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The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft took place Wednesday. Now, on Thursday, rounds 2 to 7 take place in what should be an action-packed day.
The first round of the draft was a bit of a surprise as there were no trades. Usually, the draft sees teams move back or trade up to get a player they like. Yet, with the draft being considered very deep, teams were fine selecting where they were.
Now, with nearly 200 picks set to be made Thursday, Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft will be action-packed.
Expect lots of trades for picks
The 2023 NHL Draft is considered one of the best in quite some time, and many experts said there are about 40-50 first-round players. With that, I expect a lot of trades for picks early into Round 2 as teams looks to jump up and try and select a player.
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On the flip side, with how deep the draft is, teams near the top of the draft would be fine to move back and acuquire more picks to add to their prospect pool. The draft should be action-packed with trades Thursday.
Players could get moved
Along with lots of trades for picks, some general managers are expecting lots of trades for players on Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft.
With some players asking for trades or telling teams they won't re-sign, Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said he expects some players to get moved on Thursday.
"These guys don't have to be signed by July 1," Don Waddell said to NHL.com. "You go into the summertime, and you know sometimes the market might get better because there's teams that strike out in free agency that say, 'OK, let me focus that attention there.'
"So yeah, I don't know if it happens the next few days, but certainly there's an opportunity that there's going to be some trades throughout the summer. There's no doubt about that. Maybe [Thursday]. We'll see."
Whether or not big players like Alex DeBrincat and Connor Hellebuyck are traded on Thursday is uncertain.
Lots of picks
The final thing to expect is lots of draft picks and not much time between picks. Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft sees 192 picks selected over several hours. Although some may not make the NHL, it's a good time to learn more about the players and why teams made those picks.
