The 2021 NHL Draft order was set, and then it was put on its head as a number of deals shifted things around — including first-round slots
By the end of the weekend, thanks to the flat cap and free agency around the bend, there was moving and shaking among quite a number of teams, with the vast majority involving draft picks. A number of big-name players entered the morning of Day 1 on the block, and while Seth Jones, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, Jakob Voracek and Cam Atkinson were moved — as well as a bunch of guys between the Canucks and Coyotes — Jack Eichel is still a member of the Sabres.
This draft also saw the completion of earlier deals, including the 2018 Erik Karlsson trade from the Senators to the Sharks.
Sporting News tracked all the trades, including deals that went down before July 23 and 24, and who the franchise ended up with in the end.
2021 NHL Draft trade tracker
(All deals in bold occurred on July 23 or July 24.)
ROUND 1
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 9 | Canucks | Coyotes | Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland | Dylan Guenther, RW, Edmonton (WHL) |
| 12 | Blackhawks | Blue Jackets | Seth Jones | Cole Sillinger, C, Sioux Falls (USHL) |
| 14 | Flyers | Sabres | Rasmus Ristolainen | Isak Rosen, RW, Leksands (SHL) |
| 15 | Stars | Red Wings | Swapped picks | Sebastian Cossa, G, Edmonton (WHL) |
| 20 | Oilers | Wild | Swapped picks | Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) |
| 22 | Wild | Oilers | Swapped picks | Xavier Bourgault, C, Shawinigan (QMJHL) |
| 23 | Capitals | Red Wings | Anthony Mantha | — |
| — | Red Wings | Stars | Swapped picks | Wyatt Johnson, C, Windsor (OHL) |
| 25 | Maple Leafs | Blue Jackets | Nick Foligno | Corson Ceulemans, D, Brooks Bandits (AJHL) |
| 26 | Penguins | Wild | Jason Zucker | Carson Lambos, D, Winnipeg (WHL) |
| 27 | Hurricanes | Predators | Swapped picks | Oskar Olausson, RW, HV71 (SHL) |
| 29 | Islanders | Devils | Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac | Chase Stillman, C, Sudbury (OHL) |
| 32 | Lightning | Blue Jackets | David Savard | — |
| — | Blue Jackets | Blackhawks | Seth Jones | Nolan Allan, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
MORE: Grades and analysis on the draft's opening round
ROUND 2
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 36 | Devils | Golden Knights | Nikita Gusev | — |
| | Golden Knights | Red Wings | Swapped picks | Shai Buium, D, Sioux City (USHL) |
| 37 | Blue Jackets | Senators | Ryan Dzingel | — |
| — | Senators | Coyotes | Derek Stepan | Josh Doan, RW, Chicago (USHL) |
| 38 | Red Wings | Golden Knights | Swapped picks | Daniil Chayka, D, CSKA (KHL) |
| 39 | Sharks | Senators | Erik Karlsson | Zack Ostapchuk, C, Vancouver (WHL) |
| 40 | Kings | Predators | Viktor Arvidsson | — |
| — | Predators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Scott Morrow, D, Shattuck St. Mary's (H-MN) |
| 42 | Senators | Kings | Swapped picks | Francesco Pinelli, C, Kitchener (OHL) |
| 44 | Blackhawks | Blue Jackets | Seth Jones | — |
| — | Blue Jackets | Hurricanes | Jake Bean | Aleksi Heimosalmi, D, Assat Jr (FIN-JR) |
| 48 | Rangers | Red Wings | Marc Staal | — |
| — | Red Wings | Stars | Swapped picks | Artem Grushnikov, D, CSKA 2 (MHL) |
| 49 | Blues | Sabres | Ryan O'Reilly | — |
| — | Sabres | Golden Knights | Colin Miller | — |
| — | Golden Knights | Kings | Alec Martinez | — |
| — | Kings | Senators | Swapped picks | Ben Roger, D, London (OHL) |
| 51 | Predators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Ville Koivunen, RW, Karpat JR (FIN-JR) |
| 52 | Oilers | Red Wings | Andreas Athanasiou | — |
| — | Red Wings | Islanders | Nick Leddy | Aatu Raty, C, Karpat (Liiga) |
| 53 | Bruins | Sabres | Taylor Hall | Aleksandr Kisakov, LW, Moscow 2 (MHL) |
| 59 | Hurricanes | Kings | Swapped picks | Samuel Helenius, C, JYP (Liiga) |
| 60 | Avalanche | Islanders | Devon Toews | — |
| — | Islanders | Coyotes | Andrew Ladd | Janis Moser, D, Biel (Swiss) |
| 61 | Islanders | Devils | Andy Greene | — |
| — | Devils | Avalanche | Ryan Graves | Sean Behrens, D, USNTDP (USHL) |
| 62 | Golden Knights | Blackhawks | Nick DeSimone | Colton Dach, C, Saskatoon (WHL) |
| 64 | Lightning | Canadiens | Swapped picks | Oliver Kapanen, C, Kalpa Jr (FIN-JR) |
ROUND 3
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 65 | Sabres | Rangers | Jimmy Vesey | Jayden Grubbe, C, Red Deer (WHL) |
| 71 | Sharks | Blues | Swapped picks | Simon Robertsson, RW, Skelleftea (SHL) |
| 72 | Hurricanes | Kings | Swapped picks | — |
| — | Kings | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | — |
| — | Hurricanes | Predators | Swapped picks | Anton Olsson, D, Malmo (SHL) |
| 73 | Canucks | Stars | Jason Dickinson | Ayrton Martino, LW, Omaha (USHL) |
| 75 | Devils | Coyotes | Taylor Hall | — |
| — | Coyotes | Capitals | Jonas Siegenthaler | — |
| — | Capitals | Rangers | Swapped picks | Ryder Korczak, C, Moose Jaw (WHL) |
| 76 | Blackhawks | Canadiens | Andrew Shaw | — |
| — | Canadiens | Ducks | Swapped picks | Tyson Hinds, D, Rimouski (QMJHL) |
| 80 | Rangers | Capitals | Swapped picks | Brent Johnson, D, Sioux Falls (USHL) |
| 81 | Blues | Sharks | Swapped picks | Benjamin Gaudreau, G, Sarnia (OHL) |
| 83 | Predators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Patrik Hamrla, G, Karlovy Vary (Czech Jr.) |
| 84 | Oilers | Flames | James Neal, Milan Lucic | — |
| — | Flames | Kings | Swapped picks | Kirill Kirsanov, D, St. Petersburg (KHL) |
| 87 | Sharks | Capitals | Brenden Dillon | — |
| — | Capitals | Canadiens | Swapped picks | Dmitri Kostenko, D, Spartak (KHL) |
| 88 | Panthers | Sabres | Brandon Montour | Stiven Sardarian, RW, CSKA 2 (MHL) |
| 89 | Maple Leafs | Kings | Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford | — |
| — | Kings | Flames | Swapped picks | Cameron Whynot, D, Halifax (QMJHL) |
| 90 | Sharks | Penguins | Patrick Marleau | — |
| — | Penguins | Wild | Ryan Donato | — |
| — | Wild | Oilers | Swapped picks | — |
| — | Hurricanes | Blackhawks | Swapped picks | Luca Munzenberger, D, Klon Jr. (Germany-Jr.) |
| 94 | Golden Knights | Red Wings | Tomas Tatar | — |
| — | Red Wings | Hurricanes | Alex Nedeljkovic | Aiden Hreschuk, D, USNTDP (USHL) |
| 95 | Canadiens | Sabres | Eric Staal | Josh Bloom, LW, Saginaw (OHL) |
ROUND 4
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 102 | Red Wings | Golden Knights | Swapped picks | Jakub Brabenec, C, Brno (CZE) |
| 104 | Kings | Rangers | Brendan Lemieux | Brody Lamb, RW, Dodge County (H-MN) |
| 105 | Canucks | Blackhawks | Madison Bowey | Ethan Del Mastro, D, Mississauga (OHL) |
| 106 | Senators | Rangers | Vladislav Namestnikov | Kalle Vaisanen, LW, TPS (FIN) |
| 109 | Flames | Kings | Derek Forbort | — |
| — | Hurricanes | Kings | Swapped picks | Jackson Blake, RW, Eden Prairie (H-MN) |
| 113 | Blues | Canadiens | Marco Scandella | William Trudeau, D, Charlottetown (QMJHL) |
| 114 | Jets | Golden Knights | Cody Eakin | — |
| — | Golden Knights | Red Wings | Swapped picks | Redmond Savage, C, USNTDP (USHL) |
| 121 | Maple Leafs | Sharks | Nick Foligno | Ethan Cardwell, RW, Barrie (OHL) |
| 122 | Penguins | Coyotes | Alex Galchenyuk | Rasmus Korhonen, G, Assat (Liiga) |
| 123 | Hurricanes | Senators | Swapped picks | Carson Latimer, RW, Edmonton (WHL) |
| 124 | Senators | Avalanche | Vladislav Namestnikov | — |
| — | Avalanche | Predators | Austin Watson (to OTT) | Jack Matier, D, Ottawa (OHL) |
| 126 | Golden Knights | Canadiens | Nick Cousins | — |
| — | Canadiens | Lightning | Swapped picks | Dylan Duke, LW, USNTDP (USHL) |
| — | Canadiens | Wild | Swapped picks | Josh Pillar, RW, Kamloops (WHL) |
| 128 | Lightning | Red Wings | David Savard | — |
| — | Red Wings | Golden Knights | Swapped picks | Jakub Demek, C, Edmonton (WHL); |
ROUND 5
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 129 | Sabres | Devils | Wayne Simmonds | Topias Vilen, D, Pelicans (Liiga) |
| 132 | Devils | Blue Jackets | Ryan Murray | Nikolai Makarov, D, CSKA 2 (RUS-Jr.) |
| 136 | Kings | Senators | Swapped picks | |
| — | Senators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Robert Orr, RW, Halifax (QMJHL) |
| 138 | Canadiens | Senators | Mike Reilly | — |
| — | Senators | Red Wings | Jon Merrill | — |
| — | Red Wings | Stars | Swapped picks | Jack Bar, D, Chicago (USHL) |
| 140 | Blackhawks | Canucks | Madison Bowey | Jonathan Myrenberg, D, Linkoping Jr. (SWE-Jr.) |
| 142 | Flyers | Canadiens | Nate Thompson | Daniil Sobolev, D, Spartak 2 (RUS-Jr.) |
| 147 | Predators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Justin Robidas, C, Val-D'Or (QMJHL) |
| 148 | Senators | Oilers | Tyler Ennis | — |
| — | Oilers | Ducks | Erik Gudbranson | Gage Alexander, G, Winnipeg (WHL) |
| 150 | Wild | Canadiens | Swapped picks | Joshua Roy, RW, Sherbrooke (QMJHL) |
| 155 | Hurricanes | Golden Knights | Erik Haula, Nicolas Roy | |
| — | Golden Knights | Red Wings | Swapped picks | Oscar Plandowski, D, Charlottetown (QMJHL) |
| 156 | Avalanche | Sharks | Devan Dubnyk | Max McCue, C, London (OHL) |
| 158 | Golden Knight | Capitals | Chandler Stephenson | — |
| — | Capitals | Flyers | Michael Raffl | Ty Murchison, D, USNTDP (USHL) |
| 159 | Canadiens | Sabres | Eric Staal | Viljami Marjala, LW, Quebec (QMJHL) |
ROUND 6
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 168 | Kings | Flames | Swapped picks | Jack Beck, RW, Ottawa (OHL) |
| 170 | Senators | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Bryce Montgomery, D, London (OHL) |
| 176 | Rangers | Capitals | Swapped picks | Dru Krebs, D, Medicine Hat (WHL) |
| 177 | Blues | Sharks | Swapped picks | Theo Jacobsson, C, MODO Jr. (SWE-Jr.) |
| 178 | Jets | Canucks | Jordie Benn | Connor Lockhart, RW, Erie (OHL) |
| 186 | Penguins | Oilers | John Marino | Shane Lachance, LW, Junior Bruins (USPHL) |
| 188 | Avalanche | Sabres | Jonas Johansson | Nikita Novikov, D, Dynamo 2 (RUS-Jr.) |
ROUND 7
| PICK | FROM | TO | MAIN COMPONENT | PLAYER DRAFTED |
| 194 | Ducks | Penguins | Erik Gudbranson | Ryan McCleary, D, Portland (WHL) |
| 196 | Devils | Lightning | Louis Domingue | Daniil Pylenkov, D, St. Petersburg (RUS) |
| 198 | Red Wings | Blues | Swapped picks | Ivan Vorobyov, RW, Khanty-Mansiysk 2 (RUS-Jr.) |
| 200 | Kings | Hurricanes | Swapped picks | Yegor Naumov, G, Krylja Sovetov 2 (RUS-Jr.) |
| 203 | Coyotes | Devils | Swapped picks | Zakhar Bardakov, C, St. Petersburg (KHL) |
| 209 | Blues | Hurricanes | Joel Edmundson | Nikita Guslistov, C, Cherepovets (KHL) |
| 210 | Jets | Panthers | Bogdan Kiselevich | Braden Hache, D, Kingston (OHL) |
| 211 | Predators | Lightning | Connor Ingram | Robert Flinton, LW, St. Paul's (HS-NH) |
| 214 | Wild | Canadiens | Swapped picks | Joe Vrbetic, G, North Bay (OHL) |
| 215 | Capitals | Penguins | Swapped picks | Daniel Laatsch, D, Sioux City (USHL) |
| 216 | Panthers | Blackhawks | Lucas Wallmark, Brett Connolly | Jalen Luypen, C, Edmonton (WHL) |
| 217 | Maple Leafs | Bruins | Swapped picks | Ty Gallagher, D, Boston University (NCAA) |
| 223 | Canadiens | Coyotes | Swapped picks | Samuel Lipkin, LW, Chicago (USHL) |
