Russell’s Roundup: Draft Recaps & Trade Talk Growing

The 2025 NHL Draft has come and gone. For the New York Islanders, it really couldn’t have been a more frenetic weekend. With the weekend now firmly in the rearview window, it’s time to look back and break it down.

Thankfully, the league already seems committed to never doing that decentralized format ever again. The actual TV product was unbearable for viewers, and really hurt the product. Some trades went down on Day 2, including the John Gibson trade, ending nearly a half-decade of trade rumors surrounding the goaltender.

Free agency opens up in just over 48 hours. The ride only picks up steam from here.

New York Islanders:

Fresh off a universally praised round of the NHL Draft, the Islanders entered day two with one pick each round, all their own. In the second round, Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche swung for the fences. He took a physical monster, 6’6 power forward Daniil Prokhorov.

Then, just one round later, the Islanders took a consensus second-round talent with an extremely high upside. Luca Romano could just be the sneakiest pick of the entire third round.

As the day rolled on, the Islanders kept selecting players known for hard work and speed. They also kept getting excellent value for their picks. It became pretty easy to see what Darche’s vision for the future will be.

There’s also word that Alexander Romanov‘s extension is very close, if it’s not already done. Stay tuned on that front.

NHL Trade Talk, Draft Recaps, & National Hockey Now:

The Athletic ($): So, who won the draft? According to The Athletic, the Islanders walked away the biggest winners. So too did the Philadelphia Flyers. Check out where every team finished on the grading scale.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Yesterday, I had to pull some double duty. Devils fans wanted to see a trade, but none materialized. As a result, they kept both their second-round picks and drafted two highly intriguing prospects.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: So, about that Penguins draft class. Highly unconventional, multiple trade-ups and downs, but the Penguins walked away with 13 new prospects. Dan Kingerski sums it all up.

Detroit Hockey Now: Outside the Noah Dobson trade, the Detroit Red Wings pulled off the biggest trade of the weekend. John Gibson is no longer an Anaheim Duck. The Ducks dealt the netminder to Detroit for a pair of draft picks.

Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting desperate. As Free Agency draws near, they’re desperately pushing to make a sign-and-trade come to fruition with the Vegas Golden Knights for Mitch Marner. Vegas would be shedding some money in the deal, gifting useful players to Toronto in potentially Nicolas Roy and Nicolas Hague.

Vegas Hockey Now: But, why would Vegas do this? Well, Hannah Kirkell expertly breaks it all down. She also confirms not a single one of us should be surprised by this in the slightest.