Original pick: James Sheppard
After a promising career in junior for James Sheppard, especially after scoring 96 points in 56 games in his draft eligible year, the Wild thought they had a great pick-up. However, in his first two seasons, he only put up 43 points despite only missing four games over the course of those two seasons. The Minnesota Wild deserve a re-do and get one in the form of Semyon Varlamov.
Looking back, it seems silly that Jhonas Enroth was ranked ahead of Semyon Varlamov by Central Scouting for European goalie prospects, although no team actually went ahead and drafted him before Varlamov. Still, the fact that he went 23rd overall feels wrong, and if this draft were redone, he would easily be a top 10 pick.
With Nicklas Backstrom and Manny Fernandez manning the crease for Minnesota, the Wild finished the season with the lowest goals against total in the league. The need for a goalie wasn’t readily apparent, so picking a goalie who wasn’t going to start at number 9 overall wouldn’t have made much sense.
But Backstrom’s successors were Darcy Kuemper and Josh Harding, who were uneven at best. Fans even endured a season of Ilya Bryzgalov before they lucked out with Devan Dubnyk. Varlamov would’ve been the successor to Backstrom that Wild fans both need and deserve because of the player he would become.
Varlamov broke out in the 2009 playoffs when he recorded two shutouts in the first round, then held his own against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. He even made this phenomenal save on Sidney Crosby:
Varlamov was the back-up to Jose Theodore that year and only got the chance after Theodore was pulled in the first game of those playoffs. If he was put into that same situation in Minnesota, where he would act as Backstrom’s back-up, there’s no doubt he would’ve thrived just the same when given the opportunity.
At that point, the Wild would’ve recognized that they would have two great goalies in Backstrom and Varlamov, then face a decision over who to keep. However, Varlamov has proven to have more longevity over the same stretch of time, and whether the Wild decided to keep him or let him go, he would’ve landed on his feet with any team.
Next: 10. Florida Panthers