Fleury making one of the best saves of the year against Jason Blake, robbing him of a hat-trick.

Things keep getting better for the current NHL World Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s right, with the last (30^th) overall pick in the first round, Pittsburgh selected Simon Despres, a big, gritty defenseman from Saint John who was projected to go 18^th overall by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. He should definitely help them. Oh, and how did Pittsburgh create their Stanley Cup team? Yep, they did it through the draft. Yeah, everyone knows about Crosby and Malkin, but let me throw some other names at you: Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, Maxime Talbot and Rob Scuderi. That’s right, they were all originally drafted by the Pens. I can think of some other teams that might want to learn this lesson about building through the draft, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by naming them.

The New York Islanders remain a franchise that should probably be shut down. O.K., they got John Tavares, and the current all-time OHL goal-scoring leader from the London Knights should help them right away. However, the Islanders also traded up with the Minnesota Wild in the first round for the 12^th pick (instead of waiting and picking a mere four spots later at 16) only to select someone way off the board in Calvin De Haan. Hey, if he turns out to be a great player, the joke is on me, but this is a questionable move that’s only the tip of the iceberg for a ridiculous team. For example, what about the recent hiring of their then backup goalie Garth Snow to become General Manager? Really? That’s the best they could do? Billy Smith wasn’t available? At least he won four Cups. What about Keanu Reeves? He played the goalie in Youngblood. Surely, he could lead the Isles into the Promised Land. Don’t get me wrong, as a Flyers fan I have fond memories of Snow, perhaps the best being him needling Buffalo’s Matthew Barnaby with his stick while Barnaby played possum, flat on the ice. Why ruin such a great legacy by accepting such a thankless job that will likely result in an endless parade of boners? I can’t wait until owner Charles Wang instructs Snow to again send scouts to Asia in order to recruit Sumo wrestlers as goalies. No, that’s not a joke. Wang actually did this once. One can hardly blame the desperate Wang who has openly stated that he regrets buying the team and has been losing money on them for quite some time. And you thought The Real World was quality reality TV?

The Philadelphia Flyers surprisingly made the biggest move and news at the draft. By acquiring battle-tested D-man and former Hart Trophy winner Chris Pronger, the Fly Boys shed the pricey salary of Joffrey Lupul. However, Pronger will certainly demand much more than Lupul, and Philly also gave away promising D Luca Sbisa and three draft picks… That’s maybe a bit much, but overall, I still like the deal.

Chris Pronger hoisting the Stanley Cup trophy in 2007, something the Flyers hope they will see him do in the black and orange. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

It’s certainly what the Flyers need, and with what will most likely be a suspect goalie tandem, they will need all the big nasty (and yes, still talented) D they can get to suck up ice time. Though, this may officially close the door on Mike Knuble’s time in Philly, as the UFA (unrestricted free agent) could go elsewhere. That would leave the boys significantly short at forward, and that could be scary unless they can sign a cheap and talented winger. My pick? How about that UFA Rusty Fedotenko, who doesn’t make much, and almost immediately after leaving Philly the first time around became a solid player and Flyer killer. They’re going to have to sign someone else because trust me, the thought of rolling into training camp with Arron Asham, Daniel Carcillo and Riley “2 assists and 0 fights won” Cote isn’t a great idea. Is Billy Tibbetts available?

We’re not far from the start of free agency, so here’s a couple things we know and a couple things I think will happen…

We know that Scott Gomez is now a Montreal Canadien (Pause for canned laughter). It looks like Montreal will have to learn the hard way (at a touch over seven million) that Gomez is the most overrated player in the NHL. If one were to break it down, Gomez was essentially paid about $500,000 per goal he scored with the Rangers last season. Nice work if you can get it. Maybe Montreal GM Bob Gainey should instead worry about trying to sign their something like ten UFAs? Didn’t they learn anything from the overvalued Patrice Brisebois? Actually, never mind. Montreal signed the much-maligned D-man for a second time last year. Things continue to be tough for Hab fans… not that I care.

The St. Louis Blues have bought out the final year of Jay McKee’s contract. Now, this is somewhat understandable given McKee’s rash of injuries, but if ever there was a team in need of veteran leadership on the back line, it’s the Blues. It’s surprising they wouldn’t risk one more year on one of the best shot-blockers in the league. After all, they aren’t going anywhere. Look for someone else to take a chance on the steady D-man. Prediction: Atlanta Thrashers.

It looks like Dany Heatley may not get his wish. The disgruntled right wing has demanded a trade out of Ottawa, and early reports that he was traded to Edmonton in the late hours of Tuesday night may have been false. This one is tricky. Heatley is owed a bonus of $4 million and the NHL has ruled that if Ottawa can’t get a deal done by midnight Wednesday, they will be on the hook for it. Of course, a deal is contingent upon Heatley waving his no-trade clause, and he’s naturally being stubborn about it. The interesting thing is, if a team isn’t willing to pay the hefty price for him, he will be fully expected to play for the Sens this year. A $4 mil bonus is a nice consolation, though. My heart really bleeds for him.

O.K., a few quick predictions for free agency:

The Sedin Twins will stay in Vancouver, Andrew Alberts will be escorted out of Philly, Radek Bonk will hopefully never play again, Philippe Boucher will retire, Chris Chelios will continue to waste everyone’s time, Scott Clemmensen will find a new home, the Rangers will make a hard charge for Gaborik, Hossa, or Heatley, Chicago will lose Havlat or Khabibulin, but not both, the Islanders will continue to stink like fish, and I will never get tired of pronouncing Miroslav Satan’s name as “Say-tan” instead of “Sha-tan.”