Porter's Weekly Leafland Talk: The Perfect NHL Draft For The Toronto Maple Leafs

With the 2009 NHL Entry Draft just a few short days away, I thought I'd join the countless others who have put their ideas for the Leafs forward. Remember—this is just my ideas, not predictions. First, I'd trade Pavel Kubina and either Anton Stralman or Jerome Flaake to the Islanders for the 26th pick in the draft. New York would get Stralman if they picked Tavares or Flaake if they pick Hedman. Next I would take that 26th pick and trade it along with goaltending prospect Justin Pogge to the Flyers for the 21st pick. After that I would trade Thomas Kaberle, Nikolai Kulmin and a third round pick (68) to Los Angeles for the fifth pick in this draft. LA, which has more than enough prospects, is looking for a veteran presence on the blueline to help mentor their young defensemen. They will also still want some type of prospect and Kulemin has turned into a pretty decent one in the last couple of years. I'd then flip picks with Ottawa, giving them the chance to leap-frog Dallas in the ... (link)