NHL Draft 2018: Instant reaction and analysis for every pick

We are finally here. The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is tonight. Over seven rounds, 217 players will hear their names called, signaling the next step in their development.

The first round of the 2018 NHL Draft has come and gone. It was definitely an interesting night with some names jumping up the board and some others falling far more than they should have. Bigger news is that there were no players moved at all in the draft.

We saw both Ontario teams trade down in the draft. Kyle Dubas did nothing to dispel the notion that he will be a general manager who likes to trade down by doing that. Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion didn’t end up making the big moves surrounding Erik Karlsson or Craig Anderson. They also kept the fourth overall pick. Will they live to regret that?

The New York Islanders made out like criminals with the two players they were able to pick while the New York Rangers surprised a lot of people with the first of their three picks.

Will there be any moves on day two of the Draft? That remains to be seen after one of the slowest days in recent draft history.

Update

We have our first trade of the night as the Washington Capitals have sent Brooks Orpik and Philipp Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche in return for the 47th overall pick. That should make it easier to retain John Carlson. Also, takes a goalie option away from the New York Islanders.

The Avalanche won’t be holding on to Orpik for long. They will either trade him or buy him out. Him being involved allowed the Avalanche to only send the Capitals one pick.

Results and Reaction

1. Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sweden

Well, we finally have that out of the way. Dahlin gives the Sabres another building block alongside Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt. It’s now up to General Manager Jason Boterill to sort everything else out to get the Sabres back on track.

2. Carolina Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov, RW, OHL

There goes the last inevitable pick. Svechnikov joins an expanding offensive team in Carolina and he will make the team this season. This is possibly why there are so many rumors surrounding Jeff Skinner.

Now, we finally move on to the real part of the draft. Anything can happen from here.

3. Montreal Canadiens: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Finland

Well, that was sort of to be expected. The Habs just traded Alex Galchenyuk and they need a center. While it’s a little early, this pick could work out for them. It has to for Marc Bergevin.

4. Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, LW, Boston University

Now, that’s a bit of shock. Ottawa needs some good news with everything that’s going on there. Can Tkachuk play right away or will he go back to Boston University? That really depends on him. He also breaks his brother Matthew’s record as the highest drafted Tkachuk.

5. Arizona Coyotes: Barett Hayton, C, OHL

Wow! Well, I guess the Coyotes had a much different list than everybody else. Hayton had a great season for the Soo Greyhounds, but probably should have gone in the 10-20 range.

Biggest question is: How far does Filip Zadina fall?

6. Detroit Red Wings: Filip Zadina, RW, QMJHL

The answer is: Not far? Detroit gets real lucky here. Zadina gives them a pure sniper that can jump into the lineup right away. It looked like the Red Wings were going with a defenseman with this pick. I guess they couldn’t turn down the skill of Zadina.

7. Vancouver Canucks:  Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan

Well there’s the first defenseman off the board since Dahlin. A strong skater that needs to get bigger for sure. Of course, as is the case with all NCAA picks, how long does he take to make it to the NHL? Also, do the Canucks now tank for a season to reunite him with his brother, Jack?

8. Chicago Blackhawks: Adam Boqvist, D, Sweden

Not used to seeing Chicago pick this high at all. It looks like that group of defensemen after Dahlin is going to go on a run. The Blackhawks elect to go with the smaller Boqvist over the bigger Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson. With the way the game is going, that might be the smart move.

9. New York Rangers: Vitali Kravtsov, RW, Russia

I’ll say it again: Wow! That’s a bit of a reach. Another player that should have gone closer to 20, I guess the Rangers saw something they liked. All I can say, is that all these picks have left Edmonton with the pick of the litter.

10. Edmonton Oilers: Evan Bouchard, D, OHL

There’s your big right-handed defenseman delivered right into Peter Chiarelli’s lap. Bouchard seems to think he is NHL-ready. If he proves to be, that could help the Oilers a lot. He could also go back to a quality organization in the London Knights.

11. New York Islanders: Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, USA U-18

The Islanders benefit from so earlier choices and end of with another highly-skilled player in Wahlstrom. He could have very easily gone in the top 10. Maybe this is a pick that could help convince John Tavares to stay.

12. New York Islanders (from Calgary): Noah Dobson, D, QMJHL

Now this is a steal. Dobson just got finished winning the Memorial Cup with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He is going to be a great defenseman, and the Islanders could definitely use that.

13. Dallas Stars: Ty Dellandrea, C, OHL

Well, the Stars pulled out all the stops with Mike Modano and Jamie Benn announcing the pick. That’s some pressure, being next to those guys. If he can get into a better team situation, Dellandrea could have a couple more OHL seasons before moving up to Dallas. With Jason Spezza on his way out soon, this could be a possible replacement down the road.

14. Philadelphia Flyers (from St. Louis): Joel Farabee, LW, NTDP

Well that was a quick pick. Didn’t even thank the city of Dallas. Farabee benefited from playing on the same team as Jack Hughes and Oliver Wahlstrom. He’ll have to play without them when he plays at Boston University next season.

15. Florida Panthers: Grigori Denisenko, LW, Russia

There’s another pure skill player of the board. Maybe a bit early for him, but Denisenko adds more depth to the Panthers. Someone on Sportsnet just compared him to Ilya Kovalchuk.

16. Colorado Avalanche: Martin Kaut, RW, Czech

Kaut is all about work ethic. More of a jack of all trades, master of none type of player. He’s a perfect fit for the Avalanche.

17. New Jersey Devils: Ty Smith, D, WHL

Well, there’s the last of that big four after Dahlin. The Devils add another quality defenseman to add to their young group. He’s a top-pairing defenseman in Spokane, but is more likely a second-pairing defenseman in the NHL.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets: Liam Foudy, C, OHL

Foudy was thought to be more of a late first-early second round pick. Although, he does come from the London Knights and he had a strong showing at the combine. That raised his stock.

19. Philadelphia Flyers: Jay O’Brien, C, HS-MA

Well, we have our first high school pick. The Flyers add another center to their already impressive depth chart, but O’Brien looks to be a project.

20. Los Angeles Kings: Rasmus Kupari, C, Finland

That’s a pretty good pick for No. 20. Kupari’s stock fell throughout the year because he failed to live up to high expectations. But he could end up being a steal for the Kings.

21. San Jose Sharks: Ryan Merkley, D, OHL

Well, we finally have our answer. San Jose takes the shot on Merkley. A high-risk, high-reward pick, Merkley joins a team that already has one risky player in Evander Kane.

22. New York Rangers (from Ottawa): K’Andre Miller, D, USA U-18

The Rangers traded up with the Ottawa Senators to make this pick, sending them the 26th and 48th overall picks. One of the best stories of the draft, Miller is a great pick here. The Hockey News even compared him to Seth Jones.

23. Anaheim Ducks: Isac Lundestrom, C, Sweden

Lundestrom is a center that could be good top-six player but at worst a reliable third-liner. He had a strong showing at the World Juniors last year and could be a bigger part of Team Sweden in the 2019 tournament.

24. Minnesota Wild: Filip Johansson, D, Sweden

Another off the board pick. Shocking that he goes before Rasmus Sandin. This was Paul Fenton’s first pick as a GM. Let’s see if it works out.

25. St. Louis Blues (from Toronto): Dominik Bokk, RW, Sweden

The Blues traded the 29th and 76th overall picks to Toronto in exchange for this pick. There was a lot of talk surrounding Bokk before the draft as to how high he could go. He will probably stay in Sweden for a couple more seasons.

26. Ottawa Senators (from New York Rangers): Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, AJHL

Bernard-Docker comes from the same program that produced Cale Makar, so he has that going for him. He’ll be attending the University of North Dakota in the fall. A bit of a reach, but not surprising when a team trades back and have two first-rounders.

27. Chicago Blackhawks (from Nashville): Nicolas Beaudin, D, QMJHL

Well, that wasn’t the Drummondville player people were expecting to be picked first. The Blackhawks add a second defenseman in Beaudin after they took Boqvist with the eighth pick.

28. New York Rangers: Nils Lundkvist, D, Sweden

The Rangers are obviously preparing for the departure of Henrik Lundqvist with a player that has a last name that’s pronounced the same. Lundkvist is the third and final pick of the Rangers in the first round, and it’s a pretty good one.

29. Toronto Maple Leafs (from St. Louis): Rasmus Sandin, D, OHL

Kyle Dubas picks a player that comes from the team he came from. This is a great pick for 29th overall. Playing on a great team in Sault Ste. Marie, he should continue to improve.

30. Detroit Red Wings: Joe Veleno, C, QMJHL

It was a long wait for Veleno, but it should pay off for him. Detroit won’t be out of it for long, and adding a player like Veleno will only help their rebuild.

31. Washington Capitals: Alexander Alexeyev, D, WHL

The Capitals close out the first round with another defenseman in Alexeyev. He played in the WHL last season, but it’s not shocking to see the Capitals take a Russian. Another nice story as he gets to be first-rounder after he lost his mother while playing on the other side of the planet.

Next: 25 Most Dominant Offensive Players In NHL History

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