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2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

By Jeremy Lambert

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)
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: David Gustafsson poses for a portrait after being selected 60th overall by the Winnipeg Jets during the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 23: David Gustafsson poses for a portrait after being selected 60th overall by the Winnipeg Jets during the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Winnipeg Jets – F

No First Round Pick

The Jets traded their first-round pick for Paul Stastny. The American center was a beast in the playoffs for Winnipeg, contributing 15 points in 17 games. An outstanding trade for the Jets, but with one caveat. If Stastny doesn’t re-sign, the deal looks a bit worse. It was still worth the gamble for the Jets and Stastny tore it up, but giving up a first for a rental and then failing to win the Cup never looks good.

Other Notable Picks: David Gustafsson (C) (60)

The knock on Gustafsson is that he’s a poor skater. That’s like saying a basketball player is a poor runner. Skating can be fixed, but it takes a lot of hard work and patience. And with how fast the game moves in 2018, and how much faster it’s likely to become, if you’re a poor skater now, you may not make the league in three years. Gustafsson thinks the game at a high level, which is his biggest attribute. The problem is, you have to be able to think and move at the same time. Best case scenario is Gustafsson turns into a reliable bottom six forward who can kill penalties. That sounds like a something you want out of your fourth or fifth round pick. Not your second round pick and first pick in the draft. To make matters worse, Winnipeg went completely off the board in the third round. Nathan Smith, taken at No. 91, wasn’t even ranked by Central Scouting.

Next: 25 most insane things people have ever done with the Stanley Cup

On paper, an absolutely abysmal draft for Winnipeg. If they lose Paul Stastny, just put this offseason in the bin.

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