LAS VEGAS — Celine Dion — that’s right, Celine Dion — stood at the podium representing the Canadiens to announce Ivan Demidov as the fifth overall pick.
This wasn’t the NHL Draft of your grandfather’s time.
With all the bells, whistles and glitter, The Sphere is, as Gary Bettman put it, “the most glittering [draft] still.”
Unfortunately, after nearly 50 years since the league began playing at a selected location in late June, this will be the last centralized NHL draft. Next year, the NHL plans to conduct a remote draft in a similar fashion to the NFL and NBA.
That’s because of costs and a condensed schedule that sees free agency take place just two days after the draft ends on Saturday. The new method is likely more effective, but something will be lost when the NHL’s kaleidoscope of executives can no longer congregate at the draft site.
It was a night of theater with Jim Dolan’s crew putting on a great show. It wasn’t necessarily the hockey crew, it was the Sphere’s creative crew. We’ll have to wait until the free agent market opens on Monday to see what happens, as GM Chris Drury’s efforts to move up from 30th overall didn’t bear fruit.
And with Jacob Trouba’s no-deal clause becoming a 15-team no-deal clause, also on Monday, momentum continues to build for the defenseman to leave New York after five seasons.
In fact, a source familiar with the matter told The Post that general manager Chris Drury is in negotiations to move the captain to the Red Wings, and the Michigan native is likely open to a trade given his experience playing for the Wolverines as a freshman in 2012-13.
The Rangers could reportedly retain $2.5 million per year of Trouba’s $8 million annual cap fee for the two remaining seasons, which would mean a 31.25% retention that would also apply to the $12 million salary Trouba will receive over the next two seasons.
If the deal goes through and it’s residual, it would free up another $5.5 million in space … but the Blueshirts would have to find a suitable replacement for the team’s most physically strong and intimidating player who held down a spot on the starting penalty kill unit.
They also had to deal with Trouba vacating the captaincy just two seasons after being named captain.
The Rangers and Red Wings are reportedly competing for Patrick Kane, who becomes a free agent on Monday if he doesn’t sign a contract extension with Detroit, and the Post is reporting that Drury and higher-ups are targeting Kane for a Broadway revival.
But Drury and Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman may also be looking to acquire 34-year-old Steven Stamkos, who rejected Tampa Bay’s final offer of what is believed to be $24 million over eight seasons.
If the Blueshirts are actually able to free up an additional $5.5 million in a Trouba trade, that would free up roughly $21.1 million in space to fill out a shadow roster of nine forwards, three defensemen (not including soon-to-be restricted free agents Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider) and two goalies.
The Rangers appear to have deep pockets, but they’ll be in a bind in 2025-26 when Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere and Qu’Andre Miller are all on new contracts. Big free-agent offers won’t come easily.
Stamkos is 34 and not eligible for a bonus-laden one-year deal like Kane, who turns 36 in October. It’s hard to imagine why Stamkos would think it would be cheaper to come to New York than to Detroit or another port, but Drury would certainly make a sales pitch. Kane is also thought to prefer a two- or three-year deal over two consecutive one-year deals.
The Rangers missed out on the theatrics unfolding here on Friday, unsuccessfully attempting to trade up from the 30th overall pick and instead selecting right-handed defenseman EJ Emery from the U.S. Development Program.
But don’t worry, just wait a few days.
Jack Rose!
