San Jose made a move in the first draft for General Manager Mike Grier, who took over the role this week and became the first Black G.M. in league history. The Sharks sent pick No. 11 to Arizona for No.s 27, 34 and 45. Arizona selected forward Conor Geekie, brother of Seattle center Morgan Geekie.
Arizona also made a trade with Edmonton, acquiring Zack Kassian, No. 29 and two future picks in exchange for No. 32 in a deal that gave the Oilers some salary-cap room. The Coyotes chose the Canadian defenseman Maveric Lamoureux at No. 29, and Edmonton selected the Canadian wing Reid Schaefer with the final pick of the first round.
After Slafkovsky and Nemec became the highest-drafted players from Slovakia, Rutger McGroarty made some Nebraska hockey history when he went 14th to the Winnipeg Jets. McGroarty, an Omaha-born forward, became the highest-drafted player from the state.
N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman opened the first in-person draft since 2019 in French by saying, “Bon soir, Montreal.” When fans booed him, as is tradition, he said: “Thank you for that welcome. It is a return to normalcy.”
It was also the first time the host team picked at No. 1 since the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Wendell Clark in 1985. With rival Montreal hosting, the Leafs got the loudest boos during roll call, with some in the crowd chanting, “’67!” in reference to the latest year Toronto won the Stanley Cup.
Recent deaths in hockey were also recognized before the Canadiens went on the clock. Bettman asked those on the draft floor and in the stands to hold a moment of silence for the retired defenseman Bryan Marchment, who died at age 53 on Wednesday in Montreal, where he was attending the draft as a scout for San Jose. Grier, a former teammate of Marchment, paid tribute to him before the Sharks’ selection of the Swedish center Filip Bystedt at No. 27.
Children of the Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy, who both died in April, also addressed the crowd.
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