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2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Twentieth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 2 Comments

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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)
16th Overall: Gustav Nyquist, Boston Bruins (121)
17th Overall: Derek Stepan, Anaheim Ducks (51)
18th Overall: Jake Allen, Nashville Predators (34)
19th Overall: Jake Gardiner, Philadelphia Flyers (17)

Sliding two spots from the real 2008 NHL draft is defenseman Jake Gardiner. Originally the 17th overall selection by the Anaheim Ducks, Gardiner now goes 19th overall, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers, who had selected defenseman Luca Sbisa with that choice back in 2008.

Interestingly, between Gardiner and Sbisa, only one of them even played games with the team that drafted him, Sbisa getting into 39 games for the Flyers the year after being drafted. Both players were used to help their respective teams make an immediate upgrade on the blueline. The Flyers used Sbisa to help them acquire Chris Pronger from the Ducks, and a few years later the Ducks would use Gardiner to help them acquire Francois Beauchemin from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Regardless of which player they chose, or whether they would have elected to keep him around, the Flyers would get good value out of the pick with Sbisa or Gardiner. Sbisa wound up having a lengthy career as a stable, physical shutdown defenseman while Gardiner has had a lengthy career as a tremendous puck-mover on the back-end. Gardiner’s career might seem a bit more enticing given his strong point totals in his prime, but he has dealt with multiple injuries that have forced him to miss most of 2020-21, all of 2021-22, and thus far, all of 2022-23. All of that considered, finding an everyday NHL defenseman at 19th overall is something many executives and scouts around the league would be rather happy with.

Now, we move on to the 20th overall pick, which belonged to the New York Rangers. In 2008, the Rangers used that pick to take Michael Del Zotto, a slick two-way defenseman from the Oshawa Generals. After taking Del Zotto, the Rangers sent him back for one more season in the OHL, which he split between Oshawa and the London Knights. Del Zotto would debut for New York in 2009-10, immediately jumping into a full-time role on their blueline, making a splash his rookie season with 37 points. However, he took a step back in his sophomore season, playing in just 47 games while spending some time in the AHL too.

The defenseman would rebound for 2011-12, scoring 10 goals to go with 31 assists in 77 games and it seemed as if the Rangers had a star on their hands. However, Del Zotto wasn’t able to replicate that production and was eventually dealt to the Nashville Predators part-way through 2013-14 for fellow defenseman Kevin Klein. That offseason, Del Zotto signed with the Philadelphia Flyers where again his production would jump up, putting up 32 points in 64 games, but once again, he couldn’t maintain.

Del Zotto then became something of a journeyman after his three-year stint with Philadelphia, spending time with Vancouver, Anaheim, St. Luis, Columbus, and most recently, Ottawa in 2021-22, where he had his first AHL time since that trip back in 2010-11. Prior to this season, the Florida Panthers signed Del Zotto to a one-year, two-way contract; to date, he’s played two games with the Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s AHL affiliate.

Much like Sbisa and Gardiner above, Del Zotto has had a lengthy career complete with several very strong seasons, but has never hit the elite level the Rangers might have envisioned when they selected him. Now with the benefit of hindsight, who should the Rangers select 20th overall in our redraft? There are plenty of solid defensemen available, including Del Zotto as well as the likes of Travis Hamonic, Marco Scandella, and Zach Bogosian, offense-first forwards like Mikkel Boedker and Tyler Ennis, or some good-old-fashioned grit with Matt Martin and Matt Calvert, and many more to choose from.

App users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Nineteenth Overall

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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 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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)
16th Overall: Gustav Nyquist, Boston Bruins (121)
17th Overall: Derek Stepan, Anaheim Ducks (51)
18th Overall: Jake Allen, Nashville Predators (34)

Right now, Pekka Rinne’s number hangs in the rafters of Bridgestone Arena, just above where another star netminder, Juuse Saros, plays his games. No doubt, Nashville is happy with its goaltending over the past 15 seasons or so. But, in our redraft, it’s hard not to think about what could have been if the Predators had selected both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen seventh and eighteenth overall, respectively. Instead in 2008, Nashville selected forward Colin Wilson in the seven spot and goaltender Chet Pickard eighteenth.

Ultimately, Pickard never played in the NHL after a hot start in junior and the AHL. The goaltender would bounce between the AHL and ECHL before heading over to Europe, where he’s now a reliable netminder in Germany’s DEL. Even with Rinne and Saros, it’s likely the Predators would’ve preferred to take Allen over Pickard given Allen’s track record of NHL success.

Originally selected 34th overall by the St. Louis Blues, Allen slides nearly halfway up the draft board in our redraft. Allen was a standout goaltender in the QMJHL when he was selected by St. Louis, returning for the 2008-09 season. He would turn pro for 2009-10, playing goal for the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL and began to establish himself as one of the league’s best. He’d make his NHL debut during the shortened 2012-13 season, suiting up for 15 games with the Blues, returning to the AHL for 2013-14, where he put up a sensational 2.03 goals-against average and .928 save-percentage. That AHL performance would be his last, earning him the promotion to the NHL full-time.

Allen gradually took over the starer’s job in St. Louis, peaking from 2015 through 2018. Eventually, with the emergence of Jordan Binnington and Allen’s own performance slipping a bit, he lost the starting job. Prior to the 2020-21 season, St. Louis dealt Allen to the Montreal Canadiens, where he was expected to backup the legendary Carey Price. Now, with Price’s long-term injury, Allen has emerged as the starter for Montreal, recently signing a two-year extension that runs through 2024-25.

From the eighteenth-overall selection, we move on to the nineteenth, which belonged to the Philadelphia Flyers, who selected defenseman Luca Sbisa. The Italian-born Sbisa appears to have represented fair value for the nineteenth-overall pick. Far from flashy, the stay-at-home defenseman made a career as a steady, reliable, and at times physical presence. Sbisa made his NHL debut immediately after being drafted, getting into 39 NHL games for the Flyers before being sent back to the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. That offseason, he was sent to the Anaheim Ducks in the trade that ultimately brought Chris Pronger to Philadelphia.

Sbisa spent parts of five seasons in Anaheim, taking on a regular role on the Ducks’ blueline. In the summer of 2014, Sbisa was again moved as part of the package to bring in a star, this time heading to the Vancouver Canucks, with Ryan Kesler headed the other way. There, he continued to play the role of a quiet, yet effective blueliner, signing a three-year, $10.8MM extension prior to 2015-16. However, he’d spend just two more seasons in Vancouver before the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the 2017 expansion draft.

The veteran appeared in just 30 games in the inaugural Vegas season, hitting the open market in 2018. There, he signed with the New York Islanders, getting into just nine games. That offseason, once again a free agent, he returned to Anaheim only briefly, selected off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets before he could suit up for an official game with the Ducks. Sbisa played 41 games for the Jets in 2019-20 and appeared set to join them once again for 2020-21, but was claimed on waivers once again, just prior to the start of the season. He’d work his way into the lineup for just one game with Nashville, which appears to be the last of his career. Though no formal retirement announcement appears to hve been made, Sbisa spent the 2021-22 season working with the Ducks and was recently hired by the San Jose Sharks in a player development role.

With names like John Carlson, Jordan Eberle, Jared Spurgeon, and Markstrom, just to name a few, still on the board, the Flyers likely would’ve opted to change their pick with hindsight. Still, taking Sbisa at nineteenth, given his long career wasn’t a bad bet, especially considering he helped them acquire Pronger, a tremendous asset at the time. With hindsight, would the Flyers opt to take Sbisa again with the names still remaining in our redraft? Or could they go for another option, such as Jake Gardiner, Travis Hamonic, or Tyler Ennis?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighteenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 3 Comments

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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)
16th Overall: Gustav Nyquist, Boston Bruins (121)
17th Overall: Derek Stepan, Anaheim Ducks (51)

There aren’t too many players that represent the New York Rangers of the 2010’s better than Derek Stepan. A regular in their top-six, good for at least 50 points on a yearly basis, the center played a big role on teams that were regularly in the mix for the Stanley Cup. Of course, those dreams never came true for Stepan or the Rangers, at least not yet, but there’s no doubt the franchise was thrilled with what they received with their 51st overall selection in 2008.

In our redraft, Stepan now climbs all the way up to 17th overall, this time to the Anaheim Ducks. The team had originally used this slot to take defenseman Jake Gardiner, who ultimately never suited up for a game with them, traded to the Maple Leafs while he was still in college. Whether they would, in hindsight, prefer Gardiner or Stepan could be an interesting debate, however the results of the redraft show Stepan would be the choice.

Now, we turn our attention to the eighteenth overall pick, which belonged to the Nashville Predators. With that pick, the team looked to solidify their future in net by selecting goaltender Chet Pickard. Little did they know, another netminder in their system would burst onto the scene the following season and never look back, becoming one of the best players in the franchise’s history. Unfortunately for Pickard, not everyone can have the same career as Pekka Rinne.

Pickard was a standout for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, spending three years in net there, his first season as the full-time starter coming in 2007-08. After becoming the first goaltender selected in the 2008 draft, Pickard returned to Tri-City for another stellar season before turning pro for the 2009-10 campaign. The goaltender struggled in his first season, playing 36 games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals, but things wouldn’t get much better from there. He would spend parts of three more seasons bouncing between the ECHL and AHL, but never found much success or momentum.

Following the 2013-14 season, his last in North America, Pickard headed to Denmark for a year before moving onto the DEL in Germany for 2015-16. There, Pickard finally found success as a reliable goalie for Iserlohn, Manheim, and Wolfsburg. Pickard finally finding a consistent role as a reliable goaltender is surely good news, but having to do it over agin, its unlikely Nashville would take him in the 18th spot in the draft. Rinne aside, there are two goaltenders already taken in the re-draft with considerable success, and a few still on the board with solid NHL resumes. So, in this redraft, who would go 18th overall to the Predators?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Seventeenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)
16th Overall: Gustav Nyquist, Boston Bruins (121)

Originally a fourth-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the real 2008 draft, Gustav Nyquist slides well up the board, over 100 spots, to 16th overall to the Boston Bruins in our redraft. Nyquist has had himself a strong career, spending the majority of his career with the Red Wings before a midseason trade to the San Jose Sharks in 2018-19. That offseason, Nyquist hit the free agent market and signed a four-year, $22MM contract with the Blue Jackets, which is set to expire after this season.

While Nyquist may never be remembered as a true superstar, the speedy winger has used his skill to be a regular scoring threat. He set a career-high with 28 goals in just 57 games back in 2013-14 with Detroit and his career-high 60 points came when he split the season in Detroit and San Jose. His 401 career points, which have come in 652 games, rank him 12th among all 2008 draftees. That would seem to justify being selected 16th in the re-draft, given the glut of defensemen and two star goalies chosen ahead of him here.

Leaving Nyquist and the 16th overall pick behind, we now turn to the 17th overall selection of the 2008 NHL Draft, which belonged to the Anaheim Ducks, who were one year removed from a Stanley Cup championship. The Ducks would use their pick to select defenseman Jake Gardiner, a Minnesota high school defenseman from Minnetonka High School. Gardiner would never have the star quality that players like Jordan Eberle or John Carlson, who were selected after him in that first round, however he was able to secure a lengthy career as a stable and reliable blueliner.

After being selected out of high school, Gardiner spent the following three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, becoming an intricate part of their program, including a runner-up finish in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey championship. During his junior year, just prior to turning pro, the Ducks dealt Gardiner, along with Joffrey Lupul an a fourth-round pick, for veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin. Shortly after the trade and after his college season came to a close, Gardiner made his pro debut with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

The following season, 2011-12, Gardiner came onto the scene with the Maple Leafs. As a rookie, he posted seven goals and 23 assists over 75 games, good enough to earn him votes for the Calder Trophy. While Toronto would miss the playoffs that year, a then-21-year-old Gardiner represented a big, exciting piece of the rebuilder’s future core. With the 2012-13 lockout in effect, Gardiner spent a majority of the season in the AHL, dominating the league as a now-established NHLer. After that season the defenseman became a staple in the Maple Leafs lineup, rarely missing a game while providing quality defense and superb puck movement.

The 2017-18 season was a career-year for the Minnesota native, as he recorded 52 points, 47 of them assists, both career-highs. Following the 2018-19 season, Gardiner hit the open market and despite taking over two months to find a destination, he signed a four-year, $16.2MM contract with an exciting young Hurricanes squad. Gardiner would struggle to an extent in his first season down south, but remained healthy. However, his injury woes set in the following season, where he played just 26 games in the shortened 56 game season, as well as one postseason game. In the time since, Gardiner has undergone hip and back surgeries.

Gardiner missed more than a year after he last played in that 2021 postseason game before being cleared to return to hockey back in June of this year. That return was promising for the Hurricanes, who still have one more year on the contract at a $4.45MM salary ($4.05MM cap hit), however just as training camp was coming into full swing, it was reported that Gardiner had suffered a setback and would not be in camp. It’s unclear if this will be the end of the road for the veteran, but his recent setback doesn’t bode well.

For his career, Gardiner, now 32, has 49 goals and 228 assists coming in 645 career games. Regardless of how his tenure in Carolina played out, it seems clear that taking him at 17th overall was a safe bet and provided enough value to satisfy the Ducks, who chose him, and the Maple Leafs, who acquired him. In our redraft, Gardiner is still available, and a legitimate option at that, but who should be the pick knowing what we know now?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Sixteenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 2 Comments

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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)

The drop wound up being a small one for Myers who only goes three spots later than his original draft position.  While he has been maligned at times due to some contracts that paid him above market value, he has turned in a solid career thus far.

Throughout his junior days, Myers wasn’t known for his point-producing abilities with his career-high in points checking in at 42 in his final season with Kelowna.  Not bad, but players who top out at that level don’t typically become highly-productive players in the pros.

Myers put that theory to the test in his rookie season as he had more goals (11), assists (37), and points (48) than in any of his major junior campaigns.  That made him the runaway winner of the Calder Trophy and all of a sudden, it looked like Buffalo had their two-way star defender of the future.

Unfortunately, that didn’t go as planned.  While Myers’ numbers in his sophomore year were still pretty good (the second-best of his career thus far), he eventually became more of a stay-at-home defender.  Eventually, the Sabres decided to shake things up, moving him to Winnipeg in 2015 as part of the Evander Kane trade.

With the Jets, Myers was a capable, albeit pricey blueliner for parts of five seasons.  Since then, he has spent three years in Vancouver as a capable, albeit pricey defenseman.

That said, it’s worth looking at some of Myers’ numbers in context.  In his 13-year NHL career, he has averaged over 20 minutes a night in every one of them.  He’s eighth in all-time games played from this draft class and with a couple of years left on his contract, he’ll have a good chance of staying in the top ten when all is said and done.  No, Myers didn’t quite live up to the promise of his rookie year but he has had a very solid career so far.

Now, we move on to the 16th selection which was held by Boston.  They opted to take a longer-term project, selecting Joe Colborne out of the AJHL.  However, after two very strong college seasons, the Bruins turned him pro in 2019 but he never played a game for them.  Instead, they moved him, a first-round pick, and a second-rounder to Toronto to rent Tomas Kaberle at the 2011 trade deadline.  (If you’re curious, that first-rounder turned into Rickard Rakell.)

Colborne spent parts of three seasons with Toronto but again, didn’t play much.  He was flipped to Calgary in 2013 for a fourth-round pick that eventually was used on Ville Husso.

Colborne saw regular action with Calgary for three years and spent most of another year in Colorado but hung up his skates in 2018 after a seven-year NHL career that spanned 295 games.  In the grand scheme of things, Boston could have done much worse with this pick but it’s safe to say in hindsight, there were better options available.

So, who should they have picked with that benefit of hindsight?  With the 16th pick in the 2008 redraft, who do they take?  Make your choice by voting in the poll below.

App users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifteenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 4 Comments

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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)

With the 14th overall selection of the 2008 redraft, readers voted to re-write history and have the Hurricanes choose Henrique instead of Zach Boychuk, who Carolina actually picked in this spot 14 years ago. Although Boychuk has been a solid pro at several levels still to this day, taking the fan-favorite Henrique at this spot would have represented far better value. Henrique doesn’t have the illustrious resume that some of his fellow 2008 selections do, but he’s put together a solid career worthy of a mid-first-round pick.

Originally drafted in the third-round, 82nd overall by the New Jersey Devils, Henrique took some time to develop, but burst onto the scene in 2011-12 with 51 points in 74 games. He’d add another 13 in 24 playoff games, including the goal he may be best remembered for: an iconic overtime winner that sent the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals. Throughout his career, he’s hit the 50-point mark three separate times and the 20-goal mark six times, including a 30-goal performance in 2015-16.

Having established himself as a fan favorite in New Jersey, the forward was dealt early on in the 2017-18 season in a hockey trade that sent defenseman Sami Vatanen to New Jersey from the Anaheim Ducks. Out west, Henrique continued his solid play, albeit with a small step back in production. This season however, the 32-year-old appeared to find his scoring touch once again, registering 19 goals and 23 assists in just 58 games, nearly a 60-point pace. In the end, the Devils found great value by selecting Henrique in the third-round, but going even as high as 14th to the Hurricanes in a redraft appears to still lend great value.

Having addressed Henrique, we turn to the 15th overall pick. Now, first and foremost, there are some terrific hockey players with great resumes left to pick from, but none compare to the generational talent that is Erik Karlsson, who went 15th back in 2008. In the redraft, Karlsson bumped well up the draft board, going fifth overall. The defenseman’s case is an interesting one given the sensational seasons he had as a member of the Ottawa Senators, but also his recent injury history. Had we run this series five years ago, there’s a very good chance he would have been the first selection.

When Ottawa selected the slick, puck-moving defenseman out of the Frolunda organization, he had just come off a 37-point season in 38 games in the Swedish junior league which also included a seven-game stint with Frolunda in the then-Swedish Elite League. The Senators opted to have the defenseman spend another year in Europe, where he played a majority of the season with Frolunda, recording 10 points in 45 games. The following season, 2009-10, Karlsson came over and stepped right into the Ottawa lineup.

After establishing himself as an NHL regular, Karlsson broke out as a superstar during the 2011-12 campaign, where he scored 19 goals to go along with 59 assists. This breakout would start a run of seven years with Karlsson being among the best, if not the best defenseman in the NHL, regularly tallying at least 15 goals and 65 points per season, but hitting career-highs with 21 goals in 2014-15 and 82 points in 2015-16.

Entering the 2018-19 season, with the Senators in a full-scale rebuild and Karlsson’s contract set to expire after the season, the team was looking for suitors and found one in that of the San Jose Sharks. Though the deal, and the entire Senators rebuild for that matter, was met with criticism, the ultimate return would be arguably as franchise-altering as selecting Karlsson was in the first place. For Karlsson and forward Francis Perron, the Senators received forwards Joshua Norris, Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, as well as a conditional first-round draft pick and two conditional second-round draft picks. While one of the second round picks was dealt, the other picks would turn into Zack Ostapchuk and budding superstar Tim Stutzle, who they selected third overall in 2020.

San Jose was able to work out an extension with Karlsson just ahead of free agency, an eight-year, $92MM deal, one which was appropriate at the time, but has now seemingly gone sideways. Since the trade to San Jose, Karlsson has dealt with a bevy of injury issues that have cost him games played and appeared to hamper his game to a degree as he’s played through them. His production has dropped off to a degree, but has managed to maintain close to a 60-point pace per 82-games played, but whether or not that is worth an $11.5MM hit against the salary cap remains in question, and is arguably a driving force behind the Sharks current state as a presumed rebuilder.

Given recency bias, it would make sense that a defenseman once considered among the very best players in the league for several seasons in that of Karlsson would slide down to fifth overall in a 2008 redraft. However, there’s no doubt that his original selection – 15th overall – was a fantastic pick by Ottawa. But, running through the first round again, taking Karlsson here is no longer an option. Though not a possible Hall of Famer, Ottawa will still get a quality player this time around, but who will it be?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Fourteenth 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 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)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)

For the first time in our 2008 Redraft series, we see a player slide from his original draft spot. Bailey, originally selected ninth overall by the New York Islanders falls just four spots to thirteenth overall, where he would instead head to the Kings. Looking back on it, there were more than a couple names taken after Bailey who may have been the more prudent selection for the Islanders, who took him ninth, but that doesn’t necessarily make him a poor selection for the slot. Over his career, Bailey has recorded modest point totals while playing a 200 foot game and serving as a veteran character player on Long Island. Now, the winger serves as the longest-tenured member of the Islanders.

Due respect to Colten Teubert, who the Kings originally selected thirteenth overall, however had they been able to and opted to select Bailey, they surely would have been better served. Even if Bailey wasn’t the best choice for the Kings, the simple fact alone that he has played nearly 1,000 NHL games as compared to Teubert’s 24 would make Bailey an excellent alternative. The Kings did get value out of Teubert after all, trading him along with a pair of draft picks to acquire forward Dustin Penner, who would go on to win a Stanley Cup in Los Angeles.

We now turn our attention to the fourteenth overall pick which belonged to the Carolina Hurricanes. With their pick, Carolina selected a forward already playing for the Hurricanes: Zach Boychuk from the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. Boychuk had already established himself as one of the best players in junior hockey when Carolina selected him and continued down that path with another impressive season after. In addition to a fourth straight dominant WHL season, Boychuk was also able to make his NHL debut that season, suiting up for a pair of October contests with Carolina. Boychuk became a full-time pro in 2009-10, splitting time between the NHL and AHL, recording nine points in 31 games for Carolina and 36 points in 52 games with the Albany River Rats.

Although it wasn’t a superstar pro debut, Boychuk’s performance was respectable and created plenty of excitement for him to build on his success the year after, and build he did. In 2010-11, the forward recorded a phenomenal 65 points in 60 games in the AHL. Still, he couldn’t repeat that success at the NHL level, with just seven points over 23 games. Ultimately, this would be the pitfall of Boychuk’s NHL career. As he continued to impress in the AHL and become a key piece of the Charlotte Checkers, he simply couldn’t repeat that success up in the NHL. After just two points in 16 games in 2011-12, Boychuk bounced around the following year, playing with Carolina, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators before returning to the Carolina organization.

Boychuk would spend parts of three more seasons with the origination, his last NHL action coming in 31 games in 2014-15. After the 2015-16 season, Boychuk left North America in pursuit of opportunities in Europe, where he would find success and regular roles. The now-veteran spent parts of three seasons in the KHL, followed by parts of two seasons in Switzerland, and finally three more in Germany, where he’s currently a member of the Berlin Polar Bears of the DEL.

With the chance to do it over again, it’s likely the Hurricanes would go with another name at fourteenth overall. As good of a pro as Boychuk has been, his 30 points in 127 NHL games simply wouldn’t warrant a selection with names such as Tyler Myers, Adam Henrique, Gustav Nyquist or Derek Stepan still left on the board. So, with the fourteenth overall selection in our 2008 redraft, who should Carolina select?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Twelfth 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 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.

Trade Rumors App users, click here to vote.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Eleventh Overall Pick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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)

2008 was quite a year for defensemen as Spurgeon becomes the sixth blueliner to go in the top ten in our redraft.  He takes the place of Cody Hodgson who was the original pick of the Canucks.

The Islanders did quite well in drafting Spurgeon early in the sixth round.  If you’re thinking to yourself that you don’t remember the blueliner being with New York, there’s a good reason for that.  They opted not to sign him despite two strong seasons with Spokane, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Minnesota invited him to rookie camp and liked what they saw, quickly signing him to an entry-level contract in 2010.

That decision certainly worked out well for the Wild as he made his NHL debut that season and never looked back from there.  He has played in a dozen NHL seasons, all with Minnesota and he sits second in franchise history in points by a defenseman.  He’s 24 behind Ryan Suter for that distinction and assuming he stays healthy, he should get there at some point this upcoming season.

Spurgeon was named Minnesota’s captain in January 2021 and has five seasons left on his contract.  Along the way, he should pass former captain Mikko Koivu for their all-time games played mark.  Not too shabby for a player that the Islanders opted not to sign.

Now, we move on to pick number eleven which was held by the Chicago Blackhawks.  They selected center Kyle Beach from the WHL, a true power forward that put up plenty of points and plenty of penalty minutes.  He signed his entry-level deal in 2009, making his pro debut soon after with Rockford.  Unfortunately for him and Chicago, he wasn’t able to duplicate the offensive success he had in junior and in 2013, he was traded to the Rangers for winger Brandon Mashinter.

It also must be noted that in 2010 when he served as a Black Ace for the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup run, he was sexually assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich.  While he was identified as John Doe during the course of the NHL’s investigation into the incident and lawsuit which concluded last year, he revealed himself to be the victim in an interview with TSN’s Rick Westhead in October.  Stan Bowman was let go soon after while Joel Quenneville resigned his position as head coach of the Panthers following the results of the investigation being made public.

Since the 2013-14 season, Beach has played overseas, spending time in Sweden, Austria, Germany, and Slovakia.  He spent the last two years in the German third division, averaging over a point and a half per game.  He is not currently under contract for the upcoming season.

With what transpired back in 2010, there will be a lingering question of ‘what if’ when it comes to Beach but it’s also clear that there were better choices for them at that time.  As we continue our hindsight draft, who should the Blackhawks have selected?  Make your selection in the poll below.

App users, click here to vote.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Tenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 4 Comments

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)

Voters opted to have the New York Islanders go with Eberle over their original selection, lifelong Islander Josh Bailey. Eberle may have had a stronger start to his career, and has likely had a bit more of an impact overall, but it’s hard to imagine the Islanders organization without Bailey’s leadership for the past decade-plus. The upgrade in play between Eberle and Bailey also likely wouldn’t have done much for the Islanders, who still weren’t close to competing for a number of seasons after drafting Bailey in 2008.

None of that is to discredit Eberle’s career, which rightfully earns him top-ten honors in this redraft. His 595 career points in 858 games have him third overall in the class in that regard and second among forwards, trailing only Stamkos and Karlsson in total. While he hasn’t repeated the 60-plus point seasons from his early career with the Edmonton Oilers, who originally drafted him 22nd overall, he’s maintained a solid pace for a top-six forward over the years and now figures to be an important leader for the second-year Seattle Kraken.

Up next at the podium for the tenth overall pick was the Vancouver Canucks, finishing with only 88 points despite having a top-ten defense and goaltending combo in the league with Roberto Luongo, Mattias Öhlund, Sami Salo, and a young Alexander Edler. The team was anemic offensively, with only three 40-point players on the roster (Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Markus Naslund). They hoped that their original 10th overall choice in 2008, Cody Hodgson, a center from the OHL’s Brampton Battalion, would become an important piece in revitalizing the Canucks offense.

But it was not to be. Hodgson did well in the remainder of his OHL career but failed to make the impact in the Vancouver lineup as quickly as Canucks fans hoped. Hodgson didn’t make his NHL debut until 2010-11 and appeared in 12 playoff games during Vancouver’s 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Final. But during his first full season in the NHL, 2011-12, Hodgson was traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline in exchange for Zack Kassian. He had 33 points in 63 games at the time – not awful totals from a rookie, no doubt, especially when playing under 13 minutes per game.

To date, it remains a bit of a puzzling trade, as Hodgson went on to have a few successful seasons in Buffalo. His best season came the following year, during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Playing the full 48 games, Hodgson finished second on the Sabres in scoring with a 15-goal, 34-point season while also playing top-line minutes.

Unfortunately for Sabres fans, it was not a sign of things to come. Hodgson set a career-high 20 goals and 44 points the following season in 2013-14, but his per game pace dropped dramatically as he played in 72 games. However, it was the 2014-15 campaign that sent Hodgson’s NHL career off the rails. An abysmal year for the team (which led to them landing Jack Eichel) was also an abysmal year for Hodgson, whose point total dropped to just 13 in 78 games, his worst offensive pace in any league he’d ever played in. Bought out by the Sabres, he tried to resurrect his career the following season with the Nashville Predators, where he posted just eight points in 39 games. It was the last season of Hodgson’s professional career, playing his last game of pro hockey just eight years after going 10th overall.

Undoubtedly, there were better choices for Vancouver at that spot. Having Jared Spurgeon in their lineup right now alongside Quinn Hughes would be the difference between a playoff bubble team and a Stanley Cup contender, fixing a glaring hole at a position of need. T.J. Brodie would also be a solid option on defense while drafting Cam Atkinson or Josh Bailey would have given them a much more consistent scoring winger.

So PHR readers, who would you have told the Canucks to pick at 10th overall out of the players still available on our board? Vote in the poll below and discuss in the comments.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote!

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