[DwightShrute]

Today at 7pm ET the draft begins and Saturday free agency starts.

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held Wednesday and Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are Thursday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS).

NHL free agency will begin on Saturday, July 1, at noon ET. While teams must wait until that moment to start talking to players from other teams, they can get a head start on signing their own free agents. Pending unrestricted free agents can sign new deals with their current teams prior to July 1.

Already a few deals made this week.

[DwightShrute]

Top 12 UFA's in no particular order: Adin Hill, Max Domi, Michael Bunting, Alex Killorn, Patrice Bergeron, Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane, Matt Dumba, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ivan Barbashev, Ryan O'Reilly and Dmitry Orlov.


More notable UFAs in 2023: J.T. Compher, Tristan Jarry, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Mayfield, Radko Gudas, Shaye Ghostisbehere, John Klingberg, Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Toews, Frederik Andersen, Connor Brown, David Krejci, Tomas Tatar, Jason Zucker, Brian Dumoulin, Ryan Graves, Cam Talbot, Jonathan Quick, James van Riemsdyk, Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel, Evgeni Dadonov, Corey Perry, Gustav Nyquist, Alexander Kerfoot, Craig Smith, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Nedeljkovic, James Reimer, Justin Holl, Jonathan Drouin, Jason Zucker, Evan Rodrigues, Erik Gustafsson, Martin Jones, Antti Raanta, Semyon Varlamov, Luke Schenn, Carson Soucy, Jesper Fast, Pierre Engvall, Joonas Korpisalo, Zach Parise, Miles Wood, Matthew Phillips

[DwightShrute]

I think Michael Bunting is underrated and could be had for a decent price. Lakerboy what is your take on him? He's a little hot headed but when he's on his game, he looks great. A top line winger.

[SBR Andy]

A few NHL Draft best bets from SBR's Neil Parker to consider:


Matchup: Ethan Gauthier (-120 via DraftKings) vs. Lukas Dragicevic

"This is strictly a bet on a scouting staff and general manager making a low-risk pick on Gauthier before taking a risk on Dragicevic.

Gauthier checks all the boxes and projects as a secondary scorer capable of playing an intelligent game without sacrificing any competitiveness. Add in his father, Denis Gauthier, playing 554 NHL games, and the second-generation forward should transition smoothly to the highest level.

I project Dragicevic to be an offensive-first defenseman with suspect skating ability and so-so defensive acumen. His offensive numbers skyrocketed in 2022-23, and the modern defenseman excels at both ends of the rink and skates well."


Draft position: Oliver Moore Under 14.5 (-115 via DraftKings)

"FanDuel is hanging this prop with Moore priced at -125 to go before the 15th overall pick, so I value the -115 number through DraftKings. For reference, bet365 is also hanging -120 odds.

Moore is a world-class skater with coveted two-way prowess and untapped offensive upside. He’s going to be a solid NHL player, and I’m anticipating a team banking on his high-floor, high-ceiling profile closer to pick 10 than 15."


Draft position: Gavin Brindley Under 29.5 (-110 via DraftKings)

"A praised, NHL-ready defensive game complements Brindley’s speed and compete level. His offense improved when he climbed the Michigan University depth chart, which quieted any concerns about his 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame to further showcase a complete player.

Brindley’s unlikely to be a go-to scorer at the highest level, but he’s skilled enough to contribute in a middle-six role while the rest of his attributes do the heavy lifting. I suspect he’ll be knocking on the NHL door after a second season in the NCAA, so a team in the compete-now window can land a quick return on investment by making him a late, first-round selection."


No. 2 overall pick: Adam Fantilli (-310 via FanDuel)

"This is an outlier price for Fantilli to go second overall, and I recommend pouncing on it.

The market has been pulled at some of our best live betting sites, but Fantilli was trading as low as -600 through PointsBet to go second on Tuesday.

Nothing has changed, and the Anaheim Ducks still need the prototypical, two-way No. 1 center to steer their youth movement in the right direction. Fantilli is exactly that and probably then some."

[DwightShrute]

[DwightShrute]

my Canucks ...



I like it

[klemopixx]

Flyers took the Russian, Michkov with the 7th pick. They'll have to wait a few years to get him but he was easily the best player available.
Me like!

[DwightShrute]

Flyers took the Russian, Michkov with the 7th pick. They'll have to wait a few years to get him but he was easily the best player available.
Me like!

its so hard to tell so early but he looks promising

[stevenash]

Dwight?
Did you have any futures?

I don't have time to follow NHL hockey, I wish I did, I love the product, but I heard Bedard is a freak.

[coop-dog]

Dwight?
Did you have any futures?

I don't have time to follow NHL hockey, I wish I did, I love the product, but I heard Bedard is a freak.

bedard is another crosby mcdavid , hawks are set for next 10 years

[coop-dog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj0EV3w8q7k