Though the Colorado Avalanche will not get to see any of the following players in burgundy and blue, let’s look at the top-five NHL prospects.
The Colorado Avalanche will not get a top-five draft pick. Not only did the team finish too high in the standings — even earning a playoff berth — but the Ottawa Senators have announced they’re keeping their fourth-overall this season. Colorado will get their first rounder next season in fulfillment of the Matt Duchene trade.
As always, we’ll spend a few weeks before the June 22-23 draft profiling potential draft picks. Because the Avalanche are going to choose somewhere in the #16 range, there’s no way one of the top-five picks will fall to them. So, we’re not going to spend too much time on what will never be.
Here’s the draft order thus far:
| 1. Buffalo Sabres |
| 2. Carolina Hurricanes (from No. 11) |
| 3. Montreal Canadiens (from No. 4) |
| 4. Ottawa Senators |
| 5. Arizona Coyotes |
| 6. Detroit Red Wings |
| 7. Vancouver Canucks |
| 8. Chicago Blackhawks |
| 9. New York Rangers |
| 10. Edmonton Oilers |
| 11. New York Islanders |
| 12. New York Islanders (via Flames) |
| 13. Dallas Stars |
| 14. Philadelphia Flyers (via Blues) |
| 15. Florida Panthers |
Let’s start with the big name we all know is going first-overall.