The NHL trade market lives and dies in the movement of draft picks, a future promise of talent whose value perceived value is impossible to assess. A third-round pick today might be worth a second-round pick three years from now, but vary in value from conversation to conversation among the NHL’s executives. It’s difficult to see who won a trade that involves picks even years after the fact, given that the path a player goes down is immeasurably dependent on the team that drafts him and their development process.
Still, draft picks are the currency which teams use to improve in the short term while others try to stockpile for a rebuild that may never truly come. We’ve already seen quite a bit of movement among the picks for the 2019 draft, including several high selections changing hands this summer. Below is a list of where each team sits as we approach the season, and who has a few more coins in their pocket for any in-season trading.
2019 NHL Entry Draft Selections:
Anaheim Ducks – 1st (ANA), 2nd (ANA), 4th (ANA), 5th (ANA), 6th (ANA)
Arizona Coyotes – 1st (ARZ), 2nd (ARZ), 3rd (ARZ), 3rd (CHI), 4th (ARZ), 6th (ARZ), 6th (CBJ)*, 6th (PIT)
*The Coyotes will only acquire this pick if Ryan MacInnis plays 20 NHL games in 2018-19.
Boston Bruins – 1st (BOS), 2nd (BOS), 3rd (BOS), 5th (BOS), 6th (BOS)
Buffalo Sabres – 1st (BUF), 1st (SJS)*, 1st (STL)*, 3rd (BUF), 4th (SJS)*, 6th (BUF), 6th (TOR), 7th (BUF)
*Conditions on each of these picks could push them to 2020.
Calgary Flames – 1st (CGY), 3rd (CGY), 4th (NYI), 5th (CGY), 7th (CAR)
Carolina Hurricanes – 1st (CAR), 2nd (CAR), 2nd (BUF), 3rd (CAR), 4th (CAR), 5th (CAR), 6th (CAR), 6th (CGY), 7th (BOS)
Chicago Blackhawks – 1st (CHI), 2nd (CHI), 4th (CHI), 4th (BOS), 5th (ARZ), 6th (CHI), 7th (CHI), 7th (ANA)
Colorado Avalanche – 1st (COL), 1st (OTT), 2nd (COL), 3rd (COL), 3rd (OTT), 5th (COL), 6th (COL), 7th (COL)
Columbus Blue Jackets – 1st (CBJ), 3rd (CBJ), 4th (CBJ), 7th (CBJ)
Dallas Stars – 1st (DAL), 2nd (DAL), 3rd (DAL), 4th (DAL), 4th (PIT/MIN)*, 5th (DAL), 6th (DAL), 7th (DAL)
*The Stars will receive the earlier of the two picks
Detroit Red Wings – 1st (DET), 2nd (DET), 2nd (NYI), 3rd (DET), 4th (DET), 5th (DET), 5th (BUF), 5th (CBJ), 6th (DET), 7th (DET), 7th (ARZ)*
*The Red Wings will only acquire this pick if Robbie Russo plays 30 NHL games in 2018-19.
Edmonton Oilers – 1st (EDM), 2nd (EDM), 3rd (EDM), 3rd (NYI), 4th (EDM), 6th (EDM), 7th (EDM)
Florida Panthers – 1st (FLA), 4th (FLA), 5th (FLA), 6th (FLA), 7th (FLA)
Los Angeles Kings – 1st (LAK), 2nd (LAK), 3rd (LAK), 4th (LAK), 5th (LAK), 6th (LAK), 7th (LAK)
Minnesota Wild – 1st (MIN), 2nd (MIN), 3rd (MIN), 5th (MIN), 5th (WSH), 6th (MIN), 7th (MIN)
Montreal Canadiens – 1st (MTL), 2nd (MTL), 3rd (MTL), 4th (MTL), 4th (CGY) 5th (CHI), 5th (EDM), 6th (MTL), 7th (WPG)
Nashville Predators – 1st (NSH), 2nd (NSH), 3rd (FLA), 4th (NSH), 4th (COL), 5th (NSH), 6th (NSH), 7th (NSH)
New Jersey Devils – 1st (NJD), 2nd (NJD), 3rd (ANA), 4th (NJD), 5th (NJD), 6th (NJD), 7th (NJD)
New York Islanders – 1st (NYI), 2nd (CGY), 5th (NYI), 6th (NYI), 7th (NYI)
New York Rangers – 1st (NYR), 2nd (NYR), 2nd (TBL)*, 3rd (NYR), 4th (NYR), 5th (NYR), 6th (NYR), 7th (NYR)
*This pick will become a 1st if Tampa Bay wins the Stanley cup in 2018-19
Ottawa Senators – 2nd (OTT), 3rd (PIT), 4th (OTT), 5th (OTT), 6th (OTT), 7th (OTT), 7th (CGY)
Philadelphia Flyers – 1st (PHI), 2nd (PHI), 3rd (PHI), 3rd (NJD), 4th (PHI), 5th (PHI), 6th (PHI), 7th (PHI), 7th (MTL)
Pittsburgh Penguins – 1st (PIT), 2nd (PIT), 4th (PIT), 4th (BUF)*, 5th (PIT), 7th (PIT), 7th (VGK)
*If Conor Sheary scores 20 goals or 40 points in 2018-19 or Matt Hunwick is traded before the 2019 draft, this pick becomes a 3rd.
San Jose Sharks – 2nd (SJS), 2nd (FLA), 3rd (SJS), 5th (SJS), 6th (SJS), 7th (SJS)
St. Louis Blues – 2nd (STL), 3rd (STL), 5th (STL), 6th (STL), 7th (STL)
Tampa Bay Lightning – 1st (TBL), 3rd (TBL), 4th (TBL), 5th (TBL), 6th (TBL), 7th (TBL)
Toronto Maple Leafs – 1st (TOR), 2nd (TOR), 3rd (TOR), 4th (TOR), 4th (STL), 5th (TOR), 7th (TOR)
Vancouver Canucks – 1st (VAN), 2nd (VAN), 3rd (VAN), 4th (VAN), 5th (VAN), 6th (VAN), 6th (WSH), 7th (VAN)
Vegas Golden Knights – 1st (VGK), 2nd (VGK), 2nd (CBJ), 3rd (VGK), 3rd (NSH), 3rd (WPG), 4th (VGK), 5th (VGK), 5th (MTL) 6th (VGK)
Washington Capitals – 1st (WSH), 2nd (WSH), 3rd (WSH), 4th (WSH), 7th (WSH)
Winnipeg Jets – 1st (WPG), 2nd (WPG), 4th (WPG), 5th (WPG), 6th (WPG)
Detroit traded Tomas Tatar to Vegas last year and received a 2018 first rounder AND a future 2nd (2019) and a third rounder. Right?
That’s right. The second rounder in 2019 is actually from the Islanders though; Vegas had acquired that pick back in the Expansion Draft and flipped that pick instead of their own in the trade for Tatar.