The fourth mock Hockey Buzz mock draft driven by the readers and a few special guests is underway. Hank Bailing did not go off the board with the Sabres pick, selecting Owen Power first overall, while Sean Maloughney took Matthew Beniers as the first ever Seattle draft pick and Ryan Armstrong completed the Michigan trifecta with Kent Johnson. Zabber selected Luke Hughes with the Devils' pick. Slimtj selected Simon Edvinsson for Columbus with fed91stammer's grabbing William Eklund for Detroit.
Hockeygm traded San Jose’s pick to Ottawa, who, represented by optimus-rein, selected Dylan Guenther. Dudestar's pick for LA was Brandt Clarke. Nucker101's selected Mason McTavish for Vancouver while Hockeygm's pick for San Jose was Cole Sillinger and Theo Fox's pick for Chicago was Chaz Lucius. ShallowLarynx selected Fabian Lysell for Calgary while Flyersfan328 pick for the Flyers was Aatu Ray and NYRangers1124’s choice for Dallas was Matthew Coronato. My pick for the NY Rangers at 15 was Fedor Svechkov and Tommycasino's selection for St. Louis at #16 was Xavier Bourgault.
Ross77 traded Winnipeg's pick to Columbus, represented by Slimtj, who selected Jesper Wallstedt for the Blue Jackets. Russ Cohen's pick for the Predators was Carson Ceulemans while maximumbone, Silas Bengtsson's, pick for the Oilers is below as is the voting poll, please weigh in with your view.
First, some logistical information just for this blog: Thanks to all who have agreed to participate. Almost all teams are spoken for, meaning we have close to a full complement of General Managers, but need a few more. As a reminder, when you have your pick, rationale for the selection, who else you considered and if you weighed a trade, please send that to me via email to
[email protected]. As said previously, for those who agree to participate, please make sure I have your real name to go with your Hockey Buzz ID.
The draft is July 23 and we will start the draft July 8 in the morning. That will give us 15 days or so to complete the draft, even factoring in the Sabbath. For weekdays and Sunday, I will post a pick in the am, theen a second in the pm with voting in between, for around the first 20 picks. The last 11, we will run three per day so we get all 31 picks by or on July 23.
As a reminder, for each pick, included should be: a) Selection and reasoning/scouting report and b) Alternatives considered(both players and trades). Please provide me via email your pick with the aforementioned information following the posting of the prior pick on the site. If I become aware of a pick or a few picks in a row, I will email you to help facilitate moving the mock draft along. I will post the blog with the pick and the voting poll within each blog.
Overall Rules and Process
As mentioned previously, there is a little kicker. After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing.
My request to you is that you take this seriously and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.
Here how this will work: each morning and evening (for now, two picks per day, but we will go to three when we get to latter third of the mock draft, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector will email me at [email protected] their pick and their rationale for that selection.
If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I will post that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, I was thinking solely just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.
With the 19th Overall Pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers represented by maximumbone, Silas Bengtsson, select Sebastian Cossa, Goalie, Edmonton Oil Kings
Rationale for the selection with scouting report along with alternatives considered (both players and trades):
Rationale: This is partly to torture Oilers fans with memories of Oil Kings of old, partly to challenge the narrative that picking goalies in the latter half of the 1st round is much of a risk, and partly due to the merits of drafting and developing your own elite goalie.
From 2012-2017, these were the first two goalies selected in each draft:
2017: Oettinger*, Luukkonen
2016: Hart*, Parsons
2015: Samsonov*, Blackwood*
2014: MacDonald, Demko*
2013: Fucale, Jarry*
2012: Vasilevskiy*, Subban
7 of these 12 goalies overall (58%) and 3 of the 4 goalies selected in the 1st round (75%) have gone on to/are showing signs of validating their draft position. On top of this, we're seeing Spencer Knight (2019) and Askarov (2020) trend very well for their respective teams. Given that the general success rate for picks in this range is around 55-65% (depending on criteria), I believe the narrative surrounding the risk of picking goalies in the 1st round is overblown.
Most importantly, I believe that drafting Cossa would be the move that puts the Oilers in the best position to sell McDavid and Draisaitl on re-signing as their contracts expire. Having an elite young goalie coming up behind them could make all the difference in selling them on finishing their careers in Edmonton. Even if it doesn't, a young elite goalie would go a long way to softening the blow of losing either or both. That having been said, I would've preferred Wallstedt.
Other picks considered:
C/W Francesco Pinelli: a highly versatile forward whose game awareness helps his team control the game. Great passing, a quick & understated release, and a strong two-way game give me the impression of a Nuge-lite.
LW/RW Oskar Olausson: fast, shoots with aplomb, has a great set of mits, and has no reservations about attacking the hard areas of the ice. If he was a better playmaker, he'd compare quite favourably with Filip Forsberg.
2021 NHL DRAFT ORDER
1. Buffalo Sabres - Hank Bailing, Owen Power, D, Michigan (73%, 267 votes)
2. Seattle Kraken - Sean Maloughney, Matthew Beniers, C, Michigan (85%, 144 votes)
3. Anaheim Ducks - climbdenali12, Ryan Armstrong, Kent Johnson, C, Michigan (20%, 192 votes)
4. New Jersey Devils - Zabber, Luke Hughes, D, USDP (U-18) (81%, 239 votes)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets, slimTJ, TJ Reilly, Simon Edvinsson, D, Frolunda (49% of 140 votes)
6. Detroit Red Wings - fed91tstammer, William Eklund, LW, Djurgardens (SHL) (72%, 162 votes)
7. San Jose Sharks - hockeygm, pick traded to Ottawa who selects Dylan Guenther, RW, Edmonton (WHL) (83%, 82 votes)
8. Los Angeles Kings - dudestar, Nicholas Plazio, Brandt Clarke, RHD, HC Nove Zamhy (87%, 130 votes)
9. Vancouver Canucks - Nucker101, Mason McTavish, C, Peterborough (89%, 168 votes)
10. San Jose from Ottawa- hockeygm, Cole Sillinger, C, Sioux Falls (59%, 68 votes)
11. Chicago Blackhawks - Theo Fox, Blackhawks blogger from site, Chaz Lucius, C, US-NTDP (50%, 109 votes)
12. Calgary Flames - ShallowLarynx, Fabian Lysell, RW, Luleå HF (SHL) (77%, 121 votes)
13. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyersfan328, Phil Brunner, Aatu Raty, C, Oulun Kärpät (Liiga) (58%, 172 votes)
14. Dallas Stars - NYRangers1124, Matthew Coronato, LW, Chicago Steelheads (51%, 43 votes)
15. New York Rangers - Jan Levine, Fyodor Svechkov, C, Ska-1946 (Russia) (59%, 67 votes)
16. St. Louis Blues - Tommycasino, Tom Dueck, Xavier Bourgault, C, Shawinigan (39%, 46 votes)
17. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Winnipeg Jets) - slimTJ, TJ Reilly, Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (61%, 122 has Winnipeg winning deal) (67%, 66 votes)
18. Nashville Predators - Russ Cohen, Corson Ceulemans – Defense – Brooks Bandits – AJHL (45%, 47 votes)
19. Edmonton Oilers - maximumbone, Silas Bengtsson, Sebastian Cossa, Goalie, Edmonton Oil Kings
20. Boston Bruins - Anthony Travalgia, Bruins blogger on site, Sunday, July 18 afternoon
21. Minnesota Wild - jryan88 - Sunday, July 18 pm
22. Detroit Red Wings (from Washington Capitals) - fed91tstammer, Monday, July 19 am
23. Florida Panthers - jimbo, Jimmy Reilly - Monday, July 19, afternoon
24. Winnipeg Jets (from Columbus Blue Jackets from Toronto Maple Leafs) - Ross77, Darren Ross, Monday, July 19, pm
25. Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh Penguins) - jryan88, Tuesday, July 20, am
26. Carolina Hurricanes - Bingo, Chris Cote, Tuesday, July 20, afternoon
27. Colorado Avalanche - TommyGTrain, Tuesday, July 20, pm
28. New Jersey Devils (from New York Islanders) - Zabber, Wednesday, July 21, am
29. Las Vegas Golden Knights - Burnt_Juice, Clay Arseniuk, Wednesday, July 21, afternoon
30. Montreal Canadiens - Karine Hains, Montreal blogger on site, Wednesday, July 21, pm
31. Winnipeg Jets (from Columbus Blue Jackets from Tampa Bay Lightning) - Ross77, Darren Ross,Thursday, July 22, am
Looking forward to running this again. We had a ton of fun the last few seasons. That should be the same again this year with New York having the 15th pick in the first round.
New York, like the rest of the NHL, had their protected list revealed today, The Rangers' three blueliners and goaltender protected came as no shock. New York's seventh forward was mildly surprising, as it may have been the one we thought as the least likely to be protected.
I think most of us had Julien Gauthier or Colin Blackwell penciled in that spot. When Brett Howden and Gauthier each inked deals, we knew that one or both could be gone, allowing the Rangers flexibility to protect someone else. As I wrote yesterday, I presumed Blackwell, given the season he had, over Rooney and Gauthier. But clearly GM Chris Drury preferred Rooney as a fourth center and on the PK, where he played a material role, due to his size, physicality and defense. Rooney fits a specific role, which may show that Drury is looking to assign players to spots rather than just mixing and matching and hoping, and it's clear that he is happy to be staying.
Gauthier would seem to be the likely selection by Seattle, given the connection between him and Kraken GM Ron Francis. But Blackwell might be the choice. Drury may have thought that Rooney was the Seattle target, providing more insight as to why he was protected. I personally would have protected Blackwell or Gauthier, but one of the two will be back, slotting into a third or fourth line role. Rooney also provides some protection if Morgan Barron is not yet ready for prime time.
The possibility still exists that the Kraken could select Barclay Goodrow. New York might have dealt a seventh for his rights to protect the others. But, if Seattle is unable to sign Goodrow by July 28, then they will lose Goodrow and have nothing for their pick from the Rangers. Drury must feel that the Kraken won't take him, which is why they did not protect him, and believe New York will sign him before free agency. In addition, New York may have worked out a deal with Seattle as to who they will select, protecting others that were exposed, similar to what happened with several teams and Vegas in the prior expansion draft.
Five years ago today, the Rangers traded Derick Brassard and a seventh for Mika Zibanejad and a second round pick. At the time, the deal was panned by many. We all know how that trade worked out for New York.
Fast forward five years and another possible Rangers-Senators deal might be in the works. Strome has proven to be a solid second-line center, one maligned by much of the Blueshirts faithful. Making $4.25 mil with one year left on the two-year deal he signed last season, Strome will be a UFA after this season.
This rumor means that New York believes they will acquire either Jack Eichel or another top center, which lends some credence to the Bo Horvat rumors from yesterday. In addition, New York could eat part of Strome's salary to facilitate a deal. Might the Rangers have interest in Drake Batherson? I would love to get Josh Norris but would be absolutely floored and Ottawa would get eviscerated, and rightfully so, by including him in such a deal. Drury is kicking the tires to improve this team across the board, so a very busy next month or so would not be shocking.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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