Welcome back to The Journey.

If there is anything positive to take out of this season's extraordinary timeline, it's the off-season waiting times. As a hockey/fantasy maniac, the off-season can be long and grueling, especially once we get towards the dog days of August. However, things are slightly different this time around. 

With the NHL season kickstarting in January, forcefully extending the regular season into May, combined with the fact that the league is aiming for a regular timed start for 2021-22, there is hardly a gap period between noteworthy events. 

Let's summarize: From the regular season, we slid right into the playoffs. Which, by the way, happens to be an incredibly unique and entertaining format. But wait, there is more. Right in the midst of that, we get an event, and despite it being an hour-long special of Gary Bettman hand-picking various bingo balls, it's a night filled with excitement. Of course, I am talking Draft Lottery, which is set to run next Wednesday (June 2). This then takes us all the way up to the Stanley Cup Finals, which are pushed back all the way into July this year. From there, we get the following events in one jam-packed timeline:

Expansion Draft – July 21

NHL Entry Draft – July 23-24

Free Agent Frenzy Opens – July 28

NHL Training Camp – September 22 (hopeful)

All-in-all, we will only have but a few weeks of tumbleweeds to get us through to the next NHL season. Hallelujah.

Why do I bring this up? I have been thinking a lot about this year's NHL draft, and more specifically, who will win the draft lottery and take home the first overall pick. While they usually are, I find this year's lottery to be particularly interesting. In most years, there is a unanimous number one pick – your Connor McDavid's and Sidney Crosby's, etc -, sometimes even two or three. However, this year we drift far from a unanimous crop, and if you ask me, the final placing of where everyone ends up in the lottery is going to have a drastic effect on who goes first, second, heck, even seventh place. Drafts such as this year, those that have a scattered top-10 crop, are tricky to master, but fun as ever to predict. 

Here are each of the team's odds this year. Join me next week as I kick off my two-part, top-10 mock draft. 

Buffalo Sabres – 16.6%

Anaheim Ducks – 12.1%

Seattle Kraken – 10.3%

New Jersey Devils – 10.3%

Columbus Blue Jackets – 8.5%

Detroit Red Wings – 7.6%

San Jose Sharks – 6.7%

Los Angeles Kings – 5.8%

Vancouver Canucks – 5.4%

Ottawa Senators – 4.5%

Arizona Coyotes – 3.1% (Forfeited)

Chicago Blackhawks – 2.7%

Calgary Flames – 2.2%

Philadelphia Flyers – 1.8%

Dallas Stars – 1.4%

New York Rangers – 1.0%

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If you are a weekly subscriber to The Journey, you know that I recently took a few weeks off from my weekly column. As a result, I never fully got to close out the season and give my final thoughts. With that in mind, I wanted to hand out my "Alternative Awards" to the 2020-21 rookies. It was a year full of storylines, a rookie who everyone thought was going to take down the Calder Trophy unanimously but then caught some competition, some incredible performances by young defenders, and of course, a string of shinning new goaltenders. 

The Sharpshooter Award: Kirill Kaprizov, Wild

No surprises here, Kaprizov led – no, dominated – the goal department, with 27 tucks on the year. What makes his stat line so impressive is his extensive, and mixed bag of scoring variety. From long-distance shots to in-tight tucks, all the way to impressive wraparound attempts – he does it all. Don't expect him to stop, either. His well-known offensive abilities were expected coming into the league and he should continue as one of the more electric players to watch for years to come. 

The Dish Master Award: Jason Robertson, Stars

Robertson, who was one of the better surprises of the year with regards to prospects, led the rookie ranks in helpers with an impressive 28. As his utilization grew, so did his numbers. At 5-on-5, he spent 31.8% of his year, or 238.44 minutes, alongside Roope Hintz and veteran, Joe Pavelski, which allocated for 13 of his eventual 39 even-strength points. Going forward, it looks like the secret is out of the bag, and the man who put up 47 points in his AHL rookie season, and now 45 in the NHL, is no longer a mystery, but a full-fledged top-six producer. Stretching into next year, he should enjoy continued minutes in this role, so make sure to keep him in the first few rounds of your queue. 

The Man-up Award: Josh Norris, Senators

Sure, the Ottawa Senators landed in the bottom echelon of the league with respect to their power play. Yet Norris took advantage of being a man-up, contributing 14 of 35 points on the PP. Going forward, the 22-year-old has cemented himself as a pivotal piece to their growing core and one that fantasy enthusiasts can target for a variety of reasons. Not only is he guaranteed to see top-6, top power-play minutes, but he will contribute in most categories, including goals, assists, hits, blocks, SOG, and even faceoffs – and bode well in each. 

The Always Positive Award: Logan Stanley, Jets

Stanley has taken his time to develop, at least for a prospect taken 18th overall. At 23 years old, he has finally transitioned into a steady defender on the Winnipeg Jets backend and wouldn't you know it, is playing stand-up hockey. Coming in at a towering 6-7 and weighing in at a listed 231 pounds, he was never expected to post extravagant offensive numbers – which his 0.27 points-per-game in his AHL career surely indicates. However, he plays a stingy game and is not afraid to use his massive frame. All indications trend towards him begin ready and should remain a multi-cat option among their bottom-four pairings heading into 2021-22. He sat second on the Jets in this category and finished in a tie for the lead amongst rookie skaters. 

The PIM Master Award: Mathieu Olivier, Predators

Penalty minutes seem to be a dying stat line and one that is trending towards becoming redundant in fantasy leagues. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a younger piece to contribute in the PIM department, Olivier racked up 70 minutes in just 30 matches. He is the definition of a bottom-six, role player and with 62 hits and 19 blocks on his ledger, he should continue to boast multi-cat numbers as long as he is in the line-up. Deep league option, but impressive nonetheless.

The Bone Crusher Award: Alexander Romanov, Canadians

Romanov made the move overseas from Russia to the North American pond and stepped in an immediate role with the Canadiens. As expected, he lived up to his shutdown reputation, racking up hits as if they were his breakfast. He never let up, wrapping up the year with a whopping 138 hits, while skating an average of 17:15 per night. To the surprise of many, the young defender has been watching the Habs' most recent playoff series from the press box. However, expect him to play a major role in their top four next year. He is a multi-cat must-have.

The Stone Wall Award: K'Andre Miller, Rangers

If you are in the market for a young defender, both offensive or two-way, Manhattan is a good place to look. The organization is beaming with bright talent, especially on the backend. With an emerging star in Adam Fox and fresh faces such as Zac Jones and Nils Lundkvist all in the mix, you can take your pick with terrific young players to bolster your dynasty teams. Somewhere in between all of those names lies Miller, the two-way that compliments this young defender movement to a tee. You would be hard-pressed to find a category which the 6-5, 210-pound rearguard would not deliver. Here's a list of his 2020-21 statistics: 12 points (5G + 7A), plus-9, 62 SOG, 93 hits, 77 blocks, and 20 penalty minutes – all of which could see a nice boost in future seasons. K'Andre has the potential to be an extremely sturdy option for fantasy next year. 

The Under the Radar Award: Yegor Sharangovich, Devils

Sharangovich likely falls at the top of my "I told you so" list with regards to prospects. I have been following him quite closely since last year and over the NHL stoppage, I covered him in a 25% (or less) Fantrax-owned article. At the time, he was owned by just 3%, despite offering a good chance of cracking a spot on an otherwise unconfirmed Devils roster. Sure enough, not only did he crack the line-up, but finished the year third in Devils scoring, and fourth in rookie scoring 30 points (16G + 14A) through 54 games. While he is not likely to become an elite producer, there is a good chance that he sticks with his middle-six role to give it another crack next season. 

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the second round and Draft Lottery and make sure to tune in next week for my mock draft predictions. Follow me on Twitter @hall1289.