2004 NHL entry draft

Selections by round

The 2004 NHL entry draft saw several first-round picks change hands through trades. On June 26, 2004, the Columbus Blue Jackets sent their first-round selection (fourth overall) to the Carolina Hurricanes. In return, Columbus received Carolina’s first-round pick (eighth overall) and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second-round pick (59th overall). That same day, the Dallas Stars traded their first-round pick (20th overall) to the New Jersey Devils, acquiring New Jersey’s first-round pick (22nd overall) and their third-round pick (88th overall) in the process. The Devils then moved that same 20th overall pick to the San Jose Sharks on June 26, 2004, receiving San Jose’s first-round pick (28th overall), plus the Sharks’ compensatory second-round and third-round picks (52nd and 91st overall), while also sending Dallas’ fifth-round pick (153rd overall) to San Jose. A day earlier, on June 25, 2004, the Calgary Flames traded their first-round pick (19th overall) to the New York Rangers. The Rangers gave up Toronto’s first-round pick (24th overall) and their own compensatory second-round pick (46th overall), and received Calgary’s eighth-round pick (247th overall) as well. That same day, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick (24th overall) ended up with the Calgary Flames. This came from a trade on June 25, 2004, where Calgary sent their first-round pick (19th overall) and eighth-round pick (247th overall) to the New York Rangers, receiving the Rangers’ compensatory second-round pick (46th overall) and the Leafs’ first-round pick. The Rangers had originally acquired that Toronto first-round pick on March 3, 2004, when they sent Brian Leetch and future considerations (Edmonton’s fourth-round pick in 2004) to the Maple Leafs. In exchange, New York received Maxim Kondratyev, Jarkko Immonen, Toronto’s second-round pick in 2005, and that first-round pick. Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers’ first-round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers through a trade on December 16, 2003. The Oilers sent Mike Comrie to Philadelphia, receiving Jeff Woywitka, the Flyers’ third-round pick in 2005, and that first-round selection.