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Biggest shifts in 2015 NHL draft grades

Which teams' draft-class grades have changed the most since Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Dylan Strome went 1-2-3 in the 2015 NHL draft? Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

With the regular season winding down, the focus for the fan bases of some teams has already shifted to the 2016 NHL draft. What better time to take another look at my 2015 NHL draft grades?

The purpose of this column is to show how a team’s draft class has changed relative to the league, which is why I grade on a curve. For example, I gave the Toronto Maple Leafs an A, making them a top-3 to a top-5 draft class; even though they’ve had a lot of impressive performances from their draft class this season, their grade hasn’t changed, and they’re still in the range of top 3 to top 5.

While most of the teams mentioned below are getting grade boosts, there are teams who went down a grade that I didn’t call out simply because the performance of the players went as expected; they just fell down the rankings as other prospects surpassed my expectations.

These are the six teams who I felt have shown the most notable changes in their draft class.