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Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Eleventh Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)

Now we move forward to the eleventh pick, which was held by the Los Angeles Kings.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Kings selected Slovenian center Anze Kopitar.  While it’s uncommon for someone from a ’non-hockey’ nation to make it big in the NHL, it’s safe to say that Kopitar has done more than anyone could have hoped for.  He has played in 765 games so far in his career – all with Los Angeles – and has 685 points, making him the second highest scorer of this draft class only behind Sidney Crosby and now serves as their team captain as well.  Back in January, the Kings handed him the richest deal in franchise history, an eight year pact worth $80MM.

With the eleventh pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft and Kopitar now off the board (having gone third overall), who should the Los Angeles Kings select? Cast your vote below!

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Snapshots: Rieder, Bartkowski, Gaudreau, Pederson, Waivers

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Despite signing his two year, $4.45MM bridge deal more than a week ago, Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder was only able to join the team to practice on Wednesday, reports AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan.  The reason for the delay was that Rieder needed to a new his work visa, a process that took longer to complete than anticipated.

Although he joined the team so late, head coach Dave Tippett expects Rieder to be in the lineup on Saturday night for their season opener.  The team isn’t worried about there being much rust either as Rieder played in six games for Team Europe at the recent World Cup of Hockey (recording one assist).  He’s expected to start the season alongside rookie center Dylan Strome and third year winger Anthony Duclair.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have inked UFA defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a minor league PTO, Providence GM John Ferguson Jr. told Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). Bartkowski was in training camp with Ottawa this preseason but failed to secure a contract.  He spent last year with Vancouver but before that, he played 131 games over five seasons with the Bruins.
  • Calgary left winger Johnny Gaudreau has a five team trade-allowed list in the final year of his contract. Among the five teams he would accept a trade to is the Philadelphia Flyers.  As Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Gaudreau has already expressed an interest in joining the Flyers at some point in his career though it remains to be seen if Calgary would even entertain the idea of trading him there at some point in this contract.
  • The Coyotes announced that they have signed undrafted center Lane Pederson to a three year entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Pederson attended Arizona’s rookie camp and is off to a strong start this season with Swift Current of the WHL, picking up nine points in his first seven games.
  • Anaheim has placed center Joseph Cramarossa on waivers, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 23 year old made the team out of training camp but a roster spot needed to be freed up to accommodate the acquisition of Emerson Etem off the waiver wire.  Cramarossa had 11 goals and six assists in 61 games with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego last season.
  • Edmonton defenseman Eric Gryba cleared waivers today but will remain with the team as they have placed fellow blueliner Brandon Davidson on IR, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal (Twitter link).  The Oilers inked Gryba to a one year, two-way deal worth $950K at the NHL level on Wednesday.

Canucks Sign Jack Skille

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Jack Skille’s tryout with the Canucks has proven to be a successful one as the team announced on Thursday that they have signed the right winger to a one year, one-way contract.  The deal will pay him $700K.

Skille played in 74 games with Colorado last season, scoring six goals and added eight assists while averaging just 8:50 of ice time per contest. The former first round pick of the Blackhawks (7th overall) in 2005, Skille has yet to make his mark in the NHL and has bounced around in recent years, playing for three different teams since the last lockout. In his career, he has 38 goals and 37 assists in 313 games over nine NHL seasons.

The 29 year old placed in four preseason games with the Canucks, being held off the scoresheet while taking eight shots on goal and recording five penalty minutes.  He played an average of 13:25 in those contests.

Skille takes a place on the roster over Emerson Etem, who was waived on Wednesday and claimed by Anaheim earlier today.  He will likely battle with the likes of Brendan Gaunce and Jake Virtanen for a spot in the lineup but should start the season as their 13th/reserve forward.

[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]

Pittsburgh Penguins No Longer For Sale

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After deciding to review their options a little more than a year ago, Pittsburgh owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux have pulled their team off the market, Penguins CEO David Morehouse told Newsradio 1020 in Pittsburgh.  Morehouse did acknowledge that the ownership group gave consideration to selling the team during that time:

“We did look at a bunch of different things; one of them included the outright sale of the franchise. We’re not looking at that right now.”

One possible option that remains under consideration, however, is adding minority partners.

There were rumblings back in January that a potential sale for a little over $700MM had been nixed by Burkle due to his belief that the duo could get more for the team.  However, both owners issued a statement at the time denying that a firm asking price had been set or that a sale agreement had been reached.

Back when they were considering selling, it was believed that they were looking to sell while the team was at its peak value.  Lemieux and Burkle purchased the team in September of 1999 for $107MM.  Since then, they’ve won a Stanley Cup, secured a new naming rights deal for the arena, and will be receiving expansion money from the new Las Vegas franchise so as it turns out, the value today is likely higher than it was when they were considering selling.

Even had the team been sold, Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Lemieux was still expected to retain a minority stake in the franchise, a team that he has been associated with for a big chunk of his life.  On top of owning the team for the past 17 years, he spent his entire 17 season playing career with the Pens, ranking eighth in NHL history in scoring with 1,723 points.

Ducks Claim Emerson Etem Off Waivers

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The Anaheim Ducks have claimed winger Emerson Etem off waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.  The speedy forward will now rejoin the organization that first drafted him (29th overall in 2010).

Last season, Etem started the year with the Rangers after being acquired in the offseason as part of a package for Carl Hagelin (who the Ducks later dealt to Pittsburgh).  He spent 19 games on Broadway, picking up just three assists while logging a little more than 11 minutes per game in ice time before being dealt to Vancouver in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a sixth round pick.

Etem played more of a regular role with the Canucks, suiting up in 39 contests while scoring seven goals and five assists.  His ice time also jumped to 14:10 per game, a career high.  However, he was beat out for the final spot on Vancouver’s roster to start the season which resulted in him being waived on Wednesday.

In his career, the 24 year old has played in 170 games between the Ducks, Rangers, and Canucks, scoring 22 goals while adding 24 assists.  He’ll likely battle for a spot in Anaheim’s bottom six as he looks to make good on his second go-round in California.

[Related: Ducks Depth Chart]

Atlantic Notes: Ristolainen, Callahan, Zetterberg, Huberdeau

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Despite defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen being signed for the next six years, the team doesn’t anticipate increasing his workload this season, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.  If anything, the team may be trying to scale back his ice time slightly.

In 2015-16, Ristolainen saw a significant jump in his playing time, going from an average of 20:37 in his sophomore campaign to 25:17 per night last season.  That ranked him tenth in the league in average ice time and after factoring in that he played in every game, his total ice time on the season slotted fifth overall.

Head coach Dan Bylsma is looking for more balance in his blueline pairings, something that should be aided with the addition of Dmitry Kulikov back at the draft in June.  The 25 year old has logged over 20 minutes per night in each of the last five seasons which will be useful if Bylsma wants to keep the ice time of pairings relatively close.

Buffalo’s back end is relatively healthy heading into tonight’s season opener against Montreal although Kulikov isn’t expected to play.  The same can’t be said for their forwards as they will be without Jack Eichel who injured his ankle on Wednesday and will miss at least a month.  Newcomer Kyle Okposo (bruised knee) also won’t play while Ryan O’Reilly (back) is questionable to suit up although he did participate in the morning skate.

Other Atlantic news and notes:

  • Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper is hopeful that Ryan Callahan should be able to return to the lineup by the beginning of November, notes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. Callahan underwent hip surgery back in June and was expected to be out until mid-late November.  The 31 year old had 28 points in 73 games last season, the lowest full season output of his career but was slowed in the back half last year because of the hip problems.
  • Despite knee problems creeping up and tiring as the season went on last year, Detroit left winger Henrik Zetterberg still expects to play out the remaining five years of his contract, reports Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News. Zetterberg played in all 82 games last year for the first time in four seasons but is only two years removed from missing nearly half the season with injury concerns.  The 36 year old will carry a cap hit of just under $6.1MM through the 2020-21 season and if he were to retire early, the team would be subject to salary cap recapture due to the significant decrease in his salary in the final three years of the deal.
  • Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau has undergone surgery to repair an Achilles tendon, George Richards of the Miami Herald notes (Twitter link).  There is no change to the expected timetable for his return which should be in the next three to four months.
  • The Red Wings returned goaltender Eddie Pasquale to Grand Rapids of the AHL, the team announced on their team Twitter page.  Pasquale had cleared waivers and was originally sent down last Wednesday but had been recalled on Tuesday afternoon.

Jonathan Quick Out Indefintely

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Update (8:00pm): Kings GM Dean Lombardi announced this evening that the team has placed Quick on injured reserve (Twitter link). In a related move, the club has called up veteran goalie Peter Budaj from Ontario of the AHL. Budaj, 34, brings 297 regular season games of NHL experience to the table and has shown to be a competent backup. It appears as if the Kings will have to rely on the duo of Zatkoff and Budaj indefinitely until Quick returns.

(9:17am): Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick sustained a lower body injury late in the first period of their 2-1 loss to San Jose on Wednesday night.  While there is no immediate timetable for his return, Lisa Dillman of the LA Times notes that GM Dean Lombardi believes the injury may keep him out for a while.  Quick will undergo an MRI later today to determine the extent of the problem.  In the meantime, he has been placed on injured reserve and the team is saying he will be out week-to-week.

In the meantime, offseason acquisition Jeff Zatkoff – who replaced Quick to start the second period last night – will take over as the interim starter.  However, his NHL experience is limited to just 34 regular season appearances coming into the season while he has yet to appear in more than 20 contests in any single NHL campaign.  As a result, he is more suited to backup duty than a starting workload.

The Kings have a couple of options in their system to recall in the meantime.  Veteran Peter Budaj is the most likely to be recalled while former Dallas first rounder Jack Campbell is also under contract but has yet to have much success at the minor league level.

[Related: Kings Depth Chart]

The team has a bit of cap space to work with should they want to go outside the organization to supplement their goaltending depth while Quick is on the shelf.  The team has a little more than $2.1MM in cap space per Cap Friendly and also have Marian Gaborik eligible for LTIR if the team needs to open up some more room although that would only be a short-term solution.

*Glen Miller contributed to this post. 

Matthews First To Score Four Goals In Debut

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Toronto Maple Leafs fans could not have asked for more from rookie sensation Auston Matthews in the team’s season opener. The #1 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Matthews was a lock to make the roster and came in with high expectations. In less than two periods, those expectations were shattered. Auston Matthews scored two in the first period, added another couple tallies  in the second, and as of this writing he’s still going. His second goal was a single-handed masterpiece, while his first and last came from fellow youngster and promising line mate William Nylander. Its only day one, but Matthews is well on his way to being the biggest name in Toronto hockey in a long time.

Before Matthews record-breaking performance, only four players had ever scored a hat trick in their NHL debut. Montreal’s Alex Smart was the first to do it in 1943, followed by the Quebec Nordiques’ Real Cloutier in 1979. In more recent memory, “flash in the pan” Fabian Brunnstrom accomplished the feat for the Stars in 2008, and current Rangers star Derek Stepan had a hat trick in his debut in 2010, kick-starting a strong NHL career. However, Matthews is the first to score four, and many Toronto fans will tell you that Stepan is simply a floor for what they believe Matthews can be.

Never before has a Calder race has such a definitive leader after the first day of the season as it has in 2016-17. While pucks have just dropped on a new NHL season, Matthews is already the biggest name in the league thus far. While his numbers will certainly return to normal, the hype alone coming out of Toronto may keep in the lead for Rookie of the Year from Game One to Game Eighty-Two.

PHR’s NHL Season Preview

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Over the last month, Pro Hockey Rumors has been taking a closer look at the off-season by going team-by-team and analyzing pros and cons of each NHL squad’s roster entering the 2016-17 season. Our Season Previews have focused on each club’s key acquisitions and losses, current cap situation, players to watch, and important story lines to follow in the new campaign.

In case you missed your favorite team’s preview, we’re put them all together in once place for you. In addition, the writers at PHR have all chipped in to look ahead at how this season might turn out. After going through each team with an in-depth look at their strengths and weaknesses, we each have a unique outlook on the new season and who might be raising the Stanley Cup in June.

Here are the links to our 2016-17 Season Previews and the official Pro Hockey Rumors staff picks:

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Divison
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs

Metropolitan Divison
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

Western Conference:

Central Divison
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

Pacific Divison
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks

phr-staff-picks

Columbus Returns Dubois To Juniors

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On the eve of their home opener, the Columbus Blue Jackets have announced they they have sent 2016 3rd-overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois back to his junior team, the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. A high pick in his first pro experience, Dubois did not stick out in the preseason; still, many expected him to stay with the Blue Jackets, at least through the ten-game “tryout” period. Instead, the 18-year-old center will head back to juniors without an NHL game under his belt.

The Blue Jackets selection of Dubois with the #3 pick was believed to be a reach by many. However, that only added fuel to the fire for those who believed that Columbus really saw something in the young scorer. Having traded Ryan Johansen last season, it is no secret that the Jackets are on the hunt for a franchise center. It was believed that they planned on having Dubois step right into that role. In four preseason games though, Dubois was held without a point and was a -4, with the consensus being that he looked over-matched with the pro game. Rather than get a longer look this season, Columbus has elected to send Dubois back to Cape Breton, where he scored 99 points last season, and hope that he comes to camp next year ready to earn an NHL spot.

In a corresponding mover, the Blue Jackets have recalled Alexander Wennberg from Cleveland of the AHL. The 22-year-old will now play Dubois’ role of young center looking to be a difference-maker on a team without much depth and ability down the middle.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

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