The NHL Entry Draft will take place on June 30th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. With many of the teams with higher picks needing defense in order to get back on track (Tampa Bay, Edmonton, and Philadelphia for example), the draft is a perfect starting point to shore up the blue line and build for a run at the playoffs again.
There are many talented defensemen in this year's class, but here is a quick look at the top five available.
1. Seth Jones - Portland (WHL)
Seth, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, had been regarded as the top overall player in this year's draft class. He is an extremely gifted defenseman that plays well on both sides of the puck. It was long speculated that Jones would be taken by the Colorado Avalanche with the first overall pick; Colorado already has two young forwards to build around in Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene, and Jones is also a Denver native.
However, the Avalanche have made it clear that they very well may not take Jones with the first overall pick, and opt to take a forward like Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin instead.
Florida could take Jones with the second overall pick, but the Tampa Bay Lightning (third overall) would be the team that would benefit the most by selected him due to their desperate need of defense.
2. Darnell Nurse - Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Darnell Nurse is a viable option for whoever needs defense but misses out on Jones. Like Jones, he also has athletic bloodlines, as he is the nephew of former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Expect Nurse to be taken by a team like the Edmonton Oilers (seventh overall pick), who need defense after drafting three straight forwards with three consecutive first overall picks.
3. Rasmus Ristolainen - TPS (Finland)
Ristolainen is right up there with Nurse in terms of skill, and it would not be a surprise in the least to see him taken in front of Nurse. Ristolainen is a big physical presence, standing at an intimidatin 6'4 and also possessing a strong right-handed shot from the point.
Rasmus Ristolainen is the kind of puck-moving defenseman that teams could center their powerplays on while also leaning on him for size and strength. The Philadelphia Flyers, who hold the eleventh overall pick, would be a good candidate to take Ristolainen if Jones and Nurse are off the board.
4. Ryan Pulock - Brandon (WHL)
The concern with Pulock is that he has already been injured several times in his junior career, but he has returned healthy and has continued a quality level of play.
Pulock has a terrific shot, arguably the best from any puck-moving defenseman in this year's draft class. Shea Weber was taken in the draft ten years ago and while Pulock may never reach Weber's all-star status, he is definitely comparable to the Nashville blue line in terms of his powerful shot and ability to perform on the powerplay.
5. Mirco Mueller - Everett (WHL)
Mueller is a Swiss import who has adopted well to the North American style of play. He learned under Ryan Murray, who was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the second overall pick in last year's draft.
Mueller is 6'3 and can be a physical presence on the blue line for whoever picks him. Expect him to be taken after the aforementioned defensemen; somewhere in the middle-to-late stages of the first round.