The Seven: Canadian NHL teams skip playoffs, focus on draft lottery

Have you heard the news? Canadian teams are at or near the top of the NHL standings.

No, that’s not a typo, although perhaps it’s cruel April Fools’ Day joke.

Now that it’s official no teams north of the border will keep playing past Game 82, it’s the other end of the standings that should register with fans. And things are going swimmingly in that capacity.

All seven squads are inside the top-10 in the race for the bottom and the right to hold a 20 percent chance to pick No. 1 overall in the 2016 NHL draft. Here’s an opportunity for them to add a key piece for the future. But who should they choose?

Centre Auston Matthews, an American who excelled playing pro hockey in Switzerland, is the consensus top pick and should be selected by whoever gets the chance. But that isn’t what this is all about. We’re here to assign the ideal prospect to the needs of each sorry Canadian team based on the current draft slot.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Auston Matthews, C, Zurich (Switzerland)

The Leafs are tied for last with Edmonton, which holds the tiebreaker because of games played. If tied at season’s end, the Leafs finish last because they’ve won fewer games. Now that that’s out of the way, the Leafs have desperately needed someone like Matthews, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound pivot, since Mats Sundin left in 2008.

Edmonton Oilers – Jakob Chychrun, D, Sarnia (OHL)

A 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenceman that does everything well; yes please, say Oilers fans.

Vancouver Canucks – Patrik Laine, LW, Tappara (Finland)

Laine is a power winger that proved he can score as a 17-year-old at the World Junior Championship. His size and strength would be perfect in Vancouver.

Winnipeg Jets – Matthew Tkachuk, LW, London (OHL)

Assuming world junior MVP Jesse Puljujarvi is selected by Columbus, it would be appropriate to see Tkachuk play in Winnipeg where his dad, Keith, once starred. Imagine the destruction he’d cause alongside Blake Wheeler, too.

Calgary Flames – Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)

A gritty, two-way winger with a scoring touch. Sounds like Brian Burke’s kind of player. Dubois was third in ‘Q’ scoring with 99 points.

Montreal Canadiens – Mike McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)

McLeod is fast and goes to the tough areas. The Canadiens could use a 6-foot-2, 188-pound (and growing) centre.

Ottawa Senators – Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor (OHL)

The Senators have had one of the worst defensive units in the NHL this season. Sergachev would help there.

A lot can change between the end of the season, the lottery and the draft. But, surely, better times are ahead for Canadian teams. And that’s no joke – at least we think.

Now for the rest of The Seven – a weekly look at the Canadian-based NHL teams. This week we’ll continue breaking things down from worst to first.

EDMONTON OILERS

Trending – Nail Yakupov, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012, asked for a trade out of Edmonton earlier this season. And while approximately eight teams were reportedly interested, with the Oilers he stayed after the deadline.

Making his mark – Although centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is sidelined with a concussion and the Oilers have three meaningless games left, Postmedia’s Jim Matheson believes he might play again before season’s end.

Dubious distinction – Former Anaheim Ducks winger Patrick Maroon got back at his old team not by beating them, but by stealing their puck after a loss Monday.

What’s ahead – The Oilers host Calgary on Saturday and Vancouver next Wednesday.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Trending – The Leafs continue to shuffle in callups from the AHL Marlies. Defencemen Andrew Campbell and T.J. Brennan and forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Tobias Lindberg were recalled before Thursday’s game in Buffalo. Forwards Connor Brown and Zach Hyman and defencemen Rinat Valiev and Connor Carrick were sent down.

Making his mark – Nazem Kadri recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Dubious distinction – Kadri was the on the receiving end of a cross-check from Boston’s David Krejci, which didn’t result in a penalty and led to an empty-net goal. It also caused coach Mike Babcock to come to Kadri’s defence.

What’s ahead – The Leafs play their last three home games against Detroit, Florida and Columbus before heading to Philadelphia.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Trending – Rookie Jake Virtanen is back in the news again. He received a two-game suspension for a blindside hit on San Jose defenceman Roman Polak.

Making his mark – Winger Jannik Hansen hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. It was the winning goal, too, in a 4-2 decision in San Jose.

Dubious distinction – Hansen’s goal on Thursday night helped the Canucks snap a nine-game losing streak.

What’s ahead – Anaheim, Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary are next as the season winds down.

WINNIPEG JETS

Trending – The Jets sure know how to treat long-suffering fans. Honouring Len Kropioski, 97, after a lengthy hospital stay brought tears to his eyes.

Making his mark – The Jets are on a three-game losing streak, but it’s hard to fault Mark Scheifele. The 23-year-old centre had points in all three contests, extending his own streak to five games.

Dubious distinction – NCAA free agent Brandon Tanev, 24, signed with the Jets. But because of his age, Tanev – the brother of Vancouver Canucks’ Chris – could only sign a one-year deal. He’ll be a restricted free agent if he plays in the NHL before the end of the season.

What’s ahead – The Jets host Chicago and Minnesota before heading to California to finish up their season. Games in Anaheim and San Jose are first.

CALGARY FLAMES

Trending – Mark Jankowski, Calgary’s first-round pick in 2012, finally signed on the dotted line after his senior year at Providence College.

Making his mark – Sam Bennett’s two goals paced the Flames to a 5-2 win in Arizona on Monday.

Dubious distinction – Surprise, surprise. The Flames lost in Anaheim. They fell 8-3 in Orange County on Wednesday, marking the 23rd straight time they’ve lost there. That equals an NHL record for most consecutive defeats by one team in a road building. The Pittsburgh Penguins went 23 games without a win at the Philadelphia Spectrum from 1980 to 1987.

What’s ahead – The Flames return to Alberta where they visit the Oilers before hosting Los Angeles and Vancouver.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Trending – It appears Canadiens owner Geoff Molson first expressed fears about concussion lawsuits as far back as 2011, according to Radio-Canada. An email outlining his concern sent by Molson to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was one of a slew of NHL emails unveiled as part of a class-action concussion lawsuit.

Making his mark – As the Carey Price watch continues, replacement Mike Condon earned his first career shutout in a 3-0 win in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Dubious distinction – The Canadiens signed NCAA goalie Charlie Lindgren, bought him in to Tampa Bay to back up Condon and waived Ben Scrivens. What does this mean for supposed goaltender of the future Zach Fucale?

What’s ahead – A home-and-home set with Florida is next before travelling to Carolina.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Trending – Mark Stone is third in the NHL with 80 even-strength points since Jan. 1, 2015. However, he’s sidelined because of a bit hit from Winnipeg defenceman Dustin Byfuglien on Wednesday.

Making his mark – Defenceman Cody Ceci scored with 3:57 left in the third period to hand Ottawa a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday. Minnesota’s six-game winning streak ended as a result.

Dubious distinction – The Senators defeated Winnipeg 2-1, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the playoff hunt.

What’s ahead – The Sens play in Philadelphia on Saturday before welcoming Pittsburgh and Florida to the nation’s capital.

MORE NHL COVERAGE ON YAHOO SPORTS: