EDMONTON – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Draft picks aren’t trash, but when you are the Edmonton Oilers in pursuit of a Stanley Cup, they are (basically).

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Over the years, the Oilers have brought over the likes of Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Adam Henrique, Trent Frederic, and Troy Stecher via the use of expendable draft picks.

And other teams have been the beneficiaries of this strategy.

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The San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Arizona Coyotes (before they relocated), Anaheim Ducks, and Nashville Predators have all received good prospects, players, and draft selections in exchange for these players.

However, one team can claim to have an award-winner because of a deal made with the Oilers – the Montreal Canadiens.

On March 21st, 2022, then Oilers GM Ken Holland made one of his best trades – he swapped out William Lagesson, a conditional 2022 second-round draft pick and 2024 seventh-round pick for defenseman Brett Kulak.

Kulak has been the Swiss-Army Knife of the Oilers blueline this season, reaching career highs in points and time on ice (among other milestones). The low cost to acquire him, plus signing him to an extension, has made this one of the best pickups by the team of the last five years.

And who did the Canadiens end up drafting with that second-round pick? Lane Hutson. Yes, the 21-year-old, 5-foot-9 Calder-Winning defender. That guy.

He also happens to be the younger brother of newly signed Oilers forward prospect, Quinn Hutson. Quinn played two games for the NHL club at the end of the regular season back in April.

A trade can be a slam dunk for both parties – and this Kulak for (eventual) Calder Winner Hutson, turned out more than alright for the Canadiens and Oilers.

In other words, there was no trash in this trade, only treasure.

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