The 2022 NHL Draft is in the books, and it certainly brought its share of drama. We saw stars such as Alex DeBrincat traded for a top 10 pick, the consensus NHL expert picks #1 prospect slide down to fourth overall, and a historic first as two Slovakian players were selected with the top two picks.
Here, we’ve highlighted the three biggest winners and two biggest losers in our 2022 NHL Draft Recap. To be clear, this is NOT an indictment on any individual prospects, but instead a look at the organizations that either took a big leap forward or a large step back.
NHL Draft Winners
Seattle Kraken
Kicking off our NHL Draft Recap, the Kraken got an absolute gift as top prospect Shane Wright fell into their laps at the fourth overall pick.
Just how big of a fall was it? NHL betting odds had Wright as the favorite to go first overall at -350 ahead of the draft.
He was +250 to go second overall and +1200 to go third overall (odds for Wright at fourth overall were not available prior to the draft as no one saw him falling out of the top three).
Seatle Best Prospect Pipelines
In just their second season as a franchise, Seattle now has one of the best prospect pipelines, especially up the middle with their centers after selecting Matty Beniers with the second overall pick in the 2021 Draft.
But Seattle’s draft luck didn’t stop in the first round. The Kraken also added:
- RW Jagger Firkus
- RW Jani Nyman
- G Niklas Kokko
- C David Goyette
In the second round, and got one of the biggest draft steals in Ty Nelson at the top of the third round.
Seattle likely isn’t a playoff team for the 2022-23 season, but the way they’re rebuilding the prospect pool will set them up well for future success.
New York Islanders
The Islanders’ big draft night move was acquiring Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick in exchange for the 13th overall pick.
Montreal then flipped the 13th pick and 66th overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirby Dach. In a bubble, the movie doesn’t look terrible.
Romanov is a promising young left-shot defenseman who adds a ton of physicality to the blue line. The 22-year-old finished sixth in hits (227) among NHL defensemen last season.
However, looking at the big picture, the Islanders were fleeced in the Devon Toews deal where they sent the star d-man to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks.
NHL Matchups Nightmare
Toews has been an NHL matchups nightmare for opponents as an ideal D-tandem partner for Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar,
Isles GM Lou Lamoriello was then left scrambling to add some star power to the defense corps, making the Romanov trade look even worse.
Beyond that, New York really didn’t need to give up a first-round pick for Romanov, as a second-round pick may have been enough to get the deal done.
Frank Nazar Overall Pick
To make matters work, Chicago ultimately selected Frank Nazar with the 13th overall pick. Nazar has the offensive upside from the center position that would be an ideal complement to Mathew Barzal and provide the needed spark the Islanders have lacked since John Tavares left in free agency.
Calle Odelius, New York’s second-round pick, is certainly a bright spot, but things on the Island may get worse before they get better.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Seth Jones trade continues to pay off for Columbus. The Blue Jackets used the sixth overall pick they got from Chicago to take defenseman David Jiricek, considered by many to be the best defensive defenseman in the draft.
But they didn’t stop addressing the blue line there; Columbus also took Denton Mateychuk at 12th overall, adding a ton of talent to a young but promising defensive group.
Needing to upgrade their center depth, the Columbus Blue Jackets also landed Luca Del Bel Belluz in the second round.
Fringe First-round Prospect
Del Bel Belluz was a player with a fringe first-round prospect grade after a solid season in the OHL with the Mississauga Steelheads (30 goals, 46 assists in 68 games). He’ll be a solid middle-six forward behind Cole Sillinger.
If that weren’t enough to address team needs, Columbus drafted an absolute tank of a winger in the fourth round by taking Kirill Dolzhenkov.
The 18-year-old checks in at 6’6”, 236 pounds, and he moves well for his size. Dolzhenkov is likely 3-4 years away from being NHL-ready, but he should eventually be a strong physical presence for the Blue Jackets.
NHL Draft Winners
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers might seem like an odd inclusion on this NHL Draft Recap list. But their draft really left me scratching my head.
Don’t get me wrong, first-round pick Reid Schaefer is a solid prospect who will add a nice degree of physicality on the wing.
However, Edmonton traded out of a spot where they could’ve addressed a big team needs defensively, swapping the 29 picks to Arizona for 32nd overall (originally from Colorado), missing out on the chance to add a blueliner in Maveric Lamoureaux.
The Oilers also had traded away their second, third, and fourth-round picks prior to the draft and were unable to acquire any more picks in those rounds.
Edmonton’s Players Movement
Edmonton could’ve moved out some players to trade back into those rounds while clearing more cap room in the process.
Unfortunately, it seems like their best move was clearing Zack Kassian’s contract ($3.2 million caps hit for each of the next two seasons).
That might be enough to free up room for a run at a goaltender (perhaps Jack Campbell?) in free agency, but it’s hard to see much of this draft in a positive light for Edmonton.
Winnipeg Jets
I really like how this draft came together for Winnipeg. They needed to restock the cupboard with prospects, and the board fell about as perfectly as possible for the Jets.
In the first round, Winnipeg Jets selected Rutger McGroarty at 14th overall and Brad Lambert with the 30th pick. McGroarty is a leader on and off the ice as captain of the Team USA U18 squad.
He scored 35 goals and 34 assists in 54 games with the USNTDP squad. Lambert was a projected Top-5 pick at DY-1 before an underwhelming campaign with the Lahti Pelicans (Liiga).
Lambert’s Elite Skating Ability
However, Lambert’s elite skating ability may be the best in the class; he could develop into a reliable top-six forward with the ability to play center or wing.
Winnipeg also bolstered the blueline with defensemen Elias Salomonsson (second round) and Garrett Brown (fourth round), picked up a quality center prospect in Danny Zhilkin (third round) and grabbed goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis in the seventh.
The organization needed to hit a home run with this draft class, and the Jets’ front office delivered.
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