NJ takes Swiss center at No. 1
The New Jersey Devils grabbed Nico Hischier, and the Philadelphia Flyers felt quite comfortable with Nolan Patrick.
It was all about the forwards at the top of the NHL draft.
Hischier went No. 1 overall to New Jersey last night in Chicago, and Patrick was the No. 2 pick by Philadelphia. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights also opted for forward prospects with two of their three picks in the first round, taking Cody Glass at No. 6 and Nick Suzuki at No. 12 before selecting Swedish defenseman Erik Brannstrom with the 15th pick.
Seven of the top 10 picks were centers. The lone exceptions were defensemen Miro Heiskanen (No. 3 to Dallas) and UMass-bound defenseman Cale Makar (No. 4 to Colorado) and right winger Owen Tippett (No. 10 to Florida).
The 18-year-old Hischier is the highest drafted Swiss player in the NHL history. He had 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season.
Hischier fits in nicely with general manager Ray Shero’s desire to put a faster team on the ice.
The 18-year-old Patrick, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, held the top spot in the NHL Central Scouting Department’s final rankings in April. He had 20 goals and 46 points last season.
Blackhawks revamp
The Chicago Blackhawks re-acquired forward Brandon Saad in a trade with Columbus, parting with top young forward Artemi Panarin to complete the blockbuster deal. Saad, 24, spent his first four seasons with Chicago, helping the Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups. He had 24 goals and 29 assists last season. Chicago also got goalie Anton Forsberg and a 2018 fifth-round pick for Panarin, Tyler Motte and a sixth-round selection. The Blackhawks also traded veteran defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona for defensemen Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin. The Coyotes also acquired center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta from the New York Rangers for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick (Swedish center Lias Andersson) last night. . . .
The St. Louis Blues acquired center Brayden Schenn from Philadelphia for their first-round pick this year, a conditional firstround pick next year and thirdyear forward Jori Lehtera.
Oshie gets 8-year deal
The Washington Capitals resigned right winger T.J. Oshie to a $46 million, eight-year deal. . . .
Forward Patrick Eaves agreed to a three-year, $9.45 million contract to stay with Anaheim. . . .
The Los Angeles Kings bought out the final year of defenseman Matt Greene’s contract.