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 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
1. Winnipeg Jets – Jason Spezza, F
The career-long Ottawa Senator maintains the highest point-per-game average of the 2001 draft class and helped his team to a surprising playoff berth last season with 84 points, the fourth-highest total in the NHL.
Spezza’s actual draft position: No. 2
Winnipeg’s actual pick: Ilya Kovalchuk, F
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2. Ottawa Senators – Ilya Kovalchuk, F
One spot behind Spezza in the scoring race last season was Kovalchuk, who is first (by a long shot) among 2001 draftees in games played (779), goals (406), and points (785), and dead last in plus-minus (-110).
Kovalchuk’s actual draft position: No. 1
Ottawa’s actual pick: Jason Spezza, F
3. Tampa Bay Lightning – Mikko Koivu, F
A native of Finland, Koivu has captained the Minnesota Wild for three seasons and is widely considered one of the best two-way forwards in the league.
Koivu’s actual draft position: No. 6
Tampa Bay’s actual pick: Alexandr Svitov, F
4. Florida Panthers – Jason Pominville, F
Aside from his first season in the NHL, during which he scored 18 goals in 57 games, Pominville, who potted 30 this year, has notched 20 goals every year he’s been in the league – that’s six straight campaigns.
Pominville’s actual draft position: No. 55
Florida’s actual pick: Stephen Weiss, F
5. Anaheim Ducks – Patrick Sharp, F
Sharp, who is also managing a six-season streak of 20-plus goals, was rewarded last August with a five-year, $29.5 million contract that kicks in next season.
Sharp’s actual draft position: No. 95
Anaheim’s actual pick: Stanislav Chistov, F
6. Minnesota Wild – Derek Roy, F
Although his 44 points were a severe disappointment last season, this 5’9″ centre did not post a point-per-game average below 0.84 (69 points per 82 games) in any of the five previous years.
Roy’s actual draft position: No. 32
Minnesota’s actual pick: Mikko Koivu, F
7. Montreal Canadiens – Stephen Weiss, F
At the age of 29 and with 637 career NHL games under his belt, all with the Florida Panthers, Weiss and his squad made it to the playoffs last season for the first time in his career.
Weiss’ actual draft position: No. 4
Montreal’s actual pick: Mike Komisarek, D
8. Columbus Blue Jackets – Tomas Plekanec, F
One of the several excellent two-way forwards on this list, Plekanec finished second among NHL forwards in average shorthanded time on ice last season with 3:13 minutes.
Plekanec’s actual draft position: No. 71
Columbus’ actual pick: Pascal Leclaire, G
9. Chicago Blackhawks – Dan Hamhuis, D
Born in British Columbia, Hamhuis has found a home with the Vancouver Canucks, where he has led the team in average shorthanded ice time and finished no lower than third in average overall ice time in each of his two seasons.
Hamhuis’ actual draft position: No. 12
Chicago’s actual pick: Tuomo Ruutu, F
10. New York Rangers – Christian Ehrhoff, D
A teammate of Hamhuis’ in Vancouver two seasons ago, Ehrhoff and his puck-moving prowess were pried away from the Canucks over the 2011 off-season, when he signed a contract that paid him the second-highest salary ($10 million) in the NHL last season.
Ehrhoff’s actual draft position: No. 106
New York’s actual pick: Dan Blackburn, G
11. Phoenix Coyotes – Michael Cammalleri, F
Cammalleri’s sniping abilities are undeniable, but his point-per-game average has declined for three straight seasons, prompting the Montreal Canadiens to trade him away last season.
Cammalleri’s actual draft position: No. 49
Phoenix’s actual pick: Fredrik Sjostrom, F
12. Nashville Predators – Ales Hemsky, F
An ultra-talented winger, Hemsky has, for two straight seasons, reduced both the number of games he’s missed due to injury and his point-per-game average.
Hemsky’s actual draft position: No. 13
Nashville’s actual pick: Dan Hamhuis, D
13. Edmonton Oilers – Kevin Bieksa, D
Together, Bieksa and Hamhuis form a top defensive pairing for Vancouver that hits, is strong in its own end, and pitches in on offence.
Bieksa’s actual draft position: No. 151
Edmonton’s actual pick: Ales Hemsky
14. Calgary Flames – Dennis Seidenberg, D
One of the most unheralded blueliners in the NHL, Seidenberg blocks shots like there’s no tomorrow; he hasn’t finished with fewer than 151 of them in a season since 2007-08, when he only played in 47 games because of injury.
Seidenberg’s actual draft position: No. 172
Calgary’s actual pick: Chuck Kobasew
15. Carolina Hurricanes – Mike Smith, G
Perhaps the biggest bargain in free agency last off-season at a cap hit of just $2 million, Smith helped the Coyotes lower their goals-against from 220 to a supremely stingy 194.
Smith’s actual draft position: No. 161
Carolina’s actual pick: Igor Knyazev, D
16. Vancouver Canucks – Brooks Laich, F
Time and time again, the Capitals’ go-to defensive forward has made the Senators wish they hadn’t traded him (and a second-round draft pick) for 30 games of Peter Bondra in 2004.
Laich’s actual draft position: No. 193
Vancouver’s actual pick: R.J. Umberger, F
17. Toronto Maple Leafs – R.J. Umberger, F
Umberger hasn’t scored fewer than 20 goals in a season since becoming a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09, but he’s also played in just four playoff games since then.
Umberger’s actual draft position: No. 16
Toronto’s actual pick: Carlo Colaiacovo, D
18. Los Angeles Kings – Ryan Clowe, F
Clowe, a burly winger with the San Jose Sharks, has averaged 54 points in the past four seasons, but suffered a 17-point drop from 2010-11 to 2011-12.
Clowe’s actual draft position: No. 175
Los Angeles’ actual pick: Jens Karlsson, F
19. Boston Bruins – Tuomo Ruutu, F
A wrecking ball for the Carolina Hurricanes, Ruutu’s previous three years with the team were apparently sufficient to overshadow his disappointing 34 points last season and earn him a four-year, $19 million contract.
Ruutu’s actual draft position: No. 9
Boston’s actual pick: Shaone Morrisonn, D
20. San Jose Sharks – Jussi Jokinen, F
A teammate of Ruutu’s and a fellow Finn, Jokinen has recorded more shootout goals in his career than all but one NHLer (Pavel Datsyuk).
Jokinen’s actual draft position: No. 192
San Jose’s actual pick: Marcel Goc, F
21. Pittsburgh Penguins – Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, F
The latest draft pick (264th overall) on this list, it took many years for Parenteau to land a shot in the NHL, but his 67 points last season (and 129 in 188 career games) should help the playmaker stay in the NHL for a while.
Parenteau’s actual draft position: No. 264
Pittsburgh’s actual pick: Colby Armstrong, F
22. Buffalo Sabres – Fedor Tyutin, D
Tyutin has been a dependable blueliner for the Blue Jackets; in his four seasons there, he has thrice led the team in average ice time, and he finished second last year.
Tyutin’s actual draft position: No. 40
Buffalo’s actual pick: Jiri Novotny, F
23. Ottawa Senators – Craig Anderson, G
Anderson has provided stability for the young and surprising Senators – especially in the 2012 playoffs, where he posted a .933 save-percentage.
Anderson’s actual draft position: No. 73
Ottawa’s actual pick: Tim Gleason, D
24. Florida Panthers – Marek Zidlicky, D
The 35-year-old Czech defenceman has never matched his 53-point rookie season from 2003-04, but he remains a savvy puck-mover and powerplay quarterback.
Zidlicky’s actual draft position: No. 176
Florida’s actual pick: Lukas Krajicek, D
25. Montreal Canadiens – Tim Gleason, D
The third Hurricane on this list, Gleason hasn’t missed a game in the past two seasons despite registering 344 hits and 253 blocked shots in that time.
Gleason’s actual draft position: No. 23
Montreal’s actual pick: Alexander Perezhogin, F
26. Dallas Stars – Johnny Oduya, D
The Chicago Blackhawks liked the smooth-skating, shot-blocking Oduya enough to trade a second- and a third-round draft pick to the Winnipeg Jets for him at the deadline last season and lock him up with a three-year contract.
Oduya’s actual draft position: No. 221
Dallas’ actual pick: Jason Bacashihua, G
27. Philadelphia Flyers – Marcel Goc, F
Only seven Germans played in the NHL this season, but Goc, a strong two-way player whose injuries have limited him to fewer than 58 games in four of the past five seasons, is the third (after Ehrhoff and Seidenberg) to appear on this list.
Goc’s actual draft position: No. 20
Philadelphia’s actual pick: Jeff Woywitka, D
28. New Jersey Devils – Carlo Colaiacovo, D
Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, Colaiacovo’s average powerplay ice time has dropped each season as the St. Louis Blues have added more offensive weapons to the back-end.
Colaiacovo’s actual draft position: No. 17
New Jersey’s actual pick: Adrian Foster, F
29. Chicago Blackhawks – Jay McClement, F
One of the top penalty-killers in the league, McClement finished second among NHL forwards last season in average shorthanded ice time and is a safe bet for around 10 goals per year, too.
McClement’s actual draft position: No. 57
Chicago’s actual pick: Adam Munro, G
30. Los Angeles Kings – Kyle Wellwood, F
With the last pick in the first round of this redraft, it’s worth taking a flier on Wellwood. He has bounced around the NHL, but he was a scoring star in the Ontario Hockey League and his 47 points last season proved he still has talent.
Wellwood’s actual draft position: No. 134
Los Angeles’ actual pick: David Steckel, F
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