2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Second Overall Pick
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?
On Sunday, we asked the PHR community to weigh in on who should have been the top pick and over 70% of the votes cast went towards history repeating itself with Steven Stamkos being the number one selection. For comparison, Patrick Kane had over 85% of the votes to stay as the top selection in our 2007 series so while it was still a sizable majority, it was a little closer this time around as we move on to the next selection.
That pick was made by the Kings who opted for defenseman Drew Doughty. He was coming off of two high-scoring seasons with Guelph of the OHL which had him ranked as the top defenseman available by most scouting services so the selection didn’t come as too much of a surprise.
It’s safe to say that it has panned out quite nicely. Doughty played his way onto the roster – no small feat for an 18-year-old defenseman – and made an immediate impact as he logged nearly 24 minutes a night. The following year, the offensive promise he showed at the major junior level came through as he picked up 16 goals (the most of his career to date) and 59 points (second-most).
All in all, Doughty is the only player from the 2008 draft class to play at least 1,000 career NHL games while he has been a four-time Norris finalist, winning the award once in 2016. He has two Stanley Cup championships under his belt in 2012 and 2014 and at the age of 32, he still has been going strong, averaging more than 25 minutes a night in each of the last ten seasons. It’s safe to say the Kings are happy with how things turned out with their selection.
But was it the right one; would they have been better off with someone else instead? With the second pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Los Angeles Kings select? Cast your vote below.
2008 Redraft: Second Overall
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Drew Doughty 49% (834)
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Roman Josi 24% (405)
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Erik Karlsson 10% (173)
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Alex Pietrangelo 7% (127)
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John Carlson 2% (42)
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Braden Holtby 1% (16)
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Jacob Markstrom 1% (12)
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Matt Martin 1% (10)
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Jared Spurgeon 1% (10)
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T.J. Brodie 1% (9)
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Josh Bailey 0% (7)
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Cam Atkinson 0% (6)
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Tyler Ennis 0% (5)
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Travis Hamonic 0% (5)
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Jake Allen 0% (4)
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Jake Gardiner 0% (4)
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Michael Del Zotto 0% (4)
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Gustav Nyquist 0% (4)
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Jordan Eberle 0% (4)
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Justin Schultz 0% (4)
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Adam Henrique 0% (3)
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Mikkel Boedker 0% (2)
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Colin Wilson 0% (2)
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Tyler Myers 0% (1)
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Zach Bogosian 0% (1)
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Derek Stepan 0% (0)
Total votes: 1,694
(App users, click here to vote.)
Pacific Notes: Oilers, Sharks, Canucks’ LTIR Situation
While the Oilers have been busy this summer between re-signing their free agents and bringing in a new starter in Jack Campbell, they took a run at landing one of the big fish on the open market as well. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Edmonton was hoping to work out a sign-and-trade to pick up John Klingberg with the veteran signing with a team that would have then immediately moved him with retention to help on the salary cap front. Montreal was believed to be a possibility as a team that would have facilitated the move. While that one obviously won’t happen (Klingberg signed with Anaheim last month), it’s a sign that GM Ken Holland is still looking to upgrade his back end.
Elsewhere in the West:
- There remains no date set for the resumption of Evander Kane’s grievance hearing, relays Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). The Sharks terminated Kane’s deal last season citing a breach of contract, permitting him to become an unrestricted free agent. He signed with the Oilers for the stretch run and then inked a four-year, $20.5MM deal before free agency began to stay there but it remains to be seen what would happen if his original contract (which still had three years left at a $7MM AAV) was to be reinstated as a result of the grievance.
- In a separate tweet, Pashelka notes that discussions are ongoing between the team and RFA forward Jonah Gadjovich. The 23-year-old is San Jose’s last restricted free agent and is coming off a year that saw him pick up just three points in 43 games. The Sharks tendered him a two-way qualifying offer worth just under $875K last month but Gadjovich might be willing to sign for less than that in exchange for a one-way contract.
- Thomas Drance of The Athletic examines (subscription link) some of the challenges that the Canucks will be facing in order to place Micheal Ferland on in-season LTIR in 2022-23. While Vancouver has several waiver-exempt players, their performance bonuses make the simplest idea of papering them down for a day not practical. Accordingly, they might have to waive some roster players late in training camp to make the finances work. Offseason LTIR is an option but most teams prefer to avoid that route and make an in-season placement but that will be a bit of a challenge for them.
Alexandre Texier Signs In Switzerland
A day after the Blue Jackets revealed that forward Alexandre Texier would not be suiting up for them this season citing a need to be closer to family, he has found his team for the upcoming season as Zurich of the Swiss NLA announced they’ve inked Texier to a one-year deal.
The 22-year-old got off to a good start last season, notching 11 goals and nine assists in 36 games, already career bests. However, he suffered a finger injury back in January and then before he could return, he was granted a leave of absence from the team in March following a pair of deaths in the family. Texier did suit up for France at the World Championship in May where he picked up five points in seven games.
Officially, Texier is under suspension by Columbus which allowed them to bypass needing to pass him through waivers in order to loan him overseas. As such, the Blue Jackets will toll his existing contract which has one year left on it which will now cover the 2023-24 campaign. Between that and an agreement that also included the NHL and the NHLPA, Texier will now be able to play much closer to home to be closer to his family as he joins Zurich who intends to use him at both center and the wing next season.
Minor Transactions 08/25/22
We’re inching closer to the opening of NHL training camps, and most teams have finalized their offseason work. That being said, there are still some players looking for a spot for next season, especially in minor leagues and in Europe. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Luka Burzan, a sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche at the 2019 draft, signed a one-year AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per a team announcement. Burzan, 22, spent most of last season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, scoring 31 points in 41 games. Burzan is a former star WHL forward who should help improve the Phantoms’ forward depth and help them get a bit younger.
- The ECHL’s Florida Everblades announced the signing of defenseman Cole Moberg to a one-year contract. Moberg, 21, was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. After turning pro with the Rockford IceHogs in 2020-21, Moberg split last season between the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. The six-foot-three defenseman will look to have a strong year with the reigning ECHL champions and hope that will lead him to an AHL deal for 2023-24.
- The Hershey Bears announced that they’ve signed forward Shane Gersich to a one-year AHL contract. Gersich has been with the Bears for the past four seasons, and has 90 points in 224 career AHL games.
- The ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks announced the signings of two players today: forwards Austin Alger and Geoff Kitt. Alger, 24, turned pro last season after a five-year collegiate career, and got into five games with the Idaho Steelheads. Kitt, 25, was the captain of Mercyhurst College last season and will make his professional debut with the Mavericks next season.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Dallas Stars Sign Francesco Arcuri
The Dallas Stars have inked one of their prospects in advance of training camp, signing winger Francesco Arcuri to a three-year entry-level deal, per a team announcement. CapFriendly reports that the deal carries an AAV of just over $841K and breaks down as follows:
2022-23: $750K salary, $75K signing bonus, $10.5K junior salary
2023-24: $775K salary, $75K signing bonus
2024-25: $775K salary, $75K signing bonus
Arcuri, 19, was the Stars’ sixth-round choice at the 2021 draft, going 175th overall. Arcuri was one of the OHL players whose draft season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL season. Arcuri spent 2020-21 with Steel Wings Linz in the AlpsHL, scoring 15 points in 18 games there. Arcuri returned to the OHL for his 2021-22 season and had a strong year, scoring 34 goals and 74 points in 66 games.
The signing of this contract technically allows the Stars to have Arcuri in the picture for an NHL role this season, but that’s extremely unlikely to be their plan with him. Instead, he’ll likely head back to Kingston for another year in juniors.
It’s far from a given for a sixth-round pick to earn an entry-level deal, so getting his is a genuine achievement for Arcuri. Once he turns pro he’ll likely require seasoning at the AHL level with the Texas Stars, and now armed with this entry-level deal he’s secured at least the next three years of his hockey future in the Stars’ organization.
Offseason Notes: Stastny, Babcock, Kraken Hires
The Carolina Hurricanes solidified their situation down the middle with the addition of veteran center Paul Stastny on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. With the departure of Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers, the Hurricanes’ center corps is relatively unsettled. Armed with an eight-year, $4.82MM AAV contract, 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi will likely receive the first crack at replacing Trocheck as the Hurricanes’ second-line center. But if Kotkaniemi struggles in that role, look for Stastny to fill in and provide his usual steady production. With that possibility in mind, it seems this Stastny signing, while for a relatively cheap cap number, is actually quite important to the Hurricanes’ success next season.
It appears that Stastny understands that reality as well. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that Stastny “took less money” than he was being offered from elsewhere in order to sign in Carolina. One possible suitor for Stastny that was presumably offering more money that Friedman specifically names is the Vegas Golden Knights. Stastny’s fit with the Golden Knights is less obvious, as the team already has Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Nicolas Roy entrenched as the top-three centers, and Chandler Stephenson waiting in the wings to play center in case of an injury. So, based on this reporting, it seems Stastny prioritized fit over maximizing his contract’s value as a free agent, which indicates how important he could be to the Hurricanes if Kotkaniemi fails to take a step forward in his development.
Now, for some other notes regarding offseason news across hockey:
- Former Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock resigned today from his post as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team. Babcock, who last coached in the NHL in 2019-20 and was once considered one of the top coaches in the game, spent a season under the helm for the Huskies and went 14-9. Babcock’s name last surfaced in the mix for NHL jobs in 2020, when he reportedly interviewed for the then-vacant Washington Capitals head coaching job.
- The Seattle Kraken announced some notable additions to their hockey operations staff today, hiring former San Jose Sharks head of amateur scouting Doug Wilson Jr. as an amateur scout, and former NHLer Frans Nielsen as a player development consultant. The Kraken are loaded with picks for the 2023 draft class, so adding an experienced scout like Wilson will only help in their efforts to build a contender. Additionally, Nielsen brings nearly 1,000 NHL games of experience to the Kraken’s development team and should especially help with their crop of young centers headlined by Shane Wright and Matthew Beniers.
Golden Knights Notes: Goalie Tandem, Lehner, Hague
Following last night’s signing of Phil Kessel to a one-year deal, Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media and answered questions on a wide variety of topics. One of the most pressing topics he addressed was the team’s goaltending. As relayed by The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, McCrimmon stated that the team will run a goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit for the entirety of next season, if possible. McCrimmon elaborated on that decision, stating that the timing of Lehner’s surgery all but made adding a goalie through free agency impossible and that the organization believes that this tandem can get them where they want to go.
For a team that is desperate to return to the playoffs next season, a Thompson-Brossoit tandem seems like a risk, at least on paper. Thompson, 25, did nearly single-handedly save the Golden Knights’ playoff hopes last spring but has just 20 NHL contests under his belt. Brossoit, 29, has served as a lightly-used backup goalie for the past few seasons, and is currently rehabbing from hip surgery. McCrimmon stated that Brossoit’s rehab has been going well and that he should be ready early next season, if he’s not ready for opening night, but even at full health this tandem is one that carries significant downside risk. With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the Golden Knights’ hopes for next season will rest on Thompson’s shoulders.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Golden Knights:
- The goalie previously slated to be the Golden Knights’ starter, Robin Lehner, will miss the entirety of next season after undergoing hip surgery. Today McCrimmon elaborated on the nature of Lehner’s operation, stating that he is undergoing double hip surgery and has already had the procedure on one of his hips. Much has been made of the difficulties goaltenders face when recovering from hip ailments, and one has to assume that recovering from double hip surgery is even more difficult. But with all the talent Lehner possesses, his recovery from these injuries will be extremely important to the future of the Golden Knights.
- One other topic McCrimmon touched in his press conference is the status of restricted free agent defenseman Nicolas Hague. Hague is coming off of a two-year stretch where he has established himself as a quality NHLer, and is undoubtedly looking for a contract that reflects his newly-proven value. McCrimmon stated that “priority number-one” for this offseason is getting Hague under a contract, and with Lehner now set to hit long-term injured reserve he should have the necessary wiggle room under the cap to get a deal done. Given the Golden Knights’ ever-present need for salary-cap space (even with Lehner’s eventual placement on LTIR) a bridge deal could make the most sense, though one cannot rule out a long-term pact. The Golden Knights have previously shown a willingness to lock-up young blueliners to long-term pacts, as they did with Zach Whitecloud, so perhaps Hague receives a similar (albeit likely more expensive) deal.
Calgary Flames Announce ECHL Affiliation
The ECHL’s Rapid City Rush announced today that they have reached a “multi-year agreement” with the Calgary Flames organization to serve as their ECHL affiliate. This news is today’s third announcement of new NHL-ECHL affiliation agreements. Flames assistant GM Brad Pascall gave the following statement as part of the announcement:
The Calgary Flames are pleased to reach an affiliate agreement with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Our organization prides itself on its ability to develop young prospects and was seeking a team with great ownership like Rapid City that shares our principles and objectives regarding player development. This affiliation with a hockey city like Rapid City, led by general manager and head coach Scott Burt, will be a great fit with the Calgary Flames.
The Flames have a new location for their AHL affiliate this season, with the new Calgary-based Wranglers coming into the fold. Now they have a new ECHL affiliate to pair with the Wranglers as part of their player development plan. The Rush spent the past three seasons as the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, who earlier today announced an agreement with the Atlanta Gladiators.
The ECHL is generally considered to be most relevant to NHL clubs as a place to develop goaltenders. The Flames’ goaltending situation throughout their organization is relatively clear-cut. As a result, the Rush are, at least at this point, unlikely to play a large part in the team’s player development plans for next season.
Goaltenders Dustin Wolf and Oscar Dansk are clearly entrenched as the Wranglers’ tandem, and Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar are the same in Calgary. That being said, this is a multi-year agreement, per the announcement, so fans in Calgary should expect to see some prospects eventually don a Rush jersey as they look to climb the pro ladder as a member of the Flames organization.
San Jose Sharks Announce ECHL Affiliation
Another NHL team has revealed their ECHL affiliation for next season. The San Jose Sharks announced today that they have reached an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Wichita Thunder. Sharks assistant GM Joe Will gave the following statement as part of the announcement:
We’re looking forward to working with the Wichita Thunder, including Head Coach Bruce Ramsay and General Manager Joel T. Lomurno. Having a solid affiliation in the ECHL is important to our player development plan and the ECHL has a solid track record with preparing prospects for their NHL and AHL careers.
The Thunder were previously the affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, serving in that role from 2017-2022. The Sharks have not had an ECHL affiliate since 2018, when they were in an agreement with the Allen Americans, a partnership that ran from 2015-2018.
The Sharks currently have three goalies on their projected NHL roster and four goalies that figure to be in contention for AHL minutes, meaning it’s entirely possible that a Sharks goalie prospect could spend time in Wichita next season. The Thunder went 27-36-9 and will hope that this change in NHL affiliate will help turn around the team’s fortunes for next season.
Arizona Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliation
Another NHL-ECHL partnership has been announced, this time with the Arizona Coyotes and the Atlanta Gladiators. Per the Coyotes’ announcement, the Gladiators will serve as the team’s ECHL affiliate for the 2022-23 season. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong gave the following statement regarding the partnership:
We are very pleased to once again partner with the Atlanta Gladiators as our new ECHL affiliate. The Gladiators are a first-class organization with a loyal and passionate fan base. We look forward to working with Gladiators President Jerry James and Head Coach Jeff Pyle this season.
This news marks the second time the Coyotes have partnered with the Gladiators as their ECHL affiliate. Atlanta was previously the Coyotes’ ECHL farm team from 2011-2015.
The ECHL isn’t a place where NHL clubs typically prefer to send their prospects to develop, but that doesn’t mean that these affiliation agreements aren’t notable. Goalies in particular most often find themselves getting game action at the ECHL level, and experienced netminders such as Philipp Grubauer and Jonathan Quick saw their first professional action in North American professional hockey’s third-tier league.
Assuming netminder Jon Gilles wins the job as backup to Karel Vejmelka in Arizona, (which is far from certain, of course) the Coyotes could opt to have 22-year-old prospect goalie David Tendeck work as the starter in Atlanta rather than see the ice less often as Ivan Prosvetov‘s backup in AHL Tucson.