2022 NHL Mock Draft: Full Round 1 Projections for Every Team

On Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens notched a 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, ending the 2021-22 season on a two-game winning streak. But that didn't change the fact that it was a disappointing year for the Habs, who finished with an NHL-worst record of 22-49-11.

However, that means the Canadiens will have the best odds of securing the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL draft via the draft lottery, which is scheduled for May 10. Although the order will be set at that time, the draft won't take place until July 7 and 8 at Bell Centre in Montreal.

There are a lot of talented prospects in this year's draft class. But Shane Wright, an 18-year-old center who plays for the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs, is expected to be the first player taken, regardless of which team ends up with the top selection.

With the regular season now one game away from being complete, here's a first-round mock draft, with the order set via lottery odds.

1st-Round Mock Draft

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1. Montreal Canadiens: Shane Wright, C, Kingston (OHL)

2. Arizona Coyotes: Logan Cooley, C, U.S. National Team Development Program

3. Seattle Kraken: Simon Nemec, D, HK Nitra (SVK)

4. Philadelphia Flyers: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS (FIN)

5. New Jersey Devils: David Jiricek, D, HC Plzen (CZE)

6. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Chicago Blackhawks): Joakim Kemell, C, JYP (FIN)

7. Ottawa Senators: Brad Lambert, C/RW, Pelican (Liiga)

8. Detroit Red Wings: Frank Nazar, RW, U.S. National Team Development Program

9. Buffalo Sabres: Matthew Savoie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

10. Anaheim Ducks: Denton Mateychuk, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)

11. San Jose Sharks: Conor Geekie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

12. Columbus Blue Jackets: Owen Pickering, D, Swift Current (WHL)

13. New York Islanders: Jonathan Lekkerimaki, C/RW, Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)

14. Winnipeg Jets: Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL)

15. Vancouver Canucks: Danila Yurov, RW, Magnitogorsk (KHL)

16. Buffalo Sabres (via Vegas Golden Knights): Lian Bichsel, D, Leksands IF J20 (SWI)

17. Nashville Predators: Cutter Gauthier, LW, U.S. National Team Development Program

18. Dallas Stars: Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, U.S. National Team Development Program

19. Los Angeles Kings: Pavel Mintyukov, D, Saginaw (OHL)

20. Washington Capitals: Marco Kasper, C, Rogle BK J20 (SWE)

21. Pittsburgh Penguins: Rutger McGroarty, C, U.S. National Team Development Program

22. Edmonton Oilers: Liam Ohgren, LW, Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)

23. Anaheim Ducks (via Boston Bruins): Luca Del Bel Belluz, C/LW, Mississauga (OHL)

24. St. Louis Blues: Isaac Howard, LW, U.S. National Team Development Program

25. Tampa Bay Lightning: Sam Rinzel, D, Waterloo (USHL)

26. New York Rangers: Owen Beck, C, Mississauga (OHL)

27. Minnesota Wild: Filip Mesar, C, HK Poprad (SVK)

28. Toronto Maple Leafs: Calle Odelius, D, Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)

29. Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary Flames): Elias Salomonsson, D, Skelleftea AIK J20 (SWE)

30. Arizona Coyotes (via Carolina Hurricanes): Seamus Casey, D, U.S. National Team Development Program

31. Arizona Coyotes (via Colorado Avalanche): Alexander Perevalov, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)

32. Buffalo Sabres (via Florida Panthers): Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Omskie (MHL)

Montreal Canadiens

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No. 1 pick: 25.5 percent

No. 2 pick: 18.8 percent

No. 3 pick: 55.7 percent

In 2020, the Canadiens ended a two-year playoff drought. In 2021, they made a run to the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the Lightning in a five-game series. This year, they had an NHL-low 55 points and will have a top-three pick in the 2022 draft.

It was a quick fall for Montreal, which didn't record consecutive victories this season until a five-game winning streak from Feb. 17-26. Now, the Canadiens go into the offseason looking to turn things around for the future.

Shane Wright could be a great player for Montreal to build around. But if it ends up at No. 2 or No. 3, there's a good chance it won't have an opportunity to draft him. It will then have to decide which player it believes is the next best prospect to add to its core.

The Canadiens have had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft five times in their history, but they haven't had the top selection since 1980. Perhaps this year that drought will end and they'll be first on the clock in their home arena.

Arizona Coyotes

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No. 1 pick: 13.5 percent

No. 2 pick: 14.4 percent

No. 3 pick: 32 percent

No. 4 pick: 40.2 percent

Friday night marked the end of an era for the Coyotes, who notched a 5-4 victory over the Predators in their final game at Gila River Arena. Beginning next season, Arizona will temporarily be playing its home games at the new arena being built on the campus of Arizona State University.

No matter where the Coyotes are playing, they're trying to build a core that will lead them to more success in the future. They've only made the playoffs once over the past 10 seasons, and they finished the 2021-22 campaign with only 57 points.

That means Arizona is guaranteed to have a top-four pick in the 2022 NHL draft. It could either come away with Wright at No. 1, or it may land another talented top prospect at one of the other spots.

This could be a big draft for the Coyotes, considering they're slated to have three picks in the first round because they own the selections that originally belonged to the Hurricanes and Avalanche. If Arizona has a strong draft, it could go a long way in the franchise having long-term success.

Seattle Kraken

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No. 1 pick: 11.5 percent (if third-best odds) or 9.5 percent (if fourth-best odds)

No. 2 pick: 11.5 percent or 9.8 percent

No. 3 pick: 7.4 percent or 0 percent

No. 4 pick: 40.7 percent or 15.4 percent

No. 5 pick: 28.8 percent or 44.9 percent

No. 6 pick: 0 percent or 20.5 percent

Seattle is one of only two teams that hasn't finished the regular season yet. It will play its regular-season finale against Winnipeg on Sunday. And if it wins, it will end up with one more point than Philadelphia, which would give the Flyers the third-best lottery odds instead of the Kraken. So there are stakes for that matchup.

Seattle wasn't nearly successful in its inaugural season as the NHL's previous expansion franchise. While the Golden Knights made an impressive run to the Stanley Cup final in 2018, the Kraken have 60 points entering their final game. The Flyers are currently one point ahead in the standings.

Last year, Seattle made Matthew Beniers the first draft pick in franchise history when it selected the Michigan center with the No. 2 overall pick. It will again be on the clock early in 2022, as it's guaranteed to have a top-six selection in this year's draft, regardless of how Sunday's finale goes.

The Kraken need to keep adding young talent to their system in order to be successful in the future, and that's what they'll continue to do in this year's draft.