There are bound to be all sorts of fireworks Friday night leading up to and during the 2015 NHL Draft.
The top two picks of the first-round seem pretty set with All Word, generational talents Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel going No. 1 and No. 2 to the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres respectively, but after that, all bets are seemingly off.
TSN's Bob McKenzie has Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin slotted at No. 3 behind McDavid and Eichel in his final prospect rankings and, according to the latest report that very well could be exactly where Hanifin ends up going.
Only, it seems the team currently slated to select No. 3, the Arizona Coyotes, may not be the franchise that ends up with the big blueliner - Yotes GM Don Maloney has already said the team is "open for business" on their top pick.
People (like Columbus) love Noah Hanifin. He's a 1-2 DMan horse. They will give up A LOT to get him. https://t.co/KVMulIy60p
— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) June 25, 2015
Buccigross is an insider's insider, so when he says something, you can pretty much take it as gospel. Of course, nothing is certain at this point, but Buccimane's report was echoed shortly thereafter by Damien Cox of Sportsnet, who advances the possibility of the Jackets making a move for Hanifin by suggesting actual trade compensation.
CLB may be hoping an offer of Artem Anisimov, Kerby Rychel and No. 8 pick can get No. 3 pick from ARIZ. Jackets then draft Noah Hanifin. — Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) June 25, 2015
That's a hefty price, especially for a player McKenzie believes may not even be the best player at his position in the draft.
"Effortless skater with excellent mobility and footwork," writes McKenzie. "I see him as a very good player in the mold of Jay Bouwmeester not as an elite defenseman because I have yet to see a clear demonstration of elite offensive creativity. That is why in my estimation, he is not the best defenseman in the draft."
Instead, McKenzie reserves the title of "Best Blueliner in the Draft" for Ivan Provorov, who he believes is, ironically, the eighth-best prospect overall.
Still, at 6-foot-3, 203-pounds, it's not hard to see why teams covet Hanifin. Last season in Boston, the big defender managed four goals and 17 assists in 33 regular season games and added another goal and an assist in the playoffs.
He's a player who has been compared to the likes of Chicago Blackhawks workhorse Duncan Keith and considering the fact that the Jackets and GM Jarmo Kekalainen are already well-stocked at the forward position, another young defender to join the likes of Dillon Heatherington, Austin Madaisky and Olivier LeBlanc as the Columbus defense of the future makes ample sense.
Still, there's no denying that a top-quality sniper like Anisimov and former first-round pick, Rychel, along with the Jackets own first-round pick, No. 8, is a hefty price to pay, even for a player with as much potential as Hanifin.
Plus, considering other teams are likely to be bidding for the No. 3 pick as well, the price could be driven to a point where Kekalainen and the rest of the Jackets brass just aren't willing to go.
