FanHouse Victor HEdman

Every Monday during the season, two of our hockey writers will debate one topic. It's the 2-on-1. This week, Chris Botta and Kevin Schultz discuss the top stories of the young NHL season.

The New York Islanders are taking on the Los Angeles Kings in an exhibition game on Tuesday night at the brand new Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Since the town has been considered a possible landing spot for the Islanders if the lighthouse project falls though, forcing the team to consider other options, the local scribes in Kansas City are already hyping up the players in orange and blue to semi-ridiculous levels.

Take, for instance, the article written by Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star on Monday, particularly the paragraph discussing No. 1 overall draft pick John Tavares (who, by the way, will not be playing against the Kings on Tuesday):

Just mere minutes after the NHL free agency period started Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning jumped in the pool.

Looking for a veteran defenseman to help tutor rookie Victor Hedman, the second overall pick in the NHL Draft last weekend, the Lightning apparently found their target quite quickly. They had to head all the way to Vancouver to do it, but they have signed Mattias Ohlund away from the Canucks, according to multiple reports.

John Tavares has yet to step on the ice for the New York Islanders, but he's already making an impact for the once-proud franchise that has been aimlessly stumbling along a path of mediocrity for the past decade-and-a-half. This is, after all, a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since David Volek beat Tom Barrasso in double-overtime way back in 1993.

Can Tavares, an 18-year-old phenom, change all of that? Well, he certainly can't hurt. Heading into Friday's NHL Entry Draft, there were rumors that the Islanders might be leaning toward either Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman or Brampton center Matt Duchene with the top pick. In the end, the team selected Tavares, and already Islanders fans are roaring their approval in the form of cold hard cash.

The first round of the NHL Draft saw the league's general managers clean out the Swedish cupboard, as seven players from Sweden were selected on Friday night. Massive defenseman Victor Hedman led the way, going to the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 2 pick, while Leksand's Oliver Ekman-Larsson went to Phoenix at No. 6.

Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, projected by many as a top-six pick going in, slipped down to Edmonton with the tenth overall pick, while David Rundbald, Jacob Josefson, Tim Erixon and Marcus Johannson rounded out the Swedish invasion.

After the jump, more thoughts and observations on what happened (and what didn't happen) during the opening round.

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For many months, the first three picks of the NHL Entry Draft were expected to go this way. The only question was the order.

Center John Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman were the top two players in this draft, no matter how you try to rate players. OHL star Matt Duchene joined them as the consensus third pick in the months before the draft. Right off the start Friday night, things played out as expected, as the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche stayed put and made the first three selections.

FanHouse is previewing the prospects of the top players and teams with high picks in Friday's NHL Draft. This is the fifth post in a six part series.

In this year's draft there's one defender that is head and shoulders above all the rest -- literally and talent wise. The 6-foot-5 Victor Hedman from Sweden is the best defenseman in this year's draft and is a unique talent for both his size and speed. At only 18, Hedman has been playing on the top defensive pairing for Modo in the Swedish Elite League and should be a solid defender in the NHL for years to come.

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Southeast Division.

The Southeast is probably going to be the most boring division in hockey this offseason. Three of the teams don't have the financial capability to make the sort of splash they need, and the other two were good enough to mostly maintain the status quo.

Still, we've got two top-5 draft picks to look forward to, as well as the ongoing sagas surrounding the stars for both Florida franchises.

FanHouse is previewing the prospects of the top players and teams with high picks in Friday's NHL Draft. This is the fourth post in a six part series.

In this year's draft, the consensus is that there are three players who are head and shoulders above all the rest: John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. Today, we'll take a look at Duchene, a 5-foot-11 center from Peterborough, Ontario, and what he brings to the table.

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Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's NHL Draft. This is the third post in a six part series.

It is widely regarded that in this year's draft, there are three prospects that are head and shoulders above all the others. With the third pick in next Friday's draft, it is likely that the Colorado Avalanche will have a chance to select from the trio of John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. This will be the first major decision for new GM Greg Sherman, who was promoted on June 3 after seven years as assistant GM.