The time for speculation is reaching its end as the 2010 NHL Entry Draft kicks off in a matter of hours at 7:00 PM Eastern / 4:00 PM Pacific. Keep an eye on this StoryStream throughout the draft, as Jimmy and I will be providing information and analysis on the draft, with a specific eye towards the Penguins.
In anticipation the draft, we've put together a few draft-related articles of interest with varying focuses to prepare you for today's event:
More Stuff from The Panthers at the NHL Draft. George Richards of the Miami Herald speculates that the Penguins may have something in the works for the Panthers' 15th overall pick. There aren't any specifics on the Pens beyond that.
Bob Mackenzie's Final Draft Rankings ranks players 1-75 on TSN.ca. Mackenzie's rankings are well-informed and generally on point.
2010 Mock Draft from TSN. Several TSN.ca analysts put together an interesting first round mock. They have the Penguins taking RW Austin Watson, their 14th ranked player.
Draft Picks Are Valuable Commodities In Today's NHL Landscape. PittsburghPenguins.com's Jason Siedling describes the increased value of prospects in today's cap-conscious NHL.
Wampum's Stephen Johns Hopes To Hear His Name Called At The NHL Draft. Siedling also profiles Stephen Johns, a native of Wampum, PA, 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, who looks as though he'll be a second round selection.
43 things you need to know about the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Here are some interesting facts on prospects from NHL.com.
NHL Draft: Russian players intrigue, have risks. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Shelly Anderson speaks with Ray Shero, amongst others, about the risks and rewards of drafting Russians in a world with the KHL.
Buzzing the Net's NHL Draft Live Chat. Starting at noon, Yahoo!'s junior hockey blog will be running a live chat on the draft basically all day. Not for the faint of heart or those who enjoy the sun.
Puck Daddy. Greg Wyshynski's excellent hockey blog, also on Yahoo!, will have updates on the draft and free agency throughout the day for those who can't quite handle a ten hour live chat.
Edmonton Oilers still mulling over whom they'll choose with No. 1 Pick. ESPN.com's Scott Burnside delves into some of the intrigue swirling around the Oilers and the consensus first and second picks of the draft, Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall.