The 2016 NHL Draft has finished, and the debate over which teams nailed their picks and which teams whiffed already has started.
Here are some notable winners and losers from the 2016 draft.
Winners
USA Hockey
A record 12 American players were taken in the first round, including Auston Matthews (No. 1, Toronto Maple Leafs), Matthew Tkachuk (No. 6, Calgary Flames) and Clayton Keller (No. 7, Arizona Coyotes). It marked the first time since 2006 that three U.S. players were taken in the top seven. A total of 52 American players were selected through all seven rounds.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes drafted a speedy, offensively skilled center in Clayton Keller, which adds another elite talent to a forward group that includes quality young prospects/NHLers such as Max Domi and Anthony Duclair.
Arizona also traded up from No. 20 to No. 16 when Jakob Chychrun fell down the board. Chychrun has All-Star potential as a two-way defenseman with excellent skating and playmaking ability. He was No. 2 on many mock drafts going into last season before injuries and some disappointing performances hurt his stock. Chychrun still has a good chance to be the best defenseman from this class, though.
Satisfying two major needs in one round solidified Arizona’s position as a major winner under first-year general manager John Chayka.
Detroit Red Wings
Trading the contract of Pavel Datsyuk to the Coyotes cleared $7.5 million in cap space, which was very helpful because the Russian winger left Detroit to play in the KHL next season. Expect the Red Wings to be major players in free agency and aim to replace Datsyuk’s top-six role by targeting superstar center Steven Stamkos in free agency. Detroit now has a little more than $19 million in cap space.
Chicago Blackhawks
Trading bottom-six forward Andrew Shaw, who reportedly wanted $4.5 million per season in his next contract as a restricted free agent, was a great move for Chicago. They don’t need another bloated contract on their books. Getting a pair of second-round picks in return was beneficial for Chicago’s organizational depth, too, as it allowed them to replenish a depleted prospect pool.
Selecting one of the two 50-goal scorers in this draft, Alex DeBrincat, was an excellent second-round choice.
The Hawks also added some picks to next year’s list and now have 10 total selections for the 2017 draft, which they’ll host at the United Center.
Boston University
The Terriers had six players selected in the draft, the most of any NCAA program.
Four players already at BU or will be freshman this coming season were selected in Round 1, including defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who went to the Boston Bruins at pick 14.
BU is going to be very, very good next season.
Edmonton Oilers
Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi, who’s drawn comparisons to Oilers legend Jari Kurri, was the second-ranked prospect on some experts’ boards. He surprisingly fell to the Oilers at No. 4, giving them a potential first line of Taylor Hall–Connor McDavid–Jesse Puljujarvi. That would be a fun trio to watch.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins didn’t have a first-round pick because they traded it last summer for star winger Phil Kessel, who played a major role in them winning the Stanley Cup. However, they made good value picks on Day 2 by selecting multiple defensemen with the skating and playmaking skill to play the uptempo game that the elite teams now utilize. Speed was a major factor in the Pens winning the Cup, and they are sticking to that gameplan in the draft.
Losers
Columbus Blue Jackets
Passing on an elite playmaking winger in Jesse Puljujarvi at No. 3 made little sense. The Blue Jackets took center/right wing Pierre-Luc Dubois instead, and they probably could’ve traded down and still picked him in the top five or top six. Columbus also wasn’t able to strike any kind of trade to create salary cap space, which means it enters free agency with many cap-burdening contracts, primarily to forwards.
Sweden
Sweden has performed well on the international level for the last decade and normally have multiple first-round draft picks, but other than Alex Nylander at No. 8 to the Buffalo Sabres, the Swedes were shut out on Friday.
St. Louis Blues
Tage Thompson has an exciting skill set as an offensively gifted power forward, but he’s a long-term project and the Blues are in win-now mode with a team that just reached the Western Conference final. They could’ve used their first-round selection for a more NHL-ready player that could step into the lineup in a year or two.
Trading veteran goalie Brian Elliott, who owns the second-best save percentage in the league since 2011-12, also didn’t make much sense when you consider the return was just a second-rounder and a conditional third-round pick in 2017.
St. Louis is betting on young goalie Jake Allen to be the team’s present and future in net, and his career success (or lack thereof) so far indicates that’s a risky gamble.
Thumbnail photo via Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images
