Which 5 Teams Need A Good Draft?

With the 2011 NHL Entry Draft upon us this coming weekend, teams are scurrying to put their final rankings of prospects together as they began to trot one-by-one to the podium to make some 18-year-old kids lifelong dream a reality. The Draft is always a great time for hockey fans, teams, and the young players they select, with so much optimism abounding in the air. But which five NHL teams need to have big drafts this weekend as they move forward? In no particular order:

Canadian Sean Couturier would fit nicely in NJ. (Getty Images)

New Jersey Devils. The Devils pipeline took a hit last year in acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk. The trade snagged the Devils 1st round pick in 2010, youngster Patrice Cormier, and young Swede Niclas Bergfors. The Devils had a poor season last year, and with many players aging restocking the farm is essential. Even more so, the Devils, after winning the lottery in April, pick 4th, extremely unconventional territory for them. The last time the Devils had a pick in the top 5 was in 1991, when they took Scott Niedermayer. The Devils must seize the opportunity of picking at number 4. The Draft is being considering top-heavy by some and the Devils must hit the nail on the head with a rare high pick. Gabriel Landeskog, should he be available, would be a nice pick for the Devils. New Jersey could use some help up front and someone to play aside Kovalchuk in the long-term, making Sean Couturier an attractive option at center. The core of the Devils team is aging (Martin Brodeur is 39, Brian Rolston is 38, Patrick Elias is 35, Bryce Salvador is 35) and it's time to start putting fresh blood into place to be heirs to the throne. New Jersey has perhaps their best chance this weekend. (Picks: 4, 99, 129, 159, 189)

Winnipeg. After several missteps by the Atlanta organization, new Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will have his hands full when Winnipeg selects 7th on Friday. Winnipeg has some mid-level prospects in the system, with Patrice Cormier, Carl Klingberg, and and Spencher Machacek all projecting to be 3rd or 4th line players at the NHL level. They have some highly touted defensive prospects in Arturs Kulda and Paul Postma, the latter who has been nothing short of spectacular in the AHL. But as a whole, Winnipeg's system is weak. They have ample picks in 2011, starting with the number 7 overall which many believe would be a good fit for Niagra IceDogs (OHL) forward Ryan Strome. Strome is dynamic and fast and would fit the mold for Winnipeg's highly aggressive and speedy forwards. Afterwards, Winnipeg has more later round picks this year and has a few opportunities to find a sleeper. This is crucial moving forward for the yet-to-be-named Winnipeg squad, who must now clean up the farm system in the wake of the poor draft history in Atlanta. (Picks: 7, 67, 97, 108, 133, 149, 157, 187, 194)

Calgary Flames. The Flames are in a tough position with one of the weakest farm systems in the NHL. The Flames have a lot of blue-collar prospects, kids who are big, tough, and not-as-talented. The Flames are about to enter a rebuild, or at least it seems. Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Olli Jokinen, Cory Sarich, Niklas Hagman, Daymond Langkow, and Brendan Morrisson are all in their mid-30s and one can only help but wonder how much longer any of them will be productive. Because of this, Calgary needs a big draft in 2011 to restock the cupboards. Calgary picks at number 13 this year, which, as unlucky as it may sound, should yield a reliable NHL player. Scouts have had a hard time discerning which players outside of the top 7 or 8 are going to be the best players in the Draft..this year's talent  crop between 10 and 50 is, as most would agree, pretty level. Calgary must pounce on the opportunity, with three picks in the first two rounds, and begin to plug in pieces for a rebuild. (Picks: 13, 45, 57, 104, 164)

Seguin: The best pick Toronto never had. (AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have some nice prospects in the system, with addition of Joe Colborne in a trade with Boston and Nazem Kadri in 2009 Draft, the Leafs have some depth. James Reimer is looking to be a goaltender of the future and Jake Gardiner, a University of Wisconsin star, is a solid defenseman.  Despite this, Toronto is still lacking an elite-level talent in the vein of Tyler Seguin whom they handed to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal. Toronto surrender their 2011 1st-rounder in that same Kessel deal, which ended up being a number 9 pick. Toronto recouped a couple of first-rounders in deals this year, but they're nowhere near the top 10. Still, their 10 picks in 2011 provide an excellent opportunity for GM Brian Burke to add some pieces to replenish a farm system he helped destroy. (Picks: 25, 30, 39, 86, 100, 130, 152, 173, 190, 203)

Ottawa Senators. The Sens underachieved in 2010-2011, but this shouldn't be particularly shocking. The Senators have some aging pieces and, as with Calgary, find themselves in a bit of a rebuild. Canadian Jared Cowen projects nicely and Robin Lehner may be the answer in net down the road. The Senators pick at number 6 and Swedish center Mika Zibanejad would be a nice fit in Ottawa. The 6'2" forward was productive in the SEL last year and ranks 2nd in Central Scouting's final list of European skaters. Ottawa is still probably a year or two away from being a playoff contender again, but the first steps will start on Friday night in Minnesota. (Picks: 6, 21, 35, 61 66, 96, 126, 156, 171, 186, 204)

And there you have it. These five teams cannot come up empty this draft. All it will do is stall their prospective rebuilds another year. And three, and pending a fourth, team are Canadian teams. Rebuilds only last so long in Canada before fans will grow impatient. Stick with us for more 2011 NHL Entry Draft coverage throughout the week.