By Daren Smith SportsTicker Pro Hockey Editor

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) - There's widespread agreement that this year's NHL draft is the deepest in a decade. There's considerably less agreement on who will be the first player taken Saturday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

The team that makes that selection also is no sure thing.

Eric Staal is the top-rated North American skater, Marc-Andre Fleury is the top-rated North American goaltender and Russian winger Nikolai Zherdev is the top-rated European skater. Any of the three could go No. 1 overall.

"When we were looking at underage players last year, we thought - as did many others - that Nikolai Zherdev would be the No. 1 pick, but now it could be any one of Eric Staal, Thomas Vanek or Marc-Andre Fleury," Vancouver Canucks chief amateur scout Ron Delorme said. "It is a very, very deep draft."

For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers won the draft lottery and own the top pick. And for the second year in a row, they could trade it.

In 2002, general manager Rick Dudley traded with the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping down two spots and still getting the player he wanted in sweet-skating defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.

Because the Panthers need immediate scoring help and because Roberto Luongo figures to be their goalie for years to come, there's speculation Dudley again will part with the No. 1 pick.more