BY ALEX FLETCHER – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
In the weeks leading up to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Fan Fuel is re-drafting the first round of the six NHL drafts that took place from 2000 through 2005. The rankings in these blogs attempt to answer this question: If the draft could be redone today, in the same order it was done back then, and all teams selected the best player available, how would the first round go?
Today: the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
1. New York Islanders – Henrik Lundqvist, G
Oh, how different things might be if Lundqvist were a member of the other New York team. The Swedish goaltender has recorded more wins than the Islanders in each of the past five seasons, and he maintains a world-class career save percentage of 0.920.
Lundqvist’s actual draft position: No. 205
New York’s actual pick: Rick DiPietro, G
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2. Winnipeg Jets – Marian Gaborik, F
Long known as a lightning-quick sniper who can’t avoid the injury bug, Gaborik finally played a full 82-game season last year, finishing third in the NHL in goals (41). He is second among 2000 draftees in goals and points, and first in plus-minus.
Gaborik’s actual draft position: No. 3
Winnipeg’s actual pick: Dany Heatley, F
3. Minnesota Wild – Niklas Kronwall, D
Kronwall will never reach the calibre of teammate and fellow swede Nicklas Lidstrom, but he’s an excellent all-around defenceman and one of the most ferocious open ice hitters in the league.
Kronwall’s actual draft position: No. 29
Minnesota’s actual pick: Marian Gaborik, F
4. Columbus Blue Jackets – Dany Heatley, F
Heatley’s goal totals have dropped or remained the same every season since the lockout, but his offensive talent – especially his lethal shot – is the reason he leads 2003 draft class in goals, assists, and points.
Heatley’s actual draft position: No. 2
Columbus’ actual pick: Rostislav Klesla, D
5. New York Islanders – Scott Hartnell, F
It’s probably not fair to label Hartnell as an agitator anymore. With 37 goals, the winger was the second-highest goal-scorer in the NHL last season to also record at least 180 hits. He was also one of just three top-30 goal-scorers to notch over 100 penalty minutes.
Hartnell’s actual draft position: No. 6
New York’s actual pick: Raffi Torres, F
6. Nashville Predators – Justin Williams, F
A Cup-winner and 76-point scorer in 2005-06, Williams missed at least 33 games in each of the three seasons from 2007-08 through 2009-10. He’s been back on track the past two seasons, missing only nine games and posting 116 points.
Williams’ actual draft position: No. 28
Nashville’s actual pick: Scott Hartnell, F
7. Boston Bruins – Ilya Bryzgalov, G
Bryzgalov just finished a season with plenty of ups and downs after signing a huge contract last June. His numbers were terrible in the playoffs, but he holds a career .915 save percentage and went 10-2-1 (with four shutouts) in March.
Bryzgalov’s actual draft position: No. 44
Boston’s actual pick: Lars Jonsson, D
8. Tampa Bay Lightning – Brooks Orpik, D
Teams cannot count on Orpik for offence (he has only once scored more than 19 points in a season), but he is a consistently devastating hitter (453 over the past two seasons) and adept shut-down defenceman.
Orpik’s actual draft position: No. 18
Tampa Bay’s actual pick: Nikita Alexeev, F
9. Calgary Flames – Paul Martin, D
An all-around defenceman with the name of a former Canadian Prime Minister, Martin has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in each of his eight seasons in the NHL, and at least 23 in six of his past seven.
Martin’s actual draft position: No. 62
Calgary’s actual pick: Brent Krahn, G
10. Chicago Blackhawks – John-Michael Liles, D
Liles is second in points among defencemen drafted in 2000. He’s diminutive but nimble, and, although he isn’t relied on much for his penalty-killing prowess, he is potent on the powerplay.
Liles’ actual draft position: No. 159
Chicago’s actual pick: Mikhail Yakubov, F
11. Chicago Blackhawks (from Canucks) – Antoine Vermette, F
Vermette is undoubtedly an exceptionally fast and competent two-way forward and is great on face-offs. What is in doubt, however, is his offence. There hasn’t been a season in Vermette’s career in which his point-per-game average has been less than 0.11 (nine points per 82 games) different from the previous campaign.
Vermette’s actual draft position: No. 55
Chicago’s actual pick: Pavel Vorobiev, F
12. Anaheim Ducks – Steve Ott, F
With 1,170 penalty minutes (17th-most among active players) in just 566 NHL games and a reputation for getting under opponents’ skin, Ott is what you would consider an agitator. He can play, too, though, with a 0.52 points-per-game average over the past four seasons and a career high 18:20 minutes of average ice time last season.
Ott’s actual draft position: No. 25
Anaheim’s actual pick: Alexei Smirnov, F
13. Montreal Canadiens (from Sharks) – Lubomir Visnovsky, D
At 35, Visnovsky is old for a member of the 2000 draft class. He’s also the most gifted offensive blueliner of the crop, with nearly 150 points more than any other defenceman, including a career high of 68 in 2010-11.
Visnovsky’s actual draft position: No. 118
Montreal’s actual pick: Ron Hainsey, D
14. Colorado Avalanche – Nick Schultz, D
There isn’t a lot of flash to Schultz’s game, but he consistently logs among the most penalty-killing ice time on his team and hasn’t blocked fewer than 129 shots since the lockout.
Schultz’s actual draft position: No. 33
Colorado’s actual pick: Vaclav Nedorost, F
15. Buffalo Sabres – Jarret Stoll, F
Stoll tallied the fewest goals and the lowest point-per-game average of his eight-season NHL career last season, but he remained a face-off wizard, strong penalty-killer, and 160-plus-hit player.
Stoll’s actual draft position: No. 46
Buffalo’s actual pick: Artem Kryukov, F
16. Montreal Canadiens – Rotislav Klesla, D
This 6’3″ Czech brings several dimensions to whichever team he’s on – when he’s in the line-up, of course. Klesla has played in only 126 regular season NHL games in the past two seasons, which is pretty good considering he played in just 60 in the two prior seasons.
Klesla’s actual draft position: No. 4
Montreal’s actual pick: Marcel Hossa, F
17. Edmonton Oilers – Ron Hainsey, D
His point-per-game average has slipped for three straight years and his goal total has dropped for five consecutive campaigns, but Hainsey skates well and logs a lot of minutes (at least 21 per game in five of his six full NHL seasons).
Hainsey’s actual draft position: No. 13
Edmonton’s actual pick: Alexei Mikhnov, F
18. Pittsburgh Penguins – Tomas Kopecky, F
It’s tough to count on Kopecky for consistent offensive production, but you can certainly count on him to take the puck away from opponents more than he gives it up; his giveaway-takeaway ratio has not surpassed 0.5 in any of the past three seasons.
Kopecky’s actual draft position: No. 38
Pittsburgh’s actual pick: Brooks Orpik, D
19. Phoenix Coyotes – Brad Boyes, F
Who knows how Boyes will do next season? His 23 points last season was the lowest total of his career, but he has scored 25 or more goals and posted 65-plus points three times.
Boyes’ actual draft position: No. 24
Phoenix’s actual pick: Krys Kolanos, F
20. Los Angeles Kings – Greg Zanon, D
One of the top shot-blockers in the league, Zanon’s 136 stops last season (44th in the NHL) were by far the fewest of his career (his next-lowest total was 176 in 2007-08) – largely because he played in only 56 games due to injury.
Zanon’s actual draft position: No. 156
Los Angeles’ actual pick: Alexander Frolov, F
21. Ottawa Senators – Paul Gaustad, F
It’s not often you see a first-round draft pick dealt at the deadline for a pending unrestricted free agent with just 17 points on the season – but Gaustad’s many dimensions are apparently worth it. He hasn’t finished lower than seventh in the NHL in face-off percentage in the past three seasons.
Gaustad’s actual draft position: No. 220
Ottawa’s actual pick: Anton Volchenkov, D
22. New Jersey Devils – Matthew Lombardi, F
Last season was Lombardi’s first back from a season-long concussion; although he didn’t post 46-plus points as he has three times before, he still boasts speed and two-way ability.
Lombardi’s actual draft position: No. 215
New Jersey’s actual pick: David Hale, D
23. Vancouver Canucks – Anton Volchenkov, D
Allowing Volchenkov to handle the puck for more than two consecutive seconds is a risky endeavour. He is, however, one of the most proficient shot-blockers to ever play the game.
Volchenkov’s actual draft position: No. 21
Vancouver’s actual pick: Nathan Smith, F
24. Toronto Maple Leafs – Dominic Moore, F
Moore is a popular trade deadline acquisition: he has been dealt in February or March in four of the past six seasons. Evidently, his ability to kill penalties and contribute some offence is enticing to contending teams.
Moore’s actual draft position: No. 95
Toronto’s actual pick: Brad Boyes, F
25. Dallas Stars – Raffi Torres, F
Love him or hate him, Torres is a very good third-line winger. He maintains a career average of 18 goals per 82 games, can deliver monstrous hits, and, before last season, had only once been suspended.
Torres’ actual draft position: No. 5
Dallas’ actual pick: Steve Ott, F
26. Washington Capitals – Antti Miettinen, F
In the four seasons from 2007-08 through 2010-11, Miettinen’s point-per-game average was remarkably consistent, fluctuating from 0.48 to 0.54. It dropped to 0.29 this season, but the Finn played in just 45 NHL games after starting the year in Russia, and he racked up nine points in the final 13 games of the season.
Miettinen’s actual draft position: No. 224
Washington’s actual pick: Brian Sutherby, F
27. Boston Bruins – Kurtis Foster, D
Foster made magic on the powerplay with Steven Stamkos and co. in 2009-10, when the former notched 26 of his career-best 42 points on the powerplay. His massive point shot allows him to be a massive threat with the man-advantage.
Foster’s actual draft position: No. 40
Boston’s actual pick: Martin Samuelsson, F
28. Philadelphia Flyers – Travis Moen, F
Teams won’t get much offense out of Moen: his NHL points-per-game average has only once been higher than 0.26 (21 points per 82 games). He is a strong bottom-six forward, though, who provides leadership, penalty-killing, hits, and a handful of fights.
Moen’s actual draft position: No. 155
Philadelphia’s actual pick: Justin Williams, F
29. Detroit Red Wings – Dan Ellis, G
Ellis broke into the NHL with a fantastic 44-game season that he finished with a .924 save-percentage. He probably won’t duplicate those numbers, but he’s proven, in 165 regular season games, that he can provide reliable goaltending.
Ellis’ actual draft position: No. 60
Detroit’s actual pick: Niklas Kronwall, D
30. St. Louis Blues – Rick DiPietro, G
It’s a shame that DiPietro is the most injury-prone player in the NHL because he’s a talented goaltender. Well, I think I remember him being talented; who knows, though, given that he’s played in just 47 NHL games in the past four seasons.
DiPietro’s actual draft position: No. 1
St. Louis’ actual pick: Jeff Taffe, F
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