Best of the Nation – 10.28.12

After the jump: a look at the best prospects for the 2013 Draft, discussing trade rumours, the lockout and solutions to it, following injuries around the league, and much more.

The Consensus Top-50. It’s all about Nathan MacKinnon. Well, there are 50 players on the list, so technically it’s not *all* about MacKinnon… but he’s easily the most exciting prospect for this year’s draft. [NHL Numbers]

The NHL lockout will end when greed finally takes over. Featuring pretty charts! [Canucks Army]

How much does changing teams impact a player’s point totals? As it turns out… not very much at all. [NHL Numbers]

Luongo to the Oilers? Jason Gregor looks at the rumours. [Oilers Nation]

The triumphant return of NHL Numbers podcast! The guest this week: Flyers forward Matt Read. [NHL Numbers]

For sale: one gently used Keith Ballard. Well, the Canucks are going to need cap space. That means it’s time to talk up Keith Ballard! The erstwhile offensive defenceman hit 30 points once in the last five years (in the Southeast division) and is coming off back-to-back seven point seasons! Only two and a bit seasons left at $4.2 million. [Canucks Army]

Part two of Jason Gregor’s interview with Taylor Hall. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, but Hall chirping Jason Strudwick is the best as far as I’m concerned. [Oilers Nation]

Which players make up the top defensive pairings in the NHL? Both the Karlsson/Kuba and Chara/Boychuk pairings make me wonder if Wayne Gretzky’s line in Los Angeles would have been among the best in the league even when Dan Bylsma was on it. [Canucks Army]

How the Edmonton Oilers run their draft. Stu MacGregor got talking last week, and gave fans a lot of information on how the Oilers make their decisions on draft day. [Oilers Nation]

Vote for me! Nation Network supreme overlord Kent Wilson took part in the Globe and Mail’s twelve team NHL re-draft – and he wants you to vote for his team as the best one. [Flames Nation]

A little bit too Eager. Jason Strudwick explains why, as an NHL’er, he didn’t get into bar fights: he was too cheap. [Oilers Nation]

How the Canucks were built: 1970. I’m a sucker for historical stuff on the expansion draft and things of that nature. My favourite part: Vancouver’s G.M., talking after the draft, said the team “may not win a lot of games but we’ll win a lot of fights.” [Canucks Army]

Breaking down a new CBA proposal. The sides in the CBA deadlock really aren’t that far apart – here is one possible way to bridge the small remaining gap. [NHL Numbers]

Columbus lands John Davidson. The executive with a sterling reputation – thanks to his work in St. Louis – now takes on another massive project in the Central Division: rebuilding the Blue Jackets. [Flames Nation]

Even during a lockout, Oilers get injured. Andy Sutton might never play another game in the NHL, and Nikolai Khabibulin has nagging lower body problems even when he’s not playing hockey. [Oilers Nation]

How will the 2013 NHL Draft work if the season is cancelled? This post went nation-wide, but it’s a very common question so I’m reposting it here anyway. [Canucks Army]

Individual points percentage, 2008-2012: Defencemen. Scott Reynolds continues to break down the numbers on this underused statistic. [NHL Numbers]