Draft update

Here’s what I know…

— It’s probably 94 percent certain that the Kings will choose Drew Doughty. Dean Lombardi has not said so explicitly, nor will he, but I wouldn’t say something like that if I had serious doubts. I’m leaving a five-percent margin of error, in case the Kings get overwhelmed by a trade offer tomorrow, and a one-percent margin of error in case they discover tomorrow that Zach Bogosian can stop pucks with his teeth and score on 80-foot slap shots.

— The likelihood of any trade, at this point, is fairly low. I really believed that the Kings would be able to package Cammalleri or Visnovsky, but it doesn’t seem that the trade market in Ottawa is as strong as some anticipated it would be. There seems to be a willingness among some teams to wait and see how free agency shakes out.

— A Kings move back into the top 15 of the draft is possible, but not probable, at this point, given the trade market. Lombardi did comment on this point, and said, “I’m not sure I can get (a pick) high enough that I just don’t sit. You put your lines in the water and see what happens.”

Again, I’ll admittedly hedge my bets on the last two, because as I write this, there’s still about 17 hours until the draft, and anything could happen. But that’s what is out there at the moment.

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