2015 NHL Draft Results: Team-by-Team Grades for Notable Picks

Teams currently in a rebuilding phase were focused on the 2015 NHL draft for more than a year. The presence of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel created a not-so-subtle race to the bottom for the hope of landing one of the two franchise centers.

Those two likely superstars are now forever linked as they begin the process of trying to live up to the immense hype. They weren't the only valuable assets in this draft class, however, as it also featured plenty of depth to go along with a dynamic duo at the top.

So let's check out the main prospect additions of each team and assign a grade to each front office for how they fared. That's followed by a closer look at the draft's biggest winners.

2015 NHL Draft Grades

Team	Notable Picks	Grade
Anaheim Ducks	Jacob Larsson, Julius Nattinen	C
Arizona Coyotes	Dylan Strome, Nick Merkley, Christian Fischer	B+
Boston Bruins	Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, Zachary Senyshyn	A-
Buffalo Sabres	Jack Eichel, Brendan Guhle	B+
Calgary Flames	Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington	B-
Carolina Hurricanes	Noah Hanifin, Sebastian Aho	B
Chicago Blackhawks	Graham Knott, Dennis Gilbert	C+
Colorado Avalanche	Mikko Rantanen, A.J. Greer, Nicolas Meloche	B
Columbus Blue Jackets	Zach Werenski, Gabriel Carlsson, Paul Bittner	B-
Dallas Stars	Denis Guryanov, Roope Hintz	C
Detroit Red Wings	Evgeni Svechnikov, Vili Saarijarvi	C+
Edmonton Oilers	Connor McDavid, Caleb Jones	A
Florida Panthers	Lawson Crouse, Samuel Montembeault	B-
Los Angeles Kings	Erik Cernak, Alexander Dergachev	C+
Minnesota Wild	Joel Eriksson Ek, Jordan Greenway	B
Montreal Canadiens	Noah Juulsen, Lukas Vejdemo	C
Nashville Predators	Iakov Trenin, Thomas Novak	B-
New Jersey Devils	Pavel Zacha, Mackenzie Blackwood	B
New York Islanders	Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier	B+
New York Rangers	Ryan Gropp, Robin Kovacs	C
Ottawa Senators	Thomas Chabot, Colin White, Gabriel Gagne	A
Philadelphia Flyers	Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny	A
Pittsburgh Penguins	Daniel Sprong, Dominik Simon	B
San Jose Sharks	Timo Meier, Jeremy Roy	B+
St Louis Blues	Vince Dunn, Adam Musil	B-
Tampa Bay Lightning	Mitchell Stephens, Matthew Spencer	C
Toronto Maple Leafs	Mitch Marner, Travis Dermott, Jeremy Bracco	A-
Vancouver Canucks	Brock Boeser, Guillaume Brisebois	C+
Washington Capitals	Ilya Samsonov, Jonas Siegenthaler	B
Winnipeg Jets	Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, Jansen Harkins	B+

For complete draft results, visit ESPN's Draft Tracker.

Top Performers

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers won the 2015 NHL draft on lottery night. Every other team was battling for second place in the draft rankings once the pingpong balls fell their way to assure the selection of McDavid. His value will exceed what a majority of franchises get from their entire draft class.

His extraordinary potential is common knowledge among hockey fans by now. He possesses all of the tools to become the league's next standout player following Sidney Crosby. The fact he's surrounded by a lot of young offensive talent in Edmonton only increases his chances of high-end success.

The Oilers still need upgrades on defense, so the rebuild isn't over quite yet. The attacking nature of their team should make them entertaining to watch next season, though. As for McDavid, he's just trying to avoid any added pressure, as noted by Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal.

"I think if you're going to be good that's the way it has to be: You have to have high expectations for yourself," McDavid said. "But there's a lot of pressure on me coming from the outside [so] I try not to put too much internal pressure on myself just because there's already enough of that out there."

After the top overall selection, Edmonton didn't pick again until the fourth round when they added Caleb Jones to what became a six-player class. Whether any of those other assets will ever help is a mystery, but the Oilers added the biggest prize of all.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators' draft outlook received a major boost when they were able to trade Robin Lehner and David Legwand, two extra pieces, for the No. 21 selection from the Buffalo Sabres. They took full advantage to build one of the top classes.

Thomas Chabot was their first pick at No. 18. The defenseman is a raw talent who started to make some noticeable strides at both ends of the ice near the end of last season. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News provided a scouting report:

Ottawa grabbed Colin White with the selection acquired from Buffalo. He's a center with a budding two-way game and a terrific work rate. How much his offensive game can develop, especially in terms of distribution, will determine whether he'll become a top-six option down the road.

The Sens added two more forwards in the second round, Gabriel Gagne and Filip Chlapik. It was a bit surprising the latter was still available at No. 48 due to his offensive upside, but he'll need to work to become more reliable defensively. He still represented great value, though.

Philadelphia Flyers

Outside of Edmonton and Buffalo, the Flyers probably had the best first round. They were able to get tremendous value at both No. 7 (Ivan Provorov) and No. 24 (Travis Konecny) before adding some nice depth to the class on Day 2 despite not having a pick in Round 2.

Provorov picked up steam late in the draft process, and there was some thought he might jump Noah Hanifin to become the first defenseman picked. While that didn't happen, Brady Trettenero of RotoWire showcased why Philly fans should be excited:

Konecny has put together two strong seasons with the Ottawa 67's, tallying 138 points in 123 regular-season games. He's still a bit rough around the edges, but he's an effortless skater with the potential to become a No. 2 center with a few more years of seasoning.

One other wise move by the Flyers was drafting two goalies in Round 3 (Felix Sandstrom and Matej Tomek). Netminders are drafted young just like the other positions, but it usually takes them longer to develop. Since it's harder to guess right, they increase their chances of landing a starter by taking two.