NEW YORK -- Sundays NHL draft promises to be a boon for some bad teams. [url=https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/]Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China[/url] . There is plenty of quality, with a few players ready for prime time next season. Prying away one of those top picks will be costly. There is rich crea

NEW YORK -- Sundays NHL draft promises to be a boon for some bad teams. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China . There is plenty of quality, with a few players ready for prime time next season. Prying away one of those top picks will be costly. There is rich cream at the top of this crop. "Youve suffered so greatly to end up picking first or second, it better be a heck of deal to have to move that pick, to go back or even to move forward," said Florida GM Dale Tallon, who holds the second overall pick after finishing runner-up to Colorado in the draft lottery. How deep is the Panthers hole? The worst team in the league last season is offering season tickets for US$7 a game, complete with a free jersey and parking. Defenceman Seth Jones, winger Jonathan Drouin and centres Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov are seen as the top prospects available Sunday at the Prudential Centre in Newark, N.J. In an unusual turn of events, the Avalanche have said publicly that they are leaning towards the 17-year-old MacKinnon. If thats the case, Florida has first crack at Jones, rated the top North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. But Tallon says Colorados transparency hasnt made their decision any easier. "Were still talking about it," Tallon said Saturday after attending a USA Hockey news conference. "Before I came here this morning, we were still having heavy discussions on it. "Were very fortunate, were going to get a good player. At whatever position and whoever it is, its going to be someone thats really going to fit in with whatever we have coming as far as our prospects are concerned." Nashville president and GM David Poile, whose team picks fourth after Tampa Bay, sees difference-makers on the board. "Were real excited to find out who we get (Sunday)," said Poile. "Because if all goes well, theres about six players that could be what I call franchise players. And theyre the guys that are going to take us to the promised land for the next several years." "This is a great draft," said Tallon. "Were happy that at (No.) 31 (the first pick in the second round), were going to get a really good player too." Carolina picks fifth. Calgary, at No. 6, holds the highest pick among Canadian teams. The Flames also pick 22nd (St. Louis) and 28th (Pittsburgh) in the first round. Edmonton selects seventh followed by Winnipeg at No. 13, Ottawa at No. 17, Toronto at No. 21, Vancouver at No. 24 and Montreal at No. 25. Some have compared this draft to that of 2003, a talent-laden year that produced the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Getzlaf, Nathan Horton, Ryan Kesler, Zach Parise, Corey Perry, Dion Phaneuf, Eric Staal, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. Ottawa assistant GM Tim Murray sees it as a good year, but not 2003 good. "I dont buy into the 2003 talk and that type of thing. But certainly the first round we like. ... I think theres a drop-off. Whether thats the second round or the third round, I think theres a drop-off that in the best drafts we havent seen. What makes a draft great is the depth obviously. "But theres a lot of talent in this draft," he added. "Teams picking high are going to get if not franchise players, impact players." Ottawa director of scouting Pierre Dorion is also less bullish than some. "It is a good draft," he said. "I think a lot of people that dont really scout have built it up to something that its not. I think were going to get a good player in the first round." Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff says its a draft that has something for everyone. "I was talking to one director of amateur scouting yesterday and hes really bullish about deep into the first round and bullish about a lot of different type of players, too," said Cheveldayoff. "I know what our thoughts are, and obviously its interesting to hear his take on what he thought. We didnt talk specific players but you could just tell that universally the people that are making the decisions or at least are recommending the decisions feel very good about it." Jones, who stands close to six foot four and weighs 205 pounds, is seen as NHL-ready, despite only having spent one year in the WHL. "Seth is one of those guys that just comes along every once in a while, when you look at the big defencemen in the league like the Charas and the Prongers," said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. "Hes made for todays game under todays rules." Jones, the 18-year-old son of former Toronto Raptor and current Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Popeye Jones, collected 56 points (14 goals and 42 assists) and a plus-46 rating in 61 games, helping Portland to the Memorial Cup final. "Any time theres been a challenge put in front of him, hes met it and hes succeeded," said Marr. The six-foot, 182-pound MacKinnon, like Jones, is a player who rises to the occasion. His ability to accelerate is also remarkable. "Hes got a quickness to pull away with his speed that I havent seen in a number of years," said Marr. The five-foot-10, 186-pound Drouin, another Moosehead, is compared to a young Joe Sakic. "His intuition in the game, his quick read and react, its excellent," said Marr. "Theres not too many players available that read the game and see the ice and can make the play. And he can deliver, offensively and defensively." Other prospects worth watching are defenceman Darnell Nurse, whom Marr compares to Shea Weber, and goalie Zachary Fucale, touted as being cool as ice under pressure. The Avs willingness to discuss their preference with the top pick has drawn a variety of responses. Poile calls it "rather refreshing." "Good on them that they know what they do," he said. Tallon said it makes sense given the character of Sakic, Colorados executive vice-president of hockey operations, and coach Patrick Roy. "Theyre classy guys; theyre very honest guys. Theyre new, they want to have fun. Theyre invigorating, enthusiastic guys and thats the way they are," said Tallon. Ottawa GM Bryan Murray sounded a little more skeptical. "I dont know whether theyre following through with what they said totally or its just easier for them to say this is what were doing and go about doing it." There is no shortage of family ties to this draft. Forward Max Domi, son of Tie, has drawn kudos for his offensive skills. But teams can also get nostalgic and pick up a Bertuzzi, Brodeur, Comrie, LaFontaine, Mantha, Quenneville, Rychel, Subban, or Tambellini. NOTES -- Some 211 players from 12 countries were taken during last years draft. Canada led the way with 99 followed by the U.S. (56 ), Sweden (22), Russia (11), Finland (9), Czech Republic (6), Denmark (2), Latvia (2), Belarus (1), Germany (1), Switzerland (1) and United Kingdom (1) ... Top prospect Seth Jones goes by his second name. He prefers Seth over his first name Jared. Clearance Soccer Jerseys . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday.The Los Angeles Kings overwhelmed the Anaheim Ducks in Game Seven earning a berth in the Western Conference Final; notes on Justin Williams, Marian Gaborik, John Gibson, Teemu Selanne and more. KINGS TAKE FREEWAY SERIES The Los Angeles Kings stormed the Anaheim Ducks early in Game Seven, building a 3-0 first-period lead on their way to a 6-2 decision, earning the Kings a rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. The Kings were led by a roster of players that have already had playoff, and Game Seven, success. None more than Kings RW Justin Williams, who scored the opening goal on the power play and added an assist; it was Williams sixth goal in six career Game Sevens. Joining Williams with a 6-0 career record in Game Sevens, Kings LW Marian Gaborik, who had a goal and an assist. Gaborik was a dominant performer in the series, scoring six goals and four assists in seven games. Gaborik leads the playoffs with nine goals and, since arriving in a trade from Columbus, hes put up 14 goald and 17 assists in 32 (regular season plus playoff) games. In addition to Williams and Gaborik, the Kings got big performances from Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Richards, also 6-0 in Game Sevens, had three points in 13 playoff games entering Fridays game and had been demoted to the fourth line, but he had a goal and an assist in the deciding game. Richards old Philadelphia running mate, Jeff Carter, also contributed a goal and an assist, in addition to having the Kings best puck possession stats for the game. A couple more Kings had multi-point games, which can happen in a 6-2 romp: C Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist to run his playoff-leading point total to 19 points in 14 games and LW Kyle Clifford, who had one assist in his first 11 playoff games, chipped in a pair of assists in Game Seven. As the Kings pulled away from the Ducks, they chased Ducks G John&nnbsp;Gibson from the net, scoring four goals on 18 shots in 22:02. Soccer Jerseys Outlet. Gibson had stopped 88 of 93 shots in three games, giving the Ducks a chance to win the series, but the 20-year-old was overwhelmed. It wasnt that he let in terrible goals; the Ducks were getting dominated and Gibson couldnt turn back the Kings attack. The game marked the swan song for Ducks RW Teemu Selanne, the 43-year-old winger who ranked 11th in league history with 684 career goals. Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf had a valiant effort in defeat, with one assist and 13 shot attempts but the Ducks were chasing the game all night. Getzlaf led the Ducks with 15 points in the playoffs, ahead of RW Corey Perry (11) and C Nick Bonino (eight). The Ducks season was marked by a fortunate shooting percentage, leading the league at 9.8% during 5-on-5 play, and thats the kind of thing that doesnt tend to sustain year-over-year, but the Ducks have a roster that is still poised to be competitive going forward. They have a lot of young players on the way up, including goaltenders Gibson and Frederik Andersen and defencemen Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen. Many of their forwards, aside from Getzlaf and Perry, are in their early-to-mid-20s, so they may be able to improve enough to at least somewhat offset the likely statistical regression. The Kings meeting the Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final pits the leagues top two puck possession teams against each other and that ought to make for a competitive series; more competitive than last year when the Blackhawks ousted the Kings in five games. The question is, looking ahead, will the team that manages to run the Western Conference gauntlet have anything left for the Stanley Cup Final? Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '