NHL Draft: One Winner and One Loser From Draft Week Trades

Not only is the NHL Draft about the picks made, but the trades during draft week always cause a shift in the odds, too.

Here's a winner and a loser from this year's draft-week trades, and how their championship odds -- per the Stanley Cup Odds at FanDuel Sportsbook -- have changed.

Winner: New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils went from a rebuilding team last offseason to one that was competing near the top of the standings all year in 2022-23. This, of course, made them change the way they did business, which carried over to this season.

The Devils have been able to re-sign Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt to long-term extensions. Locking up those two scoring wingers was a key to the Devils carrying over their success to next season.

But they decided this wasn't enough scoring on the wing and made another move to help in that area, acquiring Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Calgary Flames. They had to give up only Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the swap. Sharangovich had moments where he looked like a middle-six winger, but he likely won't be a 30-goal scorer like Toffoli was last season.

With the Devils locking up two key players and adding another, they've seen their Stanley Cup Odds improve from the initial opening odds of +1300 down to +1200. They still have more than $10 million in salary cap space for their own restricted free agents and any unrestricted ones from other teams who might interest them. This could allow them to address the goaltending position, which could use some strengthening.

Loser: Calgary Flames

On the opposite side of that trade, the Flames need to be considered losers of the offseason.

They traded Toffoli 16 months after getting him. In that deal, they gave up a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick, an average NHL player in Tyler Pitlick and a prospect. Getting just Sharangovich and a third is way less value than what they originally gave up.

It wasn't just Toffoli where the Flames lost.

Reports out of Calgary suggest that they could trade Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, as it may be unlikely that they can re-sign them beyond this season. If they decide to trade these players instead of holding onto them in a walk year, they would lose their best goal-scorer, their top center and a top-four defenseman in one offseason.

The Flames also hired a new head coach in Ryan Huska, who will be taking over in his first career NHL job. He replaces Darryl Sutter, who it seems like the players had problems with him. However, Sutter had a proven track record of turning teams into possession monsters, which often leads to his teams being contenders. This coaching change probably hurts their ceiling for the short term, even if it's what the players want.

These changes and potential losses have resulted in a Stanley Cup odds drop for Calgary, with the Flames' odds falling from +3200 to +3700. They were a popular bounce-back candidate because they had good underlying analytics, but things have quickly started to sour.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.