From TSN: Tavares or Hedman? Remember "Daigle or Pronger?"
Well if the year was 1993, the Ottawa Senators would select slick centre Alexandre Daigle and leave stalwart defenceman Chris Pronger for the Hartford Whalers. In some cases, having the second overall pick can work out pretty well.
The New York Islanders have a similar decision to make heading into Friday's first round of the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, which you can watch live on TSN and TSN HD at 7pm et/4pm pt.
Should they keep the pick and select the unaminous top prospect in 6'0", 200lb. high-scoring centre John Tavares? Or should they call out the name of Victor Hedman, the 6'5", 210lb. defenceman? Or should they call the Lightning at No. 2 and work out a deal to flip picks?
Having the first overall pick does not guarantee the addition of a future Hall of Famer to your roster for years to come. For every Mario Lemieux and Dale Hawerchuk, there are names like Daigle and Patrik Stefan.
In 1999, the Atlanta Thrashers decided to take Stefan, who is now out of the league. Vancouver Canucks' general manager Brian Burke made a big splash by making a number of trades to get the second and third picks, enabling him to take Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Daniel is approaching the 500-point mark as he, along with Henrik, continue to live up to expectations.
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