For fans of the Edmonton Oilers, the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at The Sphere in Las Vegas was a low-key affair. The local team had long already forfeited their first-round selection, meaning they had to wait until Saturday morning to get choice #64, then even longer until they got to #160 and a few more after that.
Everything changed at the very end of the yearly spectacular when Edmonton acquired the pick that had originally belonged to the Florida Panthers, the Stanley Cup winners. It arrived through the Philadelphia Flyers, who acquired it along with additional assets when they traded Claude Giroux to Florida before the trade deadline in 2022. It was given to the Oilers on Friday night in return for their first round pick in either 2025 or 2026, with conditions as follows: