[sureLoss]

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The draft used to be so simple: Edmonton would pick first and the Oilers would select a high-scoring forward. But orthodoxy was thrown into flux this year when the Florida Panthers managed to snag the top selection and with GM Dale Tallon entertaining trade offers in a year with no dominant prospect available, things are getting hairy.

OK, so I’m having a bit of fun here. But seriously, no one knows what’s going on. Teams are interviewing more players than usual because they’re not sure who will be available when their slot comes up. Kingston’s Sam Bennett, who has a pretty good chance of going first overall – and no lower than third – had 18 teams scheduled to interview him.

Now, to be fair, teams have kicked the tires on top prospects in the past. The New York Islanders, for example, interviewed Seth Jones last year, even though the franchise was picking 15th overall (they took fellow blueliner Ryan Pulock instead). But there is really a sense that anything could happen when the picks begin to come off the board in Philadelphia next month.

Oshawa Generals star Michael Dal Colle is another great example. The high-scoring left winger looks like a top-five pick, but still had 23 teams request meetings with him during the combine. He finds the whole unpredictable situation exciting.