Live Blog: 2015 NHL Draft

The NHL Entry Draft is now complete, with all 211 picks having been made and numerous trades flooding the transaction wire. Here is a recap of all of the Day Two happenings, and we have a blow-by-blow recap of Day One at the bottom of the page as well. 

Big Trades Rule the Day 

The day got off to a big start in terms of goaltenders switching squads, as Eddie Lack was sent from the Vancouver Canucks to the Carolina Hurricanes. In response, the Hurricanes sent goaltender Anton Khodobin to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman James Wisniewski. 

The Ducks weren't done making moves, as they acquired forward Carl Hagelin and a second round draft pick in exchange for young forward Emerson Etem and a second round selection. 

The Rangers also made another move, sending goaltender Cam Talbot to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth round pick and a prospect. 

Finally, the San Jose Sharks sent goaltender Antti Niemi (who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1) to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a seventh round pick. 

Notable Draft Selections: 

-The New York Islanders used the 172nd pick to draft Andong Song, who is the first Chinese-born player ever selected in the NHL Draft. The event was a huge deal in China, as it was shown live on television in the country, and even if he doesn't play for a single minute in the league, his arrival is the first wave of what is going to be a steady flow of prospects from the country. 

-With the 199th pick, the Ottawa Senators picked goaltender Joel Daccord out of Arizona State University. The pick is notable for two reasons, as it is the first for the school since it announced that it would become a Division I hockey program in the NCAA next season. It also hints at a future of big things for hockey in the state, as Arizona-native Auston Matthews could be the number one overall pick at next year's draft in Buffalo. 

9:23 p.m. - A bombshell trade late in the first round as the Anaheim Ducks send Kyle Palmieri to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the 41st pick this year and a draft pick in 2016. 

9:09 p.m. - The Anaheim Ducks snap up Jacob Larsson with the 27th pick, and the New York Islanders move up for the second time tonight as they take the 28th pick from Tampa in exchange for the 33rd and 72nd picks in the draft. 

8:59 p.m. - If Stan Bowman wants a first round pick this year for Sharp, he's running out of time. The Canadiens take Noah Juulsen with the 26th pick. 

8:53 p.m. - Jack Roslovic, who had 80 points in 65 games with the US-NTDP this season, is drafted by the Winnipeg Jets at 25. 

8:45 p.m. - The Maple Leafs opt to trade the 24th pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the 29th and 61st picks. The Flyers then use that pick to take Travis Konecny. 

8:40 p.m. - Brock Boesar went to the Vancouver Canucks with the 23rd pick. 

8:36 p.m. - Two more teams picking soon that could eyeball Patrick Sharp: the Toronto Maple Leafs (24th) and the Montreal Canadiens (26th). 

8:32 p.m. - The Capitals keep their pick and snagged Ilya Samsonov with the 22nd pick. Could he put some pressure on Braden Holtby in the future in net for the Caps? We'll find out. 

8:22 p.m. - If you're looking for teams who could still trade their picks for Patrick Sharp, the Washington Capitals will be on the clock at 22. 

8:20 p.m. - Joel Eriksson Ek goes to the Minnesota Wild at 20. Solid defenseman who hails from the same area as Wild star Jonas Brodin. 

8:15 p.m. - Thomas Chabot goes to the Ottawa Senators with the 18th overall pick. The Detroit Red Wings follow that up with an excellent pick as they grab Evgeny Svechnikov. Could potentially make the NHL roster this year, but no pressure on him. 

8:03 p.m. - The Winnipeg Jets draft Kyle Connor, the fourth American selected so far in this draft. He's a great goal scorer who could end up seeing some serious playing time on a top line, but he needs to develop his defensive game more and add some bulk to his skinny frame. 

7:55 p.m. - Matthew Barzal goes to the New York Islanders after they acquired the pick from Edmonton. Adds a ton of center depth for the team to go along with John Tavares and Ryan Strome. 

7:51 p.m. - The Boston Bruins ended up making all three of their picks, grabbing Jake Debrusk and Zach Senyshyn with the 14th and 15th picks. 

7:50 p.m. - We have our first trade of the draft itself. The New York Islanders acquire the 16th and 33rd picks from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defensive prospect Griffin Reinhart 

7:35 p.m. - The Dallas Stars snatch up Denis Gurianov with the 12th pick, and the Boston Bruins hold onto the first of their three picks as they take Jakub Zboril. 

7:20 p.m. - The draft has continued without any trades of picks here. Timo Meier goes to the Sharks at number nine, the Avalanche get a steal in Mikko Rantanen at 10, and the Panthers thrill their hometown fans by snagging Lawson Crouse at number 11. 

7:00 p.m. - With all of the fireworks early in the day, the first round of the draft has been surprisingly quiet. The Carolina Hurricanes select Noah Hanifin, the New Jersey Devils grab Pavel Zacha, the Philadelphia Flyers nab Ivan Provorov, and the Columbus Blue Jackets pick Zach Werenski. 

6:40 p.m. - The Toronto Maple Leafs also keep their pick, grabbing Mitch Marner from the London Knights. Good winger for them to grab if they intend on shipping either James van Riemsdyk or Phil Kessel out of town. 

6:30 p.m. - The Buffalo Sabres went chalk as they take Jack Eichel with the number two pick. After resisting some serious advances from other teams, the Arizona Coyotes snatched up center Dylan Strome from the Erie Otters. Strome played with McDavid last season. 

6:19 p.m. - Official trade involving the Sabres and Avalanche: 

The Edmonton Oilers also make their pick official as they take Connor McDavid with the first overall pick. 

6:02 p.m. - Tons of rumors out that the Buffalo Sabres are going to get Ryan O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche. In exchange, the 31st overall pick in the draft, Mikhail Grigorenko, and Nikita Zadorov would head back to the Avs, according to several reports. We'll keep you posted. 

5:45 p.m. - The Boston Bruins are still discussing potential trades for goaltender Tuukka Rask. This thing is quickly turning from a salary cap salvage mission to a full-on rebuild. 

4:30 p.m. - With news out that the Bruins are retaining half of Milan Lucic's salary for next season, and with the start of the draft just an hour and a half away, it isn't shocking to hear that the Blackhawks are dropping their asking price on Patrick Sharp: 

4:05 p.m. - As it stands now, the Arizona Coyotes are planning to hold onto the third overall pick in the draft. That could change, especially if Boston wants to leverage one of its three first round picks: 

3:50 p.m. - Several reports now out that Milan Lucic is officially heading to the Los Angeles Kings. The deal will send the 13th overall pick, goaltender Martin Jones, and defensive prospect Colin Miller back to Boston. 

3:45 p.m. - Numerous reports are coming out that the Bruins are nearing a trade that would send Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a couple of draft picks (including the 13th overall selection). Goaltender Martin Jones might also be part of the discussion. If the Bruins do acquire the pick, they would own the 13th, 14th, and 15th overall picks this evening, and could end up flipping those selections to move up in the draft. Could Arizona's number three overall pick be in play? 

3:35 p.m. - Another report is now out from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, who had this to share about Kris Versteeg's alegged nixing of a trade that would have sent him to Montreal: 

3:30 p.m. - According to a report, the Blackhawks had an eye on sending Kris Versteeg to the Montreal Canadiens in a trade, but the winger nixed the deal. That comes after a report earlier in the day that Versteeg had joined Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell on the Blackhawks' trading block. 

3:15 p.m. - The Bruins re-signed Adam McQuaid to a four-year contract after trading away Dougie Hamilton. Bruins fans are understandably displeased: 

2:10 p.m. - Instead of heading to Arizona in exchange for the third pick, Dougie Hamilton will be joining the Calgary Flames in a blockbuster draft day trade. The Boston Bruins will receive the 15th overall pick in the draft and two more second round picks from the Flames. Darren Dreger had the story first: 

1:45 p.m. - Another player getting a ton of attention in the run-up to the draft is Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic. The Vancouver Canucks have long been rumored to be after him, but a new report out this afternoon suggests that the Bruins are also talking to the Los Angeles Kings. 

1:10 p.m. - One of the big stories in the NHL was the decision of Mike Reilly to opt not to sign a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets recently, but the defenseman made his decision on Friday as he chose the Minnesota Wild over the Chicago Blackhawks. [Madhouse Enforcer]

1:00 p.m. - The Arizona Coyotes have been aggressively shopping the third overall pick in the draft, and one deal is being discussed very seriously: the Boston Bruins acquiring the pick in exchange for defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post-Dispatch is one of several reporters on that story. 

12:00 p.m. - It's known that the Blackhawks are shopping Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell aggressively, but you can add another name to that list: 

11:45 a.m. - Draft day got off to an interesting start with a trade right off the bat, as the Ottawa Senators acquired the 21st overall pick in the draft in exchange for goaltender Robin Lehner and winger David Legwand, who head to the rebuilding Buffalo Sabres.

The move is great for Ottawa because it means they can potentially package the 18th and 21st overall picks to move up in the draft, and the Sabres now have a really solid goaltender to go along with their second overall pick, which will likely be used on Jack Eichel.

Although that’s the only official trade that has been made on Friday, there are still plenty of other potential moves percolating. The Arizona Coyotes are receiving a lot of offers for the third overall pick in the draft, and with teams like the Senators and Winnipeg Jets each holding two first round picks, and teams like the Boston Bruins potentially dangling young stars on the verge of breaking out, they could get a tremendous deal from a team looking to move up in the draft order.

Aside from trading picks, there are also teams looking to move pretty remarkable assets. The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting a lot of offers on goal scoring winger Phil Kessel, and the Blackhawks are getting plenty of interest in veteran winger Patrick Sharp as well. To cap off the available wingers, Jeff Skinner is being dangled as trade bait by the Carolina Hurricanes.

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