Trade rumors are nothing new at the NHL Draft. In fact, the two are pretty much synonymous, as the first meaningful date on hockey's 2018 summer calendar brings executives from all 31 teams together in one place for the first time to begin the offseason.
But this year's trade winds have been at gale force for weeks. Thanks to the never-ending drama in Ottawa, the Canadiens' perennially doomed pursuit of a No. 1 center — scratch that, ANY center — and this week's revelation Artemi Panarin is reluctant to re-up with the Blue Jackets, it seems there are more stars than usual involved in the rumor mill.
Sporting News will keep tabs on the latest trade buzz from the floor of American Airlines Center, with full details and grades on every completed deal. Follow along below.
NHL DRAFT 2018: Live results | Pick-by-pick grades | Top 100 big board
NHL Draft 2018: Latest trade rumors, grades
7:14 p.m. — TRADE. Phillip Grubauer heads to Denver
Avalanche acquire: G Phillip Grubauer, D Brooks Orpik
Capitals aquired: 2018 second-round pick (47th overall)
In the first trade of the draft, the Avalanche got their hands on arguably the goaltender on the market this offseason. Grubauer, 26, went 15-10-3 with a .923 save percentage splitting time with Braden Holtby in the crease of the Stanley Cup champion Capitals. To resuce the cost of assets, the Avs agreed to take on Orpik's $5.5 million cap hit, a critical move for a Capitals team hoping to clear enough space to re-sign top defenseman John Carlson and a number of their RFAs. Orpik, 37, likely won't stay in Colorado for long, but Grubauer, a RFA himself, is given a starting opportunity and becomes the future in goal of an up-and-coming team.
COL is going to see if it can help Orpik land in a preferred spot. Whether it is a trade or a buyout, they are prepared to facilitate. By including him in the deal, they only had to give up one pick.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 22, 2018
Avalanche grade: B+
Capitals grade: B
3:30 p.m. ET — Where do things stand on Erik Karlsson?
With Mike Hoffman out of the equation, it sounds like the (delusional) Senators are holding out hope they may still be able to salvage the relationship with their captain and sign him long term. The earliest Ottawa can make Karlsson a contract offer is July 1, and all indications are GM Pierre Dorion intends to hold onto him at least until the formal offer is rejected. But the case for trading Karlsson at the draft is compelling, if only because it could net the Sens an additional first-rounder this year. The Golden Knights, Avalanche and Lightning are the teams most often rumored to be sniffing around. A Karlsson deal tonight would be a true stunner.
MORE: What can the Senators expect to get in an Erik Karlsson deal?
