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Sunday, June 08, 2003

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Penguins own the third pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. And the third-best prospect, most scouts would agree, is Nathan Horton, a power forward from Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League.

Stands to reason, then, Horton is headed to Pittsburgh, right?

"Um, I don't know," Horton said from his home in Dunville, Ontario. "I don't think it's that simple."

He's right. It's not. In fact, the upper part of the draft, which opens two weekends from now in Nashville, Tenn., is as unpredictable as any in the past decade.

The Panthers, who own the top pick, have made public they will give it up to any team that wants goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Florida already has Roberto Luongo and would be willing to move down to take a skater.

The Hurricanes are second, and one source close to that team believes they covet Fleury enough to switch with the Panthers. But others like Fleury, too, and a trade between any other team and Florida creates a trickle-down that could derail any focus the Penguins might have on any one player.

Which is why the Penguins are being careful to weigh all options.

Members of team management spent the past week in Ontario meeting as many potential first-round picks as possible to get to know them better. In the cases of Horton, Fleury and two others considered among the top five prospects -- center Eric Staal from Peterborough of the OHL and defenseman Ryan Suter from the U.S. national under-18 team -- they took each to dinner, one by one.

Interviews between teams and potential picks are common, but they usually happen on the eve of the draft and seldom involve an evening in a restaurant.

"Good experience," Staal said from his home in Thunder Bay, Ontario. "I feel like I got to know about Pittsburgh, and they got to know about me."

"I liked what they had to say to me," Horton said. "I think it would be pretty awesome to be part of what's going on there, with all the young players they're going with. It was exciting to hear about it."

The Penguins are not dropping hints about which player they like, and it might be that they have yet to decide. If so, they probably are not alone. One scout guesses that a survey of a dozen of his peers would show as many as five players rated No. 1 in this rich draft. Greg Malone, the Penguins' head scout, projects that any of the top 17 players could end up being the best.

The players are aware of this, naturally.

Suter, nephew of former NHL defenseman Gary Suter, saw his stock soar in the second half of last season, and he is delighted to have joined the logjam.

"I know Pittsburgh is third, so it's good to know that they're interested," he said from the U.S. team training facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Everyone knows there is a lot of talent in this draft, and I think it will be interesting to see how it goes."

Icy chips

Just as Mario Lemieux was forced to refute erroneous reports about his playing intentions for next season, so, too, did Dominik Hasek have to fend off Czech speculation about his possible return to the NHL in the past week. Hasek, 38, retired after the 2002 Stanley Cup, and he repeated to Buffalo reporters Thursday that he is finished: "I'm happy with my life."

The Penguins are not the only team to cut ticket prices for next season. Fans in St. Louis were the latest to learn they will pay less. This is shrewd not only in terms of boosting crowds but also in creating good will for the owners when the labor dispute hits next year. If owners succeed in portraying that they want to control salaries to keep ticket prices down, their ammunition against the union will be that much greater.

Only 15 months remain before the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and players' representative Bob Goodenow have yet to meet.

Even the wealthiest teams are wary of committing to contracts beyond 2004 for fear they will have difficulty fitting them under a salary cap. The Red Wings have offered Sergei Fedorov $40 million over four years -- an offer he sees as low -- but are asking franchise icon Steve Yzerman to take a cut from the $8 million he made while missing nearly all of last season.

The Hurricanes are so eager to get Arturs Irbe to give up some of the $5.2 million he is due the next two years that they are telling him he will spend next season in the East Coast Hockey League if he does not make his contract more palatable for a trade.

A significant change in the Maple Leafs' front office should be made by the end of the week, highlighted by Pat Quinn giving up his general manager's role and remaining solely the head coach.

If Jean-Sebastien Giguere's pads are legal, then a more moral measuring standard is due.

Now that the Oilers and Canadiens will play outdoors at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in November, the Red Wings are looking to do likewise at Comerica Park in 2004-05. The Penguins are the one team that could play an outdoor game in its own arena, of course, but the fans in the last rows of E and F levels might not appreciate the safety factor once that dome peels open.

Thirteen days until the Penguins step to the podium.