The Northeast Division is one of the most competitive corners of the NHL, with three of the Original Six teams and all five franchises in prototypical hockey markets.

Last season, this division supplied half of the East’s playoff teams, with the surprising Montreal Canadiens going to the Conference Final. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs missed the postseason, although their first- and second-round picks are owned by the Boston Bruins, who acquired them in exchange for forward Phil Kessel.

The Leafs' envy will only intensify when the second overall pick slips on a Bruins jersey Friday.

BOSTON

Thanks to the Kessel deal, the Bruins are in the driver’s seat for this draft.

The Edmonton Oilers are set on drafting Taylor Hall first overall, leaving the Bruins with Central Scouting's top-ranked North American skater – forward Tyler Seguin of the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers – with the second overall pick.

It might seem like Boston is getting the 18-year-old center by default, but his play-making ability makes him a better fit than Hall for the Bruins. Seguin will also serve as an excellent complement to recently-acquired right-winger Nathan Horton and bruising power forward Milan Lucic. Most importantly, he’ll provide some relief for oft-injured center Marc Savard.

The additions of Seguin and Horton also address Boston GM Peter Chiarelli’s most pressing concern – a lack of offense. Last season the Bruins scored 206 goals, second-fewest in the NHL. Their new top line should make a difference.

Horton’s arrival in Boston came at the expense of Dennis Wideman and the Bruins’ own first-round pick, 15^th overall. Chiarelli still has seven picks total and, after taking Seguin, he will likely look for an able defenseman who can fill Wideman's shoes.

Further, the emergence of Tuuka Rask as a legitimate starting goaltender means that Tim Thomas is being shopped. Boston will look to draft a goalie in the later rounds, one who will have time to develop in the minors.

BUFFALO

With nine draft picks this year, the most of any Northeast team, the Sabres are in great position to build for the future.
 

Addressing the team's immediate concerns, however, will be a much tougher task for GM Darcy Regier. Buffalo excelled on defense, particularly with Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller between the pipes and Calder Trophy winner Tyler Myers patrolling the blue line, but need some dynamic forwards to help out Tomas Vanek.

Ottawa 67’s center Tyler Toffoli fits that bill, but expect Buffalo to take any available forward when it’s their turn to draft.  

In fact, picks 68 and 75 will also likely be forwards. Reiger would be happy with the likes of Jaden Schwartz, (33 goals, 50 assists, 83 points with the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans) or Jordan Weal (35-67-102 with the WHL’S Regina Pats).

If Buffalo decides to go European with its forwards, Swiss prospect Joel Vermin (28-27-55 of Bern Jr.) and Sweden's Sebastian Wannstrom (30-27-57 for Brynas Jr.) would both fit in well.

Historically the Sabres have drafted the best available player and developed talent from within their system. If a strong defenseman or goaltender drops to them, they will not shy from picking him up.

MONTREAL

Although Les Glorieux just barely squeaked in to the playoffs, they went further in the postseason than any Northeast team. Their run to the conference final was a Cinderella tale.

Unfortunately, the Canadiens' success glossed over the holes in their roster and they only have five draft picks with which to address their problems.

Montreal still needs one or two big, strong forwards to anchor their offense and give some breathing room to small but speedy veterans like Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. The Habs also need to draft a goalie to try and fill the void left by playoff hero Jaroslav Halak.

Given Montreal’s historic affinity for goaltenders, it’s likely that Calvin Pickard, formerly of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, will be taken as the club’s first-round pick.

After that, the Canadiens will go after the big center they so desperately need. South Shore (EJHL) prospect Charlie Coyle, Warroad (Minn.) High School's Brock Nelson, Nobles (Mass.) High's Kevin Hayes are all more than 6-feet tall and have a scorer's touch.

Nelson is the strongest pick of the three, as his 39 goals and 34 assists last season show that he has the size and hands necessary to be a presence in the slot.

Although the Senators had some success on the ice last season, GM Bryan Murray struggled with personnel moves. In particular, the handling of Dany Heatley’s trade demands cost the club millions and left their offense in shambles, especially at right wing.

Goaltending has also plagued the Senators, with Pascal Leclaire, Brian Elliott and Mike Brodeur rotating through the crease.

Ottawa is therefore faced with a dilemma – do they take a winger like Austin Watson (20-34-54 with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes) or scoop a goalie like Pickard before division-rival Montreal can get its hands on him?

Given that forward Jason Spezza has been the subject of trade inquiries, it appears that Murray will choose Watson and go for a goaltender with the 76^th pick – likely Kent Simpson of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips or Mark Visentin from the Niagara IceDogs.

The good news for the Sens is that they’re deep on defense, meaning they can focus on stocking their bare shelves with wingers and goalies. The bad news is that they’ve got an aging roster and low draft picks, so their prospects won’t be ready for the NHL as soon as hoped for.

TORONTO

How to analyze the draft prospects of a team that coined the phrase “draft schmaft”?

Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs know what they need to be competitive in 2010 and it won’t be found in the draft. That said, Toronto might be able to find a few diamonds in the rough.

Jeff Skinner of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers is projected by some as a top-10 pick but could fall as far as 62nd, in which case the Leafs would do well to snap up his 50 goals and 40 assists.

A more realistic target would be Justin Shugg, formerly of the powerhouse Windsor Spitfires. The left-winger contributed 39 goals and 40 assists to the Spits' high-octane offense and would add some much-needed options to the anemic Toronto attack.

Another possibility is Sam Carrick, a former teammate of Leafs prospect Nazem Kadri on the OHL’s Brampton Battalion. As a top center for the Troops, Carrick had 21 goals and 21 assists while earning 96 penalty minutes, and is the kind of gritty forward that Burke loves.

Toronto could also stand to add an extra goalie to its system, with Jonas Gunnarsson (2.87 GAA and .915 saves percentage) from HV 71 Jr. a strong candidate for the job.

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