Film Room: Simon Edvinsson is the 2021 NHL Draft's boom-or-bust blueliner

The list of 2021 draft-eligible skaters at the centre of more spirited discussions among our scouting staff than Simon Edvinsson is a short one. The room goes back and forth on Edvinsson's game, with each report signalling another opportunity to steel one's self for the discussion, one that never results in a consensus.

Edvinsson's inconsistencies from game to game contribute to the mixed feelings. Our game reports change radically in tone depending on the viewing and the evaluator. You see glowing reviews, filled with words like "above-average," "smooth," and "exciting" and other ones dominated by "rough" and "messy." (There are also other adjectives in there that are best left for the draft guide.)

What we all recognize are the tools. 

At 6-foot-4, Edvinsson towers over most other players on the ice. His stick reaches further than almost everyone else's at the top-end of the draft and, while his long frame lacks stability and filling right now, it already serves him well in the Swedish pro-leagues to contain and play keep away against opponents. 

Edvinsson's body awareness and coordination are unusual for someone his size. As he skates up-ice, he adopts a low posture, with close to the optimal ankle and knee flexion. His head is up, his back straight, and his posture barely changes as he switches from move to move, backward skating to forward skating, crossovers to forward strides. You can easily project him as an NHL average or even above-average skater.