Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Round One of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft takes place later tonight, and there will be plenty of storylines to keep an eye on as the night unfolds.
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Michigan defenseman Owen Power is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Draft and should go to the Buffalo Sabres, while the Seattle Kraken will have the opportunity to add a real foundational piece with the No. 2 overall pick, and Michigan center Matthew Beniers could be their selection.
It gets really interesting from the No. 3 pick onwards, and the lack of scouting due to the COVID-19 Pandemic means that the bottom half of the First Round could be a real crapshoot with teams maybe reluctant to take risks.
Another factor is trades and we’ve seen some blockbuster deals in the buildup to the First Round, with the New York Rangers sending forward Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues, while the Vancouver Canucks acquired defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland from the Arizona Coyote in what was a blockbuster trade.
With stars in the ilk of Jack Eichel and Vladimir Tarasenko potentially available, there could be further drama as the First Round unfolds and that could directly impact proceedings, while certain teams could also look to move up or down depending on their individual needs.
So, with all that being said, let’s get you set for tonight’s festivities with our handy guide…
2021 NHL Entry Draft: Date, Time, TV, Livestream & More
Date:
Friday, July 23 2021
Time:
8:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Where:
NHL Studios, New Jersey
TV Broadcast:
ESPN2, SN, SN NOW, TVAS
Livestreaming
fuboTV has live NHL games on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, and USA in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
Mock Drafts
As is tradition around this time of year, we took part in some Mock Drafts and you can check out our two versions below.
We’ll see how we did shortly…
What You Need To Know
As we outlined above, it is expected the Buffalo Sabres will take Michigan defenseman Owen Power with the No. 1 overall pick, while the Seattle Kraken could take elite two-way forward Matthew Beniers at No. 2 as they look to add a real cornerstone piece to their franchise.
At No. 3, the Anaheim Ducks will have their choice of a plethora of high-end forwards and stud defensemen, while we will wait to see if the New Jersey Devils deliver us the pick we want by pairing Jack Hughes with his brother Luke, who is considered one of the best defensemen in the Draft.
Elsewhere, the Columbus Blue Jackets hold three picks in the First Round and will have a chance to add some real talent to their pipeline, the Arizona Coyotes now hold the No. 9 overall pick after pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks (see above), while we could see goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt and Sebastian Cossa both go in the First Round.
There will of course be the potential of trades and, given how today has gone so far, we could be in for a treat with some huge deals having already gone down and a few teams looking to trade their First Round picks.
First Round Order
In case you need reminding and given that it has changed in the wake of today’s trade action, here’s the complete order of the First Round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft:
- Buffalo Sabres
- Seattle Kraken
- Anaheim Ducks
- New Jersey Devils
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Detroit Red Wings
- San Jose Sharks
- Los Angeles Kings
- Arizona Coyotes (acquired from the Vancouver Canucks)
- Ottawa Senators
- Void Pick (Due to the Coyotes violating the NHL’s Combine Testing Policy in 2019-20)
- Columbus Blue Jackets ( acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks)
- Calgary Flames
- Buffalo Sabres (acquired from the Philadelphia Sabres)
- Dallas Stars
- New York Rangers
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
- Nashville Predators
- Edmonton Oilers
- Boston Bruins
- Minnesota Wild
- Detroit Red Wings (from the Washington Capitals)
- Florida Panthers
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from the Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Minnesota Wild (from the Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Colorado Avalanche
- New Jersey Devils (from the New York Islanders)
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Montreal Canadiens
- Chicago Blackhawks (acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets)
The Pick
This is an obvious one but Owen Power has emerged as the No. 1 consensus prospect in this year’s Draft, and it would be shocking at this point if he isn’t wearing a Buffalo Sabres jersey by the end of the evening.
Power has size, speed, skill, mobility, hockey smarts and is a complete player that has gigantic upside, and Sabres fans will be hoping that he’s the real deal and can help to finally bring some success to Buffalo.