2021 BOLD PREDICTIONS
Welcome back to this nonsense, right? lolol
This year hopefully saw the light at the end of the tunnel in regards to covid and we can finally get back to normal come September. We, unfortunately, have one more virtual format of the draft, but this week will be insane regarding Expansion, Draft, and Free Agency all in a short time frame. But nevertheless, here are some bold predictions that I think could happen in the following weeks...
... but first... a crack at Seattle's picks...
Expansion Draft
ANA: C: Derek Grant
ARI: RW: Christian Fischer
BOS: D: Jeremy Lauzon
BUF: C: Zemgus Girgensons
CAL: D: Mark Giordano
CAR: D: Jake Bean (RFA rights)
CHI: D: Nikita Zadorov (RFA rights w/ arbitration)
COL: RW: J.T. Compher
CBJ: C: Max Domi
DAL: LW: Blake Comeau
DET: D: Troy Stecher
EDM: C: Jujhar Khaira (RFA rights w/ arbitration)
FLA: RW: Frank Vatrano
LAK: D: Kurtis MacDermid
MIN: G: Kaapo Kahkonen
MON: C: Phillip Danault (UFA rights)
NAS: RW: Colton Sissons
NJD: RW: Nathan Bastian
NYI: RW: Josh Bailey
NYR: C: Colin Blackwell
OTT: C: Chris Tierney
PHI: D: Robert Hagg
PIT: RW: Brandon Tanev
SJS: D: Radim Simek
STL: RW: Vladimir Tarasenko
TBL: C: Mathieu Joseph
TOR: D: Travis Dermott
VAN: G: Brayden Holtby
WAS: G: Vitek Vanecek
WIN: RW: Mason Appleton
Without further ado...
Trade/Signing Rumors
1. Tuukka Rask WILL retire.
2. Gabriel Landeskog WILL re-sign in Colorado long-term.
3. Oliver Ekman-Larsson WILL be traded to a team out east.
4. Tampa Bay WILL unload Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, AND Ondrej Palat in separate trades. They WILL keep Yanni Gourde.
5. Alex Ovechkin WILL NOT be signed by anyone other than the Capitals.
6. Evgeni Malkin WILL get traded to a team that has cap space.
7. Vegas WILL trade Robin Lehner and WILL NOT trade Fleury.
8. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter WILL sign with the same team.
9. Matthew Tkachuk WILL be traded to a team out east and it WILL NOT be the Rangers.
10. Seattle WILL select Phillip Danault in expansion and sign him before he hits Free Agency.
Draft
1. Luke Hughes goes in the top 5.
2. Jesper Wallstedt goes in the top 10.
3. Carson Lambos goes in the top 15.
4. Zach L'Heureux goes in the top 20.
5. The biggest risers in the 1st round will be Fedor Svechkov and Francesco Pinelli.
6. The biggest fallers in the 1st round will be Matthew Coronato and Fabian Lysell.
7. More goalies will go in the 1st round than we originally anticipated.
8. Chaz Lucius WILL NOT drop out of the top 10, but Kent Johnson WILL.
9. Shai Buium, Oskar Olausson, Prokhor Poltapov, and Jack Peart will be 1st round picks on Friday.
10. Aatu Raty, Daniil Chayka, Corson Cuelemans, and Xavier Bourgault will fall out of the 1st round.
With the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft... The New York Rangers select...
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Fedor Svechkov
Quote this post with your thoughts!! Although I said multiple times that they'll trade this pick, the bold thing to do is select Svechkov with it.