>>Blues Trade Brian Elliot To Calgary

The Calgary Flames were the one team really making a push to add a starting goaltender, and they did that Friday night. It just wasn't the goalie anybody expected them to get (Marc-Andre Fleury or Ben Bishop). It was Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues for the No. 35 overall pick in 2016 and a conditional 2018 third-round pick that is dependent on the Flames re-signing Elliott after this season.

The reason it is a win for Elliott is because now he is finally going to a team that will give him an opportunity to be the clear No. 1 starter. No matter how well Elliott played in St. Louis the Blues never really seemed to trust him to be anything more than a platoon starter along with any combination of Jaroslav Halak, Ryan Miller and Jake Allen.

>>Toronto Selects Auston Matthews No. 1 in NHL Draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hitched their wagons from a big center from Arizona of all places. Auston Matthews, the Scottsdale native who played professionally in Switzerland last season was indeed the No. 1 overall selection. He instantly becomes the centerpiece of the Maple Leafs' rebuild.

Matthews could be an instant impact player for Toronto and joins a vastly improved prospects system that also includes highly-talented forwards William Nylander and Mitchell Marner. The American-born talent should be on the opening-night roster and very well could be the team's long-term No. 1 center.

Matthews became just the seventh American-born player in the history of the NHL to go first overall in the NHL Entry Draft and the first since Patrick Kane went No. 1 to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007.

The Blues took center Tage Thompson from Orange, Connecticut with the 26th overall pick.

The Blackhawks probably couldn't believe their good fortune to see a former projected first-rounder fall into their lap at 39th. This seems to happen often for Chicago, like when they managed to nab Brandon Saad at 43rd overall in the second round back in 2011.

Alexander DeBrincat is a smaller forward at just 5-foot-7, but the size didn't prevent him from producing back-to-back seasons of 51 goals with the Erie Otters. The Blackhawks have plenty of skill in their system, but they just got better with this pick.