2015 NHL Draft Trades: Tracking Latest Details for Every Deal
The 2015 NHL draft was stacked with considerable top-end talent and plenty of depth, which is why there was plenty of trade talk over the course of all seven rounds Friday and Saturday.
From organizations trying to maneuver in terms of their draft positioning, but there were also many players on the trading block as teams attempted to improve their salary-cap situations ahead of free agency.
Here is a rundown of the deals that went down on the trade front over both days.
TOP NEWS
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Draft Lottery Winners and Losers
Day 2 Trades
Lightning, Oilers Exchange Draft Picks
The Lightning announced details of the trade:
Wild, Bruins Exchange Draft Picks
The Wild released details of the swap:
Sharks Trade for Patrick McNally
The Canucks announced details of the trade:
Maple Leafs Trade for Martin Marincin
The Maple Leafs announced details of the trade:
Hurricanes Trade for James Wisniewski
The Hurricanes announced details of the trade:
Oilers Trade for Eric Gryba
Stephen Whyno of the Canadian Press announced details of the trade:
Flyers, Kings Exchange Draft Picks
The Flyers announced details of the trade:
Coyotes, Flames Exchange Draft Picks
The Coyotes announced details of the trade:
Rangers, Capitals Exchange Draft Picks
The Rangers announced details of the trade:
Oilers Trade for Cam Talbot
The Oilers announced details of the trade:
Ducks Trade for Hagelin
The NHL announced details of the trade:
Stars Trade for Antti Niemi
The NHL announced details of the trade:
Hurricanes Trade for Eddie Lack
The NHL announced details of the trade:
Day 1 Trades
Devils Trade for Kyle Palmieri
The NHL announced details of the trade:
"The @AnaheimDucks trade Kyle Palmieri to the @NHLDevils for the 41st pick and 2016 3rd round pick. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/2YeAP6THes
— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2015"
Blue Jackets Trade Up for Maple Leafs' No. 29 Overall Pick
Columbus announced details of the trade and its selection:
Islanders Trade Up for Lightning's No. 28 Overall Pick
New York announced details of the trade and its selection:
Flyers Trade Up for Maple Leafs' No. 24 Overall Pick
The NHL announced details of the trade and Philadelphia's selection:
Islanders Trade Up for Oilers' No. 16 Overall Pick
New York announced details of the trade and its selection:
Sabres Trade for Ryan O'Reilly
The NHL announced details of the trade, which included the No. 31 overall pick:
Predraft Deals
Bruins Acquire No. 13 from Kings for Milan Lucic
The Boston Bruins' draft-day wheeling and dealing was just getting started when they sent Dougie Hamilton packing to the Calgary Flames, as they followed that up by shipping forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings.
According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Bruins received the No. 13 overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft, goalie Martin Jones and defenseman Colin Miller in return.
The big winger has been synonymous with the Bruins since entering the league, but he is excited about the new opportunity that sits in front of him, according to TSN's James Duthie:
Lucic is set to become a free agent following the 2015-16 season, and the Bruins clearly didn't plan to re-sign him. Although Lucic is a former 30-goal scorer, he potted just 18 last season, which means his stock certainly wasn't as high as it once was.
Even so, Boston was able to nab a lottery pick, a coveted, young goaltender and an up-and-coming defenseman who is coming off a great year in the AHL.
The Bruins did have to pay the price, though, as they also took on part of Lucic's salary, per ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun:
Even so, Boston has put itself in an interesting position with the No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15 picks in the first round of the draft in addition to a pair of second-rounders.
The Bruins have a ton of ammunition to move up and potentially nab a top-flight prospect, but with a pair of fan favorites in Hamilton and Lucic now out of the picture, they can't afford to botch the selection that they ultimately make.
Bruins Secure Three Picks from Flames for Dougie Hamilton
The Boston Bruins had been in negotiations with restricted free-agent defenseman Dougie Hamilton during the build toward the draft, but when it became clear that a feasible contract agreement could not be reached, they decided to trade the budding 22-year-old star to the Calgary Flames Friday.
According to the Bruins' official Twitter account, Boston received a treasure trove of draft picks in return, as they acquired the No. 15, No. 45 and No. 52 selections in the 2015 draft.
Hamilton, who was the ninth overall selection in the 2011 draft, is coming off a career-best season that saw him register 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points. Despite his emergence as a top-flight offensive defenseman, the Bruins were apparently unwilling to meet his contract demands.
Boston was able to bring in some good future assets in the form of a first-round pick and two second-rounders, but that won't sit well with a fanbase that expects to win now.
Also, Matt Larkin of the Hockey News is of the belief that Hamilton was poised to be one of the Bruins' key players for many years to come:
Losing a player of Hamilton's caliber will definitely hurt, but Boston now enters the draft with the No. 14, No. 15, No. 45 and No. 52 picks at its disposal. That could allow it to select up to four promising prospects, or the Bruins could potentially package picks to either move up or trade for roster players.
Whatever the case, general manager Bob Sweeney has a ton of pressure on him to make the right moves with these picks since he gave up a potential perennial All-Star to get them.
Senators Get No. 21 from Sabres for Lehner, Legwand
The Buffalo Sabres were set to enter the 2015 draft with two first-round picks at their disposal, but they parted ways with the No. 21 selection Friday, with the Ottawa Senators sending goalie Robin Lehner and veteran forward David Legwand the other way, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
Buffalo was clearly in the market for a goalie after dealing both Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth at the trade deadline last season, and with Anders Lindback set to hit free agency. Chad Johnson was the only NHL goalie on the roster previously, but now the Sabres have a promising, young netminder who could be their starter for many years to come.
While the initial reaction from Sabres fans was negative, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun believes it could be a good move since general manager Tim Murray had a hand in drafting him initially:
The Sabres are also a virtual lock to select Jack Eichel with the No. 2 overall pick, so Murray is comfortable with the haul his organization will come away with, per John Vogl of the Buffalo News:
As for the Sens, they alleviated the glut at the goalie position and can now move forward with Andrew Hammond and Craig Anderson. They also dumped the rest of Legwand's contract on the Sabres and now have the No. 18 and No. 21 selections in the first round.
While it looks like Ottawa may have won the trade on the surface since Lehner is coming off two subpar seasons in limited action, it could ultimately prove to be a win-win if the Swedish netminder lives up to his considerable promise.
Notable In-Season Trades
Penguins Deal No. 16 to Oilers for David Perron
The 2014-15 season was a highly disappointing one for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. A first-round pick just outside the lottery would have been some consolation, but the Pens dealt that pick in an attempt to bolster their Stanley Cup chances.
Pittsburgh sent what has become the No. 16 overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft and forward Rob Klinkhammer to the Edmonton Oilers for forward David Perron in January.
Perron put up 22 points in 43 games for the Penguins as a decent supporting cast member to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but his presence ultimately didn't change the course of Pittsburgh's season.
The Pens could use an influx of young talent, and general manager Jim Rutherford finds himself wanting a first-rounder after already trading his away, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"I'll certainly pursue [acquiring a first-round pick]," Rutherford said. "I don't know if we'll be able to pick up one or not."
Edmonton suffered through another miserable season, but things are looking up since it will select forward Connor McDavid with the No. 1 overall pick. It also has the 16th selection at its disposal, and it has no shortage of options.
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal feels as though the Oilers came out on the winning end of the trade even before using the No. 16 pick:
Edmonton could either trade the pick for an already established player, or it could use it to select another prospect who could help along the rebuilding process.
The Oilers are particularly weak at goalie and defense, so look for goalie Ilya Samsonov and defensemen Jakub Zboril, Thomas Chabot and Oliver Kylington to be possibilities if they stand pat at No. 16.
Leafs Acquire No. 24 from Predators for Franson, Santorelli
The Nashville Predators acquired a couple familiar faces prior to the trade deadline as they brought in defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick, forward Olli Jokinen and prospect Brendan Leipsic.
Franson and Santorelli played for the Preds previously, and general manager David Poile was hopeful that their familiarity would help spark a playoff run for his team. That didn't happen, as Nashville was eliminated in the first round, and Poile has since admitted that the deal didn't play out as he initially hoped, according to 102.5 The Game:
The Predators are now down a first-round pick, while the Leafs have a pair of them at No. 4 and No. 24. Toronto will likely take one of defenseman Noah Hanifin, forward Dylan Strome or forward Mitch Marner with its first pick, while No. 24 is a bit of a crapshoot.
Even so, Nashville would undoubtedly love to have that pick currently since every indication is that Franson and Santorelli were true rentals, per Brooks Bratten of Predators.com:
That means the Preds lost a first-rounder for what turned out to be essentially nothing since Franson and Santorelli didn't help them advance any further than they otherwise would have.
It is tough to predict who will be available when Toronto is on the clock at No. 24, but if it is able to come away with someone like Paul Bittner, Brock Boeser, Brandon Carlo, Colin White or Joel Eriksson Ek, it will have been a fruitful opening round for the Leafs.
Lightning Trade No. 29 to Flyers for Braydon Coburn
The Tampa Bay Lightning fell just two wins short of taking the Stanley Cup, and defenseman Braydon Coburn was a big part of their deep playoff run after coming over from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tampa Bay gave up quite a bit to get him, as it sent a first-round pick and a third-round pick in 2015 as well as defenseman Radko Gudas to Philly.
Coburn played in 26 playoff games for the Lightning, posting four points and a minus-six rating. He didn't exactly dominate, but he gave the Bolts good minutes. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal feels as though it was a positive move for Tampa Bay despite what it had to give up:
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper agreed, as he praised general manager Steve Yzerman for picking Coburn up, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times:
If there is any team in the league that can survive without a first-round pick, it is probably the Bolts. They already boast a ton of depth and young talent at forward, defense and goalie, so losing the No. 29 selection doesn't hurt them much.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, can use as many picks as it can get after missing out on the postseason for the second time in three years.
The Flyers need help on defense, which makes guys like Jeremy Roy, Ryan Pilon and Jacob Larsson realistic possibilities near the end of the first round. The success level of the pick won't be clear for several more years, but Philadelphia has a chance to land a solid prospect in a deep draft.
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