Breaking Down NHL Draft Night Trades: Bruins Add Peterka, Rangers Get Dorofeyev, Blues Acquire McTavish
The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues added forwards in trades during the first round of the NHL draft. But those moves weren't all.
While Friday night is all about the 2026 NHL draft, there have been an abundance of trades.
The moves between the NHL's GMs didn't dry up during the first round of the draft.
In fact, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had to announce back-to-back trades ahead of the Calgary Flames' sixth overall pick.
Here are all the trades that came through during the first round of the draft.
Boston Acquires JJ Peterka From Utah
The Boston Bruins acquired right winger JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 draft and a 2028 first-round pick owned by the Florida Panthers. The 2028 first-rounder is top-10 protected.
Peterka, 24, is coming off a down year, scoring 25 goals and 47 points for the Mammoth. That was his first season following a three-year stint with the Buffalo Sabres.
Utah traded Peterka exactly one year after acquiring him from Buffalo in exchange for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan. Peterka was a pending RFA at the time and signed a five-year contract with a $5.5-million cap hit.
Boston will now look to get Peterka back to the production he had in Buffalo, where he posted 68 points in 2024-25, and unlock a new level of scoring.
New York Rangers Acquire Pavel Dorofeyev From Vegas
The Vegas Golden Knights have just $4.625 million in salary cap space, which forced them to trade their top goal-scorer and pending RFA, left winger Pavel Dorofeyev, to the New York Rangers.
The Rangers sent the No. 26 and No. 92 picks in the 2026 draft to the Golden Knights, as well as a top-10 protected 2028 first-round pick.
Dorofeyev also signed a seven-year contract at $11 million per season.
Dorofeyev, 25, scored a career-high 37 goals and 64 points for Vegas this past season. He also scored 12 goals and 16 points in 22 post-season appearances.
St. Louis Acquires Mason McTavish From Anaheim
Just ahead of the St. Louis Blues' 15th overall selection, they traded that No 15 pick, as well as the 29th pick in the 2026 draft in exchange for Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks.
After that trade, the Ducks went on to select Nikita Klepov with the 15th pick.
McTavish, 23, signed a six-year extension ahead of last season and earns $7 million against the salary cap.
The center is moving away from a situation where he was being healthy scratched in Anaheim, and will likely earn much more playing time with St. Louis. He ended this past season with 17 goals and 41 points in 75 regular-season games. His career-high 52 points came the year before.
Los Angeles Swaps Picks With Utah
Ahead of the 17th pick of the 2026 draft, the Los Angeles Kings traded down to pick No. 19 with the Utah Mammoth, with the Kings also receiving the 83rd pick of this draft.
Utah selected Ethan Belchetz with the 17th pick, while Los Angeles selected Elton Hermansson at pick No. 19.
San Jose Moves Up To Philadelphia's Pick
The San Jose Sharks traded up to to the 21st pick of the 2026 draft. In return, the Philadelphia Flyers get the 27th, 62nd and 120th pick in this draft.
The Sharks selected Ryan Lin with pick No. 21, and the Flyers selected Maksim Sokolovskii at No. 27.
Utah Acquires Sebastian Cossa From Detroit
The Utah Mammoth acquired goaltender Sebastian Cossa from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for the 23rd pick in the 2026 draft.
Cossa, 23, has played just one game in the NHL, but has played 39 games in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins this past year, recording a .915 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.
The Red Wings selected J.P. Hurlbert with the No. 23 pick.
Montreal Moves Up To Vegas' Pick
The Montreal Canadiens moved up from the 28th pick in the 2026 draft, swapping with the Vegas Golden Knights' No. 26 pick. The Golden Knights also received a 2027 third-round pick.
The Canadiens selected Gleb Pugachyov with the 26th pick. Vegas later traded the 28th pick to the Anaheim Ducks.
Anaheim Moves Up To Vegas' Pick
The Anaheim Ducks moved up to the 28th pick, acquiring it from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the 29th and 117th pick in the 2026 draft.
The Ducks selected Marcus Nordmark with pick No. 28, and the Golden Knights took Juho Piiparinen with the 29th pick.
Nashville Receives Pick No. 31 From Carolina
The Nashville Predators acquired the No. 31 pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for picks No. 42 and 57 in the 2026 draft.
The Predators selected Tommy Bleyl with the 31st pick in the draft.
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