The 10 biggest storylines ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft

We’re just days away from what will be a seminal National Hockey League draft at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The draft is always a time of great import and more often than not a time of great drama for the hockey community. There are the glittering prospects, some of whom will author profound change for their respective NHL franchises. 

There will be the in-draft drama as teams angle to move up and/or down in order of selection as scouts who have scoured the far corner of the hockey world hope to secure that unpolished gem later in the proceedings a la Pekka Rinne (258th overall in the 2004 draft) or Patric Hornqvist (230th overall in the 2005 draft).

There are also the trades that have become part of the draft landscape as teams look to fill a specific need by leveraging draft capital or shed a troubling contract. 

In short, the draft will always be a time of great hope and optimism and more than a little drama.

Here’s a look at the top storylines of the ’24 draft, the last of the traditional draft formats.

Macklin Celebrini And A New Dawn In San Jose

There is so much to love about presumptive first overall pick Macklin Celebrini and what he can and will mean to the beleaguered San Jose Sharks franchise. First, Celebrini, a polished center who stood college hockey on its ear, has strong ties to the area as his father, Rick, is the vice president of player health and performance with the NBA Warriors. When Rick took the job in northern California he reached out to long-time Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (now in Carolina) about the youth hockey program, according to a local television report. Assuming San Jose GM Mike Grier uses the first pick on Celebrini the Sharks will boast two top-end prospects at center as Will Smith, the fourth overall pick in 2023, recently signed his entry level deal with the Sharks. My good friend Craig Button, talking to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast recently, suggested the pair might remind people of a couple of high end centers drafted in similar positions twenty years ago, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. I’ve also seen Celebrini compared to future Hall of Famer and long-time Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Properly developing and deploying these talented pivots will fall to new head coach Ryan Warsofsky who replaces David Quinn who was fired after last season’s dismal showing. The Sharks aren’t going to be challenging for a playoff spot anytime soon although it’s worth noting by repatriating veteran leader Barclay Goodrow (claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers) and adding the useful Ty Dellandrea, another former first-round draft pick, from Dallas for a fourth round pick, Grier is definitely upping the ante after last season.

What Do The Chicago Blackhawks Do For An Encore?

The Blackhawks hit the lottery both literally and figuratively last year by drafting generational player Connor Bedard first overall. They also had the 19th overall pick a year ago. Chicago is once again poised to be a major player at the draft this year as they recently completed a deal with the New York Islanders that will see them draft second and 18th. Bedard stepped into his superstar role immediately for the Blackhawks and Oliver Moore, also a center, is now considered their top offensive prospect whom they selected 19th in last year's draft. Does this suggest the Blackhawks will look to shore up their still emerging blue line corps in ‘24? Artyom Levshunov, coming off an outstanding freshman year at Michigan State, is an interesting player considered a top five pick and one of the top two or three defenders in the draft. Dan Marr, head of the NHL’s Central Scouting, told good friend Mike Morreale at NHL.com that Levshunov is the most complete defensive package in the draft. Another draft guru and friend, Chris Peters, likened him to future Hall of Famer Drew Doughty. Other options if the Blackhawks go ‘D’ with the second overall pick are Zeev Buium from the University of Denver, and Zayne Parekh of Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. It’ll be interesting to see who they go after with the 18th pick because it’s clear the Blackhawks have a person in mind hence the pre-draft move that saw them move up from 20th and send an extra second-round pick to the Islanders. Our guess would be a forward with some physicality to help match the speed and skill already in the Chicago fold. Button at TSN has Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, a big winger playing in Sweden, at 17th in his final rankings so he could be an option. Another big winger, Igor Chernyshov, playing in Russia, may also be available with the 18th pick.

Does Florida’s Success Prompt Teams To Rethink How They View Their Draft Pick Assets?   

It used to be that in a cap world you hung onto draft picks like gold. But Florida, on the cusp of winning their first Stanley Cup at the time of this writing, is set to scale hockey’s greatest mountain with just three home-grown players in their lineup; Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell and Aaron Ekblad. That’s pretty crazy. The Panthers, competing in their second straight Stanley Cup final, have stood that traditional model of team development on its ear by trading for and signing off the free agent market the core of a championship team. I still don’t think you can have sustained success without drafting and developing quality players every year. But maybe Florida’s success will give GMs pause when it comes to making a move that involves draft picks especially if it’s a team that feels ready to take a jump towards contention (as opposed to a rebuilding team). It will be interesting at the end of the draft next week to see if there have been more deals involving draft picks in Vegas that may suggest a shift in team-building theory.

Trevor Connelly And The Character Test

Every year, it seems, there’s a draft eligible player who appears to have all of the requisite on-ice tools to become an NHL player – or at least a viable prospect – but whose off-ice behavior cloud the issue. Mitch Miller was drafted 111th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020 in spite of a horrific incident of racial bullying in his past. The Coyotes ultimately rescinded the pick. Logan Mailloux was charged criminally while playing in Sweden for distributing compromising photos of a young woman without her consent. He paid a fine as a result of the charges. Montreal selected him with the 31st pick in the 2021 draft even though he’d asked not to be selected. I would argue the tone deaf move by the Habs hastened then GM Marc Bergevin’s departure from the organization. This year Trevor Connelly is that player. Considered by many to be one of the top 10 forwards available in the draft, he is continuing to answer for his involvement in a picture involving a swastika and a friend taken in a library a few years ago. He was also accused of making a racial slur during a hockey game subsequent to that but cleared of any wrongdoing. Connelly has spoken openly about his efforts to grow and learn from his mistakes including helping to coach youngsters in non-traditional hockey events. Scouts seem divided on where they would take the young man but it will be a talking point wherever he is selected and teams will have to be prepared for at least some blowback.

Like Father, Like Son (They Hope)

It’s been interesting to watch the rise of Tij Iginla (pronounced Teej) up the various mock draft lists. Of course Iginla, a skilled winger with Kelowna who had 84 points in 64 games, is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. From a mid to late first-round prospect Iginla has risen to the top five of a number of respected pre-draft rankings. Button, who was with the Dallas Stars organization when they drafted Jarome Iginla with the 11th overall pick in 1995, has Tij Iginla at third overall in his final ranking. Jason Bukala at Sportsnet has Iginla at 5th overall.

Markstrom A Devil But The Goaltending Market Still Fluid

One of the teams we were watching closely as it relates to draft movement was the New Jersey Devils who were openly looking to upgrade their goaltending position. At one point it looked like New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald would be open to sending the 10th overall pick out into the world for an established NHL netminder. It turned out he didn’t have to spend that pick, specifically, although he did have to dig deep into his assets to acquire veteran Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames a few days ago. The Flames obtained a first-round pick in 2025 (top 10 protected) plus monster defensive prospect 6-foot-6 Kevin Bahl, selected by Arizona with the 55th pick in 2018. The Flames also retained one-third of Markstrom’s salary. The 34-year-old netminder has two years left on his current deal at $6 million annually. So, where does that leave Nashville netminder Juuse Saros who is younger at 29 and has just one year left on his current deal at $5 million in Nashville? Saros had been on New Jersey’s radar as well. He has no trade protection and the Preds are soon going to have to figure out what their goaltending future looks like with the continuing evolution of first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov who was recently named by the American Hockey League to its all-prospect team. And then there’s Linus Ullmark, who won a Vezina Trophy a year ago but was supplanted by Jeremy Swayman as the Boston starter. Ullmark is 30 and, like Saros, has one year left before free agency at $5 million. He has a modified no-trade clause. Who else might be interested in shoring up their goaltending at the draft? One team would be the Ottawa Senators, heading into their first draft under new ownership and with new GM Steve Staios and head of hockey ops Dave Poulin at the helm. Toronto is also looking to solidify its goaltending position under new head coach Craig Berube.

Sabres Open, Too?

Another team to watch with a desirable first-round pick that could be open to a trade is Buffalo. GM Kevyn Adams needs to break the NHL’s longest playoff drought – they haven’t been to the postseason since 2011 and haven’t won a playoff round since 2007 – and they have an enviable collection of young roster players and prospects that should be ready to take that jump into the top eight in the Eastern Conference. Emphasis on ‘should’. With new head coach Lindy Ruff back in the fold, adding another NHL piece to the puzzle would be enticing and Adams told reporters recently he’d be open to moving the 11th overall pick to do so. He’s also leaving all options open when it comes to Jeff Skinner suggesting a buyout is also possible.

A New Dawn In Carolina

As we discussed last week on our Draft Nation podcast, the Carolina Hurricanes are a fascinating case as long-time GM Don Waddell is now in Columbus and rookie GM Eric Tulsky, considered one of the top analytics minds in the game, has a bevy of free agents to deal with. He just signed Jalen Chatfield to a nice three-year deal at $3 million a year but he’s likely going to have to remake his blue line given the potential demands of pending UFAs Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. More importantly Tulsky and the Carolina brain trust need to come up with a plan for restricted free agent Martin Necas who is rumored to want a fresh start. Vancouver? Boston? Columbus? Lots of places would want a young talent like Necas but the Canes won’t be giving him away. Is this the kind of situation where the Hurricanes trade Necas for high end draft capital and then turn around and use that to bring in another top six forward? Then there’s Jake Guentzel who will be the top player to hit free agency on July 1 if he doesn’t find a home before that either by signing long-term with the Hurricanes or with a team to whom the Hurricanes trade his rights. In short, it's all happening in Carolina right now.

The Utah Hockey Club

It could be a dramatic draft for the NHL’s newest club (well sort of new) as Utah gets ready for its first draft after relocating from Arizona just a few weeks ago. The UHC has, according to CapFriendly.com, $43.5 million in cap space. They also have seven picks in the first three rounds of the draft, one 1st, three 2nds and three 3rds. Will GM Bill Armstrong begin turning those picks into bona fide players to add to the UHC larder? The UHC has one of the deepest prospect pools in the game so maybe this draft is about turning a corner and adding NHL ready players like a Necas etc. This is a team that has been a disaster in Arizona on so many levels failing to reach the main playoff tournament every year since a surprise run to the 2012 Western Conference Final (they won a qualifying round in the Covid-altered 2020 playoffs). But this is a team that has all kinds of assets, a quality coach in Andre Tourigny, and now quality ownership in Utah. Buckle up.

End Of A Draft Era

On a personal note I’m a bit bummed that this will be the last time, at least for the foreseeable future, that the NHL will gather en masse for the draft. Even though I won’t be in Vegas for this year’s events, I’ve been to many drafts over the years and each is memorable for many reasons. But one central theme unites all these events and that is that they are a gathering of the entire hockey tribe. It was a time to remind yourself that it takes a village to create a pro hockey player and, frankly, a village to create an NHL team. It was a time to marvel at the unbridled joy (and relief) that comes with hearing your name called out by a team for the whole hockey world to hear. It makes sense, of course, for the NHL to follow the patterns long established by other pro sports. It's cheaper for team personnel to be in their own cities and hosting their own draft parties with their loyal fan bases. Scouts and analysts are likely more productive in those settings. I get it. Still, there will be something lost next June and that’s the reality. One of the many draft moments that will always stay with me was from the Vancouver draft in 2019. It was late in the seventh round. All but a handful of teams had made all of their selections. Most teams were packing up their tables and many scouts and executives were saying their goodbyes and preparing to head to the airport for late-afternoon flights or to get an early start on dinner. With the 214th pick Calgary called out ‘Dustin Wolf’. There was a cacophonous sound from up near section 104 or 105 of Rogers Arena. The arena seats were pretty much barren except this small group that included Wolf and his family and supporters, many of whom had traveled from California and Seattle. Wolf got to meet the staff and someone from the Flames communications staff found a jersey and later the entire entourage was in the Flames’ suite celebrating the unlikely moment. The post-script to that is that Wolf has continued to evolve and is on the cusp of challenging for an NHL job with the Flames. The sad part is that moments like this will be lost or at least fundamentally changed with the change to draft procedure.