A very juicy and important nugget heading into the Game 7 decider between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers had to do with Boston's first round pick in the upcoming draft. The Bruins initially traded their pick to the Washington Capitals when they acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway but then the Capitals traded it to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal that sent Rasmus Sandin over to the D.C..
Not only was this game deciding the Leafs' matchup in the second round but there was extra motivation to cheer against the Bruins in the event the Leafs claimed the 28th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. It may not sound as exciting, but considering the Leafs don't have their own first rounder and that it won't be 29th, 30th, 31st, or 32nd - as many expected - it's still a cause for celebration.
Due to the Bruins having won the President's Trophy during the regular season, it locked them in at 28th overall in the event of an early elimination. The Bruins had Stanley Cup aspirations and who could blame them after a 65-win season? They made big moves ahead of the deadline, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci may very likely have played their final NHL games, and now the Leafs could essentially win the Cup and still pick inside of the top-30 in June. Not bad, Kyle Dubas.. not bad.
Another interesting factoid is that the Tampa Bay Lightning also don't own their first round draft pick. According to CapFriendly, it is supposed to be either the 19th or 20th pick in the draft after their first round defeat. It belongs to the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay also doesn't have a pick in the top 64 until 2025.
