Expansion Draft Issues At The Trade Deadline: Defense and Goaltending
This trade season is one like never before. The addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and the Expansion Draft that goes along with it add a whole other layer to trade-making this year. With each and every transaction, the expansion draft protection formula can change. Even in 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets were welcomed into the league, the expansion rules were not a strict and general managers did not have to be as paranoid about their moves. This time around, everything is different. What does it all mean? For fans, there is a real possibility that this could be the quietest Trade Deadline in recent memory. Buyers interested in impending free agent rentals may not have to worry about the draft implications, but the sellers potentially taking back roster players with term certainly do. Trading is hard enough, especially in a season with very few teams significantly out of the playoff race, and expansion will only increase those barriers. Luckily, there are several teams that need to make moves prior to the deadline or they could risk being in very sticky situations when the Knights get ready to make their selections. With teams like the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Anaheim Ducks, who have so much talented, veteran depth at multiple positions, there is really not much that they can do; they’re going to lose a good player. For others, a sensible contract extension can solve all of their problems. However, for these teams, making a trade before it’s too late may be exactly what they need:
Calgary Flames – Defensemen
As currently constituted, the Flames would be forced to expose a great defenseman in the Expansion Draft. Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton are clearly the three blue liners that Calgary wants to protect from exposure. However, they are also the only three that meet the “40/70” mandate of having a player with term on their contact who has played 40 games this season or 70 games combined over the last two seasons. Each team is required to expose one defenseman that meets these qualifications, but the Flames don’t have one outside of their core three. Both Dennis Wideman and Deryk Engelland meet the game totals, but are unrestricted free agents. Jyrki Jokipakka is an unrestricted free agent. No other defenseman in the entire organization who has played more than two pro seasons is signed beyond 2017. The Flames only option right now, assuming they have no interest in bringing Wideman or Engelland back, is to extend Jokipakka for the purpose of making him available by the June 21st draft date. However, if they want to take their time negotiating a new deal with the centerpiece of their return for Kris Russell, or if they’re worried that he is more likely to be selected with a new deal than as a free agent, the Flames must look to strike a deal for a qualifying defenseman. They will need blue line help this off-season anyway, so look for Calgary to be major players in quality veteran defenseman with term, should any hit the market.
Carolina Hurricanes – Defensemen
Carolina is in a similar position to Calgary, but don’t even have a choice of three defensemen to choose from if they don’t make a change; the Hurricanes would have to expose (and would surely lose) All-Star Justin Faulk. That, of course, won’t happen, but the ‘Canes must make a move to avoid it. Carolina’s highly-touted young defense is actually what creates this problem. Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Noah Hanifin are all amazingly still in their second pro seasons and exempt from selection. Ron Hainsey is an unrestricted free agent and a prime trade candidate. That leaves three others who could possibly fit the bill for GM Ron Francis. 23-year-old Ryan Murphy has a year left on his contract, but remains 24 games shy of reaching the 40/70 benchmark. Would the Hurricanes play Murphy, who has all but been cast aside in Carolina, for the remainder of the season just to expose him? The other option is to extend an impending free agent like Klas Dahlbeck, who otherwise qualifies, or Matt Tennyson, who needs just ten more games to reach the mark. Neither is likely to be selected by Vegas, but would at least cover the requirement for the ‘Canes. The question then becomes whether the team is willing to extend either one when they are so loaded with young talent on the blue line that they would rather not have blocked by mediocre players. Acquiring a qualifying defenseman who presents an upgrade over the pair, but not a surefire expansion pick may make more sense.
Philadelphia Flyers – Goalies
As has been touched on before, teams with goalie qualification problems have been easy to spot this season. Goaltenders don’t have a games-played mandate for exposure, but must have term on their contracts. Going into this season, the Montreal Canadiens had no protection for Carey Price, but fixed that by giving backup Al Montoya an extension, and the Anaheim Ducks had plenty of goalies, but none that qualified other than John Gibson until they extended AHL keeper Dustin Tokarski. The Minnesota Wild decided to follow in the Ducks’ footsteps recently, protecting Devan Dubnyk by extending Alex Stalock rather than backup Darcy Kuemper. That leaves just one team, the Flyers, with goalie problems (what else is new). Their situation is unique though, as Philadelphia is not looking to protect a starter by re-signing or acquiring a backup. Instead, they need to protect prospect Anthony Stolarz. With Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth set to become unrestricted free agents, Stolarz is the only keeper in the system who qualifies for exposure, and Vegas would surely jump on the promising young goaltender. However, neither Mason nor Neuvirth have played nearly well enough this season to warrant an extension of starter-level money, especially when both would be unlikely to be selected in the draft. The Flyers have few options though, as they don’t want to spend substantial trade capital on a new starter for the future, only to watch him be selected by the Knights. The Flyers are likely scouring the NHL for backup-caliber goalies with term on their contracts and on teams who have the flexibility to move them. It’s a narrow search, and if no deal can be made, Philadelphia will have little choice but to overpay to bring back one of their underwhelming NHL keepers.
Stay tuned next week for Part II: Forwards, featuring six more troubled teams
Trade Candidate: Michael Del Zotto
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Coming off an injury-plagued 2015-16 season, Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto was looking to not only stay healthy but show more offensive consistency as he headed into the walk year of his contract. Neither of those have happened which is why he’s a candidate to be traded by the deadline even though Philadelphia currently finds themselves in a playoff spot.
Contract
One year, $3.875MM cap hit, $4MM salary – Will be a UFA in July.
2016-17
Things couldn’t have gotten off to much worse of a start for Del Zotto who suffered a lower body injury late in training camp that resulted in him being placed on LTIR to start the season, where he missed 12 games. Once he returned to the lineup, he made an early strong impression at the offensive end, picking up nine points in his first 15 games.
Unfortunately for him and the Flyers, it hasn’t been anywhere near as rosy since then. In his last 15 outings, he has just a single assist and has spent time as a healthy scratch while the team has floundered in the standings.
Overall, his role has decreased compared to last year as well. He’s averaging nearly four minutes less per game and instead of being a top pairing player regularly, he has spent a lot of time on the third pairing.
Season Stats
30 GP, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, -10 rating, 16 PIMS, 19:35 ATOI, 49.2 CF%
Potential Suitors
Although Del Zotto is not having a great season, there should still be several teams with some interest in him as quality puck moving blueliners are typically something a lot of squads will be looking to add for a stretch run. That said, his play will have those teams viewing him as more of a depth option than a sure fire top four player.
The Senators are a team that could have a use for the 26 year old in a third pairing spot and they do have the cap space to make a move. However, they are one of the lower spending teams by design and may not have the budgetary space to take on his salary. Columbus may also be a team that could have some interest as they don’t have the deepest back and head coach John Tortorella doesn’t play his bottom pairing blueliners too much; adding someone like Del Zotto who can eat some minutes while lengthening out their back end would be a prudent move. They also have the cap space to take him on.
Out West, Chicago has a definite need to add defensive depth but their cap situation would make a trade a considerable challenge. If St. Louis decides to move out pending UFA Kevin Shattenkirk for help up front or in goal, they could be a potential dark horse candidate as well as there are some similar characteristics between the two; he would give them a mobile replacement that can take a shift on the power play as well.
Likelihood Of A Trade
A lot will be determined by how the Flyers fare in the next month. If they remain firmly in the playoff hunt, they may opt to hold onto Del Zotto. It doesn’t seem likely at this point that he will be back with the team given his struggles this season so they could opt to move him anyways to ensure they get something now rather than lose him for nothing in July. If Philly drops out of the playoff picture though, he becomes a player that would be very likely to move.
Snapshots: Three Stars, All-Star Game, Jersey Ads
The NHL has named Wayne Simmonds, Patrick Marleau, and Frederik Andersen as its Three Stars of the Week.
Simmonds scored two goals in two games, including a game winner, in the abbreviated schedule before the All-Star weekend. He was then named MVP of the All-Star Game with three goals in two games as his Metropolitan Division won the weekend. Simmonds has 21 goals this season, good for ninth in the NHL.
Marleau began the week in spectacular fashion, scoring four goals in the third period of a 5-2 win over the lowly Colorado Avalanche. He is just the twelfth player in NHL history to accomplish that feat, and the first to do so since Mario Lemieux did it in January 1997. Marleau had another goal and assist in the Sharks 4-3 win over Winnipeg and 4-1 loss to Edmonton, respectively. He now has 17 goals on the season.
Andersen had back-to-back shutouts in his two appearances last week. He made 26 saves in a 4-0 blanking of the Calgary Flames and 22 saves in another 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Andersen has a 21-10-8 record to go with his 0.921 SV% and three shutouts in his first season with the Maple Leafs.
- The second year of the new All-Star Game format was very popular, according to NBC Sports. In a series of tweets, NBC Sports PR reported the ratings were up dramatically over the 2015-16 edition of the game. The NHL switched from the previous format of two voted captains picking teams out of the players selected to a three-on-three tournament with all four divisions facing off for the prize money. Prior versions included Eastern Conference vs Western Conference and North America vs World.
- Fear not, NHL jersey purists. The NHL is not considering putting ads on jerseys, despite having ads on the shoulders of the jerseys at September’s World Cup of Hockey. However, Commissioner Gary Bettman believes there’s a difference between the jerseys at the World Cup and the NHL teams’ sweaters. Bettman commented on the issue during All-Star Weekend, saying “it’s not an active discussion among NHL clubs. I always said we wouldn’t be first… The NBA is doing it. But it would take an unusual circumstance – which I would define as ‘a lot of money that I’m having trouble comprehending right now’ – for us to even be thinking about it.” Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshnyski writes that Bettman “understands the levels of fan backlash if the advertising became too ungainly.”
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Eddie Lack From Conditioning Stint
The last time Eddie Lack suited up for the Carolina Hurricanes, it was still two weeks before Thanksgiving and the season was barely underway. After two games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, he’s back in Raleigh and ready to help the team in their quest for the playoffs. Lack was concussed back in November and has been on injured reserve while the team had a carousel of netminders back up Cam Ward.
He’s back now, and hoping to get back to the level he showed in 2014-15 with the Vancouver Canucks. The Hurricanes gave up a third and seventh round selection for Lack two years ago, hoping that he could grow into at least a part-time starter with Ward. Instead, he regressed last season to a .901 save percentage and was off to an even worse start before going down with the concussion.
In his two starts with Charlotte, he allowed just three goals on 62 shots (an impressive .952 save percentage) and hopes to carry that momentum up to the NHL. The Hurricanes could use it, as they currently sit seven points back of a playoff spot and fading fast. Mired in a five-game losing skid, the team will need to really turn it around in the second half if they want to pose any threat to Philadelphia, Toronto and the rest of the Wild Card chasing teams. Carolina will take on those Flyers on Tuesday in a game that could really define their season’s next chapter.
Trade Currency: Surplus Draft Picks
Trade time is upon us, with the NHL deadline coming just a month from now. While the players take a few days off for the All-Star break, front offices are busy setting up a plan for the next few weeks – unless you’re Joe Sakic that is, who took part in the Celebrity Shootout this afternoon and tapped in a goal.
One of the things team’s use most during this time to add depth to their teams are draft picks. Last year, 13 picks changed hands on deadline day itself, with another handful in the days prior. For teams looking to add for a playoff run, draft picks feel much easier to part with than roster players.
Going into this deadline, some teams have more picks accumulated from prior deals to work with. Here is a breakdown of a few teams that might be buyers, and have extra 2017 picks to dangle in trade talks.
Carolina Hurricanes – New York Rangers’ 2nd-round selection, New Jersey’s 3rd-round selection.
Carolina acquired the Rangers’ second-rounder when they dealt Eric Staal at the deadline last year. The Devils’ third-rounder is one that came with conditions, though they were likely met when Andrei Loktionov went back to the KHL. The Hurricanes could use some help if they’re going to catch anyone in the Metropolitan division.
Chicago Blackhawks – Carolina’s 5th-round selection, St. Louis’ 5th-round selection, New York Islanders’ 6th-round selection.
The Blackhawks will be using anything they can to add at the deadline, meaning these three extra picks could come in handy. They could also use them to beef up a farm system that has continued to develop replacements for players lost to salary cap crunches.
Edmonton Oilers – St. Louis’ 3rd-round selection, Vancouver’s 5th-round selection
Both extra picks the Oilers have are conditional, but unless Nail Yakupov has a tremendous second-half, it looks like neither will change from this season. A team that hasn’t been a buyer in a long time, they have enough young players to sacrifice some draft talent.
Montreal Canadiens – Washington’s 2nd-round selection.
The Habs got a couple of second-round picks when they moved Lars Eller this summer, meaning they’ll have some extra currency when the deadline comes around. It’ll be interesting to see if Montreal uses their draft picks instead of prospect capital to make a move at the deadline.
Philadelphia Flyers – Boston’s 3rd-round selection, Philadelphia’s 4th-round selection.
The Flyers have had a rough stretch after starting so well, but after beating the Maple Leafs on Thursday night are currently back in a playoff spot. If they decide that they can still push, they could use these extra picks in a package. Goaltending and defense is on their mind, but they’d obviously have to include more than the mid-round picks.
Toronto Maple Leafs – San Jose’s 2nd-round pick, Ottawa’s 2nd-round pick.
The Maple Leafs already owe Anaheim one of the two picks from the Frederik Andersen trade last summer, but could still use the other one to help them back into the playoffs for the first time since the shortened season. The Shanaplan says to build slow through the draft, but with the extra pick the team could add some veteran depth to a blueline that still has trouble defending.
Snapshots: Duchene, Fleury, Philadelphia, Wisniewski
After Matt Duchene set the hockey hot-stove on fire this morning when he reportedly told media he was open to the idea of a trade, Darren Dreger confirmed as much on TSN’s Insider Trading. Dreger reports that though Duchene is open to a deal, he hasn’t formally asked for one and GM Joe Sakic may wait until the summer to move the talented forward. Though he would likely command a hefty sum right now, the team might be able to pry an even greater package away in the summer when teams have a little more cap flexibility.
While it’s not guaranteed that this season will be Duchene’s last in Colorado, it is certainly seeming more likely. The former third-overall pick has had an up-and-down career in the NHL but certainly has the offensive talent to be a contributor for any team.
- In the same TSN segment, Bob McKenzie spoke about the growing frustration for Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh. The former first-overall pick hasn’t played in the last seven games for the Penguins and is starting to be considered the back up. With a no-movement clause in his contract, Fleury currently has control of his future. If he doesn’t waive it, the Penguins would be forced to protect him instead of Matt Murray in the expansion draft. If Murray was available, Las Vegas would surely select him (unless a deal was made behind the scenes) making Fleury the starter again. But since the team clearly doesn’t want him as the full-time starter any more, perhaps he’ll agree to a trade in-season or before the draft to move somewhere else around the league.
- McKenzie also reported on the Philadelphia goaltender situation, which is currently unresolved long-term. While the team has Anthony Stolarz looking closer and closer to providing NHL netminding, they have had talks about extending one of Steve Mason or Michal Neuvirth at some point before the expansion draft. The team is likely to wait until they have to though, with neither netminder really showing they deserve a long-term deal. If the Penguins weren’t bitter rivals of the Flyers, one might suggest that the two could be trading partners for the frustrated Fleury. The summer looks like it will have a handful of starting goaltender candidates available however, with Ben Bishop leading the way as an unrestricted free agent. If Philadelphia wants to move on from the Mason-Neuvirth combo, they could wait to see what is available after the season.
- Dreger added in a separate tweet that James Wisniewski has signed a 25-game tryout with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. “The Wiz” was playing in the KHL after not being able to secure and NHL deal this summer. The former Blackhaws, Ducks, Canadiens, Islanders, Blue Jackets and Hurricanes defenseman was once a premiere right-handed puck mover in the NHL but injuries have limited his thirties to less than a full season of games. Chicago is the AHL squad of the St. Louis Blues, who may lose a right-handed defensemen in the next month in Kevin Shattenkirk. While Wisniewski is by no means a replacement for Shattenkirk, he does add some depth on the right side should he be able to find even a sliver of his former NHL talent.
Snapshots: First Round Picks, Pouliot, Stoll, Streit
With more and more teams getting tighter to the salary cap, draft picks have become quite an important commodity. In recent years, most teams have been unwilling to part with their first rounders as those picks are expected to serve as cheap talent before too long. As a result of what’s expected to be a weaker draft class, that may not be the case this season, suggests ESPN’s Craig Custance (Insider required).
A pair of executives suggested to Custance that they’d be willing to part with their first round pick this year but only if they’re getting someone under contract or team control beyond this season.
Last year, only one first rounder was dealt at the trade deadline when Chicago dealt theirs to Winnipeg as part of the return for rental forward Andrew Ladd, a move that didn’t exactly pan out well for them. If some players with term left on their deal get moved by the deadline, we could see more first rounders changing hands over the next month or so.
Other tidbits from around the league:
- In a reader chat, Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the Penguins would be willing to move young blueliner Derrick Pouliot in a trade, something that wasn’t the case earlier. The former first round pick has not yet progressed to the point where he can be called a regular NHL defender and is in the final year of his entry level contract. He has eight points in 18 AHL games this season and has been held off the scoresheet in seven NHL contests.
- Although center Jarret Stoll is currently working in a player development capacity with the Kings, he emphasized to Puck Daddy’s Josh Cooper that he has not retired. The 34 year old split last season between the Rangers and Wild and attended training camp with the Blue Jackets on a PTO but was unable to secure a deal. However, given his prowess on the penalty kill and at the faceoff dot, he could be a serviceable replacement forward should a team get hit with some injuries up front.
- The Flyers have not made any decisions regarding their pending unrestricted free agents, GM Ron Hextall told Wayne Fish of the Burlington County Times. If Philadelphia falls out of the playoff race between now and the trade deadline, a potential rental option would be blueliner Mark Streit. While he agrees there’s not much point in opening extension talks at the moment, he indicated that he’s hoping to remain with the team: “At this point, I just want to play and I want to make it into the playoffs with the Flyers. That’s on my mind. I love it here, love playing for the Flyers.” Streit carries a cap hit of $5.25MM and has a list of ten teams that he would accept a trade to as part of his modified no-trade clause.
Breaking Down Potential Landing Spots For Kevin Shattenkirk
The trade deadline is just over a month away, and there will be a lot of names brought up as potentially on the move. Expiring contracts are the easiest to move, as teams go for a Stanley Cup run while others rebuild. The most talked about name all year and likely for the next month is Kevin Shattenkirk. The defensemen topped our mid-season list of 2017 UFAs and is having another excellent season.
It was recently reported by Darren Dreger that Shattenkirk would have interest in signing a long-term deal with Anaheim, Boston, Colorado, Detroit, New York (Rangers), San Jose, and Toronto this summer and many have suggested that one of these teams would be willing to be the top bidder at the deadline if they were able to work out an extension with him prior to the deal.
It doesn’t really make sense for some of these teams to make the deal, though the way the Eastern Conference is so tightly packed, everyone might think adding an elite right-handed defenseman would push them into a playoff spot.
A similar deal was made two years ago, when Keith Yandle was dealt to the Rangers. Though Yandle had one more year on his deal, he was a similarly productive offensive defensemen who logged huge minutes. The Rangers had to give up a young sniper in 19-year old Anthony Duclair, a (conditional) first-round pick and a second-round pick. The Rangers would go all the way to the Conference Finals that year, but get bounced out the next in the first round. Recouping some of their lost assets, they dealt Yandle’s rights to Florida where he signed long-term.
For Shattenkirk, imagine a slightly reduced package (unless an extension is reached) but still with substantial assets. Here are some Eastern Conference options for the Blues’ alternate captain.
New York Rangers
Would the Rangers go after another big-named defenseman at the deadline? Shattenkirk is from the area and many people believe they’re the early front-runners for his services this summer. The Rangers haven’t selected a player in the first-round since 2012, and if they go after the Blues’ defenseman they likely won’t this year either. Shattenkirk would look nice skating alongside captain Ryan McDonagh, but the team may not want to part with any young talent or high draft picks again this year.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are slumping hard, losing again today 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Acquiring Shattenkirk may be a fun idea, but it likely wouldn’t be enough to fix everything that’s going wrong right now. It’s unclear who they’d even waive as bait, with Brandon Carlo being their best trade chip. Moving out a young right-handed defenseman for a rental doesn’t sound like the best managing.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs surprised everyone this year by being in the playoff hunt through the first half. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have played better than anyone expected in their rookie seasons, and their secondary scoring has been consistent. They do have a huge hole on the right side of their defense, but all signs point to Brendan Shanahan and company sticking to the rebuild and not giving up young assets. They may be a player in the summer for his services, but it would be shocking to see them move a pick or prospect for him in-season.
Philadelphia Flyers
If Philly wants to make the playoffs this year, they have to do something with their defense corps. After a scorching hot start, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the league the last month or so and can’t seem to keep the puck out of their own net. Shattenkirk would perhaps help them more than any other team, as currently Radko Gudas is their only right-handed defenseman.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Yes, the Penguins already have a stud who plays on the right side, but Kris Letang has been injured for much of the year. A team who often makes a big splash at the deadline for the playoffs, they currently have Justin Schultz, Chad Ruhwedel and Steve Oleksy playing the right side. Though Schultz is having a career season, the playoffs are a different story. The Penguins shouldn’t be considered anything more than a dark horse in the Shattenkirk sweepstakes, but it would be an interesting fit to be sure.
Metro Division Snapshots: Capuano, Dumoulin, Morin
It would seem that less than a week after being fired as head coach of the New York Islanders, Jack Capuano is already garnering interest from at least one other NHL club, as Arthur Staple of Newsday reports. Two sources have indicated that one team has already reached out to the team seeking permission to interview Capuano, who was relieved of his duties after nearly 500 games behind the Islanders bench. Aside from the Isles, the only other teams that would appear to be in the market for a new bench boss are Florida, who discharged Gerard Gallant from his duties nearly two months ago, and the Vegas Golden Knights, who have yet to make their first head coaching hire.
Before assuming his current position as GM of the expansion Golden Knights, George McPhee spent the 2015-16 campaign in an advisory position with the Islanders, a connection Staple notes in his column. That relationship would likely be enough to warrant at least an interview, but ultimately Cappy will be one of many candidates the team considers.
Ironically, the Islanders reportedly asked for permission to speak with Gallant, and as Staple writes, that request evidently came prior to the team officially terminating Capuano.
Elsewhere in the Metro Division:
- Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, out since December 27th due to a broken jaw, has returned to practice and has officially been cleared for contact, writes Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There is still no timetable for his return to game action but the fact he is back on the ice with no limitations suggests it shouldn’t be much longer. In fact, Nesbitt’s Post-Gazette colleague, Dave Molinari, relays that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said the blue liner could return prior to next weekend’s All-Star break. He was originally expected to miss from four to six weeks and as Nesbitt notes, Dumoulin is in the fourth week of rehab. Dumoulin has seven points, all assists, in 35 games this season and averages 19:45 of ice time per game for the Penguins.
- With the Philadelphia Flyers struggling in the goal-prevention department – they have allowed the fourth highest total in the NHL – Sam Carchidi of Philly.com suggests the team’s blue line could use some bite. Carchidi’s recommendation is to call up young defenseman Samuel Morin, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, and who the scribe likens to former Flyer Chris Pronger. When Philadelphia acquired Pronger via trade, then-GM Paul Holmgren said he was targeting someone who “would make life miserable for the other team,” and Carchidi sees that same potential in Morin. Obviously, any comparison to a Hall of Fame defenseman is premature, but Carchidi thinks the 6-foot-6 blue liner can provide that same level of toughness and snarl that Pronger did throughout his career. Even if the team elects not to promote Morin to the big league team, it’s conceivable the Flyers will look to add some toughness to their blue line ahead of the deadline.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Ninth 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 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)
26th Overall: Benoit Pouliot (Calgary Flames)
27th Overall: Vladimir Sobotka (Washington Capitals)
28th Overall: Devin Setoguchi (Dallas Stars)
Now we move forward to the 29th pick, which was held by the Philadelphia Flyers.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
Back in 2005, the Flyers selected Downie, an undersized power forward out of Windsor of the OHL. It wasn’t long before some controversy started as a well-publicized hazing incident with the Spitfires eventually resulted in Downie being suspended by the team and ultimately getting dealt.
He made quite the impression in his rookie season at the professional level, putting up 17 points in 21 AHL games while getting into 32 games with Philadelphia. It wasn’t all good news though as Downie also received a 20 game suspension for an illegal hit in that preseason. He didn’t last too much longer with the Flyers as in November of 2008, he was dealt to Tampa Bay as part of a trade to bring the recently-retired Matt Carle to Philly.
Downie spent parts of four seasons with the Lightning and had the best season of his career in 2009-10, collecting 46 points. In 2012, he was flipped to Colorado for blueliner Kyle Quincey (who was immediately flipped to Detroit with Tampa landing a first rounder that was used on goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy) where injuries really started to take their toll.
After being traded back to Philadelphia in 2013, Downie started to bounce around. He finished that season with the Flyers before moving to Pittsburgh where he lasted one season before joining the Coyotes. Downie cleared waivers last season, finishing the year in the minors and did not sign anywhere this past summer.
Although his career is largely remembered for a lack of discipline at times (on top of the suspensions, he had over 1,000 penalty minutes), Downie is currently the 19th highest scorer from this draft class, collecting 196 points in 434 career games.
With the 29th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Flyers select? Cast your vote below!
With the 29th overall pick, the Philadelphia Flyers select...
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Mason Raymond 25% (106)
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Steve Downie 23% (99)
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Sergei Kostitsyn 22% (93)
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Jakub Kindl 9% (39)
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Nathan Gerbe 9% (37)
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Jared Boll 5% (21)
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Jack Skille 4% (19)
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Gilbert Brule 3% (11)
Total votes: 425
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