It finally arrived. We always knew it would, at some point, but for the 31 prospects selected on Tuesday night, it was a long journey than any before them. The first round of the NHL Entry Draft wrapped up with many a storyline.

Let's dive in. Warning, there will be clips. 

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Before the picks even began, we had a pretty impactful trade. The Canadiens dealt Max Domi and a 3rd round pick to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Josh Anderson. Montreal nabs a dying breed of player – someone capable of producing points while also hammering the opposition with his physicality.

The issue has long been his health. 

Anderson is due for a new contract as an RFA and is rumoured to be looking for a long term contract. Expect Montreal to make that happen in a hurry. It will carry some risk thanks to his style of game and the wear and tear already spent on his body, but Anderson is the type of multicat player you win championships with when he’s rolling. He’s also the type of guy who is a menace in the real-life playoffs.

A nice bet for Montreal.

As for CBJ, they get a guy who is one year removed from a 72-point campaign. He's enigmatic. He can be frustrating. But he's a proven producer. Domi is also looking for an RFA deal. Columbus has a bunch of skill spread throughout their top nine. Domi likely projects onto the middle line – perhaps replacing Alexander Wennberg. 

I like this deal in the sense that either team could look great at the end of the day. Or neither. 

Read more on the trade by Michael Clifford here. 

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Okay, the draft. I have thoughts.

The top two teams got it right. Alexis Lafreniere is going to feast on Broadway. He's Jonathan Huberdeau on steroids. Pencil him in for a 50-65 point pace next year depends on power-play usage. Quinton Byfield may or may not be in the NHL next season. But he joins an already jacked LA prospect pool. And hey, he gets to learn from one of the best big-man centres of the last generation in Anze Kopitar. Talk about a dream setup. 

The Kings offense is going to be ridiculous in a few years.

Ottawa took Tim Stützle as we all expected (not my guy, but that’s cool). Jake Sanderson at five was rumoured to be in play and came to fruition. It's a fine pick. He is an excellent skater with high-end defensive habits. I think there's more offense coming too. Top pair upside. Ottawa did well. 

Detroit took Lucas Raymond at four. Perfect pick. 

Anaheim took Jamie Drysdale at six. Easy peasy. 

NJ grabs Alexander Holtz at seven. Meow. Holtz and Jack Hughes matched up together will be nightmare fuel for the East. Mmm that has a gross amount of potential. We love this for Hughes’ future stock. 

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But then, Buffalo had to Buffalo. They took Jack Quinn at eight. Now, Quinn is a fine player. Five picks later and I don't bat an eye. But he wasn't even the best draft-eligible kid on his team!

Good for Minnesota though. They take reigning CHL-leading scorer and top Ottawa 67s prospect, Marco Rossi. All of a sudden we're looking at Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov and Rossi as the team's elite offensive pieces. Matthew Boldy and Adam Beckman are in the pipe too.

Things could be fun in Minnesota one day soon. 

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That also meant that Cole Perfetti was sitting around for Winnipeg at #10. This one was another no-brainer. And speaking of brains, Perfetti has the biggest one in the draft. The Jets were hoping to land a future second-line center with this pick. Instead, they grabbed a top liner.

Juicy fruit.

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Want to know a whole lot more about these players picked on Tuesday? Look no further than the Fantasy Prospect Report. It’s LOADED with all the intel you could ever want.

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Yaroslav Askarov went to the Preds at 11. This speaks to their long term view of Juuse Saros. Askarov is going to be a star. He should be in the NHL in two years and pushing for starts right away. Top five talent nabbed outside of the top-10. Such is the way for goalies.

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I loved the Seth Jarvis pick for the Canes. Their staff always doesn’t an excellent job identifying talent. I’m fine with Dylan Holloway at 14 to Edmonton. A bit early maybe, but fine. There were definitely more sexy fantasy options sitting there. But I guess it’s not always about my fantasy team.

I absolutely love the Rodion Amirov selection by the Leafs at #15. I actually predicted that pick on the most recent PDOcast

Amirov is silky smooth, smart, and efficient. He’s already a pro. The Leafs smashed that one.

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The highlight of the night came at the very last moment. Using Tampa Bay's 31st overall pick, the San Jose Sharks take Western leaguer, Ozzy Weisblatt. Director of Amateur Scouting, Doug Wilson Jr. signed the pick as Weisblatt's mom is hearing impaired.

Pure class.

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It wasn't just draft picks and trades that littered the news on Tuesday. There was also a host of player buy-outs, players left unqualified, and agents setting timelines (more on that in a moment). If you want all the nitty-gritty on those moves, just go to Elliotte Friedman's twitter account.

But perhaps the one that grabbed the most attention came on Monday as the Oilers announced that Connor McDavid had contracted COVID-19. Can we not have anything nice anymore?!

As the release state, the Edmonton captain is feeling well and recovering at home. He's young. He's healthy. He likely does not have any preexisting conditions that would elevate his risk. That said, we still do not know the longterm impacts on individuals' health. The lungs and heart being the main concerns.

I feel confident that I can speak for the entirety of the hockey world as we wish him all the best in his recovery. 

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The second-best highlight of the Entry Draft: Quinton Byfield’s outfit. Pure silk, just like his game.

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Oliver Ekman-Larsson's agent, Kevin Epp was on TSN radio on Tuesday to discuss his client's future. As we know, OEL is owed 8.25M for each of the next seven seasons. The next three have a real dollar payout of 31.5M. 

I'm going to guess that ownership in the desert is quite clearly concerned with that figure. I mean, this is a club who was late to pay their bonuses out just last month. COVID hit every team, but those smaller market organizations are even more distraught.

OEL has given the team permission to work out a deal with Boston or Vancouver. That's it. They clearly don't love the offers. Elliotte Friedman reported that each has submitted an offer and are allowing AZ to decide. The Coyotes have no hand here.

To add to that, Epp indicated that OEL has put a Friday deadline on any deal. If it isn't completed by then, he's not waiving. Adds a nice little bit of intrigue as we work towards free agency. 

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Third-best part of the draft – Alex Trebek making the Senators third overall pick.

I don’t think it’s crazy to wonder if Trebek was hoping to announce Byfield there. Trebek is from Sudbury after all.

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Wondering who your team is going to target tomorrow in rounds 2-7?

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@Hockey_Robinson