Winners and Losers from Day 1 of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft

We're halfway there, kind of. Day 1 of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft came and went. For the first time in the league's history, there were 32 picks through the first round, and there was no shortage of action. Regrettably, no shortage of infamy, too.

It was just that kind of day. The trades were fast and furious leading into the draft, with four of the first 32 picks changing hands before the Buffalo Sabres were even on the clock, and the pace sustained itself right to the first round's deeply upsetting end (more on that later...).

We don't know what the future holds for any of these players. Not the specifics, anyway. We can make educated guesses, though. I mean, that's the whole basis for this particular corner of NHL coverage -- educated guesses on what 18-year-old hockey players will look like when they've entered their physical peak for whichever team drafts them.

You take those educated guesses, mix in a little game theory, and you have the foundation for some early assessments of each team's work to this point in the draft. And with that foundation, I'm going to try and layout the winners and losers from the day's proceedings.