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.
The 2020-2021 season for the Vancouver Canucks was a strange one, thanks to Covid-19. The team had a number of games moved due to players and staff testing positive. Most of the team and coaching staff were back in by the time April came, and they appeared to be on their way to having a chance to make the playoffs.
The 2020-21 season might be one the Columbus Blue Jackets might want to forget. Instead, they should just go directly to the draft, where they have three first-round picks to add key players to their arsenal. While no one coach or player was responsible for what transpired, all can take some responsibility. If they can do that, then it’s possible next season will be a bounce-back year.
The Seattle Kraken are getting ready to begin their NHL journey with the Expansion Draft taking place on Wednesday. The expansion draft is taking place with the same rules as the 2017 Expansion Draft that gave us the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Nashville Predators made a push in the latter half of the season, winning 20 of their last 28 games. That allowed them to pass the Dallas Stars and make it into the postseason. However, an early exit shows there’s still a lot of work to be done in Smashville.
The Blues were able to make it into the playoffs for the 2020-21 season. However, their Stanley Cup dreams were crushed by the Colorado Avalanche in a four-game sweep. Now they need to reassess for next season.
The Stanley Cup hopes of the Washington Capitals were dashed by their first-round exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins. This makes the third straight season of not making it past the first round, and fans are probably wondering if their window has closed.
Following in the steps of other teams with attempts to reset or reinvent, hopes were high that the 2020-21 season for the San Jose Sharks would not be a repeat of the previous one. Unfortunately, it was, but the good news is that it wasn’t as bad.
Gerard Gallant is now the new head coach of the New York Rangers on a four-year deal. The hiring is the first major move Chris Drury has made since being named the President and General Manager on May 5.
The opening semifinal on Sunday between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders is a best-of-7 rematch from the 2020 Eastern Conference final. Tampa Bay won that match in six games, going on to eventually win the Stanley Cup.
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