Fans can watch the 2016 NHL Draft live online and see which teams make some big moves and whether any NHL superstars end up being traded by the end of the draft.
Television coverage of the 2016 NHL draft starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday on the NBC Sports Network, with coverage also available live online (a link to the streaming video can be found below). The draft itself will start at 7 p.m.
There is little drama about how the very start of the draft, held this year in Buffalo, will shake out. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the draft lottery and are almost assuredly taking Auston Matthews, while the Winnipeg Jets will go second and are likely taking Patrik Laine.
There could be a lot of drama beyond that, with a number of other teams possibly moving up and trading out.
NHL draft: Record number of U.S.-born players could go in first round: https://t.co/6JVFILakxt pic.twitter.com/b7khYGPBLF
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 24, 2016
As SportsNet noted, those who watch the 2016 NHL Draft live online could see plenty of wheeling and dealing. The outlet noted that Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli may have some big plans for the No. 4 pick
“This is the perfect recipe for a stunning draft day: A GM with a history of making big trades (as Boston’s GM, Chiarelli dealt both Phil Kessel and Tyler Seguin ); a team that has lost for long enough and is ready to make significant changes to its roster; and a nice high pick that just happens to make francophone centre Pierre-Luc Dubois available to Montreal, or defenceman Olli Juolevi, if ongoing conversations between Montreal and Edmonton about Subban get consummated.
“Chiarelli wants a right-handed defenceman. Vancouver, which picks fifth, has as many needs as Edmonton — just in different places. But GM Jim Benning may do his work on July 1.”
There could be plenty of other action outside the top 10, USA Today noted. Draft experts say there is a sharp drop in talent in the early 20s, so teams searching for an impact player may be looking to trade their way up into the teens or even the top 10.
It’s not just draft positioning that could be changing. CBS Sports noted that a number of big-name players might find a new home before the end of the 2016 NHL Draft, including Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban. While Subban is a key player on the team, the report noted that his contract could lead to a split.
“But because he has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1 teams have apparently been calling Montreal over the past few days in an effort to see if the Canadiens want to take advantage of that window and the rumor mill started to go crazy over the previous 48 hours so we should probably at least address it,” the report noted.
Here is the 2016 NHL Draft order:
DRAFT ORDER (Round 1)
1. Toronto 2. Winnipeg 3. Columbus 4. Edmonton 5. Vancouver 6. Calgary 7. Arizona 8. Buffalo 9. Montreal 10. Colorado 11. New Jersey 12. Ottawa 13. Carolina 14. Boston 15. Minnesota 16. Detroit 17. Nashville 18. Philadelphia 19. NY Islanders 20. Arizona (from NYR) 21. Carolina (from LAK) 22. Winnipeg (from CHI) 23. Florida 24. Anaheim 25. Dallas 26. Washington 27. Tampa Bay 28. St. Louis 29. Boston (from SJS) 30. Anaheim (from TOR via PITT)
Fans who want to watch the 2016 NHL Draft live online can turn to NBC Sports Live Extra for live streaming video of both Friday’s and Saturday’s action.
[Image via Twitter /One Buffalo]
