The second day of the draft brings six rounds of picks and host of new talent to the league./
Trades, new contracts prelude to free agency
Two Stanley Cup-winning players got traded, a few others got new contracts and almost 200 prospects got to — virtually — live out their dreams by having their names called on the second day of the NHL draft.
It took more than seven hours to complete rounds 2-7 Wednesday at the draft held online from 31 teams’ draft rooms to the league’s central registry and a TV studio in New Jersey. The draft dragged on with no need for general managers, scouts and coaches to catch a flight home, but that didn’t tamper the excitement of young players finding out where they ’re going or stop the movement of established NHL players with free agency looming Friday.
Some creativity was needed to manage the flat, $81.5 million salary cap, which is becoming the theme of the 2020 offseason.
“Making a trade as you can see is pretty easy: There’s a lot of them, a lot of jockeying up and down for position in each round and people trading up for maybe a guy they like,” said New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton, who traded 2017 seventh overall pick Lias Andersson to Los Angeles for a second-rounder. “If you’re looking at some of the deals that are happening, money is almost a part of every deal here. You’re not seeing too many hockey deals straight up.”
Trade action started early with the Pittsburgh Penguins dealing goaltender Matt Murray to the Ottawa Senators and the Nashville Predators continuing to shed salary by sending center Nick Bonino to the Minnesota Wild.
Nashville also put forward Kyle Turris and defenseman Steven Santini on buyout waivers.
Murray and Bonino became the third and fourth members of Pittsburgh’s 2016 and 2017 back-to-back championship teams to be traded in the past few weeks. The Penguins previously traded winger Patric Hornqvist to Florida, and Chicago traded defenseman Olli Maatta to Los Angeles.
Vegas goalie Marc-andre Fleury, who’s 35, could make it five after the Golden Knights committed long term to Robin Lehner.
The Golden Knights reportedly are giving Chandler Stephenson $11 million over the next four seasons.
Several netminders will be available in free agency, including 2018 Cup champion Braden Holtby and longtime face of the New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist. General manager Brian Maclellan said the Washington Capitals are a “solid candidate” to sign Lundqvist, who at 38 is still trying to win the Cup for the first time.
Pittsburgh got a secondround pick and forward prospect Jonathan Gruden for Murray, who split time with Fleury on two Cup runs and was in net for each clincher. Murray, 26, helped the Penguins win the Cup in 2016 and 2017, but they committed to Tristan Jarry, signing him to a $10.5 million, three-year deal after his All-Star season. The Penguins used the 52nd overall pick they got from Ottawa to select Finnish goalie Joel Blomqvist.
Columbus re-signed center Max Domi to a $10.6 million, two-year deal after acquiring him and a third-round pick from Montreal for winger Josh Anderson in the only trade of established NHL players made on Tuesday, the first day of the draft.