The draft is one of the most exciting times for NHL teams. Each pick, from first to 224th, has the potential to become a contributing member of their new club. Of course, the reality is that very few prospects selected will go on to play NHL games, and with a limited number of roster spots, teams need to make tough decisions.
In 2025, the Ottawa Senators had just one player whose rights were expiring on June 1. A third-round pick in 2021, Oliver Johansson looked like a potential sleeper pick, but his production stagnated, and he showed no signs of interest in leaving the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for North America.
On the surface, the decision was just another mundane part of running an NHL franchise. Teams need to make room for incoming talent, after all. However, with Johansson no longer in the system, the Senators now have just one player from their abysmal 2021 Draft, and it doesn’t look like he’ll push for a roster spot anytime soon. Looking at the bigger picture, it shows not only how difficult the 2021 Draft was for evaluating talent but also how badly the Senators mismanaged their draft picks.
Johansson’s Development
Sorting through the 2021 Draft class was not easy. From cancellations to shortened schedules, scouts were severely limited in their opportunities to watch top prospects compete against each other. Add in the opinion that the 2021 Draft class was far weaker than previous years, and you had a recipe for a chaotic couple of days.
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The Senators’ 74th selection was a surprise, but compared to the rest of the draft, it was barely noted. Very few sources ranked Johansson, including NHL Central Scouting, and those that did generally placed him around 150th. But, at 6-foot-1 and just under 200 pounds, the Swedish forward had size, worked hard, and was a fantastic skater. Senators’ head European scout, Mikko Ruuttu, had this to say about him: “Oliver is a smart and hard-working centre or winger who plays well both ways. He’s a good skater who has good skating and playmaking ability. He’ll start the season (in Sweden) in Timra with our (signed prospect) Victor Lodin” (from “WHAT THEY GOT: A scouting report on players the Ottawa Senators selected in the 2021 NHL draft,” Ottawa Sun – 24/06/2021).
The biggest concern with Johansson was that he only played a combined 15 regular-season games across three leagues in his draft season. Although he had eight goals and 13 points, it’s difficult to develop when you don’t play, reduced schedule or not. The Senators were betting that, with more playing time, his offensive game would blossom, and in 2021-22, it looked like a good gamble. In 33 games in Sweden’s J20 Nationell league, he scored 19 goals and 41 points, plus played in 14 games in the SHL. Although he had no points in his first pro stint, those were sure to come.
Unfortunately, Johansson never took that next big step forward. He suited up for just six SHL games in 2022-23, and although he was still a productive junior player, the pro game remained a struggle. His club, Timrå IK, loaned him to the second-tier Allsvenskan for 27 games, but he couldn’t find his offensive touch there, either. He returned to Timrå for 2023-24 and finally put up his first SHL points, but just eight in 51 games was a disappointing total for the talented prospect. 2024-25 was a similar story; in 47 games, Johansson had just two goals and seven points with Timrå, leading to his departure from the team.
In April, he signed a two-year deal with Linköping HC, and he seems optimistic he’ll find that next step. The Senators, however, didn’t agree and decided to let Johansson’s rights expire, letting him become a free agent.
Senators’ 2021 Draft Class Is Officially a Wash
Johansson was the Senators’ last hope that a star would emerge from their 2021 Draft class. He was by far the most skilled player of the Senators’ six selections, and aside from their first-round pick, was the only one still in Ottawa’s system. Second-round pick Ben Roger, fourth-round pick Carson Latimer, and seventh-round pick Chandler Romeo all had their rights expire in 2023, allowing them to re-enter the 2023 NHL Draft, where none of them were re-drafted. “It’s unfortunate,” former general manager Pierre Dorion said. “All three of those players lost a year of hockey, just because of the COVID situation. Chandler really progressed this year, but it was a big mountain to climb. Carson just didn’t do enough for us. He has NHL speed, but it’s the rest of his game.”
Related: Senators’ 2021 Draft Class Could Be the Worst in Franchise History
Only second-round pick Zack Ostapchuk has played NHL games so far, but he was shipped off to the San Jose Sharks at the 2025 Trade Deadline in a package for Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins, and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Ostapchuk was progressing well with the Senators’ farm team and was projected to be a solid third liner with grit and leadership skills. After the trade, he played 13 NHL games with the Sharks without recording a point, and finished the season in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he also has yet to record a point with the San Jose Barracuda.
That leaves just first-round pick Tyler Boucher, who was taken 10th overall. Fans were highly critical of the pick, as most services didn’t rank him as a first-rounder, but Ottawa vehemently defended it, arguing that hard-nosed players like Boucher help teams win Stanley Cups. Unfortunately, since he was signed to an entry-level deal in December 2021, he has struggled to show that skill. He turned pro in 2023-24, but in two seasons with the Belleville Senators, he’s played just 68 games and put up 15 points while serving 68 penalty minutes. He has one more year on his entry-level deal, and at this rate, he’s set to join Johansson and the rest of the Senators’ 2021 Draft class.
Senators’ 2021 Draft Class Set Back the Rebuild
On average, an NHL Draft will produce about 60 players who play at least 100 NHL games. Currently, the 2021 Draft has 17 players with 100 or more NHL games and another 40 with at least one NHL game. More are set to join that number in the future, including some first-round picks. While few have become true stars, it paints a picture of a much more average draft than originally projected. So, the fact that the Senators, who were still rebuilding despite their general manager’s claims, didn’t get a single NHL player from their draft is, frankly, inexcusable.
Just look at who was taken after the Senators’ six selections. Where would the team be if they instead drafted Cole Sillinger or Matt Coronato in the first round, added Scott Morrow, Logan Stankoven, or Matthew Knies in the second round, then took some swings on Ethan Del Mastro, Joshua Roy, Jackson Blake, Ty Gallagher, Joel Nystrom, or Sam Lipkin in the later rounds. While they may not have changed the franchise’s trajectory, having those players in their system would have addressed several issues that the team is currently facing, namely lack of depth scoring, which new GM Steve Staios will try to address at the 2025 NHL Draft.
No team will hit on all their picks, and it’s not uncommon for a team to end up with next to nothing from a draft class. But the Senators needed talent in their system, and instead got four players who weren’t even offered entry-level deals and one who was used to acquire a depth scorer. Without any talent from the 2021 Draft class, Ottawa’s rebuild took a step back, leading to more bad contracts, more poor trades, and eventually, the firing of Dorion, head coach D.J. Smith, and assistant GM Trent Mann. Johansson’s release may be a footnote in Ottawa’s history, but it remains a painful reminder of mismanagement and poor planning for a team that desperately needed a win.
