The Stanley Cup Final is over, and the 2025 NHL Draft is now less than a week away.
To get into the spirit, The Athletic asked its NHL staff to look back and identify what they think is each team’s best and worst draft pick of the past 10 years.
In response, we heard about the hits, misses, steals, busts and even duds between the 2015 and 2024 drafts.
Here are the selections.
Anaheim DucksBest: Troy Terry
High picks such as Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson have hit. Jackson LaCombe (No. 39 in 2019) took off last season. One day, Carlsson might be the definitive choice here. But they’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of Terry, who fits under the cutoff as a 2015 draft pick. The fifth-round choice (No. 148) has done well with 101 goals and 237 points over the last four seasons.
Worst: Jacob Larsson
The good thing for Larsson is that, as a 2015 pick, he’ll have aged out of a similar future article. The bad thing is that the error-plagued No. 27 pick never found his footing as a consistently solid presence on Anaheim’s blue line. After spending time in Ottawa’s organization and playing seven games with the Senators, Larsson latched on in Switzerland’s National League with SC Rapperswil-Jona. — Eric Stephens
Boston BruinsBest: Charlie McAvoy
Three defensemen went before McAvoy in 2016. He is better than all of them. McAvoy has become a foundational player who should have been picked far earlier than No. 14.
Worst: Urho Vaakanainen
Vaakanainen became a third-pair depth NHL defenseman. The Bruins should have gotten a higher-impact player at No. 18 in 2017. Robert Thomas was drafted two slots later. — Fluto Shinzawa
Buffalo SabresBest: Brandon Hagel
The Sabres have hit on some talent at the top of the draft, but the best value pick the franchise has made this decade is finding Hagel in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. Of course, the Sabres botched it by not signing him to an entry-level contract and letting him walk. He’s since become a 90-point player for the Lightning and was on Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Worst: Alexander Nylander
The No. 8 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Alexander Nylander, played just 19 games and scored only three goals for Buffalo. He has just 49 points in the NHL and has now played for five different NHL teams. Mikhail Sergachev, Charlie McAvoy and Jakob Chychrun all went after him in the top half of the first round in 2016. — Matthew Fairburn
Calgary FlamesBest: Matthew Tkachuk
A game-breaking talent who can agitate opponents and produce as a first-line option in the regular season and the playoffs. The Flames hit a home run when they drafted Tkachuk sixth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Unfortunately, the Flames are no longer benefiting from his abilities as a result of the Jonathan Huberdeau-Tkachuk trade. Flames fans are left thinking about what could’ve been.
Worst: Tyler Parsons
There were a handful of players to choose from and some honorable mentions. But it’s second-round Parsons who is one of the biggest draft duds of the last decade. The Flames could’ve drafted better with some first-round picks, but at least they played games (even Juuso Välimäki). Parsons never got a game in with Calgary, and Filip Gustavsson (a starter in Minnesota) went right after him. — Julian McKenzie
Carolina HurricanesBest: Sebastian Aho
Down the road, the answer could very well be defenseman Alexander Nikishin, a third-round pick in 2020, but for now, the clear choice is Aho. Selected 35th overall in the second round of the 2015 draft, Aho is on pace to hold many of the franchise’s offensive records and is signed through 2032. Jackson Blake (fourth round in 2021) also deserves mention.
Worst: Jake Bean
Both of the picks former GM Ron Francis made in the 2016 draft were misses, but Bean going 13th overall, ahead of Charlie McAvoy and Jakob Chychrun, makes his selection worse than choosing Julien Gauthier eight picks later. Bean failed to develop into an offensive defenseman, as expected when he was drafted, and has become a No. 6 or 7 in Calgary. — Cory Lavalette
Chicago BlackhawksBest: Alex DeBrincat
DeBrincat would easily be a top-10 pick in a 2016 redraft. The Blackhawks got him 39th overall back then because teams weren’t sold on his scoring ability at his size. After 253 goals in 614 NHL games, DeBrincat has obviously proven everyone wrong.
Worst: Adam Boqvist
The Blackhawks’ defense was noticeably on the decline in 2018. With the eighth-overall pick in that year’s draft, the Blackhawks had a chance to fix that. With defensemen Boqvist and Evan Bouchard still on the board at their turn, they went with the former. Boqvist played 76 NHL games before being traded. Bouchard is a key reason why the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final again. — Scott Powers
Cale Makar, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, has two Norris trophies. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)Colorado AvalancheBest: Cale Makar
Makar has two Norris trophies and a Conn Smythe as Colorado’s most valuable player in its 2022 Stanley Cup run, all before turning 27. The fourth-overall selection in 2017 is the best defenseman in the NHL, on pace to be an all-time great. There was consideration for Mikko Rantanen — taken 10th overall in the stacked 2015 draft — but it’s hard to top a Conn Smythe.
Worst: Martin Kaut
Taken 16th overall in 2018, Czech winger Kaut played only 47 games for the Avalanche, scoring three goals. He spent the vast majority of his five seasons with the organization playing for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before he was eventually traded to San Jose in 2023. He played nine games with the Sharks, then returned home to Czechia, where he has played the last two seasons. — Jesse Granger
Columbus Blue JacketsBest: Vladislav Gavrikov
The Blue Jackets have hit first-round home runs, especially lately. But to land Gavrikov, a top shut-down defenseman, in the sixth round (No. 159 overall in 2015) was a steal. Only six defensemen in that draft have more points than Gavrikov, and only nine have played more games. Sadly, Columbus no longer reaps the fruits of its find. Gavrikov was traded to Los Angeles in 2023.
Worst: David Jiricek
There’s still time for this to play out differently, but Jiricek is already on his second organization (Columbus and Minnesota), and he hasn’t been able to crack the lineup regularly with either. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell traded Jiricek and got a first-round pick in the deal from the Wild early last season. Jiricek, the No. 6 overall pick in 2022, has to improve his skating. — Aaron Portzline
Dallas StarsBest: Jake Oettinger
It’s tempting to be cheeky and say Logan Stankoven at No. 47 in 2021 because he landed them Mikko Rantanen, but Oettinger is the choice. Teams are usually reluctant to draft goalies in the first round because they take so long to develop, but getting Oettinger at No. 26 in 2017 is extraordinary value. That they also got Miro Heiskanen (No. 3) and Jason Robertson (No. 39) in the same draft is bonkers.
Worst: Riley Tufte
The Stars have done exceptionally well landing high-end talent in the back half of the first round (Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley, for example). But way back in 2016, at the edge of this exercise, they didn’t quite nail the 6-foot-6 winger Tufte, who has played just 24 NHL games, 13 with the Stars. Now a tweener for the Bruins, he has two NHL goals and one assist. — Mark Lazerus
Detroit Red WingsBest: Moritz Seider
Steve Yzerman’s first draft pick as Red Wings general manager was a complete shock at the time, but it has aged brilliantly. Seider blends punishing physicality with smooth skating, skillful puck moving and unmatched durability. This past season, he also proved he could run a top power play. Seider is now a No. 1 defenseman who will be part of Detroit’s foundation for years to come.
Worst: Filip Zadina
In 2018, Zadina falling to Detroit at No. 6 looked like a potential coup. Instead, seven years later, the pick is looked back on with regret, as Zadina is no longer in the organization. Meanwhile, three top defenders picked shortly after him — including Quinn Hughes, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson — are all thriving as All-Star level players. This one still haunts Detroit. — Max Bultman
Edmonton OilersBest: Evan Bouchard
Connor McDavid is the most obvious answer, but the Oilers selecting him first in 2015 didn’t exactly require much ingenuity. Nabbing Bouchard 10th three years later was a master stroke. Bouchard has become one of the best offensive defensemen of his era and one of the most proficient point-producing blueliners of all time in the postseason. The pending RFA is integral to the Oilers.
Worst: Xavier Bourgault
The Oilers selecting Bourgault 22nd in 2021 was a whiff in so many ways. They traded down two spots when Jesper Wallstedt, a potential franchise goalie, was still on the board. He could have addressed an area of need. Instead, they chose Bourgault with Wyatt Johnston in play. Dallas was the beneficiary. Bourgault hasn’t come close to playing in the NHL and was dealt to Ottawa — along with Jake Chiasson — last summer for Roby Jarventie and a draft pick. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
Florida PanthersBest: Anton Lundell
With the 212th selection in 2020, Florida drafted goalie Devon Levi, who popped enough as a prospect to, along with a 2022 first-round pick, help land Sam Reinhart in a trade from Buffalo. Earlier in that draft, though, with the 12th overall pick, they took Lundell — a key down-the-middle piece for a Stanley Cup winner. At 23, Lundell has already played nearly 80 postseason games and gets better each year.
Worst: Grigori Denisenko
Pretty easy one here. Denisenko, a winger who was the 15th pick in 2018, left the KHL in 2020 and played 26 games across three seasons with Florida, putting up just seven points. He’s been a productive AHLer, going from Vegas to Nashville after Florida waived him in 2023. No other Panthers pick from that draft has played an NHL game; tough year for the Dale Tallon regime. — Sean Gentille
Los Angeles KingsBest: Mikey Anderson
Quinton Byfield (No. 2 in 2020) feels obvious here while Adrian Kempe (No. 29 in 2014) just missed the cutoff. But instead of playing the hits, we’re looking at some deeper cuts. Anderson (No. 103 in 2017) has been a shutdown staple next to Drew Doughty on the Kings’ top defense pair the last four seasons. Other fine picks: Matt Roy, Erik Cernak, Brock Faber, Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Laferriere.
Worst: Alex Turcotte
Taken fifth overall in 2019, Turcotte is getting his NHL career going after dealing with injuries throughout his development years. The 24-year-old still has a future as a valuable contributor. But it’s hard to overlook what fellow 2019 picks Moritz Seider, Matthew Boldy and Cole Caufield have become, or even the upside of Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras and Philip Broberg. — Eric Stephens
Minnesota WildBest: Kirill Kaprizov
It took five years to get “Kirill the Thrill” to the U.S., but since entering the NHL, the 2015 fifth-round steal is third in the league behind Auston Matthews and Leon Draisaitl with 0.579 goals per game. The first legit superstar in Wild history is the face of the franchise. He also may be offered $15 million per year on an extension once he’s eligible July 1.
Worst: Filip Johansson
The 2018 draft was crummy, but we still haven’t gotten to the bottom of how the Wild drafted this defenseman at No. 24. But on draft night, Craig Button said, “I would say that he doesn’t do any one thing really well,” and Bob McKenzie said not one scout he surveyed had Johansson as a first-rounder. At least Paul Fenton’s replacement, Bill Guerin, got a compensatory 2022 second-round pick for cutting him loose. — Michael Russo
Montreal CanadiensBest: Cole Caufield
There’s a reason why Caufield was passed over by 14 teams in 2019. A prolific scorer at the U.S. NTDP, there was a lot of doubt over an undersized winger’s ability to translate that to the NHL (sound familiar?). Caufield’s 118 career goals are second only to No. 1 pick Jack Hughes among 2019 draftees. This category will be owned by Lane Hutson (No. 62, 2022) very soon, for the exact same reason.
Worst: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
There was a lot of pressure on then-Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin to find a center, largely because he had failed to do so for much of his tenure heading into the 2018 draft. The No. 3 pick looked like a golden opportunity to do that, but 2018 was a bad year at the center position. Bergevin still tried to fill that need and chose Kotkaniemi one pick before the Senators took Brady Tkachuk. — Arpon Basu
Nashville PredatorsBest: Juuso Parssinen
There is nothing of exceptional quality in the past decade of Predators drafting, which speaks volumes about the franchise’s current state. Maybe 2023 first-round defenseman Tanner Molendyk has stardom in his future. In the meantime, we’ll go with the value of Parssinen as a 2019 seventh-round pick. He turned into an NHL player and the Preds flipped him for a third-round pick and a prospect.
Worst: Eeli Tolvanen
Tolvanen wins because of the disappointment relative to the hype, because former Preds GM David Poile let him go for nothing, and because nine spots later in 2017, Jason Robertson went to the Dallas Stars. Yes, everyone missed on how good Robertson would become. But imagine how different things might have been for the Preds in the early 2020s. — Joe Rexrode
The Devils managed to nab Bratt, a point-per-game winger, in the sixth round in 2016. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)New Jersey DevilsBest: Jesper Bratt
The Devils managed to nab Bratt, a point-per-game winger, in the sixth round in 2016. He’s fifth in the draft class in points, sixth in games played and eighth in goals. In a redraft, he’d certainly go top 10 and maybe even top five.
Worst: Alexander Holtz
The Devils picked Holtz at No. 7 in 2020, and several strong NHLers went in the ensuing selections. Holtz had 16 goals for the Devils in 2023-24, but he never fully earned the trust of the front office or coaching staff. Tom Fitzgerald packaged him with Akira Schmid and sent him to Vegas last summer for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick. The Devils got only 110 games from Holtz. — Peter Baugh
New York IslandersBest: Mathew Barzal
The Isles entered the 2015 first round without a pick and came away with a cornerstone player, pouncing at No. 16 after the Bruins passed Barzal by three straight times. General manager Garth Snow traded Griffin Reinhart to the Oilers for the 16th and 33rd picks, then grabbed Barzal.
Worst: Oliver Wahlstrom
Wahlstrom’s up-and-down run as an Islander ended last season, when the Bruins claimed him off waivers. The No. 11 pick in a pretty mediocre 2018 draft wasn’t a total disappointment, but the selection here is more about the missed opportunities for the Islanders in Lou Lamoriello’s first draft. They had four picks in the top 43, and only Noah Dobson at No. 12 panned out. — Arthur Staple
New York RangersBest: Will Cuylle
The Rangers picked Cuylle at No. 60 in 2020 — an excellent draft class for the Rangers — and he emerged this past season as a hard-nosed two-way player capable of scoring goals. He had 20 goals and 45 points and represented Canada at the World Championship. There’s a lot to like about his game; he seems poised to have a long career as a middle-six forward.
Worst: Vitali Kravtsov
I was between Kravtsov (No. 9 in 2018) and Lias Andersson (No. 7 in 2017). Both top-10 picks did very little with the Rangers, but New York was able to trade Andersson for the pick that became Cuylle. It salvaged that situation. Kravtsov, meanwhile, played only 48 games for New York and netted just a seventh-round pick and William Lockwood in a trade with the Canucks. — Peter Baugh
Ottawa SenatorsBest: Tim Stützle
The Senators have spent the last near decade accumulating talent through the draft. But Stützle carries the highest superstar potential of them all. A standout pick from a stellar 2020 draft class for the Senators. He’s the team’s de facto No. 1 center, creating offense with his dynamic play and skill and is actively improving his defensive game.
Worst: Tyler Boucher
The Sens have only one player drafted after 2020 who has played NHL games. (Zack Ostapchuk, now in San Jose). There’s not much time for Boucher to turn his game around, and he hasn’t shown enough promise to justify taking him 10th overall in 2021. There are other Sens draft duds in the last decade, but none drafted higher than Boucher. Wyatt Johnston, Cole Sillinger and Matt Coronato were available. — Julian McKenzie
Philadelphia FlyersBest: Matvei Michkov
The Flyers knew they wanted Michkov headed into the 2023 draft, but had no idea if he would drop to seventh overall. When he did, Daniel Briere leapt at the opportunity to snag the skilled winger who now looks like a franchise cornerstone. Michkov’s early arrival and standout season, in which he led NHL rookies in goals with 26, have only made this pick look better since it was made.
Worst: Nolan Patrick
While we could have gone with the 22nd overall pick in 2016, German Rubtsov, who played all of four NHL games, Patrick takes the cake as the second overall pick a year later. The Flyers bypassed Miro Heiskanen (third), Cale Makar (fourth) and Elias Pettersson (fifth) in order to select Patrick, who ran into injury issues. — Kevin Kurz
Pittsburgh PenguinsBest: Harrison Brunicke
He hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, but the Penguins saw enough from the 44th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to believe that Brunicke is going to become a highly impactful defenseman sooner rather than later. They love him.
Worst: Sam Poulin
Poulin was selected 21st overall in the 2019 NHL Draft but has never made a dent at the NHL level. Given how infrequently the Penguins kept their first-round selections during that era, the selection is even more glaring. While he has some attributes of a good player at the NHL level and has been a solid AHL contributor, Poulin’s skating has long been a problem. — Josh Yohe
San Jose SharksBest: Macklin Celebrini
It’s true that he was the No. 1 overall and there might be some recency bias here, but Celebrini’s rookie season as a Calder Trophy finalist and trajectory as a franchise cornerstone and potential captain gets the edge over some good choices in Timo Meier (No. 9 overall in 2015) and William Eklund (No. 7 in 2021). Mario Ferraro (No. 49 in 2017) has also worked out pretty well as a deeper pick.
Worst: Ryan Merkley
Touted as a dynamic skater and puck mover with significant offensive skills, Merkley wasn’t dynamic enough to overcome the defensive issues that were red flags when he was chosen with the 21st pick in 2018. The 24-year-old played 39 games with the Sharks before being moved. He’s been in the KHL for the last two seasons. Meanwhile, K’Andre Miller went to the Rangers with the very next pick. — Eric Stephens
Seattle KrakenBest: Shane Wright
Shane Wright took a significant step this season and looks like a potential steal at fourth overall for the Kraken at the 2022 NHL Draft. Wright’s two-way intelligence and skating speed popped off the ice for Seattle this season, and hinted strongly at the sort of difference-maker that Wright has an opportunity to develop into in the years to come.
Worst: Incomplete
Other issues have held Seattle back from succeeding right off the hop, but the Kraken have drafted well in their existence to this point. The only players they selected in the first two rounds of the 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts who haven’t tracked well and already played NHL games are David Goyette and Jagger Firkus, both of whom had flashed in the AHL as 21-year-olds this past season. — Thomas Drance
St. Louis BluesBest: Jordan Kyrou
In 2016, Blues goalie Brian Elliott wanted to be a No. 1 netminder and asked the team to facilitate a trade. General manager Doug Armstrong obliged, sending him to Calgary in a deal that included a second-round draft pick (No. 35) coming the other way. The Blues used it to select Kyrou, and since the start of the 2019-20 regular season, he leads the franchise with 150 goals. That’s tied for ninth among all players drafted in 2016.
Worst: Evan Fitzpatrick
In 2017, Klim Kostin slipped in the first round and was worth a shot. In 2018, Scott Perunovich was a Hobey Baker winner and had upside. That year, the Blues also traded up to get Dominik Bokk in the first round but were able to package him in a deal with Carolina for Justin Faulk. So the vote goes to Fitzpatrick, a second-round pick in 2016 (No. 59) who played 11 AHL games for the organization. Norris winner Adam Fox went seven picks later. — Jeremy Rutherford
Tampa Bay LightningBest: Anthony Cirelli
The Lightning have only drafted a handful of players over the last 10 years who have become impact players at the NHL level, and no one comes close to Cirelli’s value. Over the last eight years, he developed into one of the best shutdown centers in the league — and now he is finally starting to get some Selke hype for it. That’s excellent value for a third-round pick.
Worst: Anyone in the last four drafts
Contending comes at a cost, which has depleted the Lightning’s draft pool. Tampa Bay has only had one first-rounder in the last five years, which stresses the need for gems later in the draft. But management hasn’t found many in recent years, so it’s hard to pinpoint the worst when the last four or five years have overall been disappointments. — Shayna Goldman
The Maple Leafs have found something special in Matthew Knies, the No. 57 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. (Mathew Tsang / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Toronto Maple LeafsBest: Matthew Knies
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were obviously great picks, but also obvious, especially in the case of Matthews. Knies was the 57th overall pick in 2021, and he was in the NHL less than two years later. It was clear right away, when Knies joined the team in the 2023 playoffs, that the Leafs had found something special. He’s only gotten better since.
Worst: Egor Korshkov
Korshkov was the 31st overall pick in 2016 and the first selection of the second round. He played in exactly one game for the Leafs. What makes it all worse is all the players who went after him — Jordan Kyrou (35th), Alex DeBrincat (39th), Adam Fox (66th) and Brandon Hagel (159th), among others. It was a big swing and a miss for the Leafs. — Jonas Siegel
Utah MammothBest: Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun
The Arizona Coyotes struggled at the draft table a lot over the years, at times due to a lack of resources put into scouting, especially in the bankruptcy years. But at the 2016 draft, they plucked a face of the franchise in Keller at seventh overall and a top-pairing defenseman (Chychrun) at 16th. Many of the picks around those two were misfires, so Arizona did well to find surplus value that season.
Worst: Barrett Hayton
Hayton has turned into a solid player, but when he was picked fifth overall in 2018, it was a big reach up the board, and he is unlikely to ever justify that aggressiveness. The bigger problem is Quinn Hughes was far more highly regarded that year and went two picks later to Vancouver, which is a pretty tough miss given he’s one of the best players in the league. (And Evan Bouchard went 10th, too.) — James Mirtle
Vancouver CanucksBest: Quinn Hughes
The Canucks landed the best player in the 2018 NHL Draft at seventh overall when Hughes fell past the Red Wings and the Coyotes and landed in their lap in the top 10. You expect a top-10 pick to become a future NHL-level contributor, but you don’t expect him to become a consistent Norris Trophy-level blueliner the way Hughes has.
Worst: Olli Juolevi
The Canucks were dead set on drafting a defender in the 2016, got take lock on Juolevi, and couldn’t adjust even as the draft board unfolded ahead of them in surprising fashion (when Columbus shocked the league by selecting Pierre-Luc Dubois). Passing on Matthew Tkachuk to take a defender who never turned into an NHL-level contributor is a tough one. — Thomas Drance
Vegas Golden KnightsBest: Pavel Dorofeyev
With 55 goals over the last three seasons, Dorofeyev has scored more for the Golden Knights than any draft pick in team history. Vegas took the Russian winger in the third round of the 2019 draft and he has developed into an excellent offensive weapon. He led the team with 35 goals this past season, 13 of which came on the power play.
Worst: Cody Glass
Taken sixth overall in 2017 as the first draft pick in Golden Knights history, Glass entered the organization with hopes of being a franchise cornerstone for years to come. He fell short of those expectations, producing only 22 points in two seasons marred by injuries. He was traded to Nashville in 2021 for little return. — Jesse Granger
Washington CapitalsBest: Aliaksei Protas
With all due respect to Washington’s current crop of prospects — Ryan Leonard, Andrew Cristall and the like — the pick here has to be Protas. The 91st overall pick in 2019, Protas had established himself as a useful piece even before his 30-goal breakout in 2024-25. Getting a player in the late third round of his caliber, with a skill set that diverse, was a huge win for the Caps’ front office.
Worst: Lucas Johansen
Johansen, a defenseman who was the No. 28 pick in 2016, had some crummy injury luck in his seven seasons with the organization, but nine overall NHL games is tough. The players picked immediately after him, Trent Frederic and Sam Steel, both grew into relevant NHL players, too, which makes missing on a first-round pick a little tougher. He spent last season with Vegas’ AHL affiliate. — Sean Gentille
Winnipeg JetsBest: Kyle Connor
Connor has scored the eighth-most goals and 22nd-most points in the NHL since 2017-18. The Jets got him at 17th overall in the loaded 2015 draft after three straight Boston picks plus the Islanders’ selection of Matt Barzal, and he’s sixth in scoring from that draft class. Connor has led Winnipeg in scoring in three out of the last four years, playing key roles and big minutes.
Worst: Kristian Vesalainen
Winnipeg’s three best candidates for “worst pick” — Vesalainen, Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola — were all taken close to where Bob McKenzie’s consensus rankings placed them. Even in Stanley’s case, where they traded up, the Jets picked him close to his projection, so we’ll go with the least impressive career: Vesalainen got into 70 games, scoring five points, and now plays in Finland. — Murat Ates
(Top photos of Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes: Steph Chambers / Getty Images and Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)