Draft picks are a valuable currency at the NHL trade deadline.
Playoff teams are willing to part with them in exchange for the player they think will help them lift the Stanley Cup, while rebuilding teams are happy to accumulate some additional selections in order to fill their prospect pipeline.
Starting with the Elias Lindholm trade from Calgary to Vancouver on Jan. 31, there were 25 picks from the upcoming NHL Draft that changed hands in the lead-up to the trade deadline. Of those 25, just four were in the first round and three in the second.
When all was said and done, however, seven teams were left with two first-round picks, six teams with none and three have total picks in the double digits this year.
With Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini widely considered to be the prize of the bunch and six defencemen projected to go in the top 10, let’s take a look at the draft picture in 2024, as it stands now.
FIRST-ROUND PICKS | TOTAL PICKS | |
ANAHEIM | 2 | 9 |
ARIZONA | 1 | 13 |
BOSTON | 0 | 3 |
BUFFALO | 1 | 8 |
CALGARY | 2 | 8 |
CAROLINA | 1 | 8 |
CHICAGO | 2 | 9 |
COLORADO | 1 | 7 |
COLUMBUS | 1 | 6 |
DALLAS | 1 | 3 |
DETROIT | 1 | 8 |
EDMONTON | 0 | 6 |
FLORIDA | 0 | 4 |
LOS ANGELES | 1 | 4 |
MINNESOTA | 1 | 6 |
MONTREAL | 2 | 12 |
NASHVILLE | 1 | 9 |
NEW JERSEY | 1 | 6 |
NY ISLANDERS | 1 | 5 |
NY RANGERS | 1 | 4 |
OTTAWA | 2 | 9 |
PHILADELPHIA | 2 | 10 |
PITTSBURGH | 1* | 6 |
ST. LOUIS | 1 | 9 |
SAN JOSE | 2 | 9 |
SEATTLE | 1 | 9 |
TAMPA BAY | 0 | 5 |
TORONTO | 1 | 7 |
VANCOUVER | 0 | 5 |
VEGAS | 1 | 5 |
WASHINGTON | 1 | 8 |
WINNIPEG | 0 | 5 |
Some points to consider:
• Though the Arizona Coyotes have the most picks in 2024 with 13, the situation with the Montreal Canadiens may just be the more interesting story ahead of the draft, which takes place June 28-29. They hold 12 picks overall, with two in the first round and five total over the first three rounds, none of which are tied to conditions. With that kind of leverage, general manager Kent Hughes has options.
Don’t get it twisted: the Canadiens are still firmly in the basement of the league. However, with a young core featuring Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook — along with an ample supply of developing defenceman — it’s worth pondering whether Hughes decides to flip a pick or two for another talented young player or prospect.
• On the topic of the Coyotes, however, their draft day still figures to be an enticing one. Entrenched in what seems to be a never-ending rebuild, Arizona has managed to accumulate an absurd number of picks spanning the next three years. In 2024, Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has three picks in both Round 2 and Round 3 to work with, in addition to his first-round selection. The next draft looks much the same: seven picks front-loaded in the first three rounds.
• Of the seven teams that have multiple first-round picks this year, a couple stand out. The Calgary Flames, for instance, are lurking around that second wild-card spot in the West despite trading away core members in Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin. In fact, the Flames have managed to retain at least one pick in each round but the fifth and seventh this year — tidy work for GM Craig Conroy, who is amid a significant roster retool. Though it’s entirely possible (perhaps even likely) they slip in the standings, managing to sneak into the playoffs while keeping the draft capital it has would be a sight to see in Calgary.
The Philadelphia Flyers are in a similar position. In addition to his two first-rounders, rookie GM Daniel Brière has two more in Round 2 to boot. Brière has remained committed to a steady rebuild of the roster, demonstrated by his quiet deadline and unwillingness to sacrifice futures for a win-now season. Someone forgot to tell that to his players, though, as they sit third in the Metropolitan Division and seem poised to make their first playoff appearance since 2020.
• Six teams are without a first-round pick this year: the Bruins, Oilers, Panthers, Lightning, Canucks and Jets. Five of these teams are top 10 in the league and three (Canucks, Panthers and Bruins) are fighting for that top spot. In short, all of these teams are in win-now mode, with a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup.
This makes the Penguins’ situation even more perplexing. They have a first-round pick this year, technically, but it comes with a pretty hefty condition. Acquired in the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes, the 2024 first-rounder turns into a second if the Hurricanes do not advance to the Stanley Cup Final. If the Hurricanes do advance that far, that selection would be, at the highest, 31st in Round 1.
In addition to the precarious status of their first-round pick, the Penguins have just two second-round picks and none in the third. As tough as it is to imagine a roster with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang at its core missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year, that’s where the Penguins are headed — with little in the way of draft capital this year to show for it.
• Both the Ottawa Senators’ first-round picks this season are conditional. They hold what was originally Boston’s pick, which the Bruins flipped to the Red Wings and then was acquired by Ottawa in the package that sent Alex DeBrincat to Detroit last summer. Complex conditions aside, the takeaway is that Ottawa will retain a first-round pick, but they may have to wait until next year to use it.
Their other first-rounder, which happens to be their own, had conditions slapped upon it by the league as punishment for the mishandling of the Evgenii Dadonov trade with Vegas in 2021 (the Senators failed to alert the Golden Knights that he had a no-trade clause in his contract, which later became an issue). In the 24 hours following the draft lottery, GM Steve Staios will have to decide if the Sens give up their 2024, 2025 or 2026 first-rounder. The upside? The choice is theirs to make.
• Fifteen teams are left with less than the seven picks each club is allotted. Of those 15, five currently sit outside of a playoff position (Columbus, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh).
• As it stands, GMs for the Dallas Stars and Bruins won’t be making the trek to the stage too often come June — both teams have just three picks in 2024.
The Bruins’ first-rounder this year, now belonging to the Senators, is top-10 protected but, the way the season is going, it’s just about impossible that their selection will be that high. As it stands, they make their first selection in Round 4.
The Stars have somehow managed to retain their first-rounder this year, even after nabbing the most sought-after right-shot defenceman in Tanev. However, they don’t make their next selection until Round 5.
