TORONTO — They are a defenceman, a centre and a left-winger.
The three young men in the spotlight at this week’s NHL draft combine each offer something different and it may be organizational philosophy and need — rather than who is deemed the best right now — that ends up determining what order they hear their names called in Newark, N.J., next month.
There is already a hint of that to be found in the verbal jockeying from the team at the top.
Many assumed it would be a no-brainer for the Colorado Avalanche to grab Denver native Seth Jones with the No. 1 selection, but new coach and executive Patrick Roy raised some eyebrows earlier this week when he said it “may be best to trade” the pick instead.
Roy didn’t elaborate much further, but there is a feeling that the Avs might be able to move down and still land the six-foot-four blue-liner anyway.
After all, there have been only 12 defencemen taken with the No. 1 pick since the NHL entry draft was introduced in 1963 and just one of those selections came in the last 16 years (Erik Johnson by St. Louis in 2006).
More often than not, teams have opted to land scorers with the top spot — a role centre Nathan MacKinnon or possibly winger Jonathan Drouin could still end up filling in the 2013 draft class.
While Jones finished ahead of MacKinnon in the final rankings released by NHL Central Scouting in April, the International Scouting Service (ISS) flipped that order this week following MacKinnon’s performance at the Memorial Cup.
The 17-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., was named MVP of the tournament after scoring seven times in four games, including an impressive three-goal, two-assist showing in the championship final on Sunday.
“I think it’s always been close between me and Seth,” MacKinnon said after arriving in Toronto for the draft combine. “I’m sure it’s been close rating us one and two. Maybe the (Memorial Cup) pushed me over a little bit, I’m not sure. …
“Right now it’s just speculation. You never know what’s going to go on.”
Adding to the intrigue is the potential movement among the top few picks.
Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon controls the second selection and told sportsnet.ca on Wednesday afternoon that he would consider trading it. However, he added the caveat that he wouldn’t go back any more than a couple of spots.
“If somebody comes up and makes us a deal, I don’t forsee us going back any farther than No. 3 or No. 4,” said Tallon.
The top of this draft seems to have some potential similarities to 2002, which just happens to be the last time the No. 1 pick was moved.
Defenceman Jay Bouwmeester was the top-ranked player then and Columbus swung a deal with Florida to move up two spots and take Rick Nash at No. 1. The Panthers still managed to get Bouwmeester, their targeted guy, with the third pick after Atlanta selected goaltender Kari Lehtonen as expected at No. 2.
The reason behind the movement was a desire from each team to fill a specific need with a player they believed might be the best of the bunch.
There is a feeling among the top prospects in this year’s draft that the position they play on the ice will likely have a big impact on where they end up. The only mystery for them is figuring out exactly who wants what.
“If they want a winger, they’re going to go with that — and it’s the same thing for a centre,” said Drouin. “If we were all wingers, it would be kind of different. It would be hard to choose.
“They’re going to pick what they need.”
One thing that likely won’t end up making much difference is what happens at the combine itself. All three players looked understandably tired as they walked through the lobby of a suburban Toronto hotel just a few days after participating in the Memorial Cup final in Saskatoon.
MacKinnon and Drouin had even been back to Halifax to participate in a celebratory parade following Sunday’s 6-4 win by the Mooseheads over Jones and the Portland Winterhawks.
As a result of that hectic schedule, Jones and MacKinnon weren’t even expected to participate in the physical testing at the combine on Friday. For his part, Drouin said he would give it a go.
It’s been a long, exhausting season for all three and the impending NHL draft has been front of mind throughout.
“It’s definitely tiring,” said Jones. “My body’s pretty depleted. I played over 90 games this season. I’m just looking for some rest now.”
He and MacKinnon have grown so accustomed to being asked about each other that they’ll even drop the occasional mention of “we” during interviews.
Over the past year, they went head-to-head at the world junior championship and again at the Memorial Cup. Jones was on the ice for a few of the six goals MacKinnon scored against Portland during that tournament.
“He left a great impression,” said Jones, who is 11 months older than MacKinnon. “I mean both times we played him (he had) a hat trick each game. It doesn’t get any better than that. The finals, five points, (that was) one of the greatest performances in the finals probably ever.
“He was a tough player to contain like you saw.”
MacKinnon was quick to give out the compliments as well, calling Jones an “outstanding defenceman” and saying the hometown Avalanche would be “lucky to have him.”
Drouin has flown a little more below the radar than the other two, although some scouts believe he could be the most dynamic player in this draft.
While much of the focus leading into the June 30 draft will centre around which player will ultimately go No. 1, the teams picking at the top will be fortunate just to get one of them.
“Seth and Jo are great players,” said MacKinnon. “Obviously, it’s human nature, you think about going No. 1. But at the same time you’re going to be the exact same player going into the draft and coming out of it — it’s just how high you go.”