Day 1 of the NHL Draft: First round comes to a close with the Bruins on the outside looking in

DALLAS – There were some unexpected picks and minor trades, but the first round of the NHL Draft was rather uneventful.

Perhaps the bar was set to high. Seven teams entered the first round without a pick – the Bruins among them – but there were no major shakeups. It was a particularly slow night for the Bruins, who were unable to trade into the first round.

Don Sweeney lamented not having a pick, especially when he said he felt "buyer's remorse" after trading the No. 26 in February for Rick Nash, and it was expected to be challenging to get back into the first round.

Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov went first and second, as expected, to the Sabres and Hurricanes. Boston University standout Brady Tkachuk went fourth to the Senators – which was somewhat high considering some teams were worried he'll return to BU next season. Tkachuk said he'll take the next few days to figure out his decision.

The Rangers traded with the Senators to move up four spots to get K'Andre Miller at No. 22. The Blues also traded up four spots in a deal with the Maple Leafs to get Dominik Bokk. The biggest deal came about an hour before the draft started when the Capitals sent Phillip Grubauer and Brooks Orpik to the Avalanche for a second-round pick. The move was designed for the Capitals to shed cap space so they can retain John Carlson. Joe Sakic said the Avalanche would be looking to trade or buyout the 37-year-old Orpik.

More notes from the first night:



9:28: The Senators took Jacob Bernard-Docker with the No. 26 pick. The defenseman is heading to North Dakota to play after spending time in Canadian juniors. He was ranked No. 33 by the NHL's Central Scouting.

8:55: The New York Rangers traded the No. 26 pick and No. 48 pick to the Ottawa Senators to move up four spots to No. 22. The No. 26 pick originally came from the Bruins, who sent the pick to New York for Rick Nash in February. The Rangers took K'Andre Miller, 18-year-old defenseman committed to Wisconsin.

8:42: Hingham native Jay O'Brien goes No. 19 to the Philadelphia Flyers. Had played at Thayer Academy and committed to Providence College.

8:08: About halfway through the first round. Quiet night for the Bruins so far, as expected. Was going to cost a lot to get into the first round.

7:50: Brady Tkachuk, drafted No. 4 overall by the Senators, said he'll take a "day or two" to discuss his future and whether he returns to Boston University or joins Ottawa.



7:48: The Oilers seemed like a likely trade partner for the Bruins. Peter Chiarelli was shopping the No. 10 pick and was seeking an offensive defenseman. That could have been Torey Krug, but nothing got done. The Oilers selected Evan Bouchard at No. 10, one of the best defenseman from the OHL.

7:47: Coyotes really went against the grain with Barrett Hayton, which meant Filip Zadina fell out of the top five. Zadina, ranked No. 4 by hockeyprospects.com, went No. 6 to the Red Wings.

7:02: Canadiens take Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who's name is a nightmare to type. He's 6-foot-2, but only 188 pounds. Strong skater who could fill out his frame and give the Canadiens a boost with his shooting ability. Kotkaniemi was ranked eighth by hockeyprospect.com, a bit of a reach for the Canadiens at No. 3.

6:57: One thing worth watching: Brady Tkachuk very much may want to return to BU for his sophomore season. Could have scared some teams off. Could see him landing anywhere between No. 8-10.

6:55: Hurricanes follow up with the second-most obvious pick, Andrei Svechnikov. Draft starts now with Montreal Canadiens on the clock. Gonna get interesting from here.

6:48: The Sabres unsurprisingly take Dahlin first overall. The talented Swedish defenseman was the bonafide overall pick of the draft for the last few months. Once the Sabres won the lottery, it became clear that's where Dahlin would be heading. The Sabres also had the No. 2 pick in 2015 when they took Jack Eichel.

6:39: Draft starts with a touching tribute for those lost in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Before Don Sweeney's media availability Thursday night, he said that meeting was also held up at the end for a segment on the Broncos. Said he walked back to team hotel to process what they went over.

6:05: Capitals made the first big move of the night. They traded defenseman Orpik and goaltender Grubauer for the Avalanche's No. 47 pick in the second round. That's a big win for the Capitals, who acquired a pick and dumped $5.5 million from their salary cap. John Carlson, the Capitals top defenseman, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.