Auston Matthews is indeed in blue, and Patrik Laine a darker shade, but what followed the first two picks in the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday night in Buffalo, N.Y. was completely unpredictable.

Here are the winners and losers for the first round of the NHL draft.

Winner: Red Wings

Moving Pavel Datsyuk's contract opens up a world of possibilities for the Red Wings this summer. His hands no longer tied, Ken Holland can now target a No. 1 center, (there's a pretty decent one now free to negotiate, by the way), instead of paying the price to have one play elsewhere.

This single transaction, and one that really didn't come at a significant cost, could be the difference in not just extending one of the more remarkable streaks in sport for one season, but for many more to come.

Loser: Bruins

Don Sweeney's made five picks during the first round in just two drafts in charge of the Bruins - and he's infuriated fans with each and every one.

Winner: John Chayka

The Arizona Coyotes rookie GM's first foray into the NHL playground was a successful one.

Chayka made his intentions known with the seventh overall pick, surprising some with a lottery selection spent on Clayton Keller - a slight, exceedingly dynamic and inventive forward. Keller now joins what could be the greatest assembly of attacking prospects in the game. But it wasn't until a few picks later that Chayka made his biggest statement. He, of course, volunteered to house Datsyuk's contract on his payroll to slot another big-name prospect under the Arizona banner in Jakob Chychrun.

Loser: Jakob Chychrun

Not a single player was displaced more than Chychrun, who required Chayka to step in at No. 16 to stop a slide that began when he was ranked second among North American prospects at the start of the season.

Winner: Calgary

The acquisition of Brian Elliott could be the difference in fielding a competitive or a non-competitive roster next season, and the Flames are not yet locked into a long-term commitment. But adding this player, maintaining the No. 6 pick, and having Matthew Tkachuk fall into that slot, makes for a favorable night.

Loser: Senators

Logan Brown could very well turn out to be the class of the 2016 NHL Draft, but there's no need to flatter him right now. New Jersey's willingness to move down one spot really should've been all the intel Pierre Dorion required.

Winner: St. Louis

There were a record 12 American-born players taken in the first-round of the NHL Draft, most of which were outsourced from an unlikely hockey hotbed in the Midwest.

Five Missouri-bred prospects were chosen in the first round, including four in the front half of the round.

Loser: Blues

It's not that the Blues traded one of the NHL's best statistical goaltenders from a season ago - and truly one of the best values at all positions in terms of production on the dollar - in Elliott. It's that they ceded far too easily to a team quickly becoming desperate for a capable body in net for such a ho-hum return.

Winner: Oilers

And c'mon, it wouldn't be a draft without a little fortune for Oil Country. Jesse Puljujarvi is an absolute coup, and a prospect that makes Edmonton's top six (or is it now nine?) laughably talented.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Edmonton Oilers didn't win the draft lottery this year, but they may have hit the jackpot with Jesse Puljujarvi at the NHL draft. Touted by many as a top three prospect, Edmonton snagged the dynamic Finnish right winger at...

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Auston Matthews is a Toronto Maple Leaf. The American centre became the first No. 1 overall pick of the franchise in 31 years and instantly the most significant piece of an ascending rebuild in Toronto. Hailing from the unl...

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has once again wiggled his way out of a salary-cap bind.

Related: Blackhawks trade Shaw to Canadiens for 2 draft picks

The Blackhawks dealt forward Andrew Shaw to the Montreal Canadiens for two second-round picks, and with the restricted free-agent reportedly asking for at least $4.5 million per season in contract negotiations, the team no longer has salary cap problems, according to Bowman.

Stan Bowman won't say for sure that all current roster players are now safe, but says, "We don't have a cap problem anymore." #Blackhawks

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) June 25, 2016

The Blackhawks now have $6.39 million in cap space according to General Fanager, and none of their current roster players on restricted free agency.

Last season a similar cap restraint saw the Blackhawks deal away forwards Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp.

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Jim Nill knew where he was Friday night.

The Dallas Stars general manager let head coach Lindy Ruff make the club's first-round pick at the NHL Draft in Buffalo, and the fans at First Niagara Center showed their appreciation for the former Sabres bench boss.

Ruff coached the Sabres for nearly 15 seasons from 1997 to 2013, guiding them to eight playoff appearances and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999.

He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top head coach with Buffalo in 2006 and earned a nomination as a finalist this season with Dallas.

Credit Nill for being aware of the moment, and to the Buffalo fans, who took a break from booing many of the other clubs to pay Ruff respect.

(Video courtesy: Dallas Stars)

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The Montreal Canadiens made a splash at Friday's draft well before they picked defenseman Mikhail Sergachev with the ninth overall pick, as general manager Marc Bergevin crafted a trade to land Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw.

The Canadiens also dealt forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals, but in adding Shaw, Montreal sent two second-round picks to Chicago for a player Bergevin thinks can have an immediate impact.

#Habs MB: "(Shaw) is a proven winner. I know he can help our room. I don't know exactly what he's going to cost us, we had to make some room

— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) June 25, 2016

Shaw's resume with the Blackhawks also had an impact on the acquisition.

"I believe in leadership and character, he's won two Stanley Cups, only played five years in the NHL," Bergevin said.

Shaw is a restricted free agent, and reportedly asked the Blackhawks for a new contract in the realm of $4.5 million, and though he doesn't know what it will cost, Bergevin is adamant on getting a deal done soon.

#Habs MB re speaking with Shaw's agent Pat Brisson tonight: "We're going to start the conversation pretty soon about getting him signed."

— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) June 25, 2016

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - With time running out, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman isn't ready to give up on the possibility of re-signing captain Steven Stamkos. Speaking at the NHL draft Friday night, Yzerman declined to provide an up...

It's safe to say the Arizona Coyotes got their man in Jakob Chychrun.

The club, spearheaded by general manager John Chayka, made a splash on Friday in acquiring both the No. 16 pick and the contract to forward Pavel Datsyuk - who has taken his talents to Russia.

Related: Red Wings trade Datsyuk's contract to Coyotes, retain no salary

With the No. 16 pick, the club picked Chychrun, a player Chayka admits he debated picking with the No. 7 selection he eventually used to select forward Clayton Keller, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Coyotes GM John Chayka says in a nutshell it was worth picking up the Datsyuk cap hit just to move up 4 spots to get Chychrun.

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) June 25, 2016

With Chychrun ranked fourth overall among all North American skaters, according to NHL Central Scouting, the Coyotes sure are lucky to have nabbed the 18-year-old.

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Auston Matthews was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs to be a franchise-altering centerman, and though it was a formality he'd be selected at the top of the draft, the Arizona native admitted it was a relief to hear his name finally called.

"Once they called my name, it was definitely a sigh of relief," Matthews said, according to Sarah McLellan of Azcentralsports. "A lot of excitement."

However, in a market rabid for sustained success, there are high expectations for the 18-year-old to carry the load going forward, and Matthews believes he's ready for it.

"I want to be an impact player," Matthews said. "I believe I can be a franchise centerman, a No. 1 centerman in the NHL."

Matthews' new boss, Leafs' head coach Mike Babcock, believes Toronto has found a winner.

"Obviously we got a lot better," Babcock said, according to Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press. "He's an elite player with an elite drive-train, big body guy, makes players better.

"He'll develop into a top, top center in the National Hockey League."

Matthews is the latest factor in the Maple Leafs' ongoing rebuild, but if everything goes to plan, he could be the most important piece in the puzzle.

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After dealing Brian Elliott to the Calgary Flames on Friday, the St. Louis Blues now have their eyes set on Jake Allen.

With Elliott no longer in the picture, Allen appears to be the club's No. 1 goaltender going forward, but with just one year remaining on his contract, the club plans to get him locked up.

"He wants to be here, he wants to be the guy," general manager Doug Armstrong said, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Dispatch. "I believe that before the start of next season we'll have something done."

Despite Elliott getting all put two starts this postseason, Allen had more regular season starts with 44. In all he posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.35 in 47 games.

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