At the end of last season, the New York Rangers were the talk of the NHL. James Dolan finally remembered he owned a hockey team, but several people in the front office paid the price for that.
The Carolina Hurricanes made waves taking a total of 13 picks in the draft. They traded back five times throughout the draft, and it became clear that the Hurricanes were focusing on quantity as the draft went on.
The Florida Panthers cruised into the 2021 NHL Draft on the tail-end of the best regular season in franchise history. While they didn’t trade any of this year’s picks, they did acquire Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres.
The Pittsburgh Penguins went into the 2021 NHL Draft with five total picks. However, they had no first-round selection, and three of their picks came in the seventh round.
The Philadelphia Flyers ended the 2020-21 season sixth in their division. They started out great and looked like they were playoff bound, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be this year.
After coming in last in the Central Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets are back in the Metropolitan division, looking to continue with their rebuild. Despite not having actually said the word “rebuild”, it is what it is.
After a disappointing run in the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche turned their eyes toward the draft. Wade Klippenstein is the new Director of Amateur Scouting, and he’s been with the team since 2016. He understands what the franchise’s front office is looking for in a pick.
The Chicago Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup in the 2014-2015 season. Since then, they’ve only made the playoffs three times, with all three chances ending in first-round losses.
The Anaheim Ducks went into the draft looking to have a balance among the picks they chose. In addition, they were looking to bolster their offense. You might call it a rebuild, and what better way to get the ball rolling than building through the draft. The promise of new talent is irresistible, and the Ducks heard its siren call.
The Dallas Stars were looking good going into the draft without any noticeable need. However, it was necessary to start building up their prospect pool after having five picks last year and just four the year prior.
The Washington Capitals walked into the 2021 draft without a first-round pick. Originally, the club had five overall picks, but a trade with the New York Rangers in the third round gave them an additional pick in the sixth.
The New York Rangers went into the 2021 draft with nine picks. Before the draft even began, general manager Chris Drury was making waves among fans by trading Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues for Sammy Blais and a 2nd round pick in the 2022 draft. Going into the draft, the Rangers’ biggest need was to grab a center, maybe two. The Rangers were also looking to pick up some players with size and strength, based on reading between the lines of Drury’s stated plans for the future of the Rangers.
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