Here is the price to pay if Hughes wants to trade his 26th pick to pick earlier in the 1st round

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Jeff Drouin
June 7, 2022 (10:03 PM)

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For some time now, many have been hoping that Kent Hughes would be able to get his hands on the 2nd overall pick in the next New Jersey Devils' draft. This way, the CH could get Shane Wright and Juraj Slafkovsky at the same time. Many trade proposals have even been made on different platforms to titillate fans.

But what about the value of a 2nd overall pick really? Marco D'Amico of MTLHockeyNow created a tool this Monday to assess the overall value of draft picks. To do so, it started with a 2011 report by Michael E. Schuckers that looked at the overall value of draft picks based on trades that took place between the 1988 and 1997 NHL drafts. D'Amico's updated table comes from a similar approach, but with NHL drafts from 2012 to 2021.

Here's what the calculation was based on:

"The calculation of the value of each pick was based on previous public models with a higher consideration for recent transactions. This does not mean that the values are accurate, as each negotiation is always unique between clubs; but it does provide a framework through which to build a deal. The standard deviation is three points of value, plus or minus, in a trade, which is normal when considering real factors such as the urgency of the trade, the number of picks in the draft and the quality of the auction."

So, according to this chart, you'd have to give away picks to equal around 150 points to get the Devils' 2nd overall pick. It would take a lot more than the Habs' picks 26 (30), 33 (20) and 62 (5.75) to trade with the Devils. By trading the 26 and 33 picks, however, Hughes could move up to the middle of the draft and get the 16th or 17th selection.

As d'Amico mentions, there are many other aspects that come into play in a trade. However, this chart gives a very good idea of the value of one pick compared to another.

See below for more examples offered by MTLHockeyNow who agrees with Marco D'Amico's chart.

2021 Draft

To Detroit: 14th (57)
To Dallas: 22nd + 47th + 137th (38+12.5+1.5 = 52)

2020 Draft

To NYR: 19th (44)
To Calgary: 22nd + 71st (40 +3.5 = 43.5)

To Washington: 22nd (38)
To Calgary: 24th + 79 (34 + 3 = 37)
McLean's Pub

2019 Draft

To Arizona: 11th (66)
To Philadelphia: 14th + 45th (57 + 13.5= 70.5)

To Philadelphia: 34th (19)
To Nashville: 45th + 65th (13.5+5 = 18.5)

2018 Draft

To NYR: 22nd (38)
To Ottawa: 26th + 48th (30 + 12 = 42)