5 prospects the Senators could add with No. 10 pick in 2021 NHL Draft
Michigan s Kent Johnson (13) wraps around the net. (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP)
Wayne Scanlan June 3, 2021, 12:58 PM
Wayne Scanlan June 3, 2021, 12:58 PM
A strange thing happened in the weeks leading up to the 2021 NHL draft lottery.
The Ottawa Senators played themselves out of a higher pick. And here’s the odd part their fans were OK with that.
For the first time in years, thoughts of the Senators are turning to their play on the ice instead of their moves off it. The draft tank has been replaced by a push for higher standings rank.
The 2021 NHL Draft Lottery goes tonight on Sportsnet at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Here's what you need to know, and what some of the best and worst outcomes would be.
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Al Goldis/Associated Press
The 2020-21 NHL regular season is mostly over. The 16-team field for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set, and while some North Division teams still have one or a few games to play, those contests won t have much of an impact on the standings.
For the 15 teams that missed out on the postseason (as well as the expansion Seattle Kraken, who will join the league next season), it s time to start looking ahead to the offseason. And that includes the 2021 NHL draft, which is scheduled for July 23-24.
The order won t be set until after the draft lottery, which doesn t yet have a date but will take place in June. However, it s not too early to start predicting where some of the top prospects in this year s class could end up.
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REGINA The Regina Pats are preparing for the season to get under way next week, after arriving in the Western Hockey League s East Division Hub on the weekend. “I think everyone’s extremely excited to go,” said Logan Nijhoff, one of the Pats alternate captains in 2019. “It’s been 366 days, so everyone should be in the best shape of their life.” The seven WHL teams competing in the hub arrived in Regina on Saturday. Dorm rooms at the University of Regina and Luther College will be their home for the next two months. The players haven’t been in a team setting since March 2020.