NHL Draft 2025: What's each team's biggest positional need for the future?

Today, we discuss each NHL organizations biggest internal need ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Biggest need in this context is not strictly about the NHL roster.

This is about projecting five years down the road, and mostly focusing on what teams have in their farm system.

Anaheim: Defenseman The Ducks have one of the best groups of young forwards in the league and have invested a lot of high picks in recent years in forwards.

They also have young defensemen who are developing well in Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger and Tristan Luneau, but the high-end talent is heavily tilted toward their forward group.

Advertisement Boston: Defenseman Mason Lohrei is a promising young defenseman, but since the Bruins picked him at 58th in 2020, they havent selected a blueliner in the top three rounds.

Their system is light at all positions, but defense is probably their biggest need.

Buffalo: Goaltender Buffalo has made a lot of high picks in recent years and has a lot of talented young skaters.

They score a lot of goals, but dont keep them out of their net.

Devon Levi and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen are fine young goalies, but theyre not sure things to be legit No.

1s.

Calgary: Center Last year, Calgarys system had a pressing need for centers and defensemen, as it had drafted a bunch of wingers with high picks.

In 2024, the Flames picked Zayne Parekh ninth, who is a top defense prospect.

This year, the attention turns to the middle of the ice as they lack clear centers of the future.

Carolina: Center Carolina has drafted a lot of skilled wingers in recent years and has some good young defensemen, too.

Ryan Suzuki was a promising center prospect at one point, but his development has gone sideways, and the Hurricanes just traded Jack Drury.

Its not clear who in their system could realistically play the middle in the NHL.

Chicago: Scoring Chicago has had a lot of picks in recent years and drafted excellent young centers and defensemen.

Connor Bedard is a game breaker, but otherwise, a lot of the centers the Blackhawks have picked have been similar with a focus on speed, compete and two-way ability.

Center and defense are the hardest positions to find, so I dont fault this strategy, but eventually, they need to find some guys to put the puck in the net.

Colorado: Center Colorado has a lot of needs due to its very thin farm system.

The only prospect the Avalanche have that looks like a potential NHLer is defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev.

Given that Colorado dealt center Calum Ritchie to the Islanders this spring, I would lean toward getting some form of talent at center as a priority.

Advertisement Columbus: Defenseman Columbus has had a lot of high picks in recent years and has acquired talent at all positions, so I dont see a clear pressing need.

After 2022 No.

6 pick David Jiricek didnt pan out for the Blue Jackets, though, there is more of a need to shore up the young depth on the blue line than there is up front.

Dallas: Forward Dallas has some good young players up front and on defense, but I wouldnt call its pipeline overly deep.

Among the prospect pool, there is a lack of high-end skill, especially after dealing Logan Stankoven in the Mikko Rantanen trade.

Detroit: Skill Detroit has done a good job building out its premium positions.

The Red Wings have centers and defensemen of the future, and a strong goalie prospect in Sebastian Cossa.

I like their young forwards they have coming, but they truly lack guys in their system who can put the puck in the net and put up points.

Edmonton: Defenseman Edmontons farm system is very light, but it has some potential NHL forwards in Matt Savoie and Sam OReilly.

The blue line is another story.

Beau Akey has a chance to make it, but after him, theres not much else coming.

Florida: Defenseman Florida has sold almost every major pick and prospect it had in recent years to win now.

The Panthers do at least have some young forwards of interest in Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich.

Theres nothing coming on defense, though, and there hasnt been for a while.

Los Angeles: Defenseman Quinton Byfields positive development has shored up the center depth in L.A.

for the near- and long-term, even if theres no clear pivot coming up in the system.

The Kings have some good young defensemen on their team, too, but adding another high-echelon talent on defense is more of a priority for them than adding more skill up front.

Minnesota: Skill Minnesota was a tough team for this exercise because I dont see a clear need currently.

The Wild have good young centers and defensemen, and although goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt struggled this season, I wouldnt call a goalie a need for them.

I look at their pipeline, and while they have some high-end skill, they could use more, as they have a lot of hardworking two-way types.

Advertisement Montreal: Center Montreal has a strong group of young defensemen and wingers coming up.

While Nick Suzuki is a great player, the Canadiens are missing quality players up the middle, especially with the up-and-down development of Kirby Dach.

Nashville: Everything Nashville is at a rather bleak period as an organization.

The Predators had a tough season, and there arent a ton of high-end pieces on the way to get excited about in the pipeline.

They need talent, plain and simple, and they need it at every position.

New Jersey: Forward The Devils addressed their need in goal in the last draft with Mikhail Yegorov, who looked excellent this season between the USHL and Boston University.

It would be hard to justify that the Devils need more defensemen, given they dont have enough room for the ones they have, so if I had to pick a position, it would be to add more skill and scoring to their young forward group.

New York Islanders: Defenseman The Islanders have a lot of needs in their system, so you could probably list any position for them here, quite frankly.

But given that the Islanders picked a potential bottom-six center in Danny Nelson last summer, I would lean toward them needing a bit more defense depth.

New York Rangers: Center The Rangers have done a good job building up depth on defense and on the wing in their organization, but they havent meaningfully addressed the center position since the 2017 draft.

Their current NHL centers are good, but they arent young, especially with Filip Chytil being dealt.

Ottawa: Forward Ottawa has a thin system, so it could use more depth at every position.

My slight preference would be up front, though.

The Senators have good young players at forward and defense, but the youth is tilted toward the blue line, and the fact that their 2021 first-rounder Tyler Boucher hasnt developed well has led to a lack of upcoming depth at forward.

Philadelphia: Center Even though the Flyers picked quality young center Jett Luchanko in 2024, I would still list this as Phillys biggest need.

The Flyers lack high-end talent at the position, and there isnt much coming other than Luchanko.

Their blue line depth isnt great either in terms of prospects, but between the two, I would still lean to adding more up the middle.

Advertisement Pittsburgh: Center The Penguins havent had many draft picks in recent years, but in the young talent they have acquired, it has been on defense and the wing, especially after trading center Brayden Yager to Winnipeg.

They have no substantial prospect in their system at arguably the most important position.

San Jose: Defenseman Even after picking Sam Dickinson, who played great in the OHL this season, with the 11th pick last summer, defense is still far and away the Sharks biggest organizational need.

They have plenty of young, skilled forwards on the way; they need to continue to address the depth on defense.

Seattle: Defenseman Seattle has used a lot of its draft capital since the franchise began to add highly talented forwards through the draft.

The Kraken picked defender Ryker Evans high, too, but they need a lot more than him in the prospect pool.

St.

Louis: Center I thought defense was the Blues biggest need going into the last draft, and they picked defenders with each of their first three picks.

They have a great center prospect in Dalibor Dvorsky, but it falls off after him, and there isnt much coming at center otherwise.

Tampa Bay: Defenseman Tampa Bay has had so few draft picks in recent years that its hard to pinpoint one exact need because its system needs everything.

The Lightning have at least some decent young talent coming at forward, but they have almost nothing coming on defense.

Toronto: Center Toronto hasnt had many high picks recently, so the system is thin, but especially after trading Fraser Minten, the Maple Leafs thinnest position is up the middle with no real NHL prospect on the way at center.

Utah: Defenseman Utah has a strong group of young forwards led by a lot of recent high picks, including Daniil But, Logan Cooley, Tij Iginla and Dylan Guenther.

The Mammoth have good young defenseman as well in Dmitri Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux, but their impact talent is much more prominent up front than in their blue line prospects.

Advertisement Vancouver: Center Vancouver hasnt used a top-two round pick on a center since it took Elias Pettersson in 2017.

The Canucks dont have a deep farm system, but center is far and away their biggest organizational need.

Vegas: Defenseman Vegas has been all-in and has traded a lot of picks and prospects in recent years.

The Golden Knights dont have much in their system as a result, but they at least have a few good forward prospects led by Trevor Connelly.

On defense, they have little in terms of substantive NHL talent.

Washington: Defenseman Washington has drafted a forward with its last five first-round picks.

The result is an organization full of skill up front, but lacking in quality depth on defense.

Its the Capitals clear biggest need entering the draft.

Winnipeg: Defenseman Winnipeg has drafted a lot of forwards with its high picks in recent years.

They, for the most part, are wingers, so I could buy center as a need here outside of Brayden Yager.

Defense seems a slightly bigger priority, though, especially given Ville Heinola didnt pan out.

(Photo of Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini: Kavin Mistry / NHLI via Getty Images).

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