The 2011 NHL draft

First round: Friday, 6-9 p.m. (VS)Rounds 2-7: Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (NHL Network)

Tickets: All tickets for Friday's first round have been reserved; tickets for Saturday's session are available. For more information, go to www.wild.com.

Wild picks: 10 (first round), 71 (3rd), 101 (4th), 131 (5th), 161 (6th), 191 (7th).

A look at a player who might be selected by the Wild with its first-round pick Friday:

Every year, there seems to be one player who drops unexpectedly, and uncomfortably, in the draft. There has been Angelo Esposito, Alexei Cherepanov and, last year, Cam Fowler.

Could Sean Couturier be this year's example? Once considered a top-three lock, the huge, skilled pivot seems to be dropping on many draft lists. Couturier's dropped so much, the Wild even interviewed him at the draft combine. Assistant GM Brent Flahr felt "guilty" about that because he still doubts he gets to 10.

Skating seems to be the biggest concern. Of course, skating was a concern for Corey Perry in 2003. He went 28th overall to Anaheim and led the NHL with 50 goals this season.

Of the 252 players chosen, Mats Sundin went first overall by the Quebec Nordiques, Nicklas Lidstrom 53rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings. Other notable NHLers taken in the draft were Bill Guerin (5th, New Jersey), Bobby Holik (10th, Hartford), Olaf Kolzig (19th, Washington), Adam Foote (22nd, Quebec), Wes Walz (57th, Boston), Sergei Fedorov (74th, Detroit) and Pavel Bure (113rd, Vancouver).