Don't forget to check out Ryan Dadoun's Western Conference analysis.
Boston Bruins - B+The final piece of the
Phil Kessel trade to Toronto saw the Stanley Cup champion Bruins select defenseman
Dougie Hamilton with the ninth overall pick in the first round. He was projected to go slightly earlier in the draft, so Boston must have be thrilled to get him when they did. Once the 193-pound defender grows into his 6' 4" frame, he'll have a much easier time of handling the fast and physical NHL game. Hamilton already has the smarts, skill and skating ability to be a successful player at the pro level for a long time and he could be patrolling the blueline there in a year or two.
Buffalo Sabres - B+The Sabres chose Finnish winger
Joel Armia with their first-round selection, 16th overall, on Day 1 of the NHL Entry Draft. Armia is viewed as a pure goal scorer with plenty of size, which is typically a great combination. Buffalo also took speedster
Daniel Catenacci with their second pick in the draft, which came in the third round. He won the Fastest Skater Competition at the 2011 Top Prospects game after registering a lap time of 14.017 seconds. The Sabres also completed a big trade on draft day when they acquired rugged shutdown rearguard
Robyn Regehr, forward
Ales Kotalik and a second rounder for
Paul Byron and
Chris Butler.
Carolina Hurricanes - BRyan Murphy dropped down to the Hurricanes with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft on Friday. His mobility and his scoring prowess are his best assets, but questions have arisen about his size and how well it will translate to the NHL against men. Murphy has flair with the puck and his power-play skills could make him a productive fantasy player. He also knows Calder Trophy winner and current Carolina forward
Jeff Skinner from their days together in the OHL with Kitchener, which should help when he is ready to make the jump to the next level.
Florida Panthers - A The Panthers made the most of their first two picks in the 2011 draft by selecting potential offensive studs in
Jonathan Huberdeau and
Rocco Grimaldi. Huberdeau, who was taken third overall, is a dynamic scorer with game-breaking talent. The 2011 Memorial Cup MVP has a shot to crack Florida's roster out of training camp this fall, but the team will not rush him into the NHL which could be a very smart move to further his development. Grimaldi is an undersized and gifted scorer, who is committed to play at the University of North Dakota next season. He has drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay's
Martin St. Louis and if he can tap into some of that potential then the Panthers have a real steal on their hands with the 33rd overall choice in the draft. Florida also made a trade on Day 1 of the draft when they received
Brian Campbell from the Chicago Blackhawks for
Rostislav Olesz in a move that should help to stabilize their back end.
Montreal Canadiens - BThe Montreal Canadiens picked up Saint John blueliner
Nathan Beaulieu with the 17th overall selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He projects to be a solid offensive defenseman in the NHL, who can move the puck very well. Beaulieu slipped slightly in the draft to land with Montreal and they clearly felt the need to add to their back end as five of their seven picks were spent on defensemen.
New Jersey Devils - A The Devils were probably tickled pink when they stepped up to the podium to take Swedish defender
Adam Larsson with the fourth overall pick. Many draft pundits had him going as high as first overall, so to have him fall into your lap at number four is a great moment for New Jersey. Larsson has played two full seasons for Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League where he logged big minutes, which indicates he is ready to step into the NHL as soon as next year.
New York Islanders - B+ The Islanders are starting to build their way back into a competitive NHL franchise. They displayed glimpses of improvement through the course of the 2010-11 campaign and their organization has continued to progress through the draft. New York took
Ryan Strome with the fifth overall pick in 2011 and they followed that selection up with defenseman
Scott Mayfield with the 34th choice. Strome is a creative playmaker with a strong work ethic. He should provide the Islanders with another potential scoring threat alongside star center
John Tavares when he makes the transition to NHL-level competition. Mayfield is committed to play for the University of Denver next season. He plays physical and is solid defensively, but needs more time to refine his game.
Don't forget to check out Ryan Dadoun's Western Conference analysis.
Boston Bruins - B+The final piece of the
Phil Kessel trade to Toronto saw the Stanley Cup champion Bruins select defenseman
Dougie Hamilton with the ninth overall pick in the first round. He was projected to go slightly earlier in the draft, so Boston must have be thrilled to get him when they did. Once the 193-pound defender grows into his 6' 4" frame, he'll have a much easier time of handling the fast and physical NHL game. Hamilton already has the smarts, skill and skating ability to be a successful player at the pro level for a long time and he could be patrolling the blueline there in a year or two.
Buffalo Sabres - B+The Sabres chose Finnish winger
Joel Armia with their first-round selection, 16th overall, on Day 1 of the NHL Entry Draft. Armia is viewed as a pure goal scorer with plenty of size, which is typically a great combination. Buffalo also took speedster
Daniel Catenacci with their second pick in the draft, which came in the third round. He won the Fastest Skater Competition at the 2011 Top Prospects game after registering a lap time of 14.017 seconds. The Sabres also completed a big trade on draft day when they acquired rugged shutdown rearguard
Robyn Regehr, forward
Ales Kotalik and a second rounder for
Paul Byron and
Chris Butler.
Carolina Hurricanes - BRyan Murphy dropped down to the Hurricanes with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft on Friday. His mobility and his scoring prowess are his best assets, but questions have arisen about his size and how well it will translate to the NHL against men. Murphy has flair with the puck and his power-play skills could make him a productive fantasy player. He also knows Calder Trophy winner and current Carolina forward
Jeff Skinner from their days together in the OHL with Kitchener, which should help when he is ready to make the jump to the next level.
Florida Panthers - A The Panthers made the most of their first two picks in the 2011 draft by selecting potential offensive studs in
Jonathan Huberdeau and
Rocco Grimaldi. Huberdeau, who was taken third overall, is a dynamic scorer with game-breaking talent. The 2011 Memorial Cup MVP has a shot to crack Florida's roster out of training camp this fall, but the team will not rush him into the NHL which could be a very smart move to further his development. Grimaldi is an undersized and gifted scorer, who is committed to play at the University of North Dakota next season. He has drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay's
Martin St. Louis and if he can tap into some of that potential then the Panthers have a real steal on their hands with the 33rd overall choice in the draft. Florida also made a trade on Day 1 of the draft when they received
Brian Campbell from the Chicago Blackhawks for
Rostislav Olesz in a move that should help to stabilize their back end.
Montreal Canadiens - BThe Montreal Canadiens picked up Saint John blueliner
Nathan Beaulieu with the 17th overall selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He projects to be a solid offensive defenseman in the NHL, who can move the puck very well. Beaulieu slipped slightly in the draft to land with Montreal and they clearly felt the need to add to their back end as five of their seven picks were spent on defensemen.
New Jersey Devils - A The Devils were probably tickled pink when they stepped up to the podium to take Swedish defender
Adam Larsson with the fourth overall pick. Many draft pundits had him going as high as first overall, so to have him fall into your lap at number four is a great moment for New Jersey. Larsson has played two full seasons for Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League where he logged big minutes, which indicates he is ready to step into the NHL as soon as next year.
New York Islanders - B+ The Islanders are starting to build their way back into a competitive NHL franchise. They displayed glimpses of improvement through the course of the 2010-11 campaign and their organization has continued to progress through the draft. New York took
Ryan Strome with the fifth overall pick in 2011 and they followed that selection up with defenseman
Scott Mayfield with the 34th choice. Strome is a creative playmaker with a strong work ethic. He should provide the Islanders with another potential scoring threat alongside star center
John Tavares when he makes the transition to NHL-level competition. Mayfield is committed to play for the University of Denver next season. He plays physical and is solid defensively, but needs more time to refine his game.
New York Rangers - B The Rangers were so impressed with the play of
JT Miller at the under-18 World Championships in Germany that they made him the 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He led the gold-medal winning U.S. team with 13 points in the tournament. Miller has a very well-rounded game in addition to playing with grit and character. He is verbally committed to play for the University of North Dakota this fall.
Ottawa Senators - AThe Ottawa Senators got their rebuild off to a great start with three first-round selections in 2011. They took
Mika Zibanejad at sixth overall,
Stefan Noesen with the 21st pick and
Matt Puempel at number 24. Swedish center
Mika Zibanejad saw his draft stock rise dramatically at the NHL Scouting Combine. He has the potential to be an excellent power forward, who can eventually slot in behind
Jason Spezza. Noesen is a good two-way player, who skates an intelligent game, while Puempel was viewed as a wild card in the opening round because of an injured hip that required surgery this past season. His offensive ability can't be denied though as he has legitimate sniper potential. The Senators also pulled off a trade on the second day of the draft when they acquired seldom-used winger
Nikita Filatov from Columbus for a third rounder. The 21-year-old is a low-risk acquisition who could provide Ottawa with a high reward if he can fulfill his previous expectations as a top flight prospect.
Philadelphia Flyers - B+Philadelphia shook the foundation of the league the day before the draft by dealing productive centers
Jeff Carter and
Mike Richards to Columbus and Los Angeles, respectively. The Flyers got plenty of young talent back in the trades, including
Jakub Voracek,
Wayne Simmonds and
Brayden Schenn. They also received the eighth overall selection from Columbus this year, in exchange for Carter, which they used to pick
Sean Couturier. Couturier's stock fell the most of any player going into the first round likely due to his skating ability, but he is a strong two-way center with excellent size. He should develop into a successful NHL player in the form of a
Jordan Staal-type player.
Pittsburgh Penguins - B-The Penguins snatched up defenseman
Joe Morrow with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He was rated as the 12th-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Morrow is a good skater who plays a strong two-way game. He has been compared to Anaheim prospect
Cam Fowler, which could be great news for Pittsburgh.
Tampa Bay Lightning - B-Tampa decided to take Russian forward
Vladislav Namestnikov with the 27th pick in draft. He enjoyed a remarkable rookie campaign with the OHL's London Knights this past season and has strong bloodlines in the NHL. His father, Evgeny Namestnikov, was a draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks in 1991 and his uncle,
Slava Kozlov, played with current Lightning GM
Steve Yzerman in Detroit. Nemestnikov projects to be a two-way forward in the NHL with exceptional playmaking skills.
Toronto Maple Leafs - BThe Maple Leafs had two first-round picks in 2011 that they acquired from the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers via trades. Toronto moved up to the 22nd overall choice by sending Boston's 30th overall pick and their 39th selection to Anaheim. They took physical forward
Tyler Biggs in that spot to fill GM Brian Burke's quota for truculent and rugged players. He has plenty of character and was regarded as the best fighter in the draft. Biggs is committed to play for Miami University this fall. The Leafs made
Stuart Percy the 25th overall pick in the 2011 class. He played very well at the Memorial Cup for the OHL's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, where he was named to the All-Star team after the tournament. Percy is projected to be a dependable defenseman at the NHL level, but he needs to work on his shot from the point. Just before the draft, Toronto swung a deal with Colorado for offensive rearguard
John-Michael Liles. They dealt Boston's second round pick in 2012, which they received in the
Tomas Kaberle deal, to complete the transaction.
Washington Capitals - C- The Capitals dealt their first round pick, 26th overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for versatile forward
Troy Brouwer. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in July, but Washington shouldn't have a problem signing him. The acquisition of Brouwer was the high point of the draft for them, as they didn't make their first selection until the fourth round when they picked Norwegian goaltender Steffen Soberg at 117th overall.
Winnipeg Jets - B-The newly unveiled Winning Jets franchise took part in their first draft since 1995 when they made
Shane Doan the seventh overall pick. In 2011, they opted for
Mark Scheifele as their introductory choice under their new regime at number seven as well. He benefited from a superb rookie season in Barrie, of the OHL, in 2010-11 despite the team's struggles on the ice. Scheifele has a great work ethic and his play enhances the performances of those around him due in large part to his sublime playmaking ability. Winnipeg might have been wiser to move down in the draft to select him later, as he went higher than expected, but they ended up with the player they wanted so that is what matters.