Anaheim, Toronto Swap 23rd And 31st Overall Picks
The Anaheim Ducks have acquired the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 31st and 58th overall picks (X Link).
After making a surprise selection of Beckett Sennecke with the third overall selection, the Ducks used the 23rd overall pick to select defenseman Stian Solberg out of Vålerenga in Norway. Stolberg is a quality shutdown defenseman and represents one of the most physical defensemen in the draft. Not only does Solberg effectively shut down offensive pressure from opponents, he makes sure to punish them if they ever touch the puck.
In Vålerenga this season, Stolberg scored five goals and 15 points in 42 games while collecting 47 PIMs in the process. At the international level, Solberg scored one goal and one assist in five games during the 2024 World Junior Championships and added two goals and one assist over seven games for Team Norway in the 2024 World Championships.
In Toronto, the team moves back eight spots while adding some draft capital in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Heading into this evening’s festivities, the Maple Leafs did not have a second-round pick as they had moved theirs to the St. Louis Blues in the deal that landed Ryan O’Reilly with the Maple Leafs. Without factoring in any other moves for Toronto, the Maple Leafs will now only be without choices in the third and sixth rounds of this weekend’s draft.
Extension Notes: Crosby, Faber, Reilly
Hoping to keep extension discussions away from the media, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported earlier that the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas, has begun extension negotiations with Sidney Crosby. There have been no rumblings on any specific terms between the two sides but the contract is at least expected to keep Crosby in Pittsburgh until his retirement.
It will be the first time in over a decade that Crosby has had to negotiate a contract as he’s entering the final year of a 12-year $104.4MM contract signed in Pittsburgh only three years after the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. Averaging a sentimental $8.7MM salary for each year of the deal, it has arguably been one of the best-value contracts in league history.
Over the life of the contract, Crosby has scored 354 goals and 931 points in 802 regular season games while winning two Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe trophies, one Hart Memorial Trophy, one Ted Lindsay Award, and one Art Ross Trophy. Entering his age 37 season, Crosby may be looking for a three- or four-year agreement with the Penguins that could see an AAV near or above $10MM a year.
Other extension notes:
- Michael Russo of The Athletic reports the Minnesota Wild and rookie defenseman Brock Faber are expected to meet today to begin contract negotiations. Faber will enter the final year of his entry-level contract during the 2024-25 NHL season but is extension eligible on July 1st. There is no doubt that Faber is a player to invest in as the University of Minnesota product finished second in Calder Trophy voting this past season. Averaging nearly 25 minutes a night for the Wild, Faber scored eight goals and 47 points while playing in all 82 games and proved to be an effective quarterback on Minnesota’s powerplay.
- Another product of the University of Minnesota is looking to sign a contract extension with his current team. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the New York Islanders are working on an extension with defenseman Mike Reilly. After receiving little to no ice time with the Florida Panthers, Reilly was eventually claimed off waivers by the Islanders and gained the opportunity to make a significant impact. In 59 games after the waiver claim, Reilly scored six goals and 24 points in New York while also picking up some time on the powerplay. As the Islanders dealt with numerous injuries to their blue line last season, Reilly represents a capable depth option that can play in nearly any situation.
Minnesota, Philadelphia Swap 12th Overall And 13th Overall
The Minnesota Wild have acquired the 12th overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the 13th overall pick and a third-round selection in next year’s draft (X Link).
The Wild would use the selection on defenseman Zeev Buium out of the University of Denver, who miraculously fell to 12th overall. Minnesota adds another dynamic defensive prospect while already having Brock Faber on the back end.
Aside from winning the 2024 National Championship with Denver, Buium rose the draft charts considerably after scoring 11 goals and 50 points in only 42 games. With his strong skating and ability to escape oncoming pressure, Buium is eerily similar to former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Adam Fox from the New York Rangers. By only having to attach a third-round pick to select one of the best defensemen available in the draft — Minnesota could end up with one of the biggest steals of the night.
The Flyers, on the other hand, used the 13th overall pick to select Jett Luchanko out of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Considering that this selection is a bit of a reach compared to mock picks, the Flyers were likely more than happy to move back one spot and add a third-round selection next year.
As one of the fastest players in the draft, Luchanko can transition with the puck very effectively. In 68 games for the Storm this past season, Luchanko put up 20 goals and 74 points while winning the William Hanley Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player.
Canadiens Select Ivan Demidov Fifth Overall
The Canadiens have taken star Russian winger Ivan Demidov, who’s fallen past his consensus No. 2 public ranking to Montreal at fifth overall.
The Canadiens organization should be pinching themselves with the reality that Demidov fell to them at fifth overall. Outside of Macklin Celebrini, there was a consensus that Demidov was the most talented player in the draft. However, much like the fall of Matvei Michkov in last year’s draft, it may take some time for Demidov to find his way to North America.
Demidov played most of the 2023-24 season with SKA-1946 of the MHL, a junior hockey league in Russia. With his contract rights owned by SKA St. Petersberg of the Kontinental Hockey League, Demidov should suit up for them as soon as next year.
This season, Demidov showed why he was one of the most dynamic players available in the 2024 NHL Draft with 23 goals and a 60-point effort in only 30 games. In the postseason, Demidov continued to put points on the board with 11 goals and 28 points in 17 playoff games.
There are some questions surrounding his play on the defensive side of the puck, but his offensive characteristics should play nicely for the Canadiens. Even if Demidov spends the next 2-3 years in his native Russia, he projects to be worth the wait for Montreal.
Blue Jackets Select Cayden Lindstrom Fourth Overall
The Blue Jackets have taken center Cayden Lindstrom with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. In just two years the Blue Jackets have selected their 1-2 combo at the center position at the top of the draft.
Lindstrom is a prototypical center who can score goals and use his size to his advantage. With a high motor and his ability to work in the corners, Columbus will not have any complaints about Lindstrom being their second-line center for the foreseeable future. In the WHL this season, Lindstrom scored 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games while scoring 46 goals and 88 points in 99 total games in the major junior league.
With a glut of forwards already on the roster at the NHL level, Lindstrom may be a prime choice to spend another year in the WHL to expand on his skills. Nevertheless, given that his body is already NHL-ready, the Blue Jackets may be bullish enough on the selection to have him crack the roster as soon as next season.
It was always going to be difficult for Columbus to make a bad selection at fourth overall since the team could use talent at nearly every position. In Lidstrom, the team maximized their selection in the top five by adding a top-notch heavy sniper.
Ducks Select Beckett Sennecke Third Overall
The Ducks have gone off the board at third overall, selecting forward Beckett Sennecke from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. In the earliest surprise of the night, Sennecke was recently projected as the 10th overall selection in our 2024 NHL Mock Draft.
In Oshawa, Sennecke scored 27 goals and 68 points in 63 games while putting up another 10 goals and 22 points in 16 postseason games. Unfortunately, even with the efforts of Sennecke in the postseason, the Generals were swept by the London Knights in the 2024 OHL Finals. However, because of his strong play in the postseason, Sennecke was a very late riser in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Sennecke is similar to recent draft picks by the Ducks with his ability to play on both sides of the puck. He is a quality playmaker but has demonstrated a keen ability to steal the puck from opponents to control the game. Because of his play with the puck, Sennecke can pull opposing defenders to him while creating space for his teammates.
It was expected that Anaheim would draft for offense this year as their prospect cupboard on the blue line is already one of the best in the league. The team finished 30th in the league in offense while averaging 2.48 goals a game.
Blackhawks Select Artyom Levshunov Second Overall
With the top pick of the rest of the draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have selected Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick. The product of Michigan State University is the first defenseman to come off the board in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Levshunov made a statement for the Spartans during the 2023-24 NCAA season, earning All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Freshmen Team honors. Additionally, the young Belarusian won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Becoming one of the best all-around defensemen rather quickly — Levshunov scored nine goals and 35 points in 38 games while collecting a whopping +44 rating. Leading the blue for Michigan State, the team soared to the fifth-ranked team in the nation and made it to the Second Round of the Frozen Four tournament.
In Chicago, Levshunov quickly becomes the best-ranked defensive prospect in the system. As a right-handed shot, Levshunov should fit in nicely next to Kevin Korchinski on the Blackhawks’ blue line long term.
Out of the gates, Levshunov should be able to keep up fairly well defensively with the rest of the NHL, but his offensive capabilities may take a bit to develop fully. He shows top-tier explosiveness and can join the play very quickly. Furthermore, he has demonstrated the ability to make quick shots off the stride which is rare for a defenseman.
Sharks Select Macklin Celebrini First Overall
As expected, Macklin Celebrini is a San Jose Shark. He’s the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, heading to San Jose to begin his major league career, likely next season.
Celebrini is coming off a freshman season at Boston University that will be regarded as one of the most impressive in NCAA history. The Vancouver native entered tonight as the consensus No. 1 pick after collecting 15 collegiate honors all before his 18th birthday.
He was one of the very best two-way threats in the nationwide circuit this season, finishing third in NCAA scoring with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games. His 1.68 points per game were second only to Boston College’s Will Smith, who he’ll likely team up with on the Sharks next year after the latter signed his entry-level contract last month.
In their 2024 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects called Celebrini “the best draft-year college prospect we’ve ever scouted” with “franchise center potential.” He’s not viewed as quite as dynamic an offensive talent as last year’s franchise-altering selection, Chicago’s Connor Bedard, but he’s a bonafide first-line center with an eye for the Selke Trophy in his future.
While the Sharks have done well to rebuild a previously empty prospect pool over the last couple of years under general manager Mike Grier, this will likely be viewed in retrospect as the cornerstone point of their rebuild. Much like the Blackhawks, he won’t change their fortunes immediately in his rookie season with a severely understaffed group of defensemen and many of his young teammates still in the development stage, but he should be viewed as one of the favorites for next year’s Calder Trophy and shouldn’t look out of place averaging north of 17-18 minutes per game next season.
That’s if the 6’0″, 196-lb center opts not to return to BU for his sophomore season, of course. However, the general consensus is that he’ll be signing his rookie deal this summer and suiting up for the Sharks come October.
Bruins, Wild Among Top Suitors For Rutger McGroarty
News broke last week that Jets 2022 first-round pick Rutger McGroarty was seeking a trade, with most assuming that a deal could come across the finish line as soon as a few days ago so Winnipeg could recoup a first-rounder in this year’s draft. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s still a strong chance he could be moved as the first round kicks off in less than an hour.
Among the teams with significant interest are the Wild, The Athletic’s Michael Russo relays. The Bruins have also held “ongoing talks with Winnipeg regarding McGroarty, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported last night. McIntyre added that the Blue Jackets, Islanders and Sabres have also checked in but didn’t use as strong language to describe their interest.
Winnipeg selected McGroarty 14th overall in 2022, one pick later than the selection Minnesota holds this year (No. 13). The idea of a one-for-one swap makes sense. As for Boston, they ended up back with their own first-rounder (No. 25) after it traveled to Detroit and then Ottawa in the past 15 months, recouping it as part of the return for sending 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Senators. They’d likely need to add an additional pick or an equivalent asset in the form of a roster player or prospect in order to land McGroarty.
McGroarty, 20, was one of the best players in college hockey this season. Suiting up in his sophomore campaign at the University of Michigan, he finished top ten in NCAA-wide scoring with 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 36 games. He was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in collegiate hockey and captained the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 World Juniors, scoring five goals and four assists in seven games.
But he wasn’t given a clear role on Winnipeg’s roster next season, and as such, he’s decided to return to Michigan for his junior season rather than play for their AHL affiliate in Manitoba. Of course, he could decide to turn pro after a trade and make his NHL debut for a different team in the fall.
PHR Live Chat: 2024 NHL Draft
Tonight, join PHR’s Gabriel Foley for a special 2024 NHL Draft live chat. You can use this link to join, starting at 5:30 p.m. Central!