Draft intrigue building in Minny

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This article was published 23/06/2011 (5190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MINNEAPOLIS — The state of Minnesota is known as the Land of the 10,000 Lakes.

If, however, you believe all the rumours swirling around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in advance of the National Hockey League entry draft Friday and Saturday, it could be dubbed the Land of the 10,000 Leaks.

The intrigue is building.

The Ottawa Senators, who own the sixth selection in the first round on Friday, are one of several teams interested in trading up into the top five, even though clubs would be asking a hefty price to unload such a selection.

You can rule out the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche, who own the first two choices, meaning all eyes should be on the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are floating their eighth overall choice for a quick fix. The franchise has flopped miserably with countless previous early round selections, including Rostislav Klesla, Nikita Filitov, Gilbert Brule and Jakub Voracek, and are searching for a legitimate first-line centre to play on a line with Rick Nash, the most successful draft pick in team history.

“There’s a lot going on, more than normal,” Columbus general manager Scott Howson told the Columbus Dispatch. “Teams realize we’re more open to trading a top-10 pick than we’ve been in the past for immediate help. That has generated some interest.”

Howson added that he’s had a “few surprise calls, players that might be available.”

The Senators own a league-high 12 picks this weekend, but speculation persists that GM Bryan Murray will be active in trying to trade some of them for immediate help. Murray could, for instance, package the club’s 21st pick (the return from Nashville for Mike Fisher) and 35th pick for a potential top-six forward.

— Postmedia News