2022 NHL Draft Open Thread: Jarmo’s time to shine?

Thursday, July 7, 2022
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Time: 7 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet

It hasn’t quite been a year since the previous NHL Entry Draft, but close enough that this feels like an anniversary anyway. Just before the start of the first round last summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets made a big move, trading defenseman Seth Jones and acquiring young defensemen Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean in addition to Chicago’s 2022 first round pick, and a swap of pick #32 for pick #12 in the 2021 draft.

The rest is history: Boqvist and Bean both were regulars on the blue line, and that #12 pick, Cole Sillinger, spent the whole season in the NHL as an 18-year-old rookie. Boqvist’s play earned him a new contract yesterday. He’ll have a cap hit of $2.6M for the next three seasons and will still be an RFA when that deal expires in 2025.

Meanwhile in Chicago, Jones wasn’t able to stop Chicago’s decline, so the Jackets get a #6 pick from them today. Columbus’s own pick falls, again, at #12. With a bit of a logjam at wing and a need for another franchise center and perhaps a physical presence on defense, Jarmo Kekalainen could make another pre-draft trade this afternoon or evening.

Will we end the night with just our selections at #6 and #12? Or will one of those be dealt for an NHL player? Or might they be packaged together to get a top prospect somewhere in the top 3? Tune in to find out. This is your one-stop shop to discuss all the news and rumors of the day.

Here is the full first round draft order:

1. Montreal Canadiens
2. New Jersey Devils
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Seattle Kraken
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from CHI)
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Anaheim Ducks
11. San Jose Sharks
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. New York Islanders
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
16. Buffalo Sabres (from VGK)
17. Nashville Predators
18. Dallas Stars
19. Minnesota Wild (from LA)
20. Washington Capitals
21. Pittsburgh Penguins
22. Anaheim Ducks (from BOS)
23. St. Louis Blues
24. Minnesota Wild
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. Montreal Canadiens (from CGY)
27. Arizona Coyotes (from CAR via MTL)
28. Buffalo Sabres (from FLA)
29. Edmonton Oilers
30. Winnipeg Jets (from NYR)
31. Tampa Bay Lightning
32. Arizona Coyotes (from COL)