It’s NHL Draft eve. We don’t need preamble or setup anymore. Let’s get into it. Here’s everything I’ve been hearing and thinking about in the final hours ahead of Friday night at KeyBank Center, plus a couple of last-minute draft ranking tweaks I’d make and some quotes and insights I’ve gathered over the course of the season.What I’m hearingThere are a few names I’ve been hearing a lot in recent days and weeks that I wanted to draw some attention to:
I don’t think Xavier Villeneuve goes in the first round, but I do think Tommy Bleyl does. Villeneuve will go early on Day 2 and interviewed well at the combine, but I get the sense teams are too wary of his defending to take him in Round 1.
There are several teams in the late first that I’ve heard connected to American center Jack Hextall. He was viewed as a bubble first-rounder for much of the year, but he goes in the 20s.
There are a couple of teams strongly considering Providence commit Ryder Cali at the end of Round 1. Two different sources have mentioned the Senators at No. 32 in particular. He’ll be gone before 40, for sure.
Tobias Trejbal will be the first goalie taken, and I think it will happen in the 30s. I’m keeping an eye on Calgary and Pittsburgh.
