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 2008 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
2nd Overall: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings (2)
3rd Overall: Roman Josi, Atlanta Thrashers (38)
4th Overall: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues (4)
5th Overall: Erik Karlsson, Toronto Maple Leafs (15)
6th Overall: John Carlson, Columbus Blue Jackets (27)
7th Overall: Jacob Markstrom, Nashville Predators (31)
8th Overall: Braden Holtby, Phoenix Coyotes (93)
9th Overall: Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders (22)
10th Overall: Jared Spurgeon, Vancouver Canucks (156)
11th Overall: Cam Atkinson, Chicago Blackhawks (157)
Beyond Stamkos and Doughty, there really isn’t a better pair of back -to-back selections in this draft than the 156th and 157th overall selections: Spurgeon and Atkinson. In our re-draft, this pair once again goes back-to-back, but now 10th and 11th overall instead. We’ve covered Spurgeon’s story, drafted but unsigned by the Islanders, invited to training camp as a prospect by the Wild, and the rest is history, but now it’s the Blue Jackets turn to find incredible value.
The 2008 draft was a backwards one in Columbus, their first few selections not necessarily panning out as hoped, most notably their selection of Russian winger Nikita Filatov at sixth overall. Filatov was supposed to be an elite point producer Columbus could pair with the likes of Rick Nash and Derick Brassard, but his time in Columbus came to a close after 44 unimpressive games. Towards the later rounds of the draft however, the Blue Jackets found a pair of foundational pieces in Matt Calvert in the fifth round and Atkinson in the sixth. Calvert became a key piece of the team’s bottom-six for eight seasons and Atkinson established himself as the dynamic offensive weapon the organization was looking for with their sixth-overall pick – they just so happened to get him at 157.
Three seasons after Columbus took him, Atkinson made his debut and by the 2013-14 season had become a regular 20 goal and 40 point contributor. In 2016-17, the winger broke out, setting career-highs with goals, 35, and points, 62. Two years later, he eclipsed those marks again with 41 goals and 69 points en route to a playoff appearance and the club’s first playoff series victory. Having played a major role in taking the team to new heights, Atkinson was traded during the 2021 offseason as the team continued its re-tool, landing with the Philadelphia Flyers. Altogether, Atkinson provided incredible value for his spot in the draft, but given his and his team’s success with him at the top of the lineup, going 11th overall in a re-draft makes plenty of sense.
We now turn our attention to the 12th overall selection, which belonged to the Buffalo Sabres. After back-to-back trips to the conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, the 2007-08 Sabres just missed the playoffs, but secured a prime pick. With that pick, they selected hulking defenseman Tyler Myers from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. Buffalo sent Myers back to Kelowna for additional development in 2008-09, but the following year Myers made his NHL debut and became an instant regular in the lineup. A 19 and 20-year-old Myers averaged 23:44 of time-on-ice, the second most of his career while contributing 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points, all career-highs to this day. Those numbers not only made Myers one of the most impactful players on a Buffalo team that made its return to the playoffs, but also lead him to an All Star appearance and the Calder Trophy.
Already, Myers looked to be an absolute steal at 12th overall, cementing himself as a cornerstone player just one season after being drafted. However, Myers was never able to repeat on his rookie success. The 2010-11 campaign saw Myers put up solid numbers once again adding 37 points while averaging 22:27 of time-on-ice. Good numbers for a 6’8″ shutdown defenseman, they still weren’t what he had already shown he was capable of, and they continued to drop over the next few seasons, complimented with injury issues. In February of 2015, Buffalo dealt Myers to the Winnipeg Jets in a multi-player deal that most notably brought Evander Kane back the other way.
Myers would spend parts of five seasons on the Jets blueline, getting somewhat close to the player he had been during his early days in Buffalo, highlighted by a 36-point effort where he played 21:26 per night, now firmly entrenched as a defense-first defenseman. Myers hit the free agent market in the summer of 2019 and opted to sign a five-year, $30MM contract to head west to the Vancouver Canucks. With the Canucks, Myers has remained healthy and been one of the Canucks’ key shutdown defensemen, but hasn’t been able to match the offensive production he debuted with and found once again in Winnipeg.
Given Myers’ lengthy track record as a reliable defensive defenseman who’s shot and size cannot be ignored, his place at 12th overall in this draft is understandable. But, given some of his issues, like his spotty offensive track record and injuries issues in the prime of his career, that slot could be considered a little too high. It’s hard to imagine he’d slide too far in our re-draft, but should he repeat as the 12th overall pick? Or would hindsight give us someone else? Let your voice be heard by voting in the poll below.
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