2021 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[RealGudbranson]

I don't remember the NHL draft being round 1 on 1 day and rest on day 2 at least not before the whole virus mess.

Pre-Covid, day one was a night time showing of round one, with day two being 2-7. Has been that way since at least 2016.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

TSN-Mid Season 2021 NHL Entry Draft rankings by Bob McKenzie

According to this Owen Power is the clear cut #1 at this point.
The top five are.
Owen Power(D)
Dylan Guenther(RW)
Simon Edvinsson(D)
Matthiew Beniers(C)
Luke Hughes(D)

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

TSN-Mid Season 2021 NHL Entry Draft rankings by Bob McKenzie

According to this Owen Power is the clear cut #1 at this point.
The top five are.
Owen Power(D)
Dylan Guenther(RW)
Simon Edvinsson(D)
Matthiew Beniers(C)
Luke Hughes(D)

Aatu Raty's draft stock has taken a dump. 20 on McKenzie's list but some mocks have him out of the 1st.

 

[CanuckleBerry]

Ideally a genuine High end 1st line center with our very first pick. I’ve seen teams go a decade plus without finding one.
I would’ve liked to see the Preds with one instead of Ryjo. Could’ve been the difference.

Certainly ideal, though there aren't really any stud candidates this year. Beniers is the closest I suppose. I like the proposed trade idea with Columbus. It could be a pretty shrewd move to add a real boost of talent in to the farm pool pretty quickly.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Wrong thread.

 

[gstommylee]

Help me settle something, Kraken fans.

If given the choice between Pettersson or Matheson from the Pens at the ED, which would you take?

For the moment, pretend the choice is down to these two players.

Wrong thread. This is the player entry draft not the expansion draft

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Wrong thread. This is the player entry draft not the expansion draft

Duly noted.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

I'm all for BPA no matter what.
We're starting from scratch and can't look at positions, especially since we'll be drafting in the top 6 and should get a good player there.

Also, I think we'll be able to land quite a few solid defenders in the expansion draft(most teams will use the 7-3-1 format) and could go with offense at least with our own(maybe we can trade for more during the expansion draft) first rounder.

BTW: Dylan Guenther had a really good WHL season for the Oil Kings and might be someone if we fall to #6.
Sure he's currently listed at #3 at draft site, but wingers mostly fall a bit during the draft.

Like to see the Seattle get Matthew Beniers a future number 1-2 Centre in the NHL! Of course ideally would like to see Seattle let him percolate in college 2 more seasons to get stronger. He already plays a mature 200 ft game with superb speed! Just like to see Beniers score 100 points on 50 goals and 50 assists after this current Co-Vid campaign...

 

[gstommylee]

Like to see the Seattle get Matthew Beniers a future number 1-2 Centre in the NHL! Of course ideally would like to see Seattle let him percolate in college 2 more seasons to get stronger. He already plays a mature 200 ft game with superb speed! Just like to see Beniers score 100 points on 50 goals and 50 assists after this current Co-Vid campaign...

I would say odds are good we get who ever ends up 5th overall.

 

[Dog]

I would say odds are good we get who ever ends up 5th overall.

Defenseman most likely but who knows.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Frank Seravalli on the lottery odds.

With the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting their first-round pick this season as a result of last year’s fitness testing violation and the fact they’re not in a playoff spot at the moment, it had the potential to affect the June 2nd draft lottery. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the league will not do a redistribution of odds if Arizona’s pick winds up in the lottery. Instead, they’ll keep them as they normally are and simply redraw if Arizona’s number combination is drawn. As a reminder, Seattle will have the third-highest odds for those proceedings.

The odds will stay the same as shown on Tankathon(even with the Coyotes in the lottery) and if the Coyotes move up the league will just do a redraw.

 

[Lunatik]

I personally think any of Owen Power, Matthew Beniers, William Eklund, Brandt Clarke, or Kent Johnson would be a huge win for Seattle. The wildcard is Jesper Wallstedt though.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

The NHL Draft Lottery will take place on June 2nd, 2021.

 

[S E P H]

I personally think any of Owen Power, Matthew Beniers, William Eklund, Brandt Clarke, or Kent Johnson would be a huge win for Seattle. The wildcard is Jesper Wallstedt though.

There's a lot of good defenders wingers for this draft, but if Seattle is able to stay in the top 3 I think you gotta pick Beniers at all cost especially for a teams first ever entry draft. Beniers is like a Patrice Bergeron clone and while he obviously won't be as good, he plays at a similar pace/impact at both ends of the ice as a centre. Kraken have to do all they can to get a top 2 centre because they won't go anywhere without one.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Andy Eide breaks down the quaterfinals of the under 18 world championships and draft prospects competing in it.

 

[Brodeur]

Here's a recent mock post-trade deadline with Seattle at #3.

2021 NHL Mock Draft | 2021 NHL Draft | NHL Draft

....if CBJ ends up with 7/29/30.......how about those 3 picks for #3?

Columbus would have to really want somebody (maybe Beniers as he's possibly the only projected center in the top 10). There's video from the 2015 Draft where Toronto tabled an offer (contingent on whether Arizona took Marner at #3) with Columbus. Off the top of my head it was #4 for #8, #38, #58, #68. Columbus mulled it over as they had a slight preference of Noah Hanifin over Zach Werenski but they decided they'd rather have Werenski plus the picks over Hanifin. Ended up being moot as Marner was available for Toronto (allegedly they were targeting Matt Barzal at #8 as their fallback).

I love having trades in my mock draft, but I think sometimes we project the NFL draft on the NHL when the two are different beasts. Draft capital makes more sense in the NFL where it's a reasonable expectation that 2nd/3rd round picks will play significant downs for your team that season. In the NHL, things tend to get more dicey than we like to admit by the middle of the first round. Most teams will rather just take the highest guy left rather than risk it for a couple long shots. Typically most trade down scenarios are predicated on the team trading down still getting the guy they would have taken at the original spot anyways.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

With less than three weeks left until the 2021 NHL draft lottery and after the under 18 championships, The Hockey News has some risers and underachievers of the tournament.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

What are the best chances for us to load up on additional 1st round picks? i.e what bad contracts (reasonable) could we take on in the expansion draft that would let us do that.

 

[Lunatik]

What are the best chances for us to load up on additional 1st round picks? i.e what bad contracts (reasonable) could we take on in the expansion draft that would let us do that.

Loui Eriksson would have been if the Canucks weren't so low in the standings. I'd suggest the top candidates would be Andrew Ladd, Tyler Johnson, Anton Khudobin, James Neal, maybe Pau Byron and Shane Gostisbehere?,

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Loui Eriksson would have been if the Canucks weren't so low in the standings. I'd suggest the top candidates would be Andrew Ladd, Tyler Johnson, Anton Khudobin, James Neal, maybe Pau Byron and Shane Gostisbehere?,

Ladd, Neal and Johnson, I can see that happen. The rest I am not sure since they don't have that bad of a term or cap hits. I would take Khudobin or Ghost in a heart beat if the 1st were in play.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Simon Edvinsson scares me. I am really hoping we don't grab him if we are picking 4th or 5th.

 

[Dog]

Simon Edvinsson scares me. I am really hoping we don't grab him if we are picking 4th or 5th.

I would prefer they pick up William Eklund. Think would be a solid 1st pick for the Kraken.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Simon Edvinsson scares me. I am really hoping we don't grab him if we are picking 4th or 5th.

Why?

BTW:
I think most of the players have question marks given that they've not played that much and with the draft class not being top heavy anyways.

@Dog
I like Eklund too, while Beniers would probably the most interesting(but probably at least top two pick) of them all.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Why?

BTW:
I think most of the players have question marks given that they've not played that much and with the draft class not being top heavy anyways.

@Dog
I like Eklund too, while Beniers would probably the most interesting(but probably at least top two pick) of them all.

Based on reading scouting reports and his production. I know he bounced all around the Swedish leagues but would prefer to take someone who produced steadily.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Based on reading scouting reports and his production. I know he bounced all around the Swedish leagues but would prefer to take someone who produced steadily.

OK, thanks.

I actually don't really know what to think of this draft and think it's a total crap shoot.
Probably besides Beniers, who seems to be a possible top two center.

I mean, even with Owen Power(who most have at #1) I'm not so sure and I also don't really like all of those comparisons.

Last time I've read some guys(I think on TSN) comparing him to Victor Hedman and then starting to say "but of course he's not as good defensively, offensively and skating wise".
I mean, so why the heck are you comparing him to Hedman exactly?

Overall I like Beniers, Eklund, Gunther and Clarke, while Hughes has probably the most upside thanks to his age.