The 2021 draft is in the books, we've already had our first trade, and the puck drops tonight! As transactions start to come in fast and furious, remember you can customize notifications by clicking the bell icon in the top-right, then the little notifications slider icon.
Here's a breakdown of the draft and where teams stand heading into what we all hope will be a return to full fantasy glory.
Baltimore Skipjacks - It was a wholesale change on the backend for Baltimore, as GM Alex Dahms opted to not keep a single defenseman from his 2020-21 roster. The Skipjacks' new d-corps will be anchored by Colton Parayko and Jared Spurgeon. Late picks Braden Holtby and Mikko Koskinen have a lot to prove, and will both line up in supporting roles alongside Darcy Kuemper and Kaapo Kahkonen.
Beantown Ball Busters - Joe Pavelski is 37, but is fresh off a resurgent 25-goal, Backes Cup-winning campaign. Some technical difficulties aside, GM Nate Asdourian ended up with a tough, veteran roster aiming to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when Beantown was the #1 seed. Key situations to monitor will be if and when Evander Kane is allowed to rejoin his team, and if Ben Bishop's body will allow him to play at his usual level.
Boston Beernuts - The post-Connor McDavid era begins for Joe Mastrangelo and the Beernuts! The pieces are there for a competitive year - Hellebyuck in net (perhaps joined by freshly acquired Tuukka Rask at some point), Doughty/Hamilton/Petry on D, and Barkov/Backstrom (when healthy) at center. X-factors will be Lucas Raymond (part of the McDavid trade) and Nick Ritchie, who could end up being a steal of a 4th round pick if he makes good on his plum opportunity.
Buxton Flyers - It was a well-rounded audition for new GM Andrew Goodwin, who nabbed an elite two-way center (Sean Couturier) with his 1st round pick, a solid offensive defenseman (Justin Faulk) in the 3rd round, and then complimented his lineup with some sandpaper by taking Barclay Goodrow in the 5th. Down the middle is where Buxton figures to shine this season, boasting Couturier, Kopitar, Stamkos, and Kadri. The rebuild is underway for Goodwin after inheriting a neglected roster, but this was a promising start.
California Kwijibos - California has finished lower than second place just once over the last five seasons, a span that also included two Cups. GM Paul Zeman did some expected things at the draft podium, like taking David Perron and Blake Coleman early, but he also ventured from his usual all-in-now approach and used two of his three 3rd round picks on prospects who will not play in the NHL this year--Owen Power and Matthew Beniers. Life is good in California when you can restock the cupboard and still compete because your lineup already features Leon Draisaitl, Victor Hedman, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrei Svechnikov.
Canadiens de Montreal - This felt like one of the stronger drafts in recent memory for veteran GM Tyler Ladd and the Francophone Express. Ladd reeled in two #1 centers (Couture, Stephenson), a top d-man not long removed from beast status (Burns), and a starting goalie (at least to start the season--Jake Allen) with his first four picks, an impressive feat considering Ladd didn't have a 1st rounder. Mike Hoffman, Nick Foligno, and Kevin Labanc in rounds 5, 6, and 7 should provide excellent value as well, especially Hoffman if he can get back to his elite sniping ways after a down year.
CSKA Moscow - One of the premier eyes for young talent in the league, Nate Fournier stayed true to his colors on draft day by targeting Filip Chytil, Yegor Chinakhov, Hendrix Lapierre, and Tobias Bjornfot. To be fair, Fournier did use three of his first four picks on established talents (Fleury, Kreider, and Slavin), but Moscow fans, pundits, and let's be real, Russian Government officials, are all wondering if CSKA has the depth to be a serious contender in 2021-22. A Fleury-Hart-Vanecek triad in net is oozing with potential, even if each of them has some individual hurdles to clear in real life, and time will tell if Evgeni Malkin becomes a key ingredient to playoff contention, or a trade chip.
Honolulu Tropics - As of this writing, the defending champion Tropics have four 1st round picks and three 2nd round picks in 2022, and one active goalie. In the industry, we call this "Kyle-ing". GM Josh Deitell said himself that he has four cracks at Shayne Wright, so it's no secret that his Eye of Sauron is fixed on 2022. But hold up a sec - does Honolulu have enough firepower to contend, even without goalies? Take a second to appreciate this potential opening night lineup:
Kaprisov-Aho-Caufield
Gaudreau-Barzal-Necas
Zegras-Point-Boeser
Lafreniere-Norris-Batherson/
Provorov-Theodore
Fox-Q.Hughes
Werenski-Miller/Seider
Jotunheim Giants - New rule about 1st rounders costing more be damned - GM Brian Mazzucco eschewed more immediate talent and plucked William Eklund 2nd overall. This was completely on-brand for a rebuilding team that took Lafreniere 1st overall last year, and more recently traded the 2021 5th overall pick for Cole Perfetti. The Giants drafted a few quality veterans (Alec Martinez and Dustin Brown) but proved they are focused on the future by collecting Sillinger, Clarke, Lysell, and other youngsters between picks 5 and 11.
North Shore Netminders - Derek Maxfield's club looks poised to build off of three straight top-10 seasons and battle for a playoff spot. The Netminders are fittingly competent between the pipes, and absolutely stacked at right-wing and center --1st round pick Blake Wheeler joins Mitch Marner and Jakub Voracek on the right side, and Pavel Zacha (5th round) slots in behind Pierre-Luc Dubois, J-G Pageau, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Northern CHEEFS - It wouldn't be the start of a new fantasy season without a big trade from Kyle Hamel, and the CHEEFS GM did not disappoint, shipping its 9th round pick, Tuukka Rask, to the Boston Beernuts for Jakub Vrana before the dust had settled. Selecting Ovechkin 1st overall along with Torey Krug and T.J. Oshie in the 2nd round will certainly help the CHEEFS return to their contending ways after a planned detour in the basement last season.
Portland Pints - Ho-hum, another year, another masterful draft from the perennial Cup favorite Pints. GM Colin Smith used four of his first five picks to add Kris Letang, Jake Muzzin, Radko Gudas, and Erik Cernak to his blueline. Letang was chosen 5th overall -- Portland's highest pick ever (previous high was 8th overall in both 2009 and 2007, when Smith took Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr, respectively). Early picks are all well and good, but Portland's penchant for finding value in the middle rounds (see: Rickard Rakell in the 5th round) is part of what's kept them in the upper echelon for so long.
Quispamsis Puckers - Despite some spreadsheet issues in the Puckers war room, GM Joel Hatfield acquitted himself quite well. Jonathan Marchessault 18th overall was solid. Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp in the second and third rounds might've been a tad ambitious with the likes of Burns, Carter, Martinez, Gudas, etc. still out there, but they will still put up points. Snagging James van Riemsdyk in the 6th round (95th overall) was a tidy piece of work to give his club a veteran presence on the left wing. All signs point to a competitive season as Quispamsis battles for its first playoff appearance.
Saginaw Spirit - Tom Lusty and the Saginaw Spirit have been searching for answers since winning it all twelve years ago in 2009. It may be a year or two before Steagle Cobeagle soars again. Then again, Saginaw's first half of the draft (Alex Pietrangelo, Jamie Benn, Kyle Palmieri, Anthony Duclair, Erik Karlsson, and Tyler Johnson) just might be enough to make some noise this year, especially if the Jack Eichel saga resolves sooner than later. The Spirit also has one of the most promising trios in net between Thatcher Demko, Cal Petersen, and Spencer Knight.
Sparta Praha - A decade removed from its last championship, Sparta has pinned all of its hopes on McDavid, Mackinnon, Landeskog, and Vegas and Islanders goalies. Outside of that nucleus, Prague will need several players to overachieve in order to compete.
Stockholm Vipers - GM Mike Greeley drafted like an owner who wants to dance now, not later, and with Ryan O'Reilly and Patrice Bergeron manning the dots and Carlson-Josi-Barrie patrolling the back end, why not? That's not to say the Vipers aren't building for the future, as evidenced by investing a 5th round pick in Matthew Coronato and an 8th in Simon Edvinsson. Dance on, Mike.
Tayutic Team Rasta - The down side? Rich Abbondante was one of the few owners who had to rely on auto drafting. The upside -- Tayutic is definitely one of the deepest teams at center as a result after netting Jonathan Toews, Phillip Danault, Jeff Carter, Scott Laughton, and Adam Henrique with its first five selections. And that's already with Austin Matthews, Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller, and Paul Stastny in the mix. Hey, this is what trades are for!
Whitby Wildcats - This was James Yamada's first WHL draft, but you might not have been able to tell by the results. The Wildcats gathered a blend of proven talent (Anders Lee, Vince Dunn), wildcards who could pay off big in their new real-life surroundings (Dadonov, Gostisbehere), and a cadre of young defenders (Calen Addison, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Scott Perunovich). There's work to be done, but the future is looking brighter for a franchise that didn't get the love it deserved for far too long.
