The NHL Entry Draft will be held in person, at Montreal’s Bell Centre, for the first time in three years starting Thursday. Montreal and New Jersey won the lotteries for the first and second pick, so for the first time since 1985, when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Wendel Clark, the host team will step to the podium first overall while the Devils jumped up three spots to nab the second selection.
Thanks to the trade on July 24, 2021, that brought Sam Reinhart to South Florida in exchange for goalie prospect Devon Levi and what turned out to be the 28th overall pick, barring another trade, the Florida Panthers will be relegated to being watchers like the rest of us during Thursday night’s first round.