2025 NHL draft grades: Best, worst, most surprising picks

New York Islanders
Grade: A+

For Day 1 alone, the Islanders are getting an A+. If there were a higher grade possible, they'd be getting it. It's incredible to add a franchise defenseman in Kashawn Aitcheson that boosted the grade.

The Isles didn't overthink anything. You have to hit on your first-round picks, and every time they made a selection, they took quality players who confidently project to be impactful. There's a real chance the Isles added a franchise cornerstone, a top-six forward with a blend of hard and soft skill, and a tough-to-play-against defender with raw offensive potential.

On Day 2, GM Mathieu Darche continued stockpiling projectable NHL talent. Daniil Prokhorov has the potential to become a high-end power forward, and Luca Romano should play NHL games in a middle-six role. Tomas Poletin is a reasonable bet on upside and Burke Hood in the late rounds is excellent value. This could be a franchise-changing draft for the Islanders.

Boston Bruins
Grade: A

The Bruins were the beneficiaries of some interesting decisions at the top of the draft, and managed to secure their top-line center for the future -- and the third best player in the draft -- in

Carolina Hurricanes
Grade: A

I feel like we say this every year, but my goodness the Carolina Hurricanes did it, again. They got tremendous value in their trade back with the Canadiens, using those picks to draft two projectable NHL talents in

San Jose Sharks
Grade: A

Any time you add the best forward (Blake Fiddler would have been a more sound selection at No. 33, but the Sharks like Wang's raw ability and upside which is a decision I can get behind. If Wang hits, he's going to be an impactful defender in the NHL that many teams wish they'd drafted.

Getting

Anaheim Ducks
Grade: A-

Getting

Calgary Flames
Grade: A-

Not only did the Flames address organizational needs with this draft class, they got significant value with the

Detroit Red Wings
Grade: A-

There's a lot to like about what the Red Wings did this weekend, and they likely nabbed at least two long-term NHL players in

Nashville Predators
Grade: A-

The Predators were a mixed bag for me in this draft. Did they get some high-end talent? Absolutely. Did they leave some high-end talent on the board? Unequivocally.

I understand betting on Cameron Reid in the 20s was solid value, and he'll be a quality middle-pairing defender for years. I really liked the

Philadelphia Flyers
Grade: A-

Strap in because this one was a ride!

The Flyers needed a center, passed on Hagens, but got Porter Martone. I love Martone's game and think he has a ton of potential, but it feels like they went with size. Having said that, I'm not going to dock them grading points because Martone at No. 6 was excellent value. If his skating improves, he's going to be a star.

The decision to trade up to No. 13 and select Shane Vansaghi and

Seattle Kraken
Grade: A-

The Kraken got a lot better this weekend, particularly with their first two picks.

Winnipeg Jets
Grade: A-

I loved what the Jets did with their draft capital. Adding

Chicago Blackhawks
Grade: B+

The Blackhawks clearly had a modus operandi here, and it was "big dudes who can skate."

I liked

Montreal Canadiens
Grade: B+

The Canadiens had themselves a weekend. Trading away the selections that amounted to Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson to acquire Noah Dobson fit their timeline, but that may turn out to be a hefty price.

They love

Ottawa Senators
Grade: B+

Friday night was a banner night for the Senators. Trading back two spots and acquiring the pick that allowed them to trade for

Washington Capitals
Grade: B+

The Capitals extracted excellent value with their first two picks in the draft, and both players are solid bets to become middle-six contributors at the NHL level.

Los Angeles Kings
Grade: B

The Kings had a fine draft -- nothing to be overly excited about and nothing to be disappointed with, either.

They got some value with Jimmy Lombardi, who has projectable NHL play-driving ability and skill. If his speed improves, he could really pop. Petteri Rimpinen was another value-added pick in the late rounds, and worth the swing based on his development curve. Kristian Epperson provided value in the third round as an overager, and should fit nicely in a third-line role when he's ready.

Minnesota Wild
Grade: B

The Wild didn't give Judd Brackett a lot to work worth, but there was value to be had with their selections.

There's more offense to give with

New Jersey Devils
Grade: B

The Devils were a mixed bag, drafting guys with good value and a few head-scratchers -- including a player who didn't play a single game this season (Sigge Holmgren).

I loved the

Pittsburgh Penguins
Grade: B

Wes Clark loves to take big swings and he did it again. I absolutely love Peyton Kettles and Quinn Beauchesne were two other selections I liked, and both have legitimate NHL upside.

Utah Mammoth
Grade: B

Given the Mammoth's stated goal of adding size and tenacity up front, it was not surprising to see them draft Max Psenicka in the second round. I think he's got a higher offensive upside than he's given credit for, with potential to become a quality shutdown defender on the second pair. Their other selections don't project to be NHL players, but the first two selections should be stalwarts in their lineup for years to come.

Vegas Golden Knights
Grade: B

They didn't have a lot to play with, but I loved the

Columbus Blue Jackets
Grade: B-

The Blue Jackets addressed a need and got great value by adding

Dallas Stars
Grade: B-

The Dallas Stars' ability to get a top-40 player despite not selecting until pick No. 94 is very Dallas Stars of them.

Cameron Schmidt, who had more than 40 goals in the WHL, is one of the best goal scorers in the draft. But he's short, so teams decided to draft players with lower upside and projectable talent. He's a quality skater, and players with two separating skills are almost never available at that spot. If Schmidt hits, we're going to be talking about how the Stars "did it again" just like they did with

St. Louis Blues
Grade: B-

For what the Blues had to work with, they got some good value. I loved the selection of

Vancouver Canucks
Grade: B-

The Canucks' draft was fine. They left value on the board to take

Buffalo Sabres
Grade: C+

Buffalo had a modus operandi that was quite a bit different from previous drafts, and it showed.

Edmonton Oilers
Grade: C+

For a team that didn't have any high picks (or many picks at all), I liked the swings the Oilers took, particularly on Tommy Lafreniere and David Lewandowski. They don't have strong NHL projections by any means, but betting on their upside is a smart thing to do. I had those players going earlier than they did, giving the Oilers good value with their selections. If either Lafreniere or Lewandowski hit, they should provide complementary scoring in depth roles, something the Oilers will absolutely need while their contention window is open.

I debated docking the Oilers for not outbidding the Red Wings for John Gibson and addressing a significant organizational need, because the probability of Gibson helping the Oilers out in their contention window far exceeds the probability of any draft picks doing the same. With

New York Rangers
Grade: C+

This entire grade hinges on

Tampa Bay Lightning
Grade: C+

There's not a ton to write home about when it comes to the Lightning's draft class, but I really liked the

Florida Panthers
Grade: D+

When you win back-to-back Stanley Cups, you're probably not going to have an elite draft because you don't have many picks.

I'm a fan of the Shamar Moses pick: I think he provides value at that spot with an outside chance to play NHL games. The Panthers are unlikely to get NHL players from this crop of prospects, but the Moses pick bumps their grade up because he has an NHL projection in a depth role, something the Panthers will need if they intend to keep their contention window open for the next few years.

Colorado Avalanche
Grade: D

They didn't have many picks, and I didn't love what they did with any of them. I thought they left talent on the board with each of their selections and didn't take any players with an NHL projection. Given their contention window and few draft picks, I would've liked to have seen them swing on higher upside, because contenders need to hit on those players to keep that window open longer.

Francesco Dell'Elce has a chance to be a depth defender, but as an overager, his development runway is shorter. It's probable the Avs don't get any NHL players from their draft, with Dell'Elce being the only one with an outside shot at bottom-pair minutes.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Grade: D

It seems like the Maple Leafs hired one of the best talent evaluators in hockey, but then gave him an edict instead of letting him cook. GM Brad Treliving has made it very clear that he wants size in this lineup, but the Leafs left far too much skill and upside on the board to accomplish that.

There is a very real possibility the Leafs got one depth NHL player (Tyler Hopkins) from this draft class, and that's it. A lot of the players they selected are very raw, with size being their best attribute. When you leave players like Behm, Limatov, Thretheway, Mooney and Schmidt on the board who have legitimate NHL upside in valuable roles, it feels like a choice.