Thursday thoughts: the NHL draft approaches, Poile to work on free agents, and why isn't Dino in the Hall?

Just one more shopping day left before the NHL Draft commences Friday evening in Montreal, so get yourself ready with some of this morning's links. We've got completion of the SB Nation NHL Mock Draft, a primer that covers a variety of resources for draft information, and an astounding attempt to quantify just how well teams have drafted and developed talent over the last several years.

All that, and David Poile's plans for re-signing some key players after the jump...

Inside Predators - Tennessean.com 

John Glennon's blog indicates that tonight is when David Poile plans to speak with the agents representing some of the Preds' potential free agents. I'll have more on this situation later today.

Mirtle's NHL Entry Draft Primer: 2009 Edition - From The Rink

James has your one-stop shop for NHL Draft coverage, pointing you to all the best pre-draft articles, and a number of bloggers who will attend this weekend in Montreal to cover the event.

2009 SBN NHL Mock Draft: Day 10: Penguins nab Elliott at 30th - From The Rink

The SB Nation NHL Mock Draft wraps up with picks by the Blackhawks, Red Wings, and Penguins bloggers.

A New Approach to Which NHL Teams Draft Best? (1999-2005) - Bird Watchers Anonymous

There have been a number of excellent articles written recently about the NHL Draft, but the Falconer moves straight to the head of the class with this piece which attempts to quantify how well NHL teams have drafted & developed players over the last several years.

Draft Day Trades - Coming Down the Pipe!

This doesn't quite qualify as a trade rumor, but Dean Millard speculates about the possibility of a Jordin Tootoo/Robert Nilsson trade. I'd be a bit surprised to see the Preds trade for a guy making twice what Tootoo is, and coming off a disappointing season.

Dino Ciccarelli dissed yet again by Hockey Hall of Fame - The State of Hockey News

Derek Felska reviews the NHL Awards, and also makes the case for Dino Ciccarelli as a Hall of Famer. With this year's class, he had no shot of making the final four, but maybe next year? Dino one of the great goal-scorers of the 80's and 90's.