The top pick in the NHL draft is selected by the Montreal Habs. It takes 2 minutes. Over the course of seven rounds and two days,225 players were selected in the NHL draft. The biggest leader of the event is holding the draft in person again and in Montreal. The NHL held a proper draft inVancouver for the first time in a long time, with executives at tables in the middle of an arena, media working the interview scrums and fans filing in to celebrate their teams' future. Gary Bettman delighted in egging on those fans that booed him every time he stepped to the podium to make the return to some semblance of normal even grander. The crowd roared for the Habs, ridiculed the Maple Leafs, and reacted to every pick. The Montreal crowd made a lot of noise. I did not hear my name called. I just heard 'Slovakian' and I was shocked, but I didn't listen anymore. I felt like shaking and I had feelings of joy. It's unbelievable for me. There were more than one goosebump-worthy moment during the NHL draft. The winners and thelosers of the draft. There are not a lot of franchise centers. One landed in Seattle's lap. There was a chain reaction when Montreal selected Juraj Slafkovsky at the top of the first round. It was an amazing outcome for Seattle to land another elite center after it drafted last year's top ranked pivot. Ron Francis said he was going to build the franchise through the draft and not through free-agent signings. There are two backbones that can become anchor of Seattle's top six for a long time. The chip on Wright's shoulder was obvious before he admitted it. When Wright took the stage on Thursday, he shook commissioner Gary Bettman's hand while scanning Bell Centre with a smile, but his gaze went over to the Montreal Canadiens draft table and he stared down. There was no chill. Wright has more NHL-readiness than the average No.4 pick. After Seattle was one of the league's bottom-dwellers in 2021, the fan base of the Kraken could use a little more excitement. The cabinets were kept stocked with other prospects, and Francis made 11 picks in the draft. Wright will be more well received than any other. It's possible that we can't give Francis all the credit for getting Wright, but his slide definitely bode well for Seattle's future. There is something going on in the city. Kyle Davidson's plan isn't clear after the last couple of days. On Thursday, Alex DeBrincat was traded to the Senators for three draft picks. DeBrincat is a 24 year old with two 40-plus goal seasons already under his belt and a burgeoning two-way game. Is that the return for a trade that didn't have to happen? The Senators made a bold move to grab DeBrincat, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but what benefit did Chicago get? There is a question mark about it. It's not making sense that the team wants to be worse than last year. There was an acquisition by Chicago. The Hawks didn't have a goalie signed for next season, so they had to address that. The deal for Mrazek was a bit odd. Toronto had to shed the final two years of Mrazek's contract for cap space reasons, and he is coming off his worst season in a long time. The Leafs' problem was alleviated by taking Toronto's 25th overall pick and giving up the 38th pick. The difference is 13 spots. It doesn't seem like a lot. He could have a great season for Chicago. The Hawks may have been fleeced at the present time. The only real victory of the week was by the Hawks. Duncan may retire. Chicago thought it was getting rid of the last two years of his contract when it traded him to the Eskimos. A cap recapture penalty will be added to the total in 2022-23 and 24. Chicago gets to the salary floor thanks to that. There were small victories. His first impression was quite good. I apologize. "Ice man" is what it's called. Howard wore a crisp white suit, blue turtleneck, American flag belt and gold chain when he was selected for the U.S. National Team Development program. Howard was quick to squash it if there was any doubts. He told Sportsnet that he's the best looking guy. I thought I would be the best-dressed one as well. Thomas talked to Kaplan about his outfit choice after he was picked by the Lightning. Hockey players don't have a good personality. It's not for the next generation. Howard's dad named him the "Ice Man" because he wouldn't ever get off the ice as a child. The seeds of confidence were planted when Howard's ended up. Incoming prospects are embracing their individuality. On Friday, Ty Nelson wore a smart blue fedora. Nathan Gaucher's suit jacket had a picture of Montreal and the draft on it. The classics are always at a time and place. It was good to see these prospects having fun. TheArizonaCoyotes showed up to Montreal. They wanted to use their many, many draft picks to build up their prospect pool, which they did with a robust class that included the 3rd overall pick, LOGAN COOPER. They wanted to be the best dressed in the NHL. Mission accomplished again. The first NHL team to coordinate their fashion for the draft may have been the Coyotes. The team president, the general manager and the front office all wore matching blue suits and red ties when they announced the first-round picks. I don't like when everyone is wearing the same color. It's on me if anyone has a complaint. We're a group of people. We should have the same appearance. What's inside the lining of that jacket? The ArizonaCoyotes logos are of course. The outside of the @ArizonaCoyotes synchronized suits was awesome. The inside was EPIC. #nhldraft2022 pic.twitter.com/qUONAARpBN
Winners: Seattle Kraken
Losers: Chicago Blackhawks
Winners: Prospects with personality
Loser: 31 NHL teams' fashion sense
Fans on social media made fun of the hockey team. Some people wondered if the front office would attend a screening of "Minions" after the draft. TheCoyotes are going to be a leader in their field, according toArmstrong.
They did the post-game celebrations in Carolina. The storm surge was mentioned. The people made fun of them. It is now culture. It is enjoyable. The NHL is buying into it. Wyshynski said it even the lining.
Hockey is being played in Slovakia. The nation's first Olympic medal was won by the men's team at the Beijing Games. At the draft, two players from that team were taken first and second, with the first one going to Montreal and the second to the New JerseyDevils.
It was the second time in NHL history that a country other than Canada or the US has produced the first two picks in the draft.
Out of five million people, at least four are cheering for us, according to Slafkovsky. That is important at the end of the day. I'm happy that this happened to us because we are from Slovakia.
The Slovaks have made their mark in the NHL over the years and four of them went in the first 63 picks. Six Slovaks were chosen.
"Yes, small country, but we have good players, and now more and more players will be better like we are." Wyshynski said that everyone is proud.
The most popular player in hockey is the one who is universally loved. The Minnesota Wild's new contract with him is causing some controversy.
A two-year extension has been agreed on by the Minnesota Wild. Prior to the March trade deadline, Bill Guerin lured his old friend away from Chicago and they both made 11 starts.
Talbot was having a good season as Minnesota's No. 1 in the save percentage. It didn't seem like that mattered.
Talbot was Minnesota's starter for the playoffs, but couldn't keep them out of the first round against the Blues.
Talbot is close to unrestricted free agency. The veteran was concerned about his standing with the club. Talbot's agent told Pierre LeBrun that they both stated their positions after meeting at the draft. Billy has many things to think about.
The man disagrees.
I don't have time to do anything. "He's under contract." George is free to say what he wants. Right now, my team's set, and that's how it goes. We can discuss everything we want. We have a member of our team. We enjoy watching Cam. We are trying to win.
If you're Talbot, it's not a good message to give. Will Guerin make a trade for Talbot now that the goalie market is heating up? Is the Wild at risk of an unhappy net keeper? If you're Cam Talbot, it's hardly a good 48 hours.
Projections of later-round picks attending the draft in person are always risky. What if they don't get called? Domenic DiVincentiis was waiting to be claimed at Bell Centre as the seventh round began, and he had to think about that.
DiVincentiis wouldn't have been the last prospect not to get drafted. His story ended in a better way.
During the pursuit of the Stanley Cup, there will be a docuseries going on and off the ice and in locker rooms. You can watch on the internet.
It took all the way until the Jets picked DiVincentiis in the seventh round. The eruption of joy that followed from DiVincentiis was a pure celebration of a long-awaited achievement.
The two-day event is all about young people realizing their dreams with the supporters who helped make them come true, and those little moments remind you of that.
There is a memory in Montreal for DiVincentiis regardless of his NHL career. That was worth waiting for.
A right-handed defenseman who can quarterback a power play and had 51 points in 64 games was acquired by the PhiladelphiaFlyers. They are expected to extend his contract by two years. It's exciting times. Chuck Fletcher has to explain to the media and fans that this isn't going to bring a toxic cloud over Philadelphia, even though Tony DeAngelo is a Flyer.
Last summer we did a lot of due diligence. He's young." He has played on many teams. Some incidents in his past may have gotten him into trouble. The consequences of those actions have been paid by him. He has learned from them.
"From everything we can gather and speak with, it seems like he's really worked hard the last year and a half to change his ways," the general manager said. He did a good job both on and off the ice last season.
What would he say to fans who are not comfortable with a player who was accused of using a racial slur and had a fight with a teammate?
You have to appreciate their opinion. Some mistakes have been made by him. I apologized for them. He hasn't had any repeat offenses because of some of the mistakes he's made. He's trying to be a better person both on and off the ice.
Is it possible to put Tony DeAngelo on a team coached by John Tortorella.
I know that he is looking forward to working with him. The man loves the passion. The fire is something he loves. He likes his skills. You won't have any problems if you work hard for Torts and are a good teammate.
It's a completely normal trade.
We had a surprise in store for Bruce Boudreau 😈
Bruce meeting @WWE star @FightOwensFight is must-see TV! @Canucks | @Jackie_Redmond | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/2A3bhK3Ey4
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 8, 2022
Bruce is known for his love of professional wrestling and the old-school grapplers who can talk as well as they can work. Kevin Owens is his favorite current wrestler because he can take a hit as well as he can insult.
Dreams come true at the NHL draft. The host of the NHL Network surprised the coach with a special guest when he was doing a hit on the network.
Owens thought he'd come down and say hello after sitting in a box up there.
"I'm all red, I'm 12 years old," he said.
Owens was asked about his injury status and whether or not he knew which brand he was going to be drafted in.
If you don't get the title shot, I'll call Vince McMahon. I'm there for you. "Boudereau said that."
When a child met Mickey Mouse for the first time at Disney World, it was very wholesome.
The market for goalies was strong last summer. There is less supply on the free agent market this summer. Some teams addressed their goaltending issues at the draft.
On the afternoon of the first round, the Colorado Avs traded for Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers. The Minnesota Wild re-signed goalies, ending speculation that he could be heading to Toronto. Ville Husso was signed by the Red Wings after they acquired the Blues. Washington Caps restricted free agent Vitek Vanecek was acquired by the New JerseyDevils.
Teams tried to get aggressive, but were turned down. The Buffalo Sabres tried to trade for Matt Murray but he used his trade protection to prevent the deal.
The reality is we worked hard on a deal, but players have the ability when it's in their contract to make those decisions We want players who want to stay. We move on because we believe in that.
A goalie is needed by the Sabres. The Eskimos do as well. Two are needed by the Toronto Maple Leafs who traded Mrazek. The other teams will try to strengthen their crease.
There are some free agents hitting the market next week. Some may be available via trade. Those who shop early might get better deals and better goalies than those who wait.
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