The NFL draft is today, and Sam Bradford has a great shot at going #1 overall to the St. Louis Rams. What does this have to do with hockey? Bradford, who grew up in Oklahoma, is a diehard Canucks fan, thanks to Pavel Bure. Check out an interview with him here.

Per Michael Russo, Mikko Koivu is set to undergo two surgeries shortly. He is having surgery on both his right shoulder and his right knee. The shoulder injury (a torn labrum) is the more serious one – he is expected to be rehabing for 14-16 weeks. Koivu is one of the hardest working skill players in the league, but don’t be surprised if the injury affects his numbers in 2010-11.

Justin Bourne offers a great explanation for why too many men on the ice penalties occur.

I apologize if this has been covered already, but apparently Kirill Kabanov has returned to Moncton.

How much will Nicklas Backstrom cost the Washington Capitals this summer? Carey Price gave Backstrom a piece of his mind (and hockey stick) at the end of the Habs/Caps game last night… video evidence below.

Use Twitter? Follow myself (@angus_j) and Dobber (@DobberHockey) on it!

Why are the DobberHockey forums so good? For one, we have intelligent members who get out to lots of WHL/OHL/AHL games and give their thoughts. Here is an example.

Jordan Schroeder has been really, really impressive in his play with the Moose during the playoff series against Hamilton. I had his shots at making the Canucks next season at about 5 or 10 percent, but I’d bump that up a bit. He is probably still a year away from being in the NHL, but he has learned the pro game and excelled very quickly, especially after such a mediocre campaign in the NCAA.

I am working on a top 10 keeper league defensemen list, and it should be out tomorrow. Notable omissions include Erik Johnson, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Pronger, and Zdeno Chara.

I’ll be in attendance at Game 5 between the Vancouver Giants and Tri-City Americans tonight in Vancouver. Any prospects I should keep an eye on? I am looking forward to getting another chance to watch defenseman Kevin Connauton play. Connauton, a recent Vancouver Canucks draft pick, has had a superb offensive season for the Giants in 2009-10 (and has carried his superb play into the playoffs).

This has been a first round full of surprises so far, and Boston continued that with another win over the Sabres last night. Miroslav Satan burned his former club in the second overtime period. Buffalo was a man short due to a too many men on the ice penalty. Shades of Don Cherry back in Boston?

I really enjoy watching Tuukka Rask play – he plays with so much confidence, and it is easy to see why. He combines natural talent and technical proficiency very, very well.

Johnny Boychuk had a great game for the Bruins – he logged over 30 minutes of ice time (including the two overtimes), recorded, an assist, and dished out a few nice hits. He had 20 goals and 65 points last season in Providence, so the offense is there. He could be a 30-point guy for the Bruins as early as next season.

I was really surprised that the Habs went with Carey Price last night, as Jaro Halak has been their guy all season long. Really surprised.

Some amazing, amazing plays in the NHL last night – lots of video clips posted today!

Alex Pietrangelo is a fantastic prospect and he gets lost in the dust a bit when people discuss the best young defensemen to own in keeper leagues. He isn't as proven as the likes of Doughty or Bogosian (to be fair, Doughty has separated himself quite a bit from any other young defenseman), but Pietrangelo's offensive upside is huge. He is a very fluid skater and sees the ice extremely well.

Mr. Art Ross with a beauty goal, one that ended up being the game winner:

Ryan Miller with a diving glove save in OT:

Tuukka Rask earlier in the same game with a diving save of his own:

Price laying the lumber on Backstrom: