Fansided

Re-Drafting the 2006 NHL Draft

By David Rouben

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 24: (L-R) Second overall pick Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, first overall pick Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, and third overall pick Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks pose for a portrait together backstage during the 2006 NHL Draft held at General Motors Place on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL)
VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 24: (L-R) Second overall pick Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, first overall pick Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, and third overall pick Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks pose for a portrait together backstage during the 2006 NHL Draft held at General Motors Place on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL) /
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A re-do of the 2006 NHL Draft for teams that deserved a second chance.

With the 2016 NHL Draft nearly upon us, it feels right to go back and look at some of the best draft classes as a way of determining how it shaped a team’s future. And on the 10-year anniversary, it seems like the most appropriate time to go back to the 2006 draft.

There are few draft classes in recent memory that were as stacked with NHL talent as the 2006 NHL Draft was. There was plenty of first round talent to be had if teams hadn’t whiffed and taken someone who never panned out.

While most drafts are remembered for their top three picks, but this one is remembered for its incredible depth. Had this draft been redone, it would’ve looked a lot different. There could be a case made that Claude Giroux (who fell to 22nd) should’ve gone in the top three, and while the first round was filled with people who didn’t make it, such as Peter Mueller and Bobby Sanguinetti, the third round had Brad Marchand.

There’s only so much an NHL team can do with the central scouting report, but it’s been the case more often than not that a successful junior career doesn’t always pan out at the NHL level, which is what leads to so many busts.

There were also some draft day trades that teams wished they could have back, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs swapping Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft, and the Florida Panthers giving up Roberto Luongo, but for now, we’ll just focus on the draft picks. If each team was offered a chance to do the first round all over again, here’s who they would’ve gone with instead.

Next: 1. St. Louis Blues

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