Brampton Battalion, Evander Kane of the Vancouver Giants and Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kings. On a separate list, the bureau’s top European skaters are three Swedes — Hedman, left wing Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson of Timra and center Jacob Josefson of Djurgarden.
The independent but highly respected International Scouting Services had the top 10 overall listed this way as of March 16: Tavares, Hedman, Paajarvi-Svensson, Duchene, Schenn, Kane, Spokane Chiefs defenseman Jared Cowen, center Nazem Kadri of London, defenseman Dmitri Kulikov of the Drummond Voltigeurs, and Josefson.
In draftnik jargon, Duchene’s stock seems to be rising the most among the top handful of prospects.
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
