PHILADELPHIA The 2014 NHL Draft isn't the deepest, and there's no ultra blue-chip prospect at the top, but the lead-up has been interesting enough. The Panthers, for one, have looked to trade the pick. Whether or not they manage, there are a handful of players who could go first overall. MORE: [external-article-link original_href=" "] Draft times, TV info | [external-article-link original_href=" "] Canucks were in tough spot with Kesler trade | Sporting News will have a running diary of the picks (and whatever else goes down) from the Wells Fargo Center floor. Things got started off about as well as they could, by the way. . 1. Panthers: Aaron Ekblad, D, Barrie (OHL) GM Dale Tallon tried to move the pick and didn't. Instead, after a deliberately long, pretty funny pause, he took Ekblad, who was easily the best fit. If there was a consensus best player available, it was him he's a mature, 6-3, two-way defenseman. Those don't grow on trees, and Florida, despite a few really good young forwards, desperately needed a guy like that. Also, he looks and acts like he's 30. It's impre sive. 2. Sabres: Sam Reinhart, C,Kootenay (WHL) The Sabres needed high-end offensive talent as badly as the Panthers needed defense, so Reinhart was a natural fit. He's 6-1 and 185 pounds and frequently mentioned in sentences with the word"cerebral." He's a playmaker with great vision; Flames GM Brian Burke called him "Einstein on Ice" in the run-up to the draft. Of his 105 points for Kootenay last season, 69 were a sists. He's an immediate centerpiece for Buffalo's rebuild. 3. Oilers: Leon Draisaitl, C, Prince Albert (WHL) Draisaitl isn't as offensively advanced as Reinhart, but he might be a better fit for the Oilers. It certainly wasn't surprising that they took him; he's a strong, skilled physical center who can play behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It's insane to compare an 18-year-old to Jaromir Jagr, but Draisaitl has inspired that in a few different places. He's certainly tough to knock off the puck. 4. Flames: Sam Bennett, C,Kingston(OHL) Bennett couldn't do a pull-up at the scouting Combine. That doesn't matter; he's a really good, complete hockey player who, lack of upper-body strength aside, has a reputation for playing a tough, two-way game. Mike Richards' name gets thrown around a lot with him; if Calgary gets the Philly version of Boban Marjanovic Jersey Richards in Bennett, they should feel thankful. Bennett and Sean Monahan should be a good 1-2 punch down the middle for a long time. 5. Islanders: Michael Dal Colle, LW, Oshawa (OHL) He's the first winger off the board for a reason; Dal Colle is 6-2 with a frame that could turn him into a power forward. He also knows how to play the game already; he had 39 goals in 67 games last season for Oshawa. That'll look pretty good next to John Tavares (or Ryan Strome) someday. 6. Canucks: Jake Virtanen, LW, Calgary (WHL) 7. Hurricanes: Haydn Fleury, D, Red Deer (WHL) 8. Maple Leafs: William Nylander, C/LW, Modo (Sweden) Nylander is an intriguing player and a great fit for a Toronto organization that's way short on guys like him. He's not the biggest guy, but he's a goal-scorer with tons of skill. He's also former NHLer Michael Nylander's son, if you're interested in feeling old. 9. Jets: Nikolaj Ehlers, RW, Halifax (QMJHL) 10. Ducks (from Senators): Nick Ritchie, LW, Peterborough (OHL) 11. Predators: Kevin Fiala, C/LW, HV71 Juniors (Switzerland) 12. Coyotes: Brendan Perlini, LW, Niagara (OHL) 13. Capitals: Jakub Vrana,LW/RW, Linkoping (Czech) 14. Stars: Julius Honka, D, Swift Current (WHL) The All-Name Team gets its cornerstone defenseman. Huge. 15. Red WIngs: Dylan Larkin, C, U.S. Developmental Program 16. Blue Jackets: Sonny Milano,U.S. Developmental Program. Milano closed out a solid three-of-four run for the USNTDP. He's the best American winger in the draft. Tons of skill. 17. Flyers: Travis Sanheim, D, Calgary (WHL) The Flyers spent part of the afternoon trying to trade for the No. 1 pick, which they'd have used on Ekblad. That would've been worth it for fan reaction alone. It didn't work out, but they still took a defenseman with their first pick. Sanheim is a 6-3 puck mover. The Flyers took 6-7 defenseman Sam Morin in the first round last year. 18. Wild: Alex Tuch, RW,U.S. Developmental Program 19. Lightning: Anthony DeAngelo, D, Sarnia Sting (OHL) DeAngelo is a Philly-area guy with a ton of offensive skill. His story also made the rounds over the last few days, partially because he's from South Jersey, but also because he was suspended for directing a slur at a teammate. 20. Blackhawks: Nick Schmaltz, D, U.S. Developmental Program 21. Blues (conditional to Sabres): Robert Fabbri, Guelph Storm (OHL) 22. Penguins: Kasperi Kapanen, W, KalPa (Sweden) The top-ranked European winger slid for a while. His dad, Sami, played for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford in Carolina. A good value pick for Pittsburgh. 23. Avalanche: Conner Bleackley, C, Red Deer (WHL) 24. Canucks: Jared McCann, C,Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 25. Bruins: David Pastrnak, RW, Sodertalje (Czech) 26. Canadiens: Nikita Scherbak, RW, Saskatoon (WHL) 27. Sharks (from Blackhawks): Nikolay Goldobin, RW, Sarnia (OHL) 28. Islanders(from Rangers): Joshua Ho-Sang, C/RW, Windsor (OHL) Ho-Sang might be the most talented player in the cla s. He also, for whatever reason, slid all the way off some team's draft board because of a reputation for being headstrong and difficult to coach. Maybe that's deserved, maybe not, but he is well worth the risk in this spot. 29. Kings: Adrian Kempe, LW, Modo (Sweden) 30. Devils: John Quenneville, C, Brandon (WHL) Seth Curry Jersey