1 | | - | | Best Scoring and Overall In the Draft |
2 | | - | | Highest Upside Play. KHL Risk seems less than years past. Note: likely a lesser player than Michkov, alluding to downside play of this years group. |
3 | | - | | Anaheim, thought to ruin the party in Calgary, drafts Center Tij Iginla only to flip him to Calgary along with D Ian Moore and LW William Stromberg for D Rasmus Andersson, LW Parker Bell, former 1st Rounder Defensive Specialist C/LW Jakob Pelletier+2024 9th Overall Pick |
4 | | - | | With a new Admin in the Front Office, the Blue Jackets make the long play on a RHD from the KHL to add to a deep Pro Blue Line, yet a very thin Developmental Pipeline on the backend. |
5 | | - | | On a day where Montreal made a flurry of deals including dealing the Harris Brothers along with Armia to clear salary and add to their future stash of picks and organizational depth up front in the form of Henri Nikkanen and Brad Lambert from Winnipeg, they have dreams of Zdeno dance in their heads and know that this pick won’t grow into it’s own for another 3-4 years at minimum. |
7 | | - | | Ottawa doing Ottawa things. Change begets more of the same. At best they draft the next Artem Zub here. The perfect replacement in a few years for…Artem Zub. |
8 | | - | | Avoiding the second tier miss risk, Seattle forgoes drafting best available in lieu of organizational need here, citing existing Center depth at the 2-3 level and blue liners at the 4-6 level. |
9 | | - | | Calgary having dealt this pick to Anaheim in the Tij Iginla deal, are left hoping they don’t regret it as they watch monster forward Cayden Lindstrom come off the board. So far the Quacks are an early Draft Day Winner, turning the 3rd Overall, Ian Moore and William Stromgren into Rasmus Andersson, Cayden Lindstrom, Jakob Pelletier, and Parker Bell. They’ll be back on the board at 24. |
10 | | - | | Jersey in need of Depth at all Positions after recent graduates, go for RD help leaving Dickenson as a shocking drop outside the Top 10 |
11 | | - | | After trying and failing to swing deals for netminder mentors John Gibson and Jakob Markstrom, citing No Trade and No Movement Clauses, the vibe around Buffalo is one of disappointment as they add to a bare cupboard at the Center position |
12 | | - | | The Flyers in need of immediate and long term help front, may settle in between here with help that may arrive sooner than anyone else available at this spot in the draft. Once thought a possible top 3 guy, the Flyers waste no time in adding this wing to Broadstreet. |
13 | | - | | With visions of Griffin Reinhart dancing in their heads, the Wild continue to let SD fall, opting for quicker QB style back end addition. |
14 | | | | A pick forever tied to the Celebrini season, they draft a big body to set opposite Little Mac and cover his 6. |
15 | | - | | With Edvinsson and possibly the Johansson Brothers moving up in the next year, Detroit nearly trips over their good luck here, snagging a consensus Top 7 pick. |
16 | | - | | St. Louis likely feels lucky to still own this pick and now another in the 1st after a mix of additions and sweeteners to offset bad salary in dealing Colton Parayko, Simon Robertsson, LW Braden Schenn, Tyler Tucker, Jordan Binnington, and Dalibor Dvorsky to Toronto for RW Mitch Marner, G Dan Hildeby, D Timothy Liljegren, D Connor Timmins, C Calle Jarnkrok, C David Kampf, and Toronto’s 2024 1st+2026 1st.
St. Louis nets a big win ditching Schenn and Binnington’s salary while adding a Top 10 Offensive Player in the NHL, despite having a hole in the Net that Hildeby is likely a few years away from being able to fill. |
17 | | - | | Caught in the land of tweeners, Washington adds to their mid landscape with a pick here that won’t reach the league before Ovi is sipping Mai Tai’s on a beach awaiting his Hall Of Fame call. |
18 | | - | | For Roy’s first draft on the island the Godfather trades back to grab the 30th and 36th allowing Philly to move up 12 slots to grab big body and Michkov running mate of the future. |
19 | | - | | With this Pro Roster looking mighty pricey, despite their best efforts to procure a trade, the Vegas Injured Reserves add to the cupboard in the first for the first time since seemingly the Glass and Brannstrom draft. |
20 | | | | Needs across entire shelf organizationally, Chicago goes best available. |
21 | | - | | Montreal’s pick after acquiring it In a 3 team deal that saw the Harris Brothers land in Winnipeg, the Kings take on Joel Armia’s salary and the Habs add C Nikkanen and C Lambert from Winnipeg while taking on the enigma that is Pierre Luc Dubois, albeit at a reduced rate ($2M retained over 7 years) as well as this pick heading to Montreal while the Kings hope to have a resolution for the short and mid term in Samuel Montembault. Habs compete with Anaheim for Top of the Pops on the day with another Hutson in the kitchen. |
22 | | - | | Adding to the Swedish Mafia in the South. |
23 | | - | | St. Louis says thank you to Toronto again in rebuilding this unit on the fly with the best available. |
24 | | | | Anaheim, already rockstars at this draft, add another US Born Center to the best system in the league. |
25 | | - | | Colorado goes full Ritchie Rich, adding Ritchie the smaller, younger and faster to join big bro in the Denver developmental machine. |
26 | | | | A system desperate for forwards…adds their second RHD of the day. |
27 | | | | The New York Islanders acquire this pick, After much persuasion, and expessing a lack of confidence in his netminder among the staff and room, G Ilya Sorokin is sent packing in exchange for the 27th Overall pick, leaving Varlamov and Hellberg to hold down the crease as well as C Christian Dvorak coming to island to offset the cost of the Sorokin extension.
Isles add size up front. |
28 | | - | | The Finish Mafia gets small and swift on the back end. |
29 | | | | A family reunion is Calgary for the Finn Fam. |
30 | | | | The Isles are back to the podium after dealing back from 18. Dipping into the Q for a Center with size who can play all 3 positions. |
31 | | - | | Dallas adds some size on the back end to a thinning blue line curve. |
32 | | - | | Rangers go best available with upside play. |