LONDON, Ont. — One might be the loneliest number. But when it comes to this year’s NHL draft, that distinction goes to No. 4.

After all, Saturday’s draft lottery will determine which teams will be picking first, second and third overall in the draft. The lucky winners will have a chance at selecting potential franchise forwards Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi.

Matthew Tkachuk is expected to go sometime after that, but the London Knights forward does not consider himself a loser pick. If anything, after building on a 107-point season by scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 14 playoff games so far, he could be the steal of the draft.

“I’m a guy who’s a winner,” Tkachuk said after scoring a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s sweep of the Erie Otters in the Western Conference final. “I can contribute on offence and be an offensive weapon. If I play my game, I think I can be one of the best in the draft.”

With NHL bloodlines — his dad, Keith, scored 538 goals and 1,065 points in 1,201 regular-season games — and an imposing frame, Tkachuk might be considered the best power forward in the draft. Certainly, he is one of the best at cycling the puck down low and using his 6-foot-1 and 195-pound body to redirect shots from the front of the net.

But is he one of the best players?

Well, that is a little tougher to answer — not just with Tkachuk, but with anyone outside the top-3. Teams ideally want to win a lottery pick, where a franchise centreman such as Matthews or a game-breaking winger like Laine or Puljujarvi are waiting.

“You’re getting a potential all-star there,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. “The teams that are in the lottery are going to leave the draft day happy with what they get.”

The teams that don’t win are going to have to do their homework. According to Mark Seidel, chief scout with North American Central Scouting, “it’s the top three and then there’s a pretty good gap.” You can still find very good players, but it becomes an apples and oranges-type debate that is based on team needs, preference and who is doing the scouting.

NHL Central Scouting listed Tkachuk as the second-best North American skater in its final rankings (Matthews, Laine and Puljujarvi were the top-three European skaters) behind versatile forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.

TSN’s mid-term rankings had Tkachuk as the fourth-best prospect on the continent, ahead of defenceman Jakob Chychrun and winger Alex Nylander. And North American Central Scouting had Tkachuk fifth overall, behind Chychrun

“This top group of players here are really interchangeable. It’s tough to find a dividing line,” said Marr. “It’s depending on the team selecting what they’re looking for … you’re going right down to 17, 18 where guys could supplant someone in the top eight.”

Every team has a different philosophy regarding the draft.

Some prefer size, some value skill, and others place an emphasis on character and intangibles. Most general managers insist they do not draft based on position. But it can be a factor, especially if two similar players are the best available.

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman reportedly was looking for a winger to play with Steven Stamkos when he passed on defenceman Seth Jones and selected Jonathan Drouin with the third-overall pick in 2013. In that draft, Nashville Predators GM David Poile said he was “looking for a forward” but settled on Jones with the next pick.

“Seth Jones, who I thought would go one, two or three, just fell to us,” said Poile. “And a few years later, he becomes Ryan Johnasen. I think that’s how it’s supposed to work.”

It is natural to assume that the Toronto Maple Leafs might be leaning towards Tkachuk if they don’t win the lottery and drop to the fourth overall pick. Not only does Tkachuk play on a line with Mitch Marner, whom the Leafs’ selected with the fourth-overall pick last year, but also there is a strong connection between head scout Mark Hunter and his former team in London.

“They’ll be getting a great player,” Marner said of Tkachuk. “He does everything so well and he’s getting better every day. Whichever team gets him is going to be lucky, that’s for sure.”

The Edmonton Oilers, who are guaranteed a top-five pick, might prefer a defenceman such as Chychrun or Olli Juolevi after selecting forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nail Yakupov in three of the past four drafts.

The Vancouver Canucks, meanwhile, could be considering a skilled playmaker like Nylander or Dubois, who might one day replace Daniel and Henrik Sedin if they fall outside the top three.

“The top three are pretty much set there and then I think it’s what a team want, whether they want a D or a different type of forward,” said Tkachuk. “There’s a lot of good players. Hopefully I go high.”

Email: mtraikos@postmedia.com

Twitter: @Michael_Traikos