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 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets – Duncan Keith, D
Keith is one of the quickest, best all-around defencemen in the NHL. The Winnipeg native has a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, and Norris Trophy to his name and has averaged more than 25:30 minutes of ice time per game in each of the past five seasons.
Keith’s actual draft position: No. 54
Columbus’ actual pick: Rick Nash, F
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2. Atlanta Thrashers – Rick Nash, F
The leader of the 2002 draft class in goals, assists, and points, Nash is a towering, talented winger who has scored fewer than 27 goals in a season just once: as a rookie in 2002-03.
Nash’s actual draft position: No. 1
Atlanta’s actual pick: Kari Lehtonen, G
3. Florida Panthers – Cam Ward, G
Ward, the best goaltender in the draft, won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in his rookie season, and he hasn’t posted a single-season save-percentage worse than 0.915 since 2007-08.
Ward’s actual draft position: No. 25
Florida’s actual pick: Jay Bouwmeester, D
4. Philadelphia Flyers – Kari Lehtonen, G
An oft-injured goaltender while with the Atlanta Thrashers at the start of his career, Lehtonen has found relatively good health in Dallas and become one of the league’s better goaltenders in the process.
Lehtonen’s actual draft position: No. 2
Philadelphia’s actual pick: Joni Pitkanen, D
5. Pittsburgh Penguins – Alexander Semin, F
Semin, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent this July, would be quite a threat alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. He’s averaged 34 goals and 71 points per 82 games throughout his career.
Semin’s actual draft position: No. 13
Pittsburgh’s actual pick: Ryan Whitney, D
6. Nashville Predators – Joffrey Lupul, F
Lupul broke through with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, potting 67 points in 66 games. It’s unclear if he will replicate that production next year, but he has a career 82-game average of 24 goals.
Lupul’s actual draft position: No. 7
Nashville’s actual pick: Scottie Upshall, F
7. Anaheim Mighty Ducks – Dennis Wideman, D
In the four seasons since 2008-09, Wideman, who finished 15th in the NHL in total ice time last season, has only once scored fewer than 10 goals and 40 points.
Wideman’s actual draft position: No. 241
Anaheim’s actual pick: Joffrey Lupul, F
8. Minnesota Wild – Jay Bouwmeester, D
Perhaps the most durable player in the league, Bouwmeester leads all 2002 draftees in games-played and hasn’t missed a regular season game since 2004.
Bouwmeester’s actual draft position: No. 3
Minnesota’s actual pick: Pierre-Marc Bouchard, F
9. Florida Panthers – James Wisniewski, D
Injuries and suspensions have kept him out of action for at least 13 games in all but one of his six seasons (excluding his 19-game debut in 2005-06), but Wisniewski’s per-game average of 24:47 minutes of ice time last season was topped by just 13 NHLers.
Wisniewski’s actual draft position: No. 156
Florida’s actual pick: Petr Taticek, F
10. Calgary Flames – Joni Pitkanen, D
Pitkanen, who sits with a career points-per-game average of 0.53, trails only Ryan Whitney in the category among defencemen drafted in 2002.
Pitkanen’s actual draft position: No. 4
Calgary’s actual pick: Eric Nystrom, F
11. Buffalo Sabres – Ryan Whitney, D
Whitney is an offensively gifted defenceman and was a member of the 2010 United States’ Men’s Olympic Hockey Team, but injuries (he’s played in just 86 games in the past two seasons) have hurt his point totals and likely his position on this list.
Whitney’s actual draft position: No. 5
Buffalo’s actual pick: Keith Ballard, D
12. Washington Capitals – Valtteri Filppula, F
A seemingly perennial candidate for a career offensive year, Filppula finally got over the hump and tallied 66 points last season, besting his previous career high by 26 points.
Filppula’s actual draft position: No. 95
Washington’s actual pick: Steve Eminger, D
13. Washington Capitals – Alexander Steen, F
A largely unheralded two-way forward, Steen has posted a 0.69 points-per-game average over the past three seasons, good for 56 points per 82 games.
Steen’s actual draft position: No. 24
Washington’s actual pick: Alexander Semin, F
14. Montreal Canadiens – Tomas Fleischmann, F
The past three seasons have been kind to Fleischmann, too. In the first 191 games of his career, he racked up 77 points; in the next 196 games, he increased his production to 143 points.
Fleischmann’s actual draft position: No. 63
Montreal’s actual pick: Christopher Higgins, F
15. Edmonton Oilers – Ian White, D
White began last season as a veteran of 401 games with a career plus-minus rating of plus-18 and a single-season high of plus-eight. In just 77 games in 2011-12, he more than doubled both markers with a plus-23 rating that was the 15th-highest in the league.
White’s actual draft position: No. 191
Edmonton’s actual pick: Jesse Niinimaki, F
16. Ottawa Senators – Trevor Daley, D
Daley is a supremely swift skater, and, although he may not be a true top-pairing defenceman, he chews through plenty of minutes in Dallas. In each season since 2007-08, he has played between 75 and 82 games and posted a point-per-game average between 0.29 and 0.33.
Daley’s actual draft position: No. 43
Ottawa’s actual pick: Jakub Klepis, F
17. Washington Capitals – Tom Gilbert, D
Last season was the first of Gilbert’s five complete NHL seasons in which he missed more than three games. Born in Minnesota, he was dealt to the Wild last season, where he will attempt to reverse his dipping point totals, which have decreased each season since his sophomore year.
Gilbert’s actual draft position: No. 129
Washington’s actual pick: Boyd Gordon, F
18. Los Angeles Kings – Frans Nielsen, F
Nielsen, one of just six Danish players in the NHL last season, was one of the league’s best bargains: with 47 points and a cap hit of just $525,000, he had the lowest cap hit per point ($11,170) of any NHLer.
Nielsen’s actual draft position: No. 87
Los Angeles’ actual pick: Denis Grebeshkov, D
19. Phoenix Coyotes – Jarret Stoll, F
If you think you’ve seen Stoll’s name in a previous redraft, you’re right: he was drafted twice. He and the Flames, who originally selected him in 2000, could not agree to a contract, so Calgary traded him to Toronto. According to reports, the Leafs traded for Stoll’s rights, but their fax to the NHL failed to make it before the deadline, so he re-entered the draft in 2002.
Stoll’s actual draft position: No. 36
Phoenix’s actual pick: Jakub Koreis, F
20. Buffalo Sabres – Johnny Boychuk, D
It took him about seven years from the time he was drafted for Boychuk to make it as a full-time NHLer, but he was one of only 16 players to record at least 130 blocked shots and 140 hits last season.
Boychuk’s actual draft position: No. 61
Buffalo’s actual pick: Daniel Paille, F
21. Chicago Blackhawks – Jiri Hudler, F
Hudler left the NHL for Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League for the 2009-10 season, but he stayed overseas just one year. He was a bit of a disappointment in his return to the NHL, registering 37 points, but was better last season, netting 25 goals and 50 points.
Hudler’s actual draft position: No. 58
Chicago’s actual pick: Anton Babchuk, D
22. New York Islanders – Christopher Higgins, F
Higgins started his NHL career on a promising note, notching 72 goals in his first three seasons. His next three campaigns were marred by injury and plummeting offensive production, but he turned it around last season, finishing 0.02 points-per-game behind his highest single-season average.
Higgins’ actual draft position: No. 14
New York’s actual pick: Sean Bergenheim, F
23. Phoenix Coyotes – Scottie Upshall, F
The sixth overall pick in 2002, Upshall has only once scored more than 18 goals in a season, and he’s never topped 34 points. Part of the reason for those disappointing numbers is injury: Upshall has only twice played in more than 61 games in a season.
Upshall’s actual draft position: No. 6
Phoenix’s actual pick: Ben Eager, F
24. Toronto Maple Leafs – Matt Greene, D
It’s no secret what Greene, who stands at 6’3″ and 232 lbs, brings to the table: in each of the past four seasons, he’s logged 15 or fewer points, finished no lower than sixth among NHL defencemen in hits, and blocked at least 105 shots.
Greene’s actual draft position: No. 44
Toronto’s actual pick: Alexander Steen, F
25. Carolina Hurricanes – Keith Ballard, D
In his first five seasons in the NHL, Ballard missed just 12 games and only once recorded a point-per-game average below 0.34. Since joining the Canucks in 2010, though, his game, including his durability and production, has declined: he’s missed 52 games and recorded a 0.13 points-per-game average over two seasons with Vancouver.
Ballard’s actual draft position: No. 11
Carolina’s actual pick: Cam Ward, G
26. Dallas Stars – Jonathan Ericsson, D
Sometimes criticized for not taking full advantage of his massive frame (6’4″, 221 lbs), Ericsson has nonetheless piled up 365 hits and seven fights over the course of his 232-game NHL career.
Ericsson’s actual draft position: No. 291
Dallas’ actual pick: Martin Vagner, D
27. San Jose Sharks – Sean Bergenheim, F
Bergenheim must really enjoy the playoffs. Although he has participated in only 23 post-season contests, his career playoff point-per-game average (0.74) is more than double his regular season mark (0.34).
Bergenheim’s actual draft position: No. 22
San Jose’s actual pick: Mike Morris, F
28. Colorado Avalanche – Pierre-Marc Bouchard, F
Bouchard, a skilled playmaker with a career high of 63 points, would be much higher on this list if not for the concussion issues that have limited him to 97 games over the past three seasons.
Bouchard’s actual draft position: No. 8
Colorado’s actual pick: Jonas Johansson, F
29. Boston Bruins – Josh Harding, G
An unrestricted free agent this off-season, it will be interesting to see if Harding, should he leave for another team, is a true starting goaltender or if his career 0.916 save-percentage has benefited from the Wild’s system.
Harding’s actual draft position: No. 38
Boston’s actual pick: Hannu Toivonen, G
30. Atlanta Thrashers – Maxime Talbot, F
A heart-and-soul role player, Talbot may not be a prototypical first-round draft pick. However, he’s the best of the rest of the 2002 draft crop, and he scored 19 goals and logged the highest average shorthanded ice time of any NHL forward last season.
Talbot’s actual draft position: No. 234
Atlanta’s actual pick: Jim Slater, F
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