NHL Draft 2021: Grades and Analysis for All 32 Teams

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Boston Bruins

Boston’s choices on Day 2 were pretty ordinary. Brett Harrison was fair value in the third round and has a chance to become the exact kind of checking forward the Bruins have won with in the past. Some of their later picks were underwhelming, but in five years their 2021 draft will live and die by what Fabian Lysell turns into.

On talent alone, he was arguably a top-10 player in this draft class. The way he skates with the puck borders on elite, but he needs to diversify his game and mature off the ice. If he gets it together, he’ll be a steal. If not, that failure will overwhelm anything else.

Grade: B

Florida Panthers

I love Mackie Samoskevich’s game. His combination of skating and puck skills makes him an exciting player to watch, and while there are players who get overrated because of their highlight compilations, his abilities are translatable to the NHL. He has top-six upside.

There were a few players available I’d have preferred to Evan Nause at 56th overall, but it’s still nice value, and he has the puck skill to become a defenseman who transitions the puck up the ice in the NHL. The rest of the picks are a mixed bag, but the Panthers did well with their top picks.

Grade: B+

Toronto Maple Leafs

Having traded most of their picks, the Leafs didn’t have much to work with here. Nevertheless, they made lemonade out of lemons. The Matthew Knies selection is already looking like a wise choice, as the 6’3″ American winger produced three goals and two assists in three games at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He won’t be a superstar, but it’s possible to imagine him eventually replacing Zach Hyman as Toronto’s rugged winger who thrives around the net. 

Tyler Voit fits the profile of players who make the NHL as late-rounders. He’s a talented but raw winger with questions about whether he can overcome his 5’9″ height. The Leafs did about as well as they could have in the circumstances. 

Grade: B+

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay won back-to-back Cups in part because of success in collecting talent in the later rounds of the draft. Their 2021 class doesn’t inspire the same hope. The one pick to celebrate was Dylan Duke. Serious concerns about his skating abound, but the winger works hard and has a knack for finding the puck in scoring positions around the net. He fell 40-50 picks more than he should have. 

The rest of their choices were suspect. The defining trait for defenseman Roman Schmidt is that he is big. He struggles with the puck on his stick and the skating is poor. He was a sixth-round value at absolute best. He was among some baffling selections by the team.

Grade: D+

Ottawa Senators

Tyler Boucher is fun to watch, and if he makes the NHL is a lock to become a fan favorite in Ottawa. He’s pound-for-pound one of the most physical prospects I’ve ever seen and has the skill set to make it matter. It’s easy to imagine him as a third-liner who produces 35 points and gives his team a jolt. Tenth overall is way too early to draft a player like that, however.

And that was one of Ottawa’s better decisions. It went all-in on low-upside grinders, and there’s an argument to be made that not a single player they took after Boucher should have made the board at all. Most draft picks after Round 1 bust, but you have to at least give yourself chance.

Grade: D-

Montreal Canadiens

The Habs’ first-round choice of Logan Mailloux, an albeit talented prospect but one who had asked not to be drafted after a conviction in Sweden for taking and distributing a photo of a woman performing a sex act without her knowledge, was a disgrace. There was nothing the team could have done on Day 2 of the draft to make up for that decision.

Regardless, their choices in Rounds 2 through 7 were nothing special. Riley Kidney has talent but is a major project. While Oliver Kapanen fits the mold of someone drafted 64th overall, the Canadiens left a ton of better players on the board such as Simon Robertsson and Stanislav Svozil.

Had the Canadiens taken a different player at 31st overall, this draft would have graded out as a C. But some things are more important than hockey, and there is only one grade this organization deserves.

Grade: F

Detroit Red Wings

I caught a lot of grief from Red Wings fans after giving bad grades to both of their first-round selections. Simon Edvinsson projects more as a No. 4 shutdown defenseman in the NHL. I’m confident enough to proclaim that a huge error passing on William Eklund and Brandt Clarke. While Sebastian Cossa has upside, goaltending prospects are volatile, and his mechanics are a major work in progress. To me, Detroit whiffed on two significant selections.

Perhaps their other selections can get me back on good terms with the fanbase. Shai Buium was market value at 36th overall. Red Savage all the way at 114th is one of my favorite picks in the draft. He’s a great skater, has decent puck skills and plays with energy. Everything about him screams NHL third-liner, and an NHL scout from a different Eastern Conference team told me he had Savage as a top-four prospect in this draft.

I also like Liam Dower Nilsson, picked in the fifth round. There’s not much upside, but his defensive prowess lends credibility as a potential bottom-six shutdown center. 

Grade: C-

Buffalo Sabres

Owen Power wasn’t my choice for first overall, but it’s a defendable pick, and he should be a good player in Buffalo for a long time. Other scouts will think Buffalo reached for Isak Rosen at 16th overall, but I loved this swing for the fences. He’s a crafty winger with a ton of offensive upside, and Buffalo needs impact players if it’s going to turn the team’s dire situation around. 

Buffalo had a ton of picks in later rounds. Some picks were good, some not so much. Inevitably, I wasn’t going to agree with all of them. Although 33rd overall was too early for me, I love Prokhor Poltapov’s game. He’s a tremendous forechecker and cycle winger. Winger Olivier Nadeau was a savvy pickup in Round 4. There were some other questionable picks, but Buffalo badly needed an infusion of pillars to build around, and they got the job done.

Grade: B