Islanders on the clock: Tavares, Hedman, Duchene wait to see who will go No. 1 in NHL draft

Tavares, Hedman, Duchene shoot to go No. 1

PITTSBURGH — Unlike this year’s NHL top draft prospects, Nicklas Lidstrom’s road to the Stanley Cup finals didn’t start at the Stanley Cup finals.

In 1989, when the Detroit Red Wings star defenseman prepared for the draft, he didn’t travel to Montreal or Calgary, where the finals were that year. Nor did he go to North America to hear his name announced at the draft.

“I remember being anxious about it,” said Lidstrom, a six-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman. “They told me to wait by the phone back home in Sweden, and I did. I got a call on a Saturday night, but I was anxious and very happy to be drafted.”

Lidstrom lasted until the 53rd pick in the 1989 draft, a wait John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene will never have to worry about.

Although this year’s elite prospects all said it will be an honor merely to be selected among the top picks at the June 26-27 draft in Montreal, there is an allure to No. 1.

“You get put in that special category,” the 18-year-old Tavares said during a visit to the finals. “Not many guys get that honor, that opportunity to be selected No. 1. I’d love to go No. 1, but then again I’d love to go to any other NHL team that feels I can contribute in a great way, and be part of a team that can hopefully win a Stanley Cup.”

Tavares, a center from London of the Ontario Hockey League, is the top-rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and the prohibitive favorite to be chosen first overall by the New York Islanders.

But even though he has been considered the top available player for the better part of a year, there is no guarantee he will be headed to Long Island.

Whoever the Islanders choose will immediately enter a world of uncertainty. New York is building a youth movement around former first-round picks Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, a process going through major growing pains. One season into the plan, the Islanders finished with the worst record in the NHL.

Uncertainty on the ice is one thing, but a greater issue is the unknown regarding the future of the franchise. Islanders owner Charles Wang is trying to get local government approval to build the Lighthouse project — an ambitious development center that would include a refurbished Nassau Coliseum.

If it can’t be constructed, the Islanders could be on the move in not long, perhaps to Kansas City, Mo.

Tavares dismisses talk he will look to force a trade should the Islanders pick him.

“If it is Long Island, I’m going to go in there and try to be a good player that can contribute right away and a good teammate,” he said. “Try to develop as a leader and a guy that can be counted on all the time. All I control is what I can do on the ice and what I can do to be a good teammate and a good guy to the organization.”

Tavares joined Hedman and Duchene in Pittsburgh, after taking part in the NHL combine in Toronto, and spent time in the Penguins and Red Wings dressing rooms.

Tavares had already met Sidney Crosby, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, but talked with him again about pressure and expectations. The 21-year-old Crosby already has played four NHL seasons and appeared in two finals.

“He’s really learned how to handle it and spread it out through his teammates and not let it affect him,” Taveres said. “He goes about his business in the right way and has such a passion for the game. He is a great person for me to learn from and he is a big role model for me.”

Hedman, a 6-foot-6 Swedish defenseman, nervously awaited the chance to introduce himself to countryman Lidstrom. Hedman poses the biggest challenge to Tavares’ dream of going No. 1, but Duchene has also risen, and is also on the Islanders’ radar.

“We’re not a big country,” Lidstrom said. “We’re about nine million people, so we take a lot of pride in having a lot of Swedes play in the league and still being drafted and being one of the top picks.”

All three No. 1 contenders have made visits to Long Island and Tampa Bay, which owns the second pick. Colorado is third.

“I know whatever is supposed to be will happen,” said Duchene, an 18-year-old center from Brampton of the OHL. “I’m just looking forward to it. There is no need to be nervous. It’s kind of the start of the rest of your life, so it’s a lot of fun and an exciting time.”

While every team covets a player with the goal-scoring ability of Tavares and Duchene, big, strong defenseman like Hedman — cut from the mold of Anaheim’s Chris Pronger — are hard to find.

“If I go to Long Island … they have a bunch of good players,” said Hedman, the top-rated European skater. “Okposo and Bailey are young and they’re still developing. They also have the old guys like Doug Weight, and a good defenseman like Mark Streit, a good goalkeeper in (Rick) DiPietro.

“If I’m going there, I’m dedicated to win and I’ll do whatever it takes to help the Islanders to reach the playoffs next year.”