‘‘I think you guys are gonna want to hear this,’’ Bettman told the crowd.
Schneider was on the market once the Canucks were unable to dump high-priced goalie Roberto Luongo. Vancouver then selected center Bo Horvat, of London (OHL), with the ninth pick. The Dallas Stars selected forward Valeri Nichushkin, of Russia, with the 10th pick.
The Flyers bucked tradition with the 11th pick and drafted a defenseman, 6-foot-6, 203-pound Samuel Morin. He played for Rimouski of the QMJHL.
The Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks ended the first round by picking forward Ryan Hartman, of Plymouth (OHL), with the 30th pick. The Blackhawks later traded Game 6 star Dave Bolland to the Toronto Maple Leafs for three draft picks.
Bolland snapped a 2-2 tie with the winner in the final minute Monday to give the Blackhawks the lead and their second Cup in four years.
‘‘Thank you for everything Chicago! Such amazing memories,’’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘‘I look forward to playing in front of my home fans wearing the Maple Leaf.’’
The Eastern Conference-champion Bruins didn’t have a first-round selection, so Swedish defenseman Linus Arnesson (60th overall) was their first addition.
On the veteran front, there are teams speaking with forward Vincent Lecavalier, recently bought out by Tampa Bay.
‘‘We had a good meeting (with Lecavalier),’’ Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said he, too, met with Lecavalier on Saturday.
Jones, who lived in Colorado as a youth and seemed a perfect fit for the Avalanche, has ties to Tennessee, as well. Popeye Jones owns a house there,
‘‘It’s a perfect spot for him,’’ Popeye Jones said, proudly. ‘‘He'll be motivated there, and ready to go.’’
Sakic gave Jones some advice on getting Seth more interested in hockey when they both played in Denver more than a decade ago. Popeye Jones later developed a friendship with Colorado goalie, and now coach, Patrick Roy.
The draft storyline that had Jones joining the franchise that encouraged his push into hockey went bust on the very first pick.
‘‘It definitely sounded too good to be true,’’ Seth Jones said. ‘‘I'm not unhappy that they didn’t choose me. It was their decision, and that’s what they thought would be best for their organization.
‘‘You've got to respect that.’’
