NHL Draft Grades: Metropolitan Division

The 2025 NHL Draft is complete, and we're handing out grades to each team for their prospect haul.

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The Hurricanes turned the 29th overall selection into picks No. 41, 49, 62, and a future fifth-rounder. Despite moving down, Carolina still added a top goalie prospect in Frolov.

Ryabkin is the most fascinating pick of the draft. He was a projected top-five selection at one point after his production in the Russian junior league was on par with that of Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov. Then he scored at a 40-goal pace in the USHL. However, concerns over fitness and discipline caused him to plummet in the draft. A very Hurricanes pick. They also added Ekberg, the top scorer at the Under-18s, at No. 221.

Smith is a tantalizing prospect with his 6-foot-4 frame, skating, and aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Andreyanov was a shocker at No. 20. He's on the smaller side for goalies at 6-feet, but he had a dominant campaign in Russia's junior league. Griffin was phenomenal in the OHL playoffs with 16 goals and 29 points in 21 games, and he's one of Day 2's best value picks.

Fondrk plays with skill, and Kevan brings electric skating. Both have the top-nine upside teams should target in the second round. Bennett, meanwhile, is a massive 6-foot-8 netminder who you give to your goalie coach and hope for the best.

A franchise-altering draft. No other prospect in the class brings Schaefer's top-of-the-lineup potential and immense developmental runway. Eklund and Aitcheson are incredibly competitive and project as future fan favorites. Prokhorov is huge and a big goal-scorer in the Russian junior league. This is the best 2025 draft class, and it completely overhauls the Islanders' pipeline.

Spence started the draft year as a projected top-15 pick. A nasty tongue injury caused him to lose weight, and he still managed 32 goals in the OHL. That's excellent value for the Rangers' top pick that late in the draft. Gonchar, the nephew of longtime NHLer Sergei, is a long shot to make the NHL.

The Flyers' prospect pool lacked size, and they certainly addressed that by adding 6-foot-3 Martone, 6-foot-5 Nesbitt, 6-foot-6 Amico, and more later in the draft. Martone has thrilling potential with his playmaking. Trading up for Nesbitt was rich. Vansaghi is a menace on the forecheck. Philadelphia eventually becomes harder to play against with this kind of draft class.

While the Penguins added much-needed talent to their pipeline, it's hard to overlook the surprising Kindel pick at No. 11. The 5-foot-10 center was expected to go in the 20s. Though he has the skill to become a top-six producer, Pittsburgh left a lot of other talent on the board to reach for an undersized pivot. Zonnon and Horcoff bring competitiveness and some projectable size. It's a big class for the Penguins that helps fill out a weak prospect pool, but the decision at No. 11 will define their draft.

The Capitals continue to accumulate prospects with offensive upside. Lakovic is 6-foot-4, plays with pace, and has legit scoring upside. But he's 6-foot-4 and not particularly physical, so he fell down the board far enough for Washington to happily scoop him up.

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