Open Thread: 2021 NHL Entry Draft
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (for a rebuilding team).
We’ve finally arrived at another draft day! The Ottawa Senators will continue to add to one of the league’s deepest groups of young talent, as they look to ensure their lottery days are well behind them. And while the hype around the 2020 class may not ever be duplicated, the unique circumstances surrounding this year’s crop will certainly make this an exciting, and intriguing draft.
As of this morning, the Senators hold six picks in this year’s draft. It’s a far cry from the bounty they had amassed for last year’s, but they’ll still have a great opportunity to address the most pressing needs of their prospect pool. Aside from the 10th overall selection, they also hold picks #38 and #41, the former of which was received from the San Jose Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. Just decided to throw that non-pertinent detail in there for no reason.
It should be said that Chief Amateur Scout Trent Mann and company might not necessarily make six selections today. GM Pierre Dorion has been looking for a top-six center and the Senators have been linked to Colorado’s Nazem Kadri, Arizona’s Christian Dvorak, and the Rangers’ Ryan Strome over the last month or so. Additionally, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch has reported that the Senators are looking to move veteran center Chris Tierney, so the opportunity to add draft capital could also be there.
The first round is set to begin today at 8:00 pm EST. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on all of the Senators’ selections and trades throughout the next two days, so in the meantime, sit back, prepare those draft day Tweets that’ll just be deleted six months from now, and enjoy the show!
*Updates posted below*
DAY ONE:
9:20 pm EST - With the 10th pick in the draft, Ottawa selects, from the US National Team Development Program, forward Tyler Boucher. Welcome to Ottawa, Tyler!
10:58 pm EST - Click here to see TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s analysis of the team’s tenth-overall selection of Boucher. And here for Pierre Dorion’s thoughts on the player.
"I think it's a great spot. They have great fans and playing hockey in Canada is something that is really cool and really special and that's something I haven't got to experience and is something I am really looking forward to."#GoSensGo | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/HH6xDzswxZ
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 24, 2021
DAY TWO:
11:40 am EST- With the 39th pick in the draft, Ottawa selects, from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, forward Zack Ostapchuk.
11:48 am EST - The Senators have moved down! They’ve acquired picks #49 and #136 (fifth-round) from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for #42. We’ll need to wait a bit longer before discovering the identity of the team’s next pick.
12:15 pm EST - With the 49th pick, the Senators select Ben Roger, a 6’4 right-handed defenseman from the OHL’s London Knights. Let’s welcome both of the team’s second-rounders to the nation’s capital!
1:10 pm EST - You may be noticing the listed picks changing a bit, this confusion on my part is due to the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting the 11th overall pick due to Draft Combine testing violations. Even though Ottawa and Columbus picked back-to-back in the first round, their picks are 10th and 12th respectively.
1:37 pm EST - With the 74th pick, Ottawa selects Swedish forward Oliver Johansson. He played with Viktor Lodin in the Allsvenskan this past season, and their club, Timrå IK, earned a promotion to the SHL for the upcoming season.
2:23 pm EST - Here’s Zack Ostapchuk on what he can bring to the Sens:
"I'm a very versatile player and it doesn't matter where they put me, I can play. I'm a big guy that can skate. I think I can play a power game."
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 24, 2021
More from Zack Ostapchuk after he was drafted by the #Sens ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KkxldZogIh
3:26 pm EST - The Senators have moved into the fourth round of the draft, acquiring the 123rd pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for picks #136 and #170. With their pick, they select forward Carson Latimer, from the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.
5:33 pm EST - With their final pick in the draft, Ottawa selects defenseman Chandler Romeo, who spent the 2020 season with the Brantford 99ers of the OJHL. Expect him to play for the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2022.
Ottawa’s Picks: