Jay Feaster has the easy job - "idiot-proof" is how the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager puts it - and is all but absolutely certain he will select forward Steven Stamkos with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft tonight.

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, by comparison, has a much more difficult task determining what he'll do with the No. 2 pick.

With his staff "bunkered down around the mattress" of his hotel room, Lombardi said Thursday he was busy fielding calls from as many as 20 teams and weighing whether to trade the pick or use it on one of a solid corps of defense prospects ranked behind Stamkos.

"Probably 50-50," Lombardi said, regarding what he'll do.

Atlanta drafts third, followed by St. Louis and the New York Islanders.

Trade rumors have dominated the days leading up to the draft in part because there are numerous teams eager to move into the top 10 to get a chance at a draft class considered by NHL Central Scouting officials to be among the deepest in recent memory.

It's a group that includes two U.S.-born players: Zach Bogosian, who's from Massena, N.Y., and rated second among North American skaters; and defenseman Tyler Myers, who was born in Houston but moved with his family to Alberta when he was 10.

Another reason for the trade talk is the lack of elite veteran players projected to hit the free-agent market on July 1. That's different from last year, when Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth and Paul Kariya all made big splashes in free agency.

Columbus, with two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 19), is looking to make a trade to land a quality center. The Buffalo Sabres are interested in dealing forward Maxim Afinogenov. And the Boston Bruins are interested in dealing forward Glen Murray. Then there's uncertainty in Pittsburgh, which stands to lose Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone to free agency.

Amid all the speculation, Feaster, at least, is finally enjoying some certainty.

A day after the league formally approved the Lightning's sale to a group of investors led by Oren Koules, the team eagerly awaits the chance to select Stamkos -- the consensus top prospect.

"Oh yeah, that's the worst-kept secret," Feaster said, noting he already has Stamkos penciled in as the team's second-line center this season. "I think he's special. I don't think they come around all that often."

Listed at just less than 6 feet tall and 176 pounds, Stamkos is a skilled two-way player with exceptional speed. He produced 197 points (100 goals, 97 assists) in 124 games with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League over the past two seasons.

NHL MAY GIVE RANGERS' OWNERS THE BOOT: The NHL is threatening to kick the owners of the New York Rangers out of the league or force them to sell the team as punishment for accusing league officials of violating antitrust laws.

The NHL filed court papers Wednesday that included a draft letter from commissioner Gary Bettman proposing discipline against Madison Square Garden, L.P., that could lead to suspension or termination of its ownership of the Rangers. The Garden responded by accusing the NHL of using "bullying tactics."

In its court filing, the NHL asked a judge to agree Madison Square Garden breached its contract by challenging league rules.

Madison Square Garden sued the NHL in September, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. A judge ruled in November that the league seemed within its rights to take control of the team's Web site.

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