2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 23: Gabriel Fortier poses for a portrait after being selected 59th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Lightning – D

No First Round Pick

Tampa Bay traded this pick to acquire Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. The reasoning made sense, even if it didn’t quite work out in the end. They have another year to figure it out with McDonagh and they’ll likely retain Miller through restricted free agency. A good deal for Tampa Bay, even if it cost them their first-round pick.

Other Notable Picks: Gabriel Fortier (LW) (59), Dmitry Semykin (D) (90)

Gabriel Fortier is a quick, two-way forward. He had 59 points in 66 games for Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL last season. He played in all situations, scoring seven power goals and three shorthanded tallies. The bad news is he fell from 35th to 49th among North American skaters in Central Scoutings rankings. Dmitry Semykin was ranked 25th among European skaters by Central Scouting. There’s no a whole lot of information out there on him, which makes him tough to evaluate. Tampa Bay went completely off board in the fourth, fifth, and sixth round, drafting three unranked players. Maybe he found some value in the seventh round with defenseman Radim Salda and goalie Ty Taylor.

Fortier fits what the Lightning are building in Tampa, so they deserve credit there. But two goaltenders and three off board picks have me seriously doubting this draft for Tampa Bay. Who knows, maybe these guys become superstars. Steve Yzerman has earned some benefit of the doubt. But I’m asked to grade the draft based on initial reactions and my initial reaction is that the was a poor draft for the Lightning.

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