Saturday, June 22, 2002
Panthers hold No. 1 pick at NHL draft
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
TORONTO — The Florida Panthers hold the No. 1 choice in the NHL draft, and general manager Rick Dudley intends to show he can make a smart pick without costing his team a bundle.
The draft on Saturday represents Dudley's first significant duty in the six weeks since he became the Panthers' general manager.
The former Tampa Bay Lightning executive wants to set a tone of fiscal responsibility for another small-market franchise.
“I think I was brought here because of the fact I was able to work in situations with budgets where we got a lot for the money we spent,” Dudley said Friday. “You want to maximize what you get for the investment. That's what I hope I can do.”
The first three rounds are Saturday, followed by rounds four through nine Sunday.
Dudley has narrowed his choices to three prospects: lanky defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, rugged wing Rick Nash and goaltender Kari Lehtonen. Believing all three equal in potential, Dudley said his choice might come down to contract terms.
“We're the only ones in a situation where you can negotiate with a player before the draft, so why not use it?” Dudley said. “We're not asking them to take low money. We just want to know what it is.”
Although the NHL has a rookie salary cap, teams can offer prospects lucrative bonuses that don't count against the cap.
“We're not prepared to go to crazy numbers for somebody,” Dudley said.
The Panthers' decision could spark a number of trades, with teams prepared to jockey in and out of the first 10 slots.
Don Waddell, general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers, who choose second, wants to deal in an attempt to add veteran talent to a promising lineup.
“I have three picks right now in the first three rounds, and I'm pretty confident that if I don't do something with our first pick, I have some options right now with our second- and third-rounders,” he said.
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean said he's received numerous offers for the No. 3 pick that might prove too good to pass up.
That's what Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster thought when Philadelphia came after the fourth choice.
The Flyers, who had no first-round choice although they do hold an option for Phoenix's pick at No. 23, acquired the pick Friday night for forward Ruslan Fedotenko and second-round selections. The Lightning got the 34th and 52nd picks.
“We think there are five great players and we wanted to get one of them whether it's a forward or goaltender,” Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said.
This will be Philadelphia's highest pick since taking Mike Ricci No. 4 overall in 1990.
Fedotenko had 17 goals and nine assists in 78 games last season. He had 33 goals and 29 assists in two years with the Flyers.
“I think it's not indicative of the draft as much as it is the pressure to win right now in the National Hockey League,” said Feaster, whose Lightning have reached the postseason once in its 10-year history. “You have teams such as Atlanta, Columbus and Tampa, those three teams are saying, 'Hey, we have to win now.”'
What this year's draft lacks in immediate-impact talent, it makes up for in intrigue.
“I'm going to be sitting there tomorrow just like all the fans in the building,” MacLean said.
The only apparent consensus is which three players are expected to go first.
Bouwmeester, who at 16 was among the youngest players to represent Canada at a World Junior Hockey Championships three years ago, is the only one considered ready to make the immediate jump to the NHL.
Nash, who has drawn comparisons to Detroit Red Wings sniper Brendan Shanahan, is said to need another year in junior hockey to improve his skating.
Lehtonen, who spent last season playing in the Finnish Elite League, will spend next year completing a mandatory stint in the military.
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