Hockey

Most Unpredictable NHL Draft in Years Set to Shake Up League

Published: Jun 27, 2025, 8:54 AM
4 min read
Updated: Jul 8, 2025, 8:48 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov
 The NHL Entry Draft gets underway in Los Angeles

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.

“That’s why we’re seeing—and will see—these first-round picks flying off the shelf. The buyers’ market is crazier now because more teams think they’re ready and better, so they’d rather use picks to improve their current rosters. Then you also have teams that need to get to the cap floor, too, so it’s way more about NHL bodies than futures right now… unless you’re getting 2026 first-rounders!”

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.

NHL Reporter
James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist with 25 years of experience covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL, including two decades on the Boston Bruins beat. His work has appeared on NHL.com, NESN, ESPN Boston and more, and he’s made regular TV and radio appearances on NESN, ESPN, TSN and SiriusXM. A familiar face in the hockey world, Murphy has covered multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NHL drafts and playoffs, and now co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire, interviewing top NHL executives, coaches and players. He joined RG in 2024 after stints with Boston Hockey Now and LiveBarn.
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NHL

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