LOS ANGELES - For the second time in as many years, the Carolina Hurricanes turned their first-round pick into multiple assets, moving #29 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night in exchange for selections #34, #62, and a fifth-round pick in 2027.
Just as NASCAR Cup Series points leader William Byron was set to announce the team's pick live from Atlanta, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the deal, meaning the Canes now have seven selections on Saturday's second day of the NHL Draft.
- Round 2, #34 Overall (from Chicago)
- Round 2, #62 Overall (from Chicago)
- Round 3, #87 Overall (from Tampa Bay)
- Round 4, #125 Overall
- Round 6, #183 Overall (from Tampa Bay)
- Round 6, #189 Overall
- Round 7, #221 Overall
It is the second consecutive year that Carolina and Chicago swapped this spot, as last year the Canes acquired Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (Dominik Badinka) and the New York Islanders’ second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (Nikita Artamonov) from the Blackhawks in exchange for #27 overall (Marek Vanacker).
"We have several players we like in this part of the draft. We felt like we could slide down and still get one of the guys we were very high on, and then have an extra pick to hopefully pick up another one of the guys we're looking at," General Manager Eric Tulsky said when he met with the media post-event.
In total, Carolina has now made 19 draft-involved trades since 2018.
The second day of the NHL Draft gets underway at noon ET on Saturday, and can be watched on NHL Network and ESPN+. Associate General Manager Darren Yorke is expected to speak to the media following the selections.
