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2019 NHL Draft: Winners and headscratchers from the first round

The NHL Draft isn’t built for instant reaction. Just look at Teddy Blueger, drafted in 2012 and only finally making the NHL as a rookie in 2018-19. That’s an extreme example, but hockey is a patient process of young players slowly growing and developing.

With that in mind though, some teams are looking pretty good the morning after the 2019 NHL Draft. And some, well, they have us scratching our heads. Let’s take a look at both:

Winners: New York and New Jersey

NHL: NHL Draft
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a formality and we’ve known since the lottery draft announcement that this was going to unfold.