Before I get to the sheer craziness that ensued during the first four picks, I want to talk a little bit about how excited the city was about this. When I was in front of the Bell Center shooting content the day before the draft, there were constantly people roaming outside the arena in Habs gear. Some came and wanted to talk about the draft and what could happen. It was really cool to see how the draft took over the city. I walked out to the front of the arena around 5:30 ET as some of the prospects were arriving on buses and when Shane Wright came down the crowd around the red carpet area went absolutely bananas. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Inside the arena, the crowd was very good. They were shouting “TREE! GUY! THE GUY!” when the Lafleur guy’s son came out to speak. They booed Gary Bettman, who gave a little chirp to the crowd, telling them they had no energy. It was a really good environment and it certainly helped that the Canadians were first on the clock. About that first pick, if you told me a month ago that Shane Wright wouldn’t go first overall, I wouldn’t have believed you. But there’s been a lot of talk about Slafkowski in the last couple of days and it really sounded like it was 50-50. Here is what I wrote earlier today on my blog: There’s going to be a lot of drama tonight and I don’t think it’s manufactured. Shane Wright is far from being the first name called tonight. It’s certainly possible, and he’s the odds-on favorite for a reason, but there’s a legitimate chance it could be Slafkovsky. There’s a chance the Devils could get a defenseman, too. He was discussed on The Daily Faceoff Show today and it’s crazy to think that Wright could fall to fourth overall, but it could happen. The reaction to the building was strange. It was a mix of gasps and cheers at first before it was just cheers. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Back then, the spotlight was on the Devils and it was clear they were going to get a defenseman and Simon Nemec is a very good one. That meant Shane Wright was still on the board and available for the Arizona Coyotes. They also passed on the Canadian centreman, opting to go with USNDTP’s Logan Cooley. Chris Peters told me earlier in the day that he thinks Cooley is the best player in the draft. It wasn’t really a shock that they didn’t remove their man. That left Shane Wright sitting in the stands as the Seattle Kraken went to the table to make the fourth overall pick and they grabbed Wright, who could form the dynamic duo in the middle for the Kraken along with Matt Beniers from the first round of 2022. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Shane Wright, Trevor Zegras and Jack Eichel are all in the same division now. It could be a lot of fun hockey between these clubs for seasons to come. The drama continued as Gary Bettman took the podium and through a wave of boos said there were two trades to be announced… both involving the Montreal Canadiens. First, he shared the news that Alexander Romanov was going to the New York Islanders. He got the bad news first and the crowd reacted just like you would if the Oilers dealt Evan Bouchard. They didn’t love it. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below But then he let it slip that they were getting Kirby Dach from Chicago and the place went crazy again. I liked that the Canadians were aggressive and made a big splash in front of their home crowd. This is a great way for a front office to endear themselves to their fans. Also, Slafkovsky and Dach could be a very difficult lineup for opponents. So much size and ability. The first 45 minutes of this draft had everyone excited and was one of the most exciting I can remember. Being in the building for all of this is something I will never forget.

THE KASSIAN AGREEMENT

March 26, 2022; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers right winger Zack Kassian (44) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports Things were quiet on the Oilers front for most of the night, but then we got #HollandWatch22, which I tried to be all over our Twitter and Instagram feeds. The Oilers GM was moving around the draft floor, fielding calls, putting on his glasses to look over the rosters, and the result was a trade that sends Zack Kassian to the Arizona Coyotes. Edmonton moved down three spots in the first round and sent the Coyotes a second-round pick in 2025 and a third-round pick in 2024. Not a bad deal for the Netherlands. The team really needed that $3.2 million in cap space this summer, and based on the quality of this year’s draft and available forwards, going back wasn’t a big deal at all. The options so long from now make this deal even better. The team’s window is now and these later picks mean the Oilers aren’t running out of ammunition for the 2023 trade deadline. It might be one more pick than I’d like them to give up, but I’m still giving Holland a passing grade for this. The Winnipeg Jets took Brad Lambert two picks before the Oilers and he was a guy I thought would be a great fit for the Oilers. I listed Isaac Howard, Reid Schaefer and Jagger Firkus as possible options. Howard also ended up choosing before them. The Oilers completed the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft by taking the stage and selecting Reid Schaefer from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Here’s what Chris Peters had to say about Schaefer in his mock draft, where he also had Schaefer going 32nd overall: Schaefer was a latecomer and I think he could sneak into the first round. He has size and scoring ability with some toughness. He also said this in his year-end rankings: Schaefer, who broke out this season, was an important part of Seattle’s run to the WHL Finals. He’s big, skates for his size and has 32 goals in 66 games this season. He plays the game with power, but also has a soft touch on the puck that has seen him rise in draft picks all season. Shaffer is a scorer and has size. You have to love this combination for the Edmonton Oilers. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below I had a chance to chat with Reid after the draft. He is a Spruce Grove product and grew up an Oilers fan. His Oilers favorites were Shawn Horcoff and Connor McDavid and now, he may have a chance to be next to #97 for years to come. All smiles with Reid Schaefer, who talked about watching the #Oilers playoffs and thinking about one day lining up with McDavid and Draisaitl…@OilersNation pic.twitter.com/MuTEoLwk0I — Tyler Yaremchuk (@tyleryaremchuk) July 8, 2022

DUNCAN KEITH UPDATE

I had a chance to ask Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland about Duncan Keith and here’s what he had to say: UPDATE: I asked Oilers GM Ken Holland about Duncan Keith’s status. The decision will probably be made as soon as tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/g8Zgkz9gPi — Tyler Yaremchuk (@tyleryaremchuk) July 8, 2022 It looks like the Oilers will know by tomorrow, and while Holland didn’t say it, this pick will clearly affect what they do with Tyson Barrie. If Keith comes back, which in a weird way seems almost unlikely, then they might keep Barrie around for another season. It would also make the pending signing of UFA Brett Kulak a lot easier. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Frank Seravalli recently said he thinks there is a 65% chance Keith will retire. That would give the Oilers an additional $5.5 million in cap space and bring the total available to just over $20 million when you consider that Smith and Klefbom will likely be on LTIR. I’ll have more on that tomorrow along with a full blog from day two of the NHL Draft. PS: I ate three press box hot dogs and have no regrets.