NHL Draft Grades: Instant analysis on each team's haul

With the 2024 draft complete, we're handing out initial grades for each team's haul of new prospects.

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Letourneau is among the biggest swings in the draft. The physical tools are tantalizing as a 6-foot-7 center with good puck skills and scoring prowess, but the lack of competition above the Ontario high school level is a concern. He heads to Boston College in the fall, where the Bruins will surely keep close tabs on him as a developmental project.

Helenius is solid value at No. 14 considering how NHL-ready he is. Sure, he probably won't be a top-six offensive star, but the Finnish pivot plays a mature game that should complement the Sabres' array of exciting forwards already in the system.

Ultimately, the trade down from No. 11 significantly hurts the Sabres' grade. The Sharks gain a legitimate potential top-pairing defender in Sam Dickinson, while Buffalo ends up with a good prospect in Helenius and a fun fourth-liner in Beck Malenstyn. The value doesn't match.

Brandsegg-Nygard screamed Red Wing in the predraft process and Detroit's exactly where he ends up. The Norwegian's a power winger with a quality shot and is a monster on the forecheck.

A concern is the lack of high-end upside. Brandsegg-Nygard felt like a Detroit pick because the Wings have taken prospects in a similar mold in past years. Detroit lacks game-breakers and didn't add any prospects who have legitimate potential to become that.

Trading next year's second-round pick to select Linus Eriksson was a bit odd, in that it removes a key 2025 trade-deadline asset for a prospect who doesn't have top-six upside. As for Zether, he played pro games in Sweden and destroyed the junior circuit when he was against his peers.

Habs fans were clamoring for Demidov and got their wish. There's no denying his immense skill and sky-high upside. The lack of games against pro competition in Russia is a concern, but that's part of the reason he was available at No. 5 in the first place. Demidov has legitimate superstar potential.

Hage was another great upside pick at No. 21. He was arguably the best USHL player in the second half after overcoming a major injury and a family tragedy the year prior.

Add in the Koivu pick, the son of former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, and you have a splendid haul for Montreal.

Yakemchuk is a risky pick at No. 7, but it's easy to see why the Senators covet his skill. The right-shot defenseman is a human highlight reel: he loves to dangle one-on-one and scored a ridiculous 30 goals from the back end. Whether his game will translate to the next level is the question.

In Eliasson, the Senators took a huge defender with no offense earlier than anticipated. Moore's a fun swing in a good athlete out of high school, and Montgomery's a budding, powerful winger.

Golicic is a nice story as a rare Slovenian draftee, but he's a low-upside, low-likelihood NHLer. Burrows, on the other hand, is a better bet on potential with his 6-foot-3 frame and scoring talent. Steen had moments at the world juniors with Norway.

Trading down from No. 23 made a lot of sense for a Maple Leafs team in need of additional draft capital. Toronto missed on a few intriguing talents as a result, but still get a steady, two-way defender in Danford who ticks a lot of boxes with respect to what the team covets in a prospect.

Dealing No. 58 for a 2025 second-rounder and 2024 seventh hurts the quality of this year's class, but gives Toronto much needed ammunition for the 2025 trade deadline.

The rest of the class features somewhat obscure projects. By no means a flashy draft from Toronto, but it snagged a right-shot defender with top-four upside in the first round to address its system's biggest need.

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