NHL Draft 2025 Headlines: Bruins land Hagens, Habs Steal Dobson & Mammoth's Perfect Pick

Peter Klein

NHL Draft 2025 Breakdown from Peter Klein: • Islanders' Failed Gamble: Trade Dobson for picks 16/17 + Heineman but miss out on Hagens (who goes to Boston) • Canadiens Win Big: Dobson gives Montreal elite RHD alongside Reinbacher • Mammoth's Culture Fit: Desnoyers adds size to Utah's rising core after Peterka trade • Sharks' Foundation: Misa joins Celebrini/Smith/Eklund for future contention • Blackhawks' Surprise: Stick with Frondell at #3 despite trade rumors  👇 Subscribe for NHL Off-Season coverage  🎧 Listen on: Apple https://apple.co/49NGm2L | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3QgazeHcSKSteZbBIubcuM?si=icY7NEBvT7yZadv_JFlT6Q  💬 Follow for live breakdowns: X.com/primetimepk | Twitch.tv/primetimepk  | Kick.com/primetimepk  🔗 Support the Show:   - Tip Jar: https://streamelements.com/couchpotatodiary/tip (fuels more content!)   - Partners: C of Dead http://cofdead403.ca/ | Swift Energy https://www.swiftenergy.gg/?ref=mriusnqm PROMO CODE: PKPrimetime for 25% Off!

Transcript

00:00The NHL draft is now behind us, and it took a while for it to get there as the NHL pacing

00:13was a problem for draft weekend, but it is now gone.

00:17And while there are a lot of big things that were happening, one of the biggest things

00:22was actually what didn't happen, and that is the Islanders weren't able to acquire the

00:27pick, that would have landed them Higgins, which was one of the big things.

00:31They make a move where they acquire 16-17 and Emile Heinemann from the Montreal Canadiens

00:39for Noah Dobson, a huge move for the Habs, and we'll break that down a little bit later.

00:44But as far as that trade goes, it would have looked a whole lot better if you come out

00:52of draft weekend with Higgins and with Schaefer, obviously, instead of what they end up with.

01:00And so it was a tactical strike, I guess, from the Islanders, but it just never really paid

01:07off.

01:07And instead of him going to the Islanders, it is him going to the Boston Bruins.

01:11And for Boston, this makes a ton of sense on a number of different levels, right?

01:15Like, they are appearing to go into a new direction with this franchise.

01:20And to do that with a top-level talent who played at Boston College, that just feels

01:26like a no-brainer for them.

01:28And if they are going into a new era here, I guess regardless of what era they are going

01:33into, they are going to need high-end talent, not organizational depth pieces.

01:39And the players that the Islanders end up getting at 16 and 17 aren't just org-depth guys in

01:44the way that we use the term in baseball, but they aren't the high level that Higgins could

01:48be if he reaches the potential that a lot of people view of him.

01:52And that is where a lot of these trades, it doesn't always line up.

01:58We saw one work later on in the draft, and we will talk about that either today or tomorrow.

02:03But to use like, oh, well, 16 and 17, that'll get us six.

02:08It doesn't work that way.

02:09And it is nice to think that it works that way, but it doesn't work that way.

02:13Um, you are going to want to have that kind of high-end talent, and you're not going to

02:21get that with just rubbing a couple of nickels together at 16 and 17.

02:24You want to be able to get those game breakers that are potentially up at the draft.

02:29So this is a nice reminder going into next year.

02:31Um, specifically, again, the team that we cover the most here, the Calgary Flames, um,

02:34they're probably going to have a couple of picks in the first round next year.

02:38And it will not be as simple as moving a couple of mid to late round picks to get up, um,

02:44high into the draft.

02:45You can move up, but it is difficult to move into that high-level area.

02:49Um, now, the Islanders don't get Higgins, but what they do get is actually pretty promising.

02:54Obviously, number one, sometimes the obvious move is obvious because it's the right one.

02:58And that was the case with Matthew Schaefer, a franchise defenseman, a cornerstone guy.

03:04Just seems like he checks every box that you would want if you are the Islanders or whoever.

03:09Um, that that feels like exactly what they wanted and what exactly what they needed and

03:16exactly what they get.

03:17Coming out of that, though, they get Eklund and Acheson.

03:21Both look like they could hit as well as just being competitive pieces on a roster in the

03:27not-too-distant future.

03:28And then to go and get Prokhorov in the second round, that might have been a really strong

03:32add for them as well.

03:33So, it's not the game-breaker that Higgins could have been, but you get potential franchise

03:37cornerstone in Schaefer and then a couple of depth-ish pieces in Eklund and Acheson that

03:45will help kind of build out a foundation a little bit further on.

03:48So, excellent stuff there for the Islanders and a pretty good, I think, pivot coming off

03:53of what they wanted the draft to be and what it ends up actually becoming.

03:58Um, just a reminder, I love all the people in the chat.

04:01We got Toxic, uh, asking about the Calgary, or talking about the Calgary Flames.

04:05Um, Toxic, I will say, um, I want, um, or I'm not, I want, I am going to talk about the

04:10Calgary Flames draft specifically here in just a couple of minutes.

04:13So, we will get to that here in just a second.

04:16But we want more people in on the conversation, so, uh, share the video with your friends.

04:20Um, and if you're listening in podcast form after, share the episode.

04:23And, uh, let's just spread the word of Couch Potato Diary as, uh, we are trying to build

04:28this thing here.

04:30A couple other draft picks that catch some attention early on.

04:33Uh, Denoye feels like a perfect fit for the Mammoth.

04:37I thought they would use this as a trade ship to go out and get a real NHL-level difference

04:41maker.

04:42But they had a very good weekend leading up to it in being able to get JJ Paterka and help

04:49out with an NHL-level player already and not have to give this pick up.

04:53So, to be able to do that and then still add to a very good prospect pool makes this

04:59a home run win for the Mammoth for the weekend.

05:01And honestly, if we were doing winners and losers of draft weekend, they would be high

05:06up in the winner category.

05:08I think they did a phenomenal job here.

05:10And it fits them perfectly.

05:12Like, Denoye, not only are you building out a very good roster, but it does feel like they

05:17are building a culture as well.

05:20And one that should be able to get them to a high level.

05:24Like, I am not saying that, okay, lock in the Mammoth for a championship, but it appears

05:29like they are building a championship culture out there with, um, with this group.

05:36So, a huge credit to them for what they have done and what they have taken on in all of

05:42this.

05:42And just some very, very smart building.

05:45Denoye, it gives them size, uh, size, sorry.

05:47Seems like he fits really well with kind of the forwards they have in the system already.

05:53And so, it just seems like it is excellent move after excellent move after excellent move

05:57for the Mammoth.

05:59Um, the Sharks continue to build the right way as they land Misa.

06:03A foundation is now set in San Jose.

06:06With Misa, Celebrini, you have Will Smith, William Eklund, a couple young pieces on the

06:10blue line.

06:11Um, Askarov between the pipes.

06:12They draft the other goalie there at the back end of the first round as well.

06:16I don't think that it is now, okay, we're set.

06:19Let's take off and go.

06:21Because quite frankly, everyone is going to be doing that this offseason.

06:24I think this is a good time to stay patient for the Sharks, have another year where you

06:29just, you give the kids a chance, you see where everything falls, and if the ping pong

06:33balls go your way just a little bit differently this time, then it is another amazing piece

06:38in McKenna, and then you can go from there.

06:40But the draft next year seems pretty deep anyway, so one more bad year, and then it feels like

06:45the foundation is set, and it's go time for the San Jose Sharks.

06:50The Blackhawks stick and pick at three, and that was one that I did not see coming.

06:55I really did think this pick would have been available.

06:59And we can discuss whether it should have been or not, but nothing really in the top

07:02ten gets traded, so it's tough to figure out what the value would have been for this

07:07pick, but they end up getting Anton Frondel, who has shown real flashes of being like this

07:13high-level guy that you can kind of lock into, but there has also been quite a bit of boom

07:19or bust in the build-up for him.

07:21And so it just, it felt like, with Hagans there, obviously at three, that might have been

07:26a bit too high for him to go, but with the Islanders looking to make a move to get back

07:32into that spot, and having a few more win-now type of pieces to play with, it felt like

07:38the Blackhawks could have been a good trade partner with them, because as we've talked

07:42about ad nauseum on this channel, this is a team that feels like it needs to really take

07:47a step here in the next little bit, if they are going to, like, have people keep their

07:53jobs and maximize what they have in Conor Bedard.

07:56And so I am a little surprised that those two couldn't really come together with some type

08:01of a move, where you have, like, the NHL readiness of a lot of pieces on the Islanders,

08:06and a player that is available for the Islanders that it seemed like they really coveted.

08:12So I was a little surprised that those two didn't really come together for any kind of

08:17a move.

08:18Like I said, we're going to have a ton more draft content coming up here on the podcast,

08:23Couch Potato Diary, wherever you get your podcasts, also available here on YouTube, just

08:29for right now, we are in a bit of a rush, so going to move along here with things today.

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