Re-ranking the 2021 NHL Draft class five years later[Unlocked]
March 18, 2026
Re-ranking the 2021 NHL Draft class five years later[Unlocked]
3 comments
Beniers drops from 1st to 5th in their rankings. Performing as expected on the defensive side of the puck (That is to say one of the best defensive forwards in the league), but not scoring quite as much as they expected. On that end, I think he’s back to trending in the right direction tho.
This is also a good thought exercise for all the folks that think the Kraken need to tank for a lottery pick to ever be good. It does make the job of picking good players a bit easier, but lots of high end talent is found outside of the top 5.
Holy pop-ups, Batman!
Direct from the article if you don’t want to click:
We projected that Beniers would score more than he has. A few 60- to 70-point seasons seemed within his capabilities, but otherwise he has become what most envisioned: a true centre and one of the top defensive players in the NHL.
There aren’t many lessons to draw from his development, aside from the lower scoring. His game looked entirely projectable to the NHL in his draft year, as he already skated the right routes, reloaded above the play in a timely way, and outworked the opposition, engaging them physically and taking away options.
A player who mostly used his speed to create and took available plays. Beniers lacked high-end playmaking abilities and a talent for manipulating defences. He never really developed these post-draft. It isn’t surprising. Most players who lack those elements never develop them.
3 comments
Beniers drops from 1st to 5th in their rankings. Performing as expected on the defensive side of the puck (That is to say one of the best defensive forwards in the league), but not scoring quite as much as they expected. On that end, I think he’s back to trending in the right direction tho.
This is also a good thought exercise for all the folks that think the Kraken need to tank for a lottery pick to ever be good. It does make the job of picking good players a bit easier, but lots of high end talent is found outside of the top 5.
Holy pop-ups, Batman!
Direct from the article if you don’t want to click:
We projected that Beniers would score more than he has. A few 60- to 70-point seasons seemed within his capabilities, but otherwise he has become what most envisioned: a true centre and one of the top defensive players in the NHL.
There aren’t many lessons to draw from his development, aside from the lower scoring. His game looked entirely projectable to the NHL in his draft year, as he already skated the right routes, reloaded above the play in a timely way, and outworked the opposition, engaging them physically and taking away options.
A player who mostly used his speed to create and took available plays. Beniers lacked high-end playmaking abilities and a talent for manipulating defences. He never really developed these post-draft. It isn’t surprising. Most players who lack those elements never develop them.