2025 NHL Draft: Atlantic Division needs

The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be held June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at needs for teams in the Atlantic Division. Full draft coverage can be found here.

The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft provides an opportunity for teams to strengthen positions of need with an injection of young talent.

Here is what Atlantic Division teams could be looking to do at the draft (teams listed in alphabetical order):

Boston Bruins

Top priority: Depth at forward, defense

First pick: No. 7

The situation: The Bruins failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 after a run of eight straight appearances and made several moves at the NHL Trade Deadline: Boston acquired forward Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round draft pick and a 2025 fourth-round selection from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brandon Carlo; a 2027 conditional second-round pick from the Florida Panthers for forward Brad Marchand; forwards Casey Mittelstadt and William Zellers and a 2025 second-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche for Charlie Coyle; forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick from the Minnesota Wild for Justin Brazeau; and defenseman Max Wanner, a 2025 second-round draft pick and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick from the Edmonton Oilers for Trent Frederic and Max Jones. The top prospects in the pipeline might be right wing Fabian Lysell (2021 NHL Draft, No. 21), center Dean Letourneau (2024, No. 25), center Georgii Merkulov (free agent, April 2022), Minten and goalie Brandon Bussi (free agent, March 2022). Boston has seven picks in the draft, one in the first round and two in the second round.

Possible fits: Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (OHL); Jake O'Brien, C, Brantford (OHL); Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

Buffalo Sabres

Top priority: Best player available

First pick: No. 9

The situation: The Sabres missed the playoffs for an NHL-record 14th consecutive season and at a point where transitioning to a win-now mode is more important than acquiring draft picks and future prospects, so it'll be interesting to see how many of their 10 picks in the 2025 draft could be in play. There are a good number of prospects in the pipeline in forwards Konsta Helenius (2024 Draft, No. 14), Noah Ostlund (2022, No. 16), Anton Wahlberg (2023, No. 39) and Isak Rosen (2021, No. 14), and defenseman Adam Kleber (2024, No. 42). Buffalo needs to continue to gain assets for a possible push to qualify for the postseason in 2025-26.

Possible fits: Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (OHL); Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL); Radim Mrtka, D, Seattle (WHL)

Detroit Red Wings

Top Priority: Defenseman depth

First pick: No. 13

The situation: Detroit's rebuilding effort is showing promise as six of the draft picks the Red Wings have made since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager on April 19, 2019, now are playing roles in the NHL: forwards Lucas Raymond (2020, No. 4), Marco Kasper (2022, No. 8), and Elmer Soderblom (2019, No. 159), and defensemen Moritz Seider (2019, No. 6), Simon Edvinsson (2021, No. 6) and Albert Johansson (2019, No. 60). The bad news is Detroit missed the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season, extending the longest drought in the team's 98-season history. Defenseman prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka (2023, No. 17) had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 46 games with Skelleftea in the Swedish Hockey League and is expected to begin next season in Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. Goalie Trey Augustine (2023, No. 41) is one of the top goalie prospects not playing in the NHL right now; he went 19-7-4 with a 2.08 GAA and .917 save percentage in 30 games as a sophomore with Michigan State University. Detroit has nine draft picks, including one in the second round (No. 44) and two in the third round (No. 75, No. 76).

Possible fits: Jackson Smith, D, Tri-City (WHL); Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie (OHL); Victor Eklund, RW, Djurgarden (SWE)

Florida Panthers

Top Priority: Defenseman depth

First pick: No. 112

The situation: The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season after losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final in 2023. Florida hasn't selected in the first round since 2021 (forward Mackie Samoskevich, No. 24) and doesn't possess a pick in the opening three rounds in 2025 either. Samoskevich had 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) and five game-winning goals as a rookie in 2024-25. General manager Bill Zito continues to build a strong foundation for coach Paul Maurice via trades and free agency and that likely will continue. The top prospects in the pipeline might be forwards Linus Eriksson (2024, No. 58) and Justin Sourdif (2020, No. 87), defenseman Matvei Shuravin (2024, No. 97) and goalie Kirill Gerasimyuk (2021, No. 152). The Panthers have six picks, starting with two in the fourth round (No. 112, No. 128).

Possible fits: Sam Laurila, D, Fargo (USHL); William Belle, RW, USA U-18 (USHL-NTDP); Bruno Idzan, LW, Lincoln (USHL)

Montreal Canadiens

Top priority: Depth at all positions

First round picks: No. 16, No. 17

The situation: The Canadiens, who qualified for the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, have 12 picks in the draft, including two in the first round, two in the second round (No. 41, No. 47) and three in the third (No. 79, No. 81, No. 82). Defenseman Lane Hutson (2022, No. 62) won the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year after leading all first-year players in assists (60), points (66), power-play points (26) and blocked shots (123) while averaging 22:44 of ice time in 82 games. Hutson also had five assists in five playoff games. Fans also got a glimpse of forward Ivan Demidov (2024, No. 5), who had two points (one goal, one assist) in two regular-season games and two assists in five postseason games. The three prospects to watch are goalie Jacob Fowler (2023, No. 69), defenseman David Reinbacher (2023, No. 5) and center Michael Hage (2024, No. 21). Montreal could opt to trade some of its draft equity to obtain a few established players. Either way, they're in good shape to fortify their current roster.

Possible fits: Sascha Boumedienne, D, Boston University (NCAA); Cameron Reid, D, Kitchener (OHL); Braeden Cootes, C, Seattle (WHL)

Ottawa Senators

Top priority: Best available player

First pick: No. 21

The situation: The Senators qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and appear to be in good shape for future success under general manager Steve Staios and coach Travis Green and will be able to add more pieces, picking in the top 25 of the draft for the sixth time in the past eight years. Their top prospects are defenseman Carter Yakemchuk (2024, No. 7), goalies Leevi Merilainen (2020, No. 71) and Mads Sogaard (No. 37, 2019), and forwards Stephen Halliday (2022, No. 104) and Xavier Bourgault (2024 trade, Edmonton Oilers). Ottawa has six picks, none in the second round.

Possible fits: Milton Gastrin, C, MoDo Jr. (SWE-JR); Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State (NCAA); Cole Reschny, C, Victoria (WHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Top Priority: Forward depth

First pick: No. 56

The situation: The Lightning, who lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season, have seven picks in the draft, but only one in the first three rounds. Tampa Bay probably will add to their prospect pool with players at every position as a few players, including defensemen Victor Hedman, 34, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, 30, are nearing the end of their prime seasons. History has shown it doesn't matter how many or where Tampa Bay selects in the draft, as it has a knack for uncovering diamonds in the rough. The top prospect in the pipeline is left wing Isaac Howard (2022, No. 31), who won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award as the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey after leading Michigan State University with 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games but will return for a fourth season of college hockey and Lightning general manager Julian BriseBois has said it's questionable if the Lightning are able to sign him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in August, 2026. Right wing Ethan Gauthier (2023, No. 37) had 62 points (25 goals, 37 assists) in 50 games with Drummondville of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Gauthier signed a three-year, entry-level contract Dec. 14 and played three games with Syracuse of the American Hockey League at the end of the season.

Possible fits: Kristian Epperson, LW, Saginaw (OHL); Aiden Foster, C, Prince George (WHL); Michal Pradel, G, Tri-City (USHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Top priority: Best available player

First pick: No. 64

The situation: Tough decisions will be made as forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares can become unrestricted free agents July 1. General manager Brad Treliving said talks are ongoing with Marner's camp but there is no guarantee the Maple Leafs will offer him a contract. Forwards Matthew Knies, Nicholas Robertson and Pontus Holmberg each can become a restricted free agent; Treliving said he would like to get a deal done with Knies as soon as possible. Goalie Anthony Stolarz and forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Scott Laughton each has a season remaining before becoming a UFA in July 2026. Toronto has good prospects in the pipeline, among them goalie Dennis Hildeby (2022, No. 122), defensemen Ben Danford (2024, No. 31) and Topi Niemela (2020, No. 64) and right wing Easton Cowan (2023, No. 28), who led London with 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 17 Ontario Hockey League playoff games and then helped London win the Memorial Cup and was named the tournament's most valuable player. The Maple Leafs have six picks in the draft, none in the first or fourth round.

Possible fits: Charlton Trethewey, D, USA U-18 (NTDP-USHL); Mason Moe, C, Madison (USHL); Jack Ivankovic, G, Brampton (OHL)