2009 NHL Entry Draft Open Thread (Rounds Two – Seven)

So, I don’t really think any fan knows what Doug Wilson was thinking about yesterday in Montreal:

Did he turn down any big trades?

Did he have a player in the first round that he tried to acquire?

Does he have anything planned (other than drafting the status quo) for the second day of the draft?

UPDATE: Here’s what Wilson was doing, per David Pollak at WTC…

11:00 p.m. — Back now after finishing print edition story and taking care of a couple things around the house. I figure they took precedent over a wrap-up on a night when, um, nothing really happened.

I did talk with Doug Wilson and he said he liked the idea of getting one of the top 11 picks and made some inquiries, but none of those teams ended up trading with anybody. He added that the Sharks could have gotten a first-round pick for the two second round picks it is holding, “but it wouldn’t have gotten us into the range we wanted to be.”

And the Sharks GM did say he talked with Anaheim’s Bob Murray when the Pronger trade talks were under way, “but it was quite evident he was not going to move him within the division.”

Also, he is interested in adding picks Saturday if the opportunity presents itself.

Well, that will all play out today, as it’s the last opportunity Wilson will have to meet with all other GM’s at the same time and make a deal to adjust the way next year’s team will look. Yeah, teams aren’t always built or changed at the draft. As a whole though, most player moves are made either during the trade deadline or during the draft festivities. Wilson has been known to make big moves post draft (Boyle), but most fans want something now. I do.

I expected a move would be made yesterday, but I was wrong. Still, I’d be shocked if a move wasn’t made today. I didn’t see Wilson at the Sharks table once, so I’d assume he was out walking around, talking it up with other GM’s. That, or he was in a tanning bed.

Expect the same names to be in play: Cheechoo, Clowe, Marleau, Nabokov, Michalek and Ehrhoff. Much of it is speculation, but remember: 99% of rumors aren’t true, but 100% of rumors are fun to talk about.

The second round begins at 7:00 AM, Pacific. Have at it.