NHL Draft 2013: Who Will Be Selected No. 1 Overall?

The biggest question surrounding the NHL Entry Draft is who will be selected first overall. There was a lot of consensus about Seth Jones being selected with the top pick but when the Colorado Avalanche won the lottery they decided they had other ideas about who would be the top pick when the draft gets underway.

While Jones is viewed as the best player in the draft, the Avalanche believe that someone like Nathan MacKinnon is a guy who can come in and be an impact player for the future.

A puck moving defenseman like Jones wouldn’t be a bad option though and with all the talk about MacKinnon going No. 1 overall. the notion that the Av’s could still decide to take Seth Jones first overall seems to have been forgotten. It’s not as high a chance as some thought it might have been back when Colorado won the lottery but it’s still a chance, as slim as it may be.

Colorado is a young team though and they feel that a forward like MacKinnon can come in and eventually play on the top line alongside Gaberial Landeskog and other top young players the Av’s have at their disposal. The question with the young MacKinnon is how quickly can he become a part of the team as many see Seth Jones as a gut who can step up a lot sooner than the 17-year old MacKinnon.

There’s also the possibility that the Av’s trade the top pick as more than a few teams are interested in Jones and if Colorado doesn’t want him, others will jump at the chance. But with Colorado backing off of Jones so early on in the process, most trade calls will be going to Florida at No. 2 overall with the assumption that MacKinnon will be the first player off the board.

Still, the Av’s seem sold on MacKinnon and everything he brings to the table which means all signs are pointing to the 17-year old Canadian being the next No. 1 draft pick in the NHL.