We now know the order for the 2022 NHL Draft. With the Stanley Cup Final finishing up on Sunday, we now know who will be picking in what spot through the entire seven rounds.
The draft will feature stars like Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, Logan Cooley and Simon Nemec expected to go in the top four. Wright is the expected number one pick but Slafkovsky is also expected to be a very valuable player in the NHL for years to come/
The 2022 NHL Draft will be in 10 days in Montreal, with the Montreal Canadiens picking first overall. Let’s go over what the first round looks like.
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. New Jersey Devils
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Seattle Kraken
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (CHI Pick)
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Anaheim Ducks
11. San Jose Sharks
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. New York Islanders
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
16. Buffalo Sabres (VGK Pick)
17. Nashville Predators
18. Dallas Stars
19. Los Angeles Kings
20. Washington Capitals
21. Pittsburgh Penguins
22. Anaheim Ducks (BOS Pick)
23. St. Louis Blues
24. Minnesota Wild
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. Montreal Canadiens (CGY Pick)
27. Arizona Coyotes (CAR Pick)
28. Buffalo Sabres (FLA Pick)
29. Edmonton Oilers
30. Winnipeg Jets (NYR Pick)
31. Tampa Bay Lightning
32. Arizona Coyotes (COL Pick)
The draft has also seen some big trades made in past years. We could potentially see the Devils trade their second overall pick if they deem their return is worth the price or we could see some different teams make salary cap moves like how the Vegas Golden Knights traded Evgenii Dadonov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the contract of Shea Weber.
There are a lot of teams with multiple picks at the upcoming draft in the first round but I think the most interesting players to keep an eye on are going to be the Canadiens with the top pick in front of their home crowd, the Devils in deciding to make a move or hold onto their second overall pick and the Buffalo Sabres, a team with three picks at the draft that could potentially be making some moves to help build their roster for next season.
The draft is almost here. Fans won’t have to wait too long for some more exciting news from the NHL.