Draft Notes: Ducks, Blackhawks, Senators, Blue Jackets

Some teams like to play their cards close to the vest heading into the draft.  The Ducks are not one of them.  GM Bob Murray told reporters, including Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register, that they’re looking to add a center with their top pick on Friday night.  It’s certainly a justifiable position.  Veteran Ryan Getzlaf is 34 and only two years away from the end of his deal while they seem to like Adam Henrique on the third line more than they do the second trio.  That leaves a big hole to be filled in both the short term and long term which is one that they’ll almost certainly have to address at the draft.

More notes from the draft which is now less than 24 hours away:

• With the top two picks all but certainties, the intrigue of the draft begins with the Blackhawks who hold the number three selection. While who they take is yet to be determined, GM Stan Bowman told Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Washington that it’s unlikely that they will be trading the pick.  They’re open to listening for offers but no one has made one worth considering just yet.
• The Senators have had discussions about moving up and down from the 19th slot, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, GM Pierre Dorion expects to make that pick as things stand.  Ottawa has a pair of picks in the top half of the second round which makes them a team to watch for if someone starts to fall.  Alternatively, they could pair those selections together and try to trade back into the first round as well.
• The Blue Jackets only have two selections in the entire draft but GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters, including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link), that they have held trade talks that would see them move into the first round.  He puts the odds of accomplishing that at a little less than 50 per cent but does feel confident they’ll make a trade or two in the coming days.