The NHL Entry Draft gets underway in Los Angeles (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The NHL Entry Draft gets underway in Los Angeles on Friday, and there haven’t been this many question marks and trade rumors surrounding a draft in recent memory.
As one NHL executive pointed out to RG this week, a combination of factors—most notably an unpredictable draft class and an unusually aggressive group of buyers—has created widespread uncertainty about where prospects will be selected and what picks or current NHL players might be dealt.
“I think it’s the rising cap, to be honest,” another NHL executive told RG on Wednesday. “This may not be the best draft, and yeah, that’s part of it, but I think teams that want to take that next step believe they can do it faster than expected because they think they have more cap space.
Who’s Active—and Who Might Shake Up the Board
So, here’s what RG is hearing right now from NHL executives and scouts as NHL Draft weekend begins:
Teams expected to be active on the trade market: Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators.
“This is how crazy it is! But if I’m a betting man—we already saw the Mammoth—so watch them for more, but the Montreal Canadiens!” said a longtime NHL executive.
An NHL executive source also told RG, “People are sleeping on [Blue Jackets GM] Don Waddell,” so watch Columbus, too.
Teams that could shake up the draft order:
- (2) San Jose Sharks
- (3) Chicago Blackhawks
- (4) Utah Mammoth
- (5) Nashville Predators
- (7) Boston Bruins
- (11 and 12) Pittsburgh Penguins
“There’s a strong belief that the Sharks and the Mammoth could turn things upside down. What if the Sharks take [Anton] Frondell second and pass on [Michael Misa]? They already have [Macklin] Celebrini and [Will] Smith up the middle, so why not Frondell?
“Then what do the Hawks do? Do they build a 1-2 punch of Bedard and Misa up the middle? Do they need Misa in the middle because Bedard becomes a wing?
“What about Utah at four? They’re shopping that pick like crazy, so who does the team that acquires it take?
“Nashville is a question mark at five. The Bruins have been talking to the Islanders and other teams about the seventh overall. Can they take [Matthew] Schaeffer first and [James] Hagens at seven, thanks to a trade with the Bruins? Does Pittsburgh use one of its back-to-back picks?” — Longtime and Stanley Cup-winning amateur scout.
Those are the burning questions heading into 2025 NHL Entry Draft, according to these trusted NHL sources, in what many are calling the most “fluid” draft in years.
With 24 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, ESPN Boston, NESN, NHL.com, etc.) covering the Bruins, the NHL, NCAA and junior hockey, and more, Jimmy Murphy’s hockey black book is filled with Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts and a wide array of hockey media personalities that have lived in and around this great game. For 22 of his 24 years as a hockey and sports reporter, Murphy covered the Bruins on a daily basis, including their victorious 2011 Stanley Cup run and their runs to the 2013 and 2019 Finals. Murphy is currently a co-host, along with Pierre McGuire, on The Eye Test Podcast.
