NHL Final Draft Order

The NHL draft order has finally been established now that the Stanley Cup has been handed out, so we officially know who should be drafting where. Of course a bunch of the order will change with trades leading up to and during the draft, however we now have a general idea of who is drafting where.

Obviously the Florida Panthers retain the rights to the first overall, pick followed by the Buffalo Sabres with the second and the Edmonton Oilers with the third overall pick.

The Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders and Dallas Stars, all hold 9 picks in the two-day draft. Those 9 picks gives these teams lots of leverage to pull of trades and if they draft wisely, a solid opportunity to improve their team.

The Blues hold three picks in the first 52 selections, and four in the first 82, while the Kings have three selections among the first 90 picks.