2015 NHL Draft Results: Team-by-Team Grades for Overall Picks and Trades

The 2015  NHL draft was one of the deepest and most significant in recent memory.

The reason for that was the brilliant talent at the top of the selection process, with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel leading the way.

McDavid is viewed by a large majority of NHL scouts and general managers as the best draft pick to enter the league since Sidney Crosby in 2005. The Edmonton Oilers have had a series of No. 1 draft picks in recent years, including Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but McDavid rates higher than all of them, and he could be the one who leads the Oilers out of the abyss and back to glory.

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McDavid averaged league-best 2.55 PPG in 47 games this season for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) https://t.co/IdWIHa8olu

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 26, 2015"

Eichel is not far behind McDavid, and NHL analyst Craig Button gave him a huge endorsement. Button recently told a national audience on NBCSN that McDavid rated higher than any of the previous nine No. 1 picks. Eichel has tremendous hockey instincts and an overwhelming reach he uses to keep the puck away from defenders to create scoring opportunities.

Eichel has a chance to help the Buffalo Sabres fight their way back to respectability in the Eastern Conference.

Team	Grade	Skinny
Anaheim Ducks	C	Other than acquiring Carl Hagelin, Ducks did little to improve.
Arizona Coyotoes	A-	First-round pick Strome has excellent scoring instincts.
Boston Bruins	D	GM Sweeney doesn't look ready for prime time with Hamilton trade,
Buffalo Sabres	A	Eichel is a game changer and O'Reilly acquisition has Buffalo on the right track.
Calgary Flames	A+	Acquiring Hamilton helps Flames get much better.
Carolina Hurricanes	B	Top pick Hanfin looks like true stud.
Chicago Blackhawks	C-	Stanley Cup champs did nothing to get better.
Colorado Avalanche	B-	Rantanen looks like big-time scorer.
Columbus Blue Jackets	B	Jackets pick up stellar defenseman in Werenski.
Dallas Stars	C	Stars reached for Gurianov in opening round.
Detroit Red Wings	B	Red Wings almost always find players in middle rounds.
Edmonton Oilers	A+	McDavid is the can't-miss kid.
Florida Panthers	B	Crouse is a big body who can put the puck in the net.
Los Angeles Kings	C+	Aside from Lucic acquisition, Kings did little.
Minnesota Wild	B	Eriksson, Ek and Greenway give Wild more offense.
Montreal Canadiens	B	Juulsen gives Habs more mobility and depth on defense.
Nashville Predators	C+	Russian import Trenin has skills to become an impact player.
New Jersey Devils	C+	Zacha has interesting possibilities due to size and strength.
New York Islanders	A	Snow makes masterful draft-day moves.
New York Rangers	C-	Weaker after trading Hagelin and Talbot.
Ottawa Senators	A-	Surge continues during draft for rising Sens.
Philadelphia Flyers	A-	Provorov appears to be franchise defenseman.
Pittsburgh Penguins	D	Pens only had four picks and none are special.
St. Louis Blues	C	Dunn looks solid in second round, but Blues had nothing in first and third rounds.
San Jose Sharks	B+	Meier looks like big-time scorer of the future.
Tampa Bay Lightning	B	Yzerman makes it count with two seconds and two thirds.
Toronto Maple Leafs	B+	Marner has the tools to be solid scorer.
Vancouver Canucks	C-	First-round pick Boeser lacks polish at this point.
Washington Capitals	C+	Selection of goalie Samsonsov questionable with Holtby secure in net.
Winnipeg Jets	A-	Jets' drafting depth hits home run.

While the Oilers and Sabres helped themselves greatly, the Boston Bruins lost a lot of their luster. New general manager Don Sweeney traded both Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton hours before the start of the draft. Though the Bruins had salary-cap issues, Lucic was a dominating, physical type of player when he was at his best, while Hamilton appears to be one of the top young defensemen in the league.

The Bruins had three first-round draft picks, but they appeared to reach for all of those selections. Sweeney seemingly has much to learn when it comes to keeping an established team in contention.

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Rumblings: Dougie Hamilton trade surprises entire league - ESPN (blog) http://t.co/93eWkGr5TN

— dead__last (@dead__last) June 27, 2015"

The Calgary Flames were the beneficiaries of the Hamilton trade, which is a huge benefit for head coach Bob Hartley's team. Hamilton is about to come into his prime years, and the Flames could very well have an All-Star defenseman for years to come.

Additionally, the Flames made some impressive choices by taking blueliners Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington with their second-round picks. It seems that the Flames turned their weakness on defense into a strength in the blink of an eye.

The New York Islanders also enjoyed a memorable draft, as general manager Garth Snow continued the roll he started just before the start of the season when he acquired defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Snow acquired an extra first-round pick by trading away Griffin Reinhart on Friday night. He used his first-round picks to select center Mathew Barzal and left wing Anthony Beauvillier. Barzal is a creative playmaker who has a chance to step in and make an immediate impact for the Islanders.

"He's a unique player, he's just really flippin' good," head scout Trent Klatt told Arthur Staple of Newsday. "The sky's the limit for him. He can have any kind of NHL career he wants."

The Bruins weren't the only Original Six team to struggle during the draft. The Rangers traded speedster Carl Hagelin to the Anaheim Ducks and backup goalie Cam Talbot to the Oilers. The Rangers attempted to move into the first round with their maneuverings, but they were unable to do so. Second-round choice Ryan Gropp appears to have some skill as a left wing, but he may be years away from contributing.

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Hagelin and Talbot dealt for underwhelming return. http://t.co/TTk3Eg4uJ9 via @nypost

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 27, 2015"

The same holds true for right wing Robin Kovacs, who was taken with the first pick of the third round.