With today's NHL entry draft hours away, the Kings were holding on to the fifth pick, the Ducks' plans were on hold while Scott Niedermayer decided his future, and New York Islanders fans held on to hope their downtrodden team could rebuild around consensus No. 1 pick John Tavares.
Tavares, a prolific center from the Ontario Hockey League, has long been projected as the top choice in this year's draft, which begins today in Montreal and continues Saturday with the second through seventh rounds.
He's a pure scorer and a sure pick for anyone but the Islanders, who haven't drafted well in decades.
They might take Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, a commanding presence at 6 feet 6, and center Matt Duchene of Brampton of the OHL has gained traction because of his leadership, strength and hockey sense.
All three will be gone when the Kings' turn comes at No. 5, but they've talked about moving up to No. 4, a spot that now belongs to Atlanta.
That would allow the Kings to take center Brayden Schenn, coveted by the Maple Leafs to play alongside his brother, Luke.
The Kings could trade Schenn to Toronto or keep the gritty playmaker.
"Although there could be one surprise, maybe, I think most people got the top three guys," Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said by phone.
"I think we have a pretty good idea how many guys we've got in there. We're just fine-tuning. Before we got here we zeroed in on the guys we liked. It still comes to the best player."
Lombardi denied rumors that he's the top suitor for disgruntled Ottawa left wing Dany Heatley with a package consisting of winger Alexander Frolov, an unspecified top-notch defenseman, and the No. 5 pick.
"I have a little bit of concern when it's the second time the way this has happened. If we're going to bring in a guy like that we've got to look at it closely, positive and negative," Lombardi said, referring to Heatley's requests to be traded by Atlanta and, more recently, Ottawa.
"The second part of that, don't forget this is very different than a free agent. In terms of what their version of what it would take to move him, that was fairly steep in my mind. . . . They're not going to give this guy away, nor should they."
He also said he has "nothing going on" with Tampa Bay for Vincent Lecavalier, whose 11-year, $85-million extension kicks in next season.
"If you made a deal for Heatley or Lecavalier, that basically takes you out of free agency," Lombardi said.
