Draft questions abound except for No. 1 candidate

OTTAWA – Jay Feaster has the easy job – “idiot-proof” is how the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager puts it – and is all but absolutely certain he will select forward Steven Stamkos with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft today.

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, by comparison, has a much more difficult task determining what he’ll do with the No. 2 pick.

With his staff “bunkered down around the mattress” of his hotel room, Lombardi said Thursday he was busy fielding calls from as many as 20 teams, and weighing whether to trade the pick or use it on one of a solid corps of defense prospects ranked behind Stamkos.

“Probably 50-50,” Lombardi said, regarding what he’ll do.

Atlanta drafts third, followed by St. Louis and the New York Islanders.

Trade rumors have dominated the days leading up to the draft in part because there are numerous teams eager to move into the top 10 to get a chance at a draft class considered by NHL Central Scouting officials to be among the deepest in recent memory.

It’s a group that includes two U.S.-born players: Zach Bogosian, who’s from Massena, N.Y., and rated second among North American skaters; and defenseman Tyler Myers, who was born in Houston but moved with his family to Alberta when he was 10.

Another reason for the trade talk is the lack of elite veteran players projected to hit the free-agent market on July 1.

Columbus, with two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 19), is looking to make a trade to land a quality center. The Buffalo Sabres are interested in dealing forward Maxim Afinogenov. And the Boston Bruins are interested in dealing forward Glen Murray.