Flames won’t be alone, as six other teams also without a first round pick

One of the most notorious things about the Flames’ 2018 NHL Entry Draft is that they won’t be picking until the fourth round. But hey, barring any trades, at least they won’t be the only ones sitting on their hands as the first round gets underway; six other teams will also be without first rounders.

Unfortunately, of all the picks to be traded away, the Flames gave up the highest one, surrendering 12th overall to the Islanders for Travis Hamonic. The next highest pick that ended up traded away was 14th overall, which the Blues ended up dealing to the Flyers as part of a package for Brayden Schenn; however, they got a first round pick back – specifically, 29th overall – by trading Paul Stastny to the Jets.

If there are no additional moves, the Penguins, Bruins, Predators, Lightning, Jets, and Golden Knights will join the Flames in not having much to do Friday night. These teams traded away picks 22nd overall and lower, as they all finished either with great regular seasons, or went deep into the postseason. They’ll all be picking late in the second round, except for the Predators, who won’t be choosing until the 89th pick comes up, 16 picks before the Flames finally get to join in on the fun.

So, we know the Flames forfeited their first round pick roughly this time one year ago for Hamonic’s services. What about the other teams who aren’t expected to draft in the first round? What did they gain in exchange for their pick?

At the trade deadline, the Penguins were involved in a three-team trade that ultimately saw them give up their first round pick to Ottawa, and acquire Derrick Brassard as the key piece in the return. The Bruins, meanwhile, gave up their first round pick – as well as a handful of other assets, including a salary dump in Matt Belesky and a promising young-ish player in Ryan Spooner – for Rick Nash.

The Predators surrendered their first round pick for Ryan Hartman, while the Lightning included theirs in part of a package to ultimately get Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller. We went over the Jets giving up their first rounder for Paul Stastny, while Vegas surrendered theirs, along with a couple of other picks, for Tomas Tatar.

All in all, of the seven teams who aren’t expected to pick in the first round, three made it to the conference finals, three were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, and then there are the Flames, who just never made the playoffs to start with.

Happy first round watching!

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