Sabres win 2021 NHL Draft Lottery; Kraken draw second overall pick
The Buffalo Sabres won the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery, and the right to select the first overall pick. As far as where the second draft lottery choice went, the Seattle Kraken drew the No. 2 choice.
Here are where the full list of 16 NHL teams landed in the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery:
1. Buffalo Sabres
2. Seattle Kraken
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. New Jersey Devils
5. Columbus Blue Jackets
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Los Angeles Kings
9. Vancouver Canucks
10. Ottawa Senators
11. Chicago Blackhawks
12. Calgary Flames
13. Philadelphia Flyers
14. Dallas Stars
15. New York Rangers
In 2018, the Sabres won the NHL Draft Lottery, and ended up selecting Rasmus Dahlin. They did not win the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery, but selected Jack Eichel second overall. Rumors are running rampant that Eichel might get traded — could it be during the same 2021 NHL Draft Lottery weekend where the Sabres pick first overall?
The names you’ll likely be hearing in the first round include likely top pick Owen Power (D, Michigan, NCAA/Big 10), Matthew Beniers (C, Michigan, NCAA/Big 10), Brandt Clarke (D, HC Nove Zamky, Slovakia), Luke Hughes (D, USNTDP, USHL), Dylan Guenther (RW, Edmonton, WHL), Simon Edvinsson (D, Frolunda, J20), Kent Johnson (C, Michigan, NCAA/Big 10), Mason McTavish (C, EHC Olten, SL), William Eklund (LW, Djurgardens, SHL), and Aatu Raty (C, Karpat, Liiga).
Check out our mock draft from Ryan Wagman, McKeen’s Hockey lead prospect writer.
The 2021 NHL Draft will be held virtually over two days. Round 1 will take place on Friday, July 23, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Saturday, July 24.
In case you’re wondering, here were the initial lottery odds going in:
Buffalo Sabres: 16.6%
Anaheim Ducks: 12.1%
Seattle Kraken: 10.3%
New Jersey Devils: 10.3%
Columbus Blue Jackets: 8.5%
Detroit Red Wings: 7.6%
San Jose Sharks: 6.7%
Los Angeles Kings: 5.8%
Vancouver Canucks: 5.4%
Ottawa Senators: 4.5%
Arizona Coyotes: 3.1%***
Chicago Blackhawks: 2.7%
Calgary Flames: 2.2%
Philadelphia Flyers: 1.8%
Dallas Stars: 1.4%
New York Rangers: 1.0%
*** – Re-draft if Coyotes win either 2021 NHL Draft Lottery drawing.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
Sabres win 2021 NHL Draft Lottery, first pick; Kraken get No. 2 pick originally appeared on NBCSports.com