So, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be open to trading the first overall pick if the right deal comes along. Could the Lightning come up with a deal that would pry the pick (and presumably Gavin McKenna) out of their cold Canadian fingers? Probably, but it would involve blowing up the roster, something that Julien BriseBois doesn’t seem quite ready to do just yet.
However, just the speculation of dealing a first overall pick, something that hasn’t been done for quite awhile, brought back memories of when the Lightning held the first overall pick and not only traded it away, but also traded their way out of the first round altogether. A decision that, in hindsight, was probably the right thing to do.
The year was 1999. Lightning fans were not exactly partying. Despite having a few pieces of the future Stanley Cup puzzle, Tampa Bay finished with just 47 points and won the draft lottery. The team was in the middle of being sold, and in the days leading up to the draft it wasn’t clear who was exactly in charge. At the top of the prospect ladder was Patrik Stefan, a Czech forward considered the most “NHL ready” player in the draft despite his history of concussions. There was also Pavel Brendl, a right-shot winger who had scored 73 goals for the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL.
Lurking in the background were the Sedin twins, who had stated that their preference was to play together. In order for that to happen, a team with a pick in the top five would have to make a deal. In the end several teams would make trades in order for Brian Burke to pull off the seemingly impossible.
The Lightning played their part when they dealt the first overall pick to Vancouver for the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft along with two third round picks. Rick Dudley, who had been given the reins to the draft just a day earlier, wasn’t satisfied with the fourth overall pick. He dealt that pick to the New York Rangers for Dan Cloutier, Niklas Sundstrom, a 2000 first-round pick, and a 2000 third-round pick.
So, the first overall pick turned into a young goaltender, a middle-six forward, a first-round pick, and three third-round picks. Not a bad haul in what was a pretty weak draft. Of course, the wheeling and dealing continued. In August, Sundstrom and the Rangers’ third-round pick went to San Jose for Andrei Zyuzin, Bill Houlder, Shawn Burr, and Steve Guolla.
The Lightning ended up using the 2000 first-round pick to draft Nikita Alexeev with the eighth selection of the draft. Earlier in the day they traded their own pick (fifth overall) to the New York Islanders for Kevin Weekes, the rights to Kristian Kudroc, and a second-round pick in 2001 (which they would use in the Nikolai Khabibulin deal).
Is the Lightning’s return on their first overall pick in 1999 a template for what Toronto could expect over two decades later? Possibly. It doesn’t happen a lot, in fact no one has traded the top pick since 2003 when Florida traded it to Pittsburgh for the number three pick, a second-round pick, and Mikael Samuelsson.
McKenna isn’t quite on the Bedard/Celebrini level, but he is expected to be better than Brendl or Stefan. Chances are it would take more than a top-five pick and a couple of third-rounders to get Toronto to bite on a trade offer. Honestly, it would probably be more along the lines of what the Lightning got from the Rangers for the fourth pick. Toronto could use a young, high-end goaltender, depth forward and future first-round pick as they look to jump back into contention in the Atlantic.
It’s unlikely that Toronto will move off of the pick, but it’s always fun to speculate, right?
Hockey News
Claude Lemieux dies at age 60 [The Athletic]
The four-time Stanley Cup winner played in 1215 for Montreal, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, Dallas, and San Jose. The living definition of an agitator, his check from behind on Kris Draper in 1996 set off one of the biggest rivals in hockey history, but he also had four seasons of 30 or more goals in his career.
The Summer Trade Board [The Athletic]
There are 24 names on the big board, but no members of the Lightning. There is an old friend (Ross Colton) and some intriguing options if Tampa Bay can swing it (Matthew Knies, Blake Coleman, etc). With the salary cap going up and a weak free agent class, perhaps there will be a trade or three this summer to get us all excited.
Evan Bouchard knocked out of game by hit [Oilers Nation]
Team Canada picked up the win over the United States, but lost Bouchard when he was hit in the head by Ryan Lindgren’s shoulder. It appears Bouchard will be held out of the rest of the tournament as a precaution. Lindgren was ejected from the game.
Belarus reinstated by IIHF for three tournaments in 2026-27 [Daily FaceOff]
Hockey’s international ruling organization reinstated the country for the Men’s U18 Championship, Women’s World Championship Division IV, and Women’s U18 Championship Division IIIB. As of right now Russia, who was banned at the same time as Belarus, has yet to be cleared to resume international competition.
PWHL expansion process officially announced [PWHL]
As we mentioned yesterday, things are about to get chaotic in the PWHL. With four teams set to enter the league next season, a routine expansion draft wasn’t going to work so the league, in conjunction with the players announced a six-phase process that begins June 1 and runs until June 19. Should be fun to watch.
Which under-25 players could use a change of scenery [ESPN]
Matvei Michkov and Simon Nemac are the two big names on the list, but Matthew Poitras from Boston would be an interesting addition for a team like the Lightning. With things getting crowded in the middle of the ice for the Bruins, perhaps they’d be open to moving him for a reasonable price.
To Rip or not To Rip [Hockey Bay Cards Substack]
Aka Schrodinger’s Card. If we don’t rip the card open, then the mini card inside is worth thousands. If we do rip it, then the mini card is worth a bag of dust.
