**Official NHL 2010 Draft Thread**

Draft day is approaching fast. Talk about it all here.

NHL.Com writers have their speculations on things.

Adam Kimelman thinks

1 Edmonton Oilers Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor (OHL)

SKINNY: It's hard to imagine the Oilers passing on draft's most dynamic offensive player

2 Boston Bruins (from TOR) Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth (OHL)

SKINNY: Great attitude matches high skill level


3 Florida Panthers Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston (OHL)

SKINNY: If offensive skills ever can match his hard-hitting ability, he'll be a huge star for years


4 Columbus Blue Jackets Cam Fowler, D, Windsor (OHL)
SKINNY: Most skilled defenseman in draft will fill giant blue-line need for Jackets


5 N.Y. Islanders Brett Connolly, RW, Prince George (WHL)
SKINNY: A Tavares-Connolly forward pairing could be a scary matchup for opposing defensemen


6 Tampa Bay Lightning Ryan Johansen, C, Portland (WHL)

SKINNY: Big, rangy center makes Lightning awfully strong up the middle


7 Carolina Hurricanes Brandon Gormley, D, Moncton (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Calm, poised player excels in all phases of the game


8 Atlanta Thrashers Nino Niederreiter, LW, Portland (WHL)
SKINNY: Swiss sensation showed he can play against NHL-caliber talent at World Championships

9 Minnesota Wild Jeff Skinner, RW, Kitchener (OHL)
SKINNY: Dead-eye scorer had 60 goals in 84 regular-season and playoff games

10 New York Rangers Dylan McIlrath, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)

SKINNY: Former volleyball star will be spiking opposing forwards for a long time


11 Dallas Stars Mark Pysyk, D, Edmonton (WHL)
SKINNY: Smooth skater never got to showcase full range of skills on subpar junior team

12 Anaheim Ducks Emerson Etem, LW, Medicine Hat (WHL)

SKINNY: Home-grown sniper from Long Beach will make local fans very happy

13 Phoenix Coyotes (from CGY) Jack Campbell, G, U.S. U-18 (NTDP)
SKINNY: Scoring a need, but Coyotes can't pass on big, athletic goalie with winning pedigree


14 St Louis Blues Mikael Granlund, C, HIFK Helsinki (Finland)
SKINNY: On the small side (5-10, 180), but is relentless in the offensive end


15 Boston Bruins Derek Forbort, D, U.S. U-18 (NTDP)
SKINNY: Time at North Dakota will help him fill out his 6-5 frame


16 Ottawa Senators Alexander Burmistrov, C, Barrie (OHL)

SKINNY: An electric offensive talent that had no trouble adjusting to North American game

17 Colorado Avalanche Calvin Pickard, G, Seattle (WHL)

SKINNY: Ignore the stats – Pickard could be a future star

18 Nashville Predators Austin Watson, F, Peterborough (OHL)
SKINNY: Big, smart scorer who's considered one of the best defensive forwards in the OHL

19 Los Angeles Kings Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Novosibirsk (KHL)
SKINNY: Excelled in KHL despite being one of that league's youngest players

20 Pittsburgh Penguins Nick Bjugstad, C, Blaine (HIGH-MN)
SKINNY: It's easy to picture giant high-school center (6-4, 188) developing into power winger

21 Detroit Red Wings Teemu Pulkkinen, LW, Jokerit (Finland)
SKINNY: Ended up-and-down season with sensational World Under-18 Championship (10 goals, 15 points)

22 Phoenix Coyotes John McFarland, C, Sudbury (OHL)

SKINNY: Lethal wrist shot, great wheels; it'll be interesting to see how he does playing with better players

23 Buffalo Sabres Jonathan Merrill, D, U.S. U-18 (NTDP)
SKINNY: Future bedrock on the blue line

24 Atlanta Thrashers (from NJD) Kirill Kabanov, LW, Moncton (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Draft's biggest wild card – undeniable talent, but maturity is a giant issue


25 Vancouver Canucks Jarred Tinordi, D, U.S. U-18 (NTDP)

SKINNY: Captain of the U.S. U-18 team will bring a needed physical element


26 Washington Capitals Alexander Petrovic, D, Red Deer (WHL)

SKINNY: Big defenseman will provide a level of protection for the Caps' scorers

27 Montréal Canadiens Stanislav Galiev, RW, Saint John (QMJHL)

SKINNY: Russian-born sniper has had two years to hone his dynamic North American skills


28 San Jose Sharks Riley Sheahan, C, Notre Dame (CCHA)
SKINNY: Big, strong center has proven he can excel against more developed players


29 Anaheim Ducks (from PHI) Charlie Coyle, C/RW, South Shore (EJHL)

SKINNY: Work ethic won't be an issue: His favorite off-ice activity? Working out


30 Chicago Blackhawks Brock Nelson, C, Warroad (HIGH-MN)
SKINNY: Stanley Cup champs opt for big center with excellent blood lines, great scoring touch

other writers weigh in their thoughts and all have us drafting Skinner.

If we don't trade down, I do really like the looks of Skinner... I saw a vid of his wrist shot. Gaborik would have been jealous.

i just don't like the idea of him being 5'10 with questions regarding his skating. if both Johanssen and Nino are gone then we need to trade down. Pick up an additional 2 and maybe a 3rd and go from there.

so per russo's article it seems that GMCF and Co have their list made up, on there are the players and how they rank them and they plan to go by that list. Meaning regardless of position they are picking the next guy on the list that is available.

I do like this way of thinking, while we need forwards bad, they won't pas up on a quality blue liner that can make a bigger impact then a forward.

this leads me to beleive if Nino and Johanssen get taken, we're looking at Forbort