2025 NHL Draft: 5 teams who could end up trading their first-round pick

The NHL Draft is right around the corner, and with the Stanley Cup finals now behind us, the focus of the NHL community has shifted to the upcoming draft. While James Hagens was expected to be the top pick of the draft, currently there's no real clear-cut No. 1 pick, with players like Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer drawing plenty of attention.

With that in mind, let's take a look at five teams who could end up trading their first-round picks.

Five NHL teams who could end up trading their first-round pick in this year's NHL Draft

NHL: Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars - Source: Imagn

#1: Chicago Blackhawks

Last offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks' front office bolstered the roster by acquiring Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi; however, the team struggled throughout the year.

Now, the team is reportedly open to trading the No. 3 pick in this year's NHL draft.

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars - Source: Imagn

#2: Utah Mammoth

Heading into the NHL draft, the Utah Mammoth reportedly spoke with around 50 players at the Combine. Despite that, the team narrowly missed the postseason by just seven points last year.

Given that they have the No. 4 pick in the draft and an estimated $20 million to spend, we could be looking at a situation where the team packages the No. 4 pick to land a star to help them win now.

NHL: Boston Bruins at Dallas Stars - Source: Imagn

#3: Boston Bruins

Over the past few years, the Boston Bruins have traded away their first-round pick on three separate occasions.

While the team is in a transition, they want to remain competitive while building. Considering they have the No. 7 pick and first-round picks in both the 2026 and 2027 NHL drafts, it wouldn't be surprising to see them trade this year's pick for a center.

NHL: Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens - Source: Imagn

#4: Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames narrowly missed the postseason this year, which is a good sign for the future.

Given that the team has two first-round picks this year and another two first-round picks next year, it seems likely that the team decides to make a move to help them get over the playoff hurdle and return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens - Source: Imagn

#5: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting in a position similar to the Calgary Flames. This season, the team narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing the year with a record of 40-33-9.

Much like the Flames, they're sitting on a treasure trove of draft picks that will see them have two first-round picks this year. As such, it makes sense that the team would use their assets to acquire a win-now player while retaining the other to build for the future.

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Edited by Krutik Jain