Original pick: Michael Frolik
While Erik Johnson wasn’t talented enough to be the first overall pick, he is the best defenseman in this draft class, and the team that has the most glaring need on defense is the one who gets him.
Florida’s defense core in 2006-07 was hardly impressive outside of a young Jay Bouwmeester. Mike van Ryn, Steve Montador, and Bryan Allen are hardly serviceable enough to support Bouwmeester, and had they drafted Erik Johnson, who has become a cornerstone of Colorado’s blue line, there’s a chance that Bouwmeester might have stayed.
Erik Johnson’s time in St. Louis was short-lived because he failed to live up to the high expectations of being a first overall pick, especially considering who went after him. But when he moved to Colorado, he established himself as the front-runner on defense, earned himself the highest paid contract on the team, and led all defensemen in scoring through parts of 2015.
Among Florida’s blue line, Johnson would have been in a small market team which helps to take off the pressure, and he would’ve stood out as one of their better defensemen. A top pairing of him and Jay Bouwmeester would’ve done damage, and would’ve helped him develop faster than playing with guys like Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman on the Blues.
The Panthers have focused on building their blue line recently, with young talents like Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, and Alex Petrovic filling their roster. It’s helped them to be a competitive team again, which is why they should’ve picked defensemen earlier. In our parallel universe, Panthers defenseman Erik Johnson would have a great core to work with now, and it might have been enough to get them past the Islanders.
Next: 11. Los Angeles Kings