The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was the 21st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983. The NHL Entry Draft is the primary means by which players arrive in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in this draft, shortly after the league blocked the franchise's relocation to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This was the only time in National Hockey League history that a franchise did not participate in an entry draft. This was also the last time a playoff team picked first overall until 2020, when the New York Rangers won the first selection. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Claude Lemieux, who retired after the 2008–09 season. Selections by round Below are listed the selections in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted. Round one The Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on October 28, 1982 that sent Anders Hakansson, Ron Meighan and Minnesota's 1st-rd pick in 1983 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for George Ferguson and this pick. The New Jersey Devils' first-round pick went to the New York Islanders as the result of a trade on October 1, 1981 that sent Dave Cameron and Bob Lorimer to Colorado in exchange for this pick. The Colorado Rockies relocated to New Jersey to become the Devils for the 1982–83 NHL season. The Los Angeles Kings' first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 10, 1981 that sent the Rick Martin to Los Angeles in exchange for Los Angeles' third-round pick in 1981 NHL Entry Draft and this pick. The St. Louis Blues' first-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 9, 1982 that sent Rob Ramage to St. Louis in exchange for St. Louis' first-round pick in 1982 NHL Entry Draft and this pick. The Calgary Flames' first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on June 8, 1982 that sent Richie Dunn, Don Edwards and Buffalo's second-round pick in 1982 NHL Entry Draft to Calgary in exchange for Calgary's first-round and second-round picks in 1982 NHL Entry Draft, second-round picks in 1983 NHL Entry Draft along with Buffalo's option to swap first-round