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2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fourth 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.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now. Through the first 21 picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

Here are the results of the redraft so far:

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)
10th Overall: Derick Brassard (Florida Panthers)
11th Overall: Bryan Little (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Nick Foligno (Atlanta Thrashers)
13th Overall: Semyon Varlamov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
14th Overall: Artem Anisimov (Vancouver Canucks)
15th Overall: Michael Grabner (Tampa Bay Lightning)
16th Overall: Patrik Berglund (San Jose Sharks)
17th Overall: Jeff Petry (Los Angeles Kings)
18th Overall: Jonathan Bernier (Colorado Avalanche)
19th Overall: Mathieu Perreault (Anaheim Ducks)
20th Overall: Michael Frolik (Montreal Canadiens)
21st Overall: Cal Clutterbuck (New York Rangers)
22nd Overall: James Reimer (Philadelphia Flyers)
23rd Overall: Leo Komarov (Washington Capitals)

Komarov winds up with a very nice boost from his original draft slot as he was a sixth-round pick (180th overall) by Toronto.  It took him quite a while to make it to North America as he spent his first three post-draft seasons in Finland before spending three more full years in the KHL.

He finally crossed the pond in 2012-13 where he split the year between the KHL, AHL, and NHL.  His time with Toronto was short-lived as instead of re-signing with Toronto in the 2013 offseason, he opted to return to the KHL.  While that raised a few eyebrows at the time, it turned out to be the right decision.  He had a career year while he was eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2014.

Toronto handed him a four-year, $11.8MM contract and while he wasn’t the most productive player, he still played an important role on the Maple Leafs, logging 16:24 per game in that span while collecting 113 points in 285 games.  However, his physicality set him apart as he had a staggering 984 hits, just shy of 3.5 per contest.

However, with the Maple Leafs needing to cut some of their veterans this summer with big contracts on the horizon for their young core, the Estonia native had to move on.  He fared surprisingly well on the open market, landing a four-year, $12MM deal with the Islanders in July where he is off to a decent start with four points and 29 hits through his first ten games.

Given how much time he spent overseas, Komarov isn’t close to the leaders in this draft class when it comes to production or even games played but he has still carved out a nice career for himself as a physical bottom-six forward.  That’s a far cry from Washington’s original pick in Varlamov but given how much the Caps have relied on quality veterans in their bottom six in recent years, Komarov certainly would have fit in well with them.

Now, we move onto the 24th selection in the draft which was held by Buffalo.  To say that the Sabres didn’t do well with this pick would be an understatement.  They chose Swedish defenseman Dennis Persson who was one of just three players picked in the first round to not play in a single NHL game.

Persson spent three years after being drafted in Sweden where he split time between the Elitserien and Allsvenskan.  He then joined Buffalo’s farm team for three seasons (Portland and Rochester) but was never more than a depth player at that time.  Following the conclusion of the 2011-12 campaign, he headed back home, signing with Brynas for three years followed by MODO for two, the last of which came in 2015-16. and he hasn’t played since then.

Clearly, the Sabres are going to fare better in our redraft than they did the first time around.  Who should they take with the twenty-fourth selection? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Justin Falk Signs PTO With Colorado Eagles

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Just last season Justin Falk was a semi-regular player for the Buffalo Sabres, suiting up for 46 games and giving them some extra size on the blue line. After being allowed to leave via unrestricted free agency, Falk spent training camp with the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout (PTO), trying to show someone around the league that he still had enough skill to compete in the NHL. He’s going to try that again, after signing a PTO with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL yesterday.

Falk, 30, has played in 269 regular season games since being selected 110th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2007. The 6’5″ defenseman has never been much of an offensive presence, but has found himself routinely inserted into the lineup of whatever team he was playing for to give them a bottom pairing option and presence on the penalty kill. While not overly effective, he’s certainly been fine depth for the Wild, Sabres and both New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The fact that he hasn’t even played this season on an AHL deal likely means he’s trying hard to work out a two-way contract with an NHL club, given that there are many minor league affiliations that could use his experience on a nightly basis.

If all goes well on the Colorado PTO, you may see Falk signed at some point as a depth option for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. At the very worst, he’ll be able to continue his playing career in the minor leagues and try to show someone enough to keep him on next season. The veteran defenseman has a history of winning at the lower levels, taking home a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs and a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters. Even if his game has slowed a step, it would be surprising to see him forced out of professional hockey so soon.

Joe Thornton Activated From Injured Reserve

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Jumbo’s back. Though it was clear from his participation in the morning skate he was set to return, the San Jose Sharks have only now officially activated Joe Thornton from injured reserve. The team has returned Dylan Gambrell to the minor leagues to make room, a trip that he’s already accustomed to, having been sent there already three times this month. Thornton will be in the lineup tonight for the Sharks when they welcome the New York Rangers to town.

Thornton last played on October 5th, but was then taken out of the lineup with swelling in his surgically repaired knee. After an initial scare, it was determined that the injury was just an infection from that surgery and it would only keep him off the ice for a few weeks. Notoriously tough, Thornton has played through several knee injuries in the past while still producing at his normal excellent level. The team needs him to get back to that level if they want to improve on their 6-3-2 start to the season.

The ageless Thornton is expected to return on the team’s top line between Timo Meier and Joe Pavelski, a group that certainly could do some damage if he’s at full strength. Meier already has 12 points in 11 games this season, and leads the Sharks in both goals with eight and plus/minus with a +7 rating. The young forward is finally starting to show off what made him the ninth overall pick in 2015, and should help Thornton quickly get re-acclimated to game speed.

Brandon Hagel Signs Entry-Level Contract With Chicago Blackhawks

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After seeing his exclusive negotiating rights expire when the Buffalo Sabres failed to sign him, Brandon Hagel returned to the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL as an unrestricted free agent. He hadn’t earned a professional contract, and instead is now playing as an overager for the Rebels and finding great success. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks rewarded that success by signing Hagel to a three-year entry-level contract. He’ll remain with the Rebels for the remainder of the season.

Hagel, 20, has 12 goals and 28 points in just 15 games for the Rebels and is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the entire WHL. Though that comes partly because of his age and experience, he has put up solid results in the past and isn’t an overwhelming physical presence. Instead, he’s using his quick decision making and play below the hash marks to create chances for himself and teammates.

Red Deer is off to a great start in the WHL at 10-4-1, and have their eyes on a potential Memorial Cup berth if they can get through the playoffs. They’ll need Hagel at his best to pull something like that off, and the Blackhawks would love to see him contribute to a victorious team. You can bet whenever the Rebels are eliminated, Hagel will join the Rockford IceHogs for a few games. The first season of his deal will be burned this year either way.

Zack Kassian Wants To Stay With Edmonton Oilers

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Just recently, a report surfaced that Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian had requested permission to seek a trade in order to get back into game action. The Oilers have scratched Kassian several times this season, and has seen his ice time dropped significantly even when he is in the lineup. Today, Kassian wanted to clarify what exactly happened and told Ryan Rishaug of TSN that he didn’t directly ask for a trade. Instead, his agent spoke with the Oilers front office about potential interest from other teams, but Kassian has told teammates he wants to stay with them if possible.

Kassian got back into the lineup on Sunday night and scored his first goal of the season, though he was still given fewer than 10 minutes of ice time. The 27-year old forward is in the second of a three-year contract that carries a $1.95MM cap hit.

There’s certainly reason to want to be a part of the Oilers right now as they work on their three game winning streak and charge forward towards a return to the playoffs, but Kassian doesn’t appear to have a big part in that. Even as he struggled to find a permanent fit in Buffalo and Vancouver he never averaged such little time on ice, and now in Edmonton there is still the looming shadow of Jesse Puljujarvi who is trying to fight his way back into the lineup. Without much chance at an increased role there’s plenty of reason that Kassian’s agent would be poking around the league to see if there was interest in his client. His physical style and previous results—Kassian was once a 14-goal forward for the Canucks—could be intriguing to teams that need to add some grit to their bottom six.

The Oilers meanwhile are still in a tricky cap situation even with the added flexibility from Andrej Sekera’s long-term injury status, and could use the relief provided by a Kassian trade. They’re obviously not desperate, but if there is real interest from around the league and they don’t plan on increasing his role any time soon, they would need to at least consider it.

For now, it seems as though Kassian is happy to be with the team and fight for a return to the playoffs, but would like to see a more consistent role on the roster. If there is a return to the press box in the next few games, you can be sure there will be more smoke coming out of Edmonton.

St. Louis Blues Place Jakub Jerabek On Waivers

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The St. Louis Blues have placed Jakub Jerabek on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Jerabek has played just a single game for the Blues, after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers just before the season started.

If claimed, Jerabek could be joining his fourth NHL team since coming over from the KHL, despite only playing 39 games between the regular season and playoffs. The 27-year old defenseman signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2017 only to be traded at the deadline to the eventual Stanley Cup winning Washington Capitals. A new contract with the Oilers didn’t even last all of training camp before he was cut from the squad and sent south to the Blues, where he still hasn’t been able to make much of an impression.

With the recent return of Carl Gunnarsson and several forwards from their conditioning stints, the Blues need room on the roster and Jerabek is the easiest choice to lose. His $1MM salary may actually protect him from claim, but one has to wonder if he’ll accept another demotion to the minor leagues. The Czech-born defenseman was an excellent professional player for years in his home country, and if he’s not going to get another opportunity at the NHL level this season there seems little chance of him earning a one-way contract next summer.

Metro Notes: Ho-Sang, Aho, Goalies

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The selection of Josh Ho-Sang in 2014 hasn’t worked out very well for the New York Islanders. The 28th-overall pick has played in just 43 games in the NHL, and failed to make the Islanders out of camp once again. Now, in a new piece from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, Ho-Sang doesn’t believe he even had much of a chance. Detailing how he rarely played in the preseason and was quickly cut, Ho-Sang also doesn’t feel as though he’s getting a very good opportunity in the minor leagues with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

This isn’t the first time the talented forward has spoken out about his treatment in the Islanders organization, as just last March he pointed out that they wanted him to work on his defensive game while the NHL team was giving up the most goals in the league. The 22-year old has just four assists and zero goals in his first nine games with the Sound Tigers this year, and might be getting close to the point of needing a fresh start in a different organization. There’s no indication that the Islanders are looking to trade him, but there is obviously a frustration between the two sides.

  • You won’t find that kind of divide between the Carolina Hurricanes and their own talented young forward, as Sebastian Aho is very happy to explore long-term deals with the club. Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer details the latest in contract negotiations, noting that both sides are looking for a long-term contract extension and believe it will get done before the end of the year. The two sides are relatively close in terms of salary, but are just working out where exactly the talented youngster will land among his contemporaries. Aho is off to an excellent start with 16 points in his first 11 games, and could easily surpass his career-high of 65 set last season. The 21-year old is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and looks like a budding superstar after making the move to center this season.
  • Meanwhile, Carolina also has some tough decisions to make when it comes to their current roster. The team still has three goaltenders with them after activating Scott Darling from injured reserve, and are obviously loath to lose one on waivers. Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek have not been very good this season despite the Hurricanes strong start, but it’s not obvious which of the three goaltenders would provide the least value at the NHL level. For now, they’ll work with three on the roster according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, at least for their upcoming road trip.

Minor Transactions: 10/30/18

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After a quiet Monday night in the NHL we’ve got 11 games on tap for tonight, including the Vegas Golden Knights visiting Nashville and Connor McDavid trying to continue the Oilers winning ways against Minnesota. As always, we’ll be here to keep track of all the minor moves around the league:

  • According to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, the Vancouver Canucks will be recalling Darren Archibald from the minor leagues. Though superstar rookie Elias Pettersson returned with a bang, the Canucks lost Brandon Sutter to injury last night and needed another forward to fill out the roster. Sutter will be out “weeks” with an upper-body injury, giving Archibald another chance at the NHL. Brendan Gaunce is also on his way up for the Canucks according to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun.
  • Torey Krug has been activated from injured reserve and will be back in the Boston Bruins lineup tonight, while Urho Vaakanainen has been swapped to take his place on the shelf. The latter suffered a concussion when hit in the head with a Mark Borowiecki elbow, and is still out indefinitely. Krug meanwhile hasn’t played at all this season and will offer the Bruins some much needed experience and puck-moving ability on the back end.
  • Eric Gryba has been sent back to the minor leagues by the New Jersey Devils, as they activate Ben Lovejoy from injured reserve. Gryba can go straight to the minors since he cleared waivers earlier this month, and played only two games on his recent call-up. Lovejoy’s return comes after a near two week absence following a lower-body injury suffered on October 18th.
  • Sven Andrighetto has ended up on injured reserve for the Colorado Avalanche, giving them cause to recall Sheldon Dries and A.J. Greer from the minor leagues. Andrighetto suffered a lower-body injury just a few games after his most recent return from injury, and will now spend even more time on the sidelines watching the Avalanche compete for a playoff spot.

West Notes: Puljujarvi, Thornton, Stars

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With Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi having been a healthy scratch in three of ten games already, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector notes that there is a debate inside the organization as to whether or not it’s time for the 2016 fourth overall pick to spend some time in the minors.  Edmonton was hesitant to give him much minor league time last season even when he was struggling but optics aside (it rarely looks good when a high pick heads for the minors), there’s certainly a strong case to be made that this is a good time to send him down.  Puljujarvi’s value has sharply eroded over the last couple of seasons and an extended stint with AHL Bakersfield would allow him to work on his all-around game while getting a lot more playing time than he currently is now.

Elsewhere out West:

  • While Sharks center Joe Thornton wasn’t expected to miss much time due to a knee infection, he has now missed the last night games. Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required), that while Thornton is “getting closer”, he still has a catheter in his arm to give him antibiotics which would need to be removed before he could get clearance to return to San Jose’s lineup.
  • Dallas is set to get one defenseman back but is losing another. Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website reports that Marc Methot is ready to return after missing the last two games due to a lower-body injury.  However, he’ll likely take the place of fellow rearguard Connor Carrick who sustained a lower-body injury of his own on Sunday.  Meanwhile, head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that he’s hopeful that winger Alexander Radulov will be available for Tuesday’s game against Montreal after missing four straight due to a lower-body issue.

Mark Borowiecki Suspended For Three Games

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Mark Borowiecki’s return to Ottawa’s lineup didn’t last very long.  In his first game back following a suspension for an elbowing incident against the Bruins, the league announced that he has been suspended for three games for an illegal check on Golden Knights center Cody Eakin on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the first period of the game and Borowiecki was assessed a five-minute major penalty for charging and a game misconduct on the play.  However, the fact that he was just coming off of a suspension likely did not sit well with the Department of Player Safety as it’s their expectation that suspensions are supposed to serve as deterrents moving forward.

The 29-year-old is now viewed as a repeat offender for salary forfeiture purposes, meaning that he will forfeit just under $44K in salary (3/82 multiplied by his $1.2MM salary).  Borowiecki will be eligible to return to Ottawa’s lineup on November 4th against Tampa Bay.  With the Sens down to just 12 healthy forwards and seven defensemen on their roster, they may decide to make a roster move in advance of their game on Tuesday night.

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