Montreal Canadiens: Just How High Can Habs Second First Round Pick Become?
How often are top ten picks traded at the NHL Draft?
At this time of year though? Trades of top five picks are almost non-existent and top ten picks are rarely moved. Since the salary cap era began in 2005, only nine teams have been able to trade into the top ten leading up to the actual draft, and one one team was able to move into the top five.
Every year at this time we hear about teams who are actively looking to move up or acquire a top 10 draft pick.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 30, 2022
While it could definitely happen, it almost never does.
Only 9 teams have traded into the top 10 in the cap era, and only one in the top 5.https://t.co/950OhwVqcp pic.twitter.com/m6bzcAlp6e
You will quickly notice that the only team to move up and into the top five at this time of year was the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008. It cost them a 7th overall pick, a 68th overall pick and a future second round pick. So, they gave up a second and a third round pick to move up two spots.
There are a few other similar trades in there. Nashville traded for the 7th pick in 2008 for the 9th pick and a second rounder. In 2005, the San Jose Sharks got an 8th overall pick but they only moved up from 12th and it cost them a second as well as a seventh round pick.
The Sharks made a similar trade in 2007 as they acquired the 9th overall pick for the 13th and 44th picks and a future third.
As for players that were traded for top ten picks, the Arizona Coyotes gave up Anthony DeAngelo and a 7th overall pick for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta in 2017. They thought Stepan was a two-way second line centre and Raanta could become their starting goalie for several years.
Jeff Carter was traded for Jakub Voracek, an 8th overall pick and a third round pick in 2011. Carter was a 26 year old forward coming off a 36 goal season. The Canadiens don’t have any of those right now.
A similar trade was made in 2012 when Jordan Staal was traded for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and the 8th overall pick. Staal was 23 years old at the time and had just scored 25 goals and 50 points in 62 games. The Canadiens only player like that right now is Nick Suzuki but they aren’t trading him for a pick.
Cory Schneider was also traded straight across for a 9th overall pick at the 2013 NHL Draft. At that time, Schneider was battling Roberto Luongo, who just got voted into the Hall of Fame, for playing time and looked better for many stretches. The Canadiens don’t have anyone like that right now either.
Last year we saw one top ten pick move and it was a wild trade between the Canucks and Coyotes. The Canucks acquired a good young winger in Conor Garland and overpaid but somewhat reliable defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the 9th overall pick, a second round pick, a seventh round pick, and a trio of bad contracts in Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle and Loui Eriksson.