The Lightning has had its share of successes with first round picks: Roman Hamrlik, Chris Gratton, Daymond Langkow and, of course, Vinny and Stammer. And then there was Mario Larocque, Nikita Alexeev, Alexander Svitov, and Andy Rogers…yes, Andy Rogers.

You get the picture. The entry draft can be a crapshoot. So what magical moves does the Bolt’s GM have up his sleeve?

There’s no shortage of challenges for Steve Yzerman. While the Lightning was 3^rd overall in goals per game this year, their power play was mediocre at 13^th, penalty killing was dismal at 19^th, and our goals against average was downright pathetic at 26^thin the league.

Assuming that Colorado doesn’t have a brain cramp, the consensus is that NHL-ready D-man, Seth Jones, is gone with the first pick. If that scenario plays out, the Panthers most likely would either be looking at Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin.

Let’s hope our cross-state rivals follow the rankings of NHL Central Scouting and take MacKinnon with their pick. If Yzerman trusted me with his selection, I’d draft Jonathan Drouin any day.

Both players (and teammates), though, have huge upsides. In addition to being named QMJHL’s regular season and playoff MVP, Drouin was selected as the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Year. Having played only 5 more games than MacKinnon, he tallied 30 more points finishing with 105 points on 41 goals and 64 assists in 49 games for the Halifax Mooseheads. How do you pass on that kind of talent?

Let me tell you how. Since Yzerman is apparently married to Bishop and Lindback for the forseeable future, the goalie situation, for better or for worse, seems untouchable. He could trade up to get Jones, but I don’t think either Colorado or Florida is stupid, so that’s highly unlikely.

If he’s more interested in winning now than he is in building a long-term legacy, then Yzerman could trade down and get some help for the power play, penalty kill, and a defense that is often porous.

If you’re Steve Yzerman on the last day of June, what would you do? Take the poll below and leave us a comment. I’m really interested to know what moves you would make to improve our Bolts on draft day.

March 18, 2013; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (74) is congratulated by teammates after he scored a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Tampa Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Last night the Syracuse Crunch finished their third game of the series with a win against the Portland Pirates and advance to the second round of the AHL playoffs. Ondrej Palat scored the game winning goal in overtime to complete the series sweep.

The Portland Pirates drew first blood by scoring a power-play goal 15:57 into the first period. Andy Miele earned the goal, while Alexandre Bolduc and Chris Brown earned assists.

However, Radko Gudas scored a power-play goal 6:57 into the second period to tie the game at 1, Matt Taormina and Dan Sexton assisted.

Nineteen seconds into the third period, the Pirates struck again. This time it was Bolduc earning the goal, with Miele and Lucas Lessio getting the assists. Nick Johnson, assisted by Michael Stone and Chris Conner, scored a power-play goal 10:47 in the third period bringing their lead 3-1. The Crunch battled back, with captain, Mike Angelidis, scoring 13:59 into the third period, assists given to J.T. Wyman and Mark Barberio. While Cedrick Desjardins was pulled in favor of the extra attacker, Palat equaled the score at 3 with 1:12 remaining in regulation, which brought the game into overtime.

The clock kept ticking down in overtime, and for some it may have felt like another overtime would be imminent. Some key saves were made by each goalie, which kept the game tied at 3. With 57 seconds remaining in overtime, Palat notched the game-winning goal, sending the Pirates packing and the Crunch into round two.

While their next opponent remains unknown at this time, they can only play Springfield Falcons, Hershey Bears, or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. If the Crunch play the Bears or the Penguins, the series would start Friday-Saturday at War Memorial in Syracuse with the format being 2-2-1-1-1. If it’s neither of those two, then the Falcons would have home ice on the Crunch and the series format would be 2-3-2.

Lora Andrews
@Electrifying