The Hockey Writers Daily - June 30, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have grades for every 1st Round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, a deep dive into the Canadiens draft picks, potential moves from the Oilers after the Yamamoto/Kostin trade, the latest NHL rumors & news, and much more.
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Grading Every First Rounder in the 2023 Draft
While there wasn't any surprise at first overall, we did get some drama in the top five with the Anaheim Ducks selecting Leo Carlsson at second overall over Adam Fantilli who ended up going to the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Fantilli is clearly the better skater of the two, it's obvious that the Ducks believe in Carlsson's skill and two-way game more than Fantilli and he'll be a fun player to watch going forward.
In this article I’ll be grading every single draft pick in the first round of this year’s draft, giving each pick a letter grade ranging from F to A+. My grades will be based on the quality of the player taken, the area of the draft they were taken, how well the pick addressed the team's needs, the other players on the board and the likelihood of the player realistically filling that need someday soon.
Canadiens’ 2023 Draft Deep Dive: Rounds 2-7 Edition
The Montreal Canadiens kicked off day two of the NHL Entry Draft with eight picks in their pocket. Although they had to wait out the duration of the second round, they owned four selections in the following two rounds. The Canadiens traded their 37th pick in this year’s draft to the Colorado Avalanche in the Alex Newhook deal, including their 31st pick.
On day one, the Canadiens made shockwaves by taking the first defenseman of the 2023 draft in David Reinbacher. While this year’s class was rich in offensive talent, general manager Kent Hughes opted to beef up his blue line. The Canadiens were lacking in right-handed defensemen, and Reinbacher’s style is something the team will covet for years. We’ll see how long it takes him to translate his game to North America while he plays against men in Switzerland.
NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Predators, Flyers, Bruins
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs are rumored to be interested in Ryan Reaves. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames may have a few options for Noah Hanifin, among them the Florida Panthers. The Nashville Predators tried to move into the top five of the NHL Draft and the Philadelphia Flyers did their homework before selecting Matvei Michkov before taking him with the No. 7 overall pick. Finally, is Milan Lucic headed back to the Boston Bruins?
Insider Connects Flames’ Zadorov to Maple Leafs in Trade
The first domino to fall in what should be a stressful but entertaining offseason for the Calgary Flames began with Tyler Toffoli being traded to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in this year’s draft. Say what you want about the trade, neither one is the focus here. The player who has drawn interest and could also be moved this summer is Nikita Zadorov.
Elliotte Friedman joined Flames Talk and had some interesting things to say about Zadorov and company. He said, “I think Toronto is trying to remodel their defence a bit. I can see Treliving wanting to get Zadorov in Toronto.” Friedman also mentioned that everyone is talking about big names like Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, but some people have mentioned Zadorov to him.
Yamamoto, Kostin Trades Pave Way for Next 3 Oilers’ Signings
With the successful cap dump that was the Edmonton Oilers trading Kailer Yamamoto to the Detroit Red Wings, GM Ken Holland got started on the process of finding some room to make moves both internally and externally with his roster. The trade included Klim Kostin, and while that wasn’t motivated exclusively by salary cap concerns — it was believed the player was likely to sign in the KHL — there is some additional money now available to add a player and get another item on Holland’s to-do list checked off.
Grading the Blackhawks’ Trade for Bailey From the Islanders
While none of the expected trades came to fruition during the 2023 NHL Draft last night, it didn’t take long for general managers to shake off the rust and start putting together deals the next morning. Before the start of the second round, the New York Islanders sent long-time franchise face Josh Bailey and a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.
In terms of why this trade happened, the reasoning is simple. As a contending franchise, the Islanders needed to clear cap space in order to sign players this offseason while setting themselves up for what will likely be a significant raise for star goaltender Illya Sorokin next offseason. For the Blackhawks, they are a rebuilding franchise for at least a few more seasons, and they just so happened to have plenty of cap space available to take on an unwanted contract like Bailey’s.
So, while this trade makes sense, was it a true win-win for both teams?
More THW stuff from around the NHL:
Toronto Maple Leafs - News & Rumors: Cowan, Matthews, Nylander & Reaves
From ESPN - NHL draft winners and losers: Blackhawks, Blues, USNTDP
From Sportsnet - PWHPA financers purchase PHF, unified women's hockey league planned
From TSN - Flat salary cap and lack of high-profile stars lessens focus on start of NHL free agency
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