The Florida Panthers made six selections at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft . If things had gone a little differently they could have made up to five more. Here are all the picks that either started out or were held at one time by Florida and who was selected with them by another team.
Pick #46 Martin Fehervary (Washington Capitals)
The Panthers sent this pick to the New Jersey Devils along with Marc Savard’s contract on June 10, 2016 for forwards Paul Thompson and Graham Black.
The Capitals received the pick as the result of a trade on July 2, 2017 that sent Marcus Johansson to New Jersey in exchange for Toronto’s third-round pick in 2018 and this selection that Washington used on the Slovakian-born defenseman who is currently playing for IK Oskarshamn in Sweden.
Pick #77 Jakub Lauko (Boston Bruins)
The Cats third-round pick went to the Bruins as the result of a trade on February 22, 2018 that sent forward Frank Vatrano to Florida in exchange for this pick.
Boston selected Lauko, a center who plays for Czech team Piráti Chomutov.
Pick #108 Demetrios Koumontzis (Calgary Flames)
Florida’s fourth-rounder went west to the Flames as the result of a trade on February 27, 2016 that sent Jiri Hudler to Florida in exchange for a second-round pick in 2016 and this pick.
Calgary used the pick on Koumontzis, a left winger who played last season at Edina High School in Minnesota.
Pick #123 Jack Gorniak (Montreal Canadiens)
This fourth round pick traveled around a bit. It initially belonged to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who traded it to the Panthers on June 21, 2017 for Reilly Smith. Number 123 next went to San Jose as part of the deal that brought Mike Hoffman to South Florida. The Sharks traded this pick and pick 139 (originally Florida’s fifth-rounder) in 2018 to Montreal for 102nd overall pick (originally Edmonton’s) in 2018.
Montreal selected Gorniack, a right winger from West Salem High School in Wisconsin.
Pick #139 Mikkael Hakkarainen (Chicago Blackhawks)
As mentioned above, this pick also went to San Jose as part of the package for Hoffman. The Sharks sent the selection to Montreal and the Habs flipped it to the Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft.
Chicago drafted Finnish center Hakkarainen, who played in the USHL for the Muskegon Lumberjacks .