Biggest winners & losers from Day 1 of 2025 NHL draft ft. New York Islanders

With Day 1 of the 2025 NHL Draft in the books, the time has come to look at the winners and losers of the first round.

The evening’s proceedings featured plenty of action, including several draft-floor trades. The excitement and surprises made the event a memorable one.

So, let’s take a closer look at the biggest winners and losers of Day 1 of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Biggest winners & losers from Day 1 of 2025 NHL draft

Winners

#3 Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the draft with two first-round picks. However, some crafty wheeling and dealing from GM Kyle Dubas led the Penguins to nab three first-rounders.

The Penguins took center Benjamin Kindel at #11, winger Bill Zonnon at #22, and center Will Horcoff at #24. The three picks allowed the Penguins to reload on prospects as the club is heading into a likely rebuild.

Kudos to Kyle Dubas for pulling off two solid draft-floor trades.

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets, in a fitting sequence of events, drafted Jackson Smith. Smith is a Calgary native and a fan of Johnny Gaudreau. Interestingly enough, Meredith Gaudreau introduced the Blue Jackets’ pick, bringing one of Johnny Hockey’s biggest fans into the Blue Jackets’ family.

#1 New York Islanders

There is no doubt that the biggest winner of Day 1 of the 2025 NHL Draft was the New York Islanders. They landed the best player in the draft, Matthew Schaefer, with the first-overall pick.

Then, the Isles used the two other first-round picks they landed earlier in the day from the Montreal Canadiens to take Victor Eklund at #16 and Kashawn Aitcheson at #17.

The picks transformed the Islanders from a team bereft of high-end prospects to an organization overflowing with them.

Losers

#3 James Hagens

James Hagens was projected to be among the top three picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. It was believed that Hagens could go first overall to the New York Islanders at one point.

However, Hagens’ stock dropped. He ended up going to the Boston Bruins at #7. While Hagens could fit in very well in Boston, it’s surprising to see Hagens fall that far.

#2 Utah Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth were rumored to be moving their fourth-overall pick. However, the Mammoth used it on Caleb Desnoyers.

Taking Desnoyers is a solid win for the Mammoth. It signals that Utah didn’t get the deal they were looking for. That situation makes them a loser, even though they got a high-end player.

#1 Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens sent their two first-rounders in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Islanders in exchange for Noah Dobson.

In hindsight, the Canadiens could have gotten Eklund and Aitcheson. Adding those two players could have given the Habs plenty of talent moving forward.

The rationale for Montreal, however, was the need to improve and get better as they look to contend for a playoff spot next season.