The winners, losers and strange moments from Day 1 of the NHL draft

SUNRISE, Fla. – As is the often the case, the most exciting events of the NHL draft day happen before the draft began.

The Boston Bruins created a major buzz heading into the draft when they traded blue chip defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames for a first-round pick and two seconds.

GM Don Sweeney was far from done. He followed up by dealing top-line power forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings for a first-round pick, plus goalie Martin Jones and AHL defenseman Colin Miller.

Now, for a capsulized look at the rest of NHL draft's opening night.

Winner: Buffalo Sabres. They ended up with Jack Eichel, who might be the best American prospect since the 1980s, plus a new starting goalie in Robin Lehner, veteran center Ryan O'Reilly and left wing Jamie McGinn. They gave up Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Zadorov and prospect J.T. Compher.

Loser: Boston Bruins. It's hard to find anyone around the hockey world that believes the Bruins received enough compensation for Dougie Hamilton. They also traded Milan Lucic. The team ended up with two extra first-round picks, but three first-round players are not going to help immediately. These trades won't make the Bruins better next season. It's worth noting how salary-cap stress played a role in the Bruins' decisions.

Still mum: Buffalo draft pick Jack Eichel still isn't saying whether he will leave Boston University, even though the assumption is he will play in the NHL next season.

"I guess we'll see in a few days," he said. "Can't let the cat out of the bag."

Russia back in style: This was the first time since 2001 that four Russians were selected in the first round. The Philadelphia Flyers took defenseman Ivan Provorov at No. 7, the Dallas Stars drafted Denis Gurianov at No. 12, the Detroit Red Wings selected winger Evgeny Svechnikov at No. 19 and the Washington Capitals claimed goalie Ilya Samsonov at No. 22. In recent years, the NHL has shied away from Russians because many were remaining in the Kontinental Hockey League.

What didn't happen: The Chicago Blackhawks didn't start trading veterans to ease their salary-cap pressure. GM Stan Bowman said Friday was about concentrating on the draft. The Blackhawks are looking to trade Patrick Sharp, Bryan Bickell and Kris Versteeg. The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't trade anyone off their roster.

Best value pick: Winnipeg Jets drafting Youngstown Phantoms forward Kyle Connor at No. 17. Some teams had him ranked around 10th. He has the potential to be a top-line NHL forward. He has speed and skill.

Just made sense: The Arizona Coyotes had strong offers for the No. 3 pick, but kept it because they believe they couldn't be a championship caliber team until they drafted a premium center. They took Dylan Strome, a 6-3 center in the Ontario Hockey League, although he is not expected to play in the NHL next season. Dylan's brother is New York Islanders forward Ryan Strome.

Oddest deal: The Maple Leafs traded down and ended up getting back their own second-round pick. Here is how it went: The Leafs traded down to get to No. 29. Then, they moved No. 29 to the Columbus Blue Jackets and got back No. 34 and No. 68. That No. 34 originally belonged to the Maple Leafs. They had traded it to the Los Angeles Kings in the Jonathan Bernier deal. The Kings had traded it to the Blue Jackets in the Marian Gaborik trade.

The American band: Seven Americans were drafted in the first round of the NHL draft, led by Eichel at No. 2 and Noah Hanifin, who went No. 5 to the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the most Americans taken in the first round since 11 were drafted in 2010. This is the first time since 2007 that two Americans were drafted in the top five.

Most skilled player still on the board: Center Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars, Western Hockey League). He had 79 points in 70 games.

Top American still on the board: Paul Bittner (Portland Winterhawks) or Brandon Carlo (Tri-City Americans). Bittner is a tough winger and Carlo is a 6-5 defenseman.

PHOTOS: 2015 first-round NHL draft selections