Atlantic Division team draft needs

The 2018 NHL Draft provides an opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of young talent.
The first round of the draft at American Airlines Center in Dallas is June 22 (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS). Rounds 2-7 are June 23 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS).
Here are what Atlantic Division teams could be looking to do when they arrive in Dallas (teams listed in alphabetical order):

RELATED: *[Complete 2018 NHL Draft Coverage*]

BOSTON BRUINS

Top priority:Two-way defenseman
The situation: The Bruins had six rookies in their lineup during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and as many as seven rookies played at least 10 games during the regular season, so the future looks promising. There were two defensemen -- Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk -- among those first-year players so that may be an area of focus in the draft. Left-shot prospect Jakub Zboril, 19, was chosen with the No. 13 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and had 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 68 games for Providence of the American Hockey League. Urho Vaakanainen (2017, No. 18), 19, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract June 13, had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his second professional season for SaiPa in Liiga. A reliable penalty-killer and stay-at-home type, Vaakanainen might be the organization's top defenseman prospect. The Bruins have five picks in the draft, but none in the first round.
Possible fits:Adam Ginning, D, Linkoping (SWE); Calen Addison, D, Lethbridge (WHL); Nicolas Beaudin, D, Drummondville (QMJHL)

BUFFALO SABRES

Top priority: Franchise player
The situation:The Sabres have finished last in the Atlantic Division the past two seasons, but there's reason for optimism after they won the NHL Draft Lottery. Rasmus Dahlin, a defenseman with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, is the likely No. 1 pick who would fill an immediate role, average between 15-20 minutes in ice time as an 18-year-old rookie, and reap the benefits of having Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley as his coach. The Sabres have plenty of high-end prospects in their pipeline, including forwards Casey Mittelstadt (2017, No. 8), Alexander Nylander (2016, No. 8), Rasmus Asplund (2016, No. 33) and Victor Olofsson (2014, No. 181), and defensemen Brendan Guhle (2015, No. 51) and William Borgen (2015, No. 92). Buffalo has seven picks in the draft, including two in the fourth round.
Possible fits:Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda (SWE), Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL); Brady Tkachuk, RW, Boston University (H-EAST)

DETROIT RED WINGS

Top priority:Top-four defenseman
The situation:The Red Wings have 11 selections in the draft, including seven in the first three rounds, so they will look to load up at the skill positions. Detroit has failed the qualify for the playoffs the past two seasons after appearances in 25 straight seasons. Detroit has the No. 6 pick, its highest since selecting forward Keith Primeau at No. 3 in the 1990 NHL Draft. Expect the Red Wings to target a puck mover on defense or a center. They selected four defensemen among their first five selections in 2016, and two among their first three in 2017, including Gustav Lindstrom (No. 38) and Kasper Kotkansalo (No. 71). Their top forward prospects are right wing Evgeny Svechnikov (2015, No. 19) and center Michael Rasmussen (2017, No. 9).
Possible fits:Quintin Hughes, D, University of Michigan (Big 10); Noah Dobson, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL); Evan Bouchard, D, London (OHL)

FLORIDA PANTHERS

Top priority: Depth at all positions
The situation:The Panthers need to fortify their depth on defense, particularly players capable of generating offense from the blue line. Coach Bob Boughner had four rookies play 25 or more games this season, including forwards Connor Brickley and Maxim Mamin, and defensemen Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar. There are plenty of good forwards in the pipeline: Henrik Borgstrom (2016, No. 23), Owen Tippett (2017, No. 10), Aleksi Heponiemi (2017, No. 40) and Dryden Hunt (Free agent, 2016). Florida will take the best available knowing it has two selections in the opening three rounds: The No. 15 pick in the first round, one pick in the second round and none in the third.
Possible fits: Ty Smith, D, Spokane (WHL); Joel Farabee, LW, USA U-18 (USHL); Adam Ginning, D, Linkoping (SWE)

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Top priority: Top-six forward
The situation:The Canadiens had a 28.8 percent chance to improve the No. 4 pick at the NHL Draft Lottery and they did, moving one spot to No. 3. Since 1980, the Canadiens have chosen among the top three twice (forward Alex Galchenyuk, 2012, No. 3; forward Doug Wickenheiser, 1980, No. 1). Now's their chance to stock the prospect pool with 10 picks inside the opening five rounds, including five in the second round. They finished 29th in the NHL in goals scored (207) and were seventh in goals allowed (258). Among the top prospects already in their system are center Ryan Poehling (2017, No. 25) and right wing Nikita Scherbak (2014, No. 26), and defenseman Noah Juulsen (2015, No. 26) and Josh Brook (2017, No. 56). Scherbak, who had six points (four goals, two assists) in 26 games with the Canadiens this season, and Juulsen, who had a goal and two assists in 23 games, appear ready for full-time roles.
Possible fits:Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL); Filip Zadina, RW, Halifax (QMJHL); Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Assat (FIN)

OTTAWA SENATORS

Top priority: Young skilled forwards
The situation:The Senators have seven picks in the draft, including two (Nos. 4 and 22) in the first round. Expect them to target a forward and defenseman with those early picks. The pipeline is looking good with centers Colin White (2015, No. 21), Logan Brown (2016, No. 11) and Filip Chlapik (2015, No. 48), right wing Drake Batherson (2017, No. 121), and left wing Alex Formenton (2017, No. 47) in the fold. If Halifax forward and Czech Republic native Filip Zadina falls to the Senators at No. 4, he could be Chlapik's wingman for many years. Defenseman Thomas Chabot (2015, No. 18) had a successful NHL rookie season with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 63 games. It remains to be seen if defenseman Erik Karlsson will be traded prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2019, so it might behoove the Senators to pick a blue-chip defenseman prospect with the second choice in the first round.
Possible fits: Filip Zadina, RW, Halifax (QMJHL); Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Assat (FIN); Brady Tkachuk, LW, Boston University (H-EAST)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Top priority:Center depth
The situation:The Lightning have seven picks but none in the first round. They traded Vladislav Namestnikov, Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, a 2018 first-round pick and 2019 conditional first-round pick to the New York Rangers for defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller on Feb. 26. Tampa Bay's pipeline of prospects is solid. In fact, center Anthony Cirelli (2015, No. 72) is ahead of schedule, having played 18 regular-season games and 17 playoff games. Defenseman Cal Foote (2017, No. 14) signed a three-year, entry-level contract April 1 and played six games for Syracuse of the AHL. Left wing Boris Katchouk (2016, No. 44) and right wing Taylor Raddysh (2016, No. 58) each played a significant role for gold medal-winning Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. Goalie Connor Ingram (2016, No. 88) had a 2.33 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 35 games for Syracuse.
Possible fits:Jack Drury, C, Waterloo (USHL); Liam Foudy, C, London (OHL); Jack McBain, C, Toronto JC (OJHL)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Top priority:Top-nine forward
The situation: The Maple Leafs did some front office restructuring after a seven-game loss to the Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round. Kyle Dubas, 32, was promoted to general manager from assistant GM on May 11. Lou Lamoriello is president of the New York Islanders after a three-year reign as Maple Leafs GM. Dubas will oversee his first NHL Draft in his new role. Toronto used four of its seven picks on defensemen at the 2017 draft. They have seven picks this year, including No. 25 in the first round. Look for the Maple Leafs to choose the best available player with an emphasis on center and defense. The top forward prospects in the system are right wing Carl Grunstrom (2016, No. 57), left wing Andreas Johnsson (2013, No. 202) and right wing Jeremy Bracco (2015, No. 61).
Possible fits:Akil Thomas, C, Niagara (OHL); Benoit-Olivier Groulx, C, Halifax (QMJHL); Ty Dellandrea, C, Flint (OHL)