Big Entry Draft Weekend, Big Names stay put for now -NHL offseason Update
With the Entry Draft weekend taking place, most spectators were expecting the big named played on the list to be traded this offseason to be moved around during this time period but unfortunately, that just did not happen.
Vancouver Canucks’ veteran goalie, Roberto Luongo, and Columbus Blue Jackets’ captain, Rick Nash, stayed put and did not move an inch as general managers of both teams continued to be a part of discussions but could not work out any favourable deals.
"I'm not surprised," said Canucks general manager, Mike Gillis. "You need a lot of synergy to get trades done. You need compelling reasons to do them. If we're considering trading a very high end player, you need compelling reasons to do it. We're going
to go through and we exhaust every one of those reasons."
Nail Yakupov became the first Russian player to be picked as the first overall since Washington Capitals picked Alex Ovechkin, by the Edmonton Oilers while Columbus Blue Jackets got what they wanted with defenseman Ryan Murray with the second overall selection.
For Pittsburgh Penguins, losing Jordan Staal was a major hit as the All-Star centre player refused to sign on a 10-year extension with the team. Instead, he chose to go to the Carolina Hurricanes, joining brother, Eric Staal.
"Starting in the last week, some of the things going on behind the scenes felt more like free agency or a trade deadline than a draft," Pittsburgh coach, Dan Bylsma, said.
"There was certainly plenty of offers that were made, at least that came my way," Penguins general manager, Ray Shero, added.
The first two rounds of the entry draft were definitely intense as teams scrambled to make the most valuable selections and had to strategically plan a backup if the player of their interest was picked up by someone else.
Another selection that interested circles around the hockey league was the entry of another player from the Sutter family, Lukas, who was picked up by Winnipeg Jets with No. 39. He is the son of former NHL player Rich Sutter, cousin of Brandon Sutter and
nephew of Los Angeles Kings head coach, Darryl Sutter.
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