2021 NHL Draft Results: Team-by-Team Grades for Notable Picks

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There were no shortage of storylines that emerged from the 2021 NHL draft, which just wrapped up on Saturday night. 

All 223 picks over seven rounds are in the books. It began with the Buffalo Sabres doing what everyone anticipated and selecting Michigan defenseman Owen Power with the top choice. 

That turned out to be the start of a very memorable draft for all 32 teams. The Seattle Kraken continue to fill out the roster heading into their inaugural season. 

While the final results from the draft won’t be known for a number of years, it’s never too early to react to what happened with grades based on what the future looks like for every NHL franchise. 

2021 NHL Draft Grades

Anaheim Ducks: B+

Arizona Coyotes: A-

Boston Bruins: B+

Buffalo Sabres: A-

Calgary Flames: B-

Carolina Hurricanes: B+

Chicago Blackhawks: B

Colorado Avalanche: B+

Columbus Blue Jackets: A-

Dallas Stars: B

Detroit Red Wings: C+

Edmonton Oilers: B

Florida Panthers: B

Los Angeles Kings: B+

Minnesota Wild: A (Best)

Montreal Canadiens: N/A 

Nashville Predators: B+

New Jersey Devils: C-

New York Islanders: C

New York Rangers: B+

Ottawa Senators: C- (Worst)

Philadelphia Flyers: B

Pittsburgh Penguins: C

San Jose Sharks: B-

St Louis Blues: C

Seattle Kraken: B-

Tampa Bay Lightning: B-

Toronto Maple Leafs: B

Vancouver Canucks: C

Vegas Golden Knights: B+

Washington Capitals: B

Winnipeg Jets: B+

Recap

As you can tell from the list above, the Montreal Canadiens were not given a letter grade. The reasoning for that stems from their decision to select Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick. 

Mailloux was convicted in December of offensive photography constituting an invasion of privacy and defamation stemming from a Nov. 2020 incident in which he circulated a photograph he took of a woman performing a sex act on him without her consent to some of his SK Lejon teammates in Sweden. 

On Tuesday, three days prior to the start of the draft, Katie Strang and Corey Pronman of The Athletic published a story in which the woman in the photos said in an email she hasn’t forgiven Mailloux because he hasn’t “understood the seriousness of his behavior.”

The woman also told Strang and Pronman she has been seeking “a heartfelt apology for his behavior,” but Mailloux only previously sent her “a text that was no longer than three sentences.”

Mailloux issued a statement that same day renouncing himself from this year’s class because he doesn’t “feel I have shown strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 Draft.”

After making the pick, the Canadiens issued a statement explaining the decision:

“By drafting prospect Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens organization not only selected a promising hockey player, but also a young man who recently admitted to making a serious mistake. The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan’s actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behaviour and the first step on his personal journey. We are making a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development. We are also committed to raising awareness among our players about the repercussions of their actions on the lives of others.”

The rest of Montreal’s draft was solid overall. Oliver Kapanen (No. 64 overall) is a 17-year-old scorer who has the potential to be a solid all-around player with more seasoning. 

Buffalo’s front office was incredibly busy during the draft. Rasmus Ristolainen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Robert Hagg, the 14th pick in this year’s draft and a 2023 second-rounder. 

The 14th pick was used to take Swedish winger Isak Rosen to boost Buffalo’s offense. 

The Sabres have taken calls from teams interested in Jack Eichel, but there’s no indication at this point that a deal is imminent. 

If Eichel remains with the team and returns to full strength after missing 35 games last season with a spinal disc herniation that required surgery, he can lead a young core that includes Power and Rosen. 

Fresh off their expansion draft, the Kraken used the proper draft to add a player they hope will become the face of their franchise very soon. Matty Beniers, who played with Power at Michigan, could emerge as the most impactful offensive rookie in 2021-22. 

Peter Baracchini of The Hockey Writers projected Evans to be a fourth round pick in his final mock draft. 

My pick for the best draft class are the Minnesota Wild. They got the best value pick in the first round when they traded up to select goalie Jesper Wallstedt at No. 20.

He had a 2.23 goals-against average and 90.8 save percentage in 22 starts for Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League as an 18-year-old during the 2020-21 season. 

The Wild are coming off a successful 2020-21 season. They made the playoffs and posted the highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history (.670). They were eliminated in the first round, but took the Vegas Golden Knights to seven games before bowing out. 

Adding Wallstedt and Peart to Minnesota’s roster only makes the franchise’s already-promising future look even brighter.