CHICAGO -- The draft delivered a handful of new prospects to every NHL team, but the 217 picks weren't the only major goings-on in Chicago this weekend. Here are some of the other key takeaways from the ground:
1. The hosts fundamentally reshaped their roster ... before the draft began
As the city of Chicago prepared to host the NHL draft for the first time in league history -- as well as the awesome fan fest out in the parking lot -- Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was busy altering his roster yet again. Departed are dynamic scorer Artemi Panarin, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and left winger Tyler Motte; coming to Chicago are left winger Brandon Saad (for a second tour of duty), goalie Anton Forsberg and defenseman Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks' roster churn has become an annual tradition at this point, but this one had a happy ending for some: We saw a lot of No. 20 Saad jerseys here this weekend.
2. Coyotes, Rangers in on the trading action as well
Bowman wasn't the only GM making big moves, as the New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes also consummated a deal that had been percolating for some time, with center Derek Stepan and netminder Antti Raanta going to Arizona in exchange for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the No. 7 pick, which was used on Lias Andersson. For DeAngelo, it's his third franchise in as many seasons, so maybe it's time to try something radical, as recommended by ESPN prospect guru Corey Pronman:
I'd be interested in seeing a team try DeAngelo at forward. Kid has talent to score. Defense part has never come. Try to rebuild him.
- (((Corey Pronman))) (@coreypronman) June 23, 2017
3. Biggest steals of the draft
Without a clear top prospect -- or top two prospects, as we've had in the past two draft classes -- we knew there could be some deviation from the media's rankings once the picks started coming off the board in Round 1. But to see Eeli Tolvanen, a force this past season in the USHL, and Klim Kostin, a dynamic Russian, slide all the way to the final two picks of Round 1 was the surprise of the weekend.
4. All-Names Team
Part of what makes being a hockey fan great is the uniqueness of player names, and we added a lot to the NHL family this weekend. Here then, is the All-Names Team of the 2017 NHL draft:
Urho Vaakanainen (No. 18 overall, Boston Bruins)
Kailer Yamamoto (No. 22 overall, Edmonton Oilers)
Morgan Frost (No. 27 overall, Philadelphia Flyers)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (No. 54 overall, Buffalo Sabres)
Grant Mismash (No. 61 overall, Nashville Predators)
Mackenzie Entwistle (No. 69 overall, Arizona Coyotes)
D'Artagnan Joly (No. 171 overall, Calgary Flames)
Erik Walli Walterholm (No. 190 overall, Arizona Coyotes)
5. Bettman embraces heel role; Kane and Toews receive a hero's welcome
It has become a tradition at every big NHL event that commissioner Gary Bettman gets booed mercilessly by the home crowd. In Chicago this weekend, it appeared that he began to relish the energy of the fans, egging them on to boo even louder -- "Is that all you've got, Chicago?" he beckoned on Friday night -- much like a great heel in professional wrestling. However, the event that generated the most decibels of the weekend was when Bowman paused before making the Blackhawks' first-round selection to bring out Jonathan Toews (No. 3 overall selection in 2006) and Patrick Kane (No. 1, 2007) to make it in his stead. Whether the player selected with that pick, Henri Jokiharju, pans out or not, he'll have at least one incredible memory from the Madhouse on Madison.