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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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 6: Nick Foligno
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 6: Nick Foligno /

Original pick: Jiri Tlusty

The Toronto Maple Leafs came away as winners and losers in the 2006 NHL Draft. On the one hand, while they found value in the later rounds when they drafted James Reimer in the fourth round and Leo Komarov in the sixth round, they also traded Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft and drafted Jiri Tlusty over Claude Giroux.

They can’t take back the Raycroft deal at this point, but at least the re-draft gives them a chance to find better value at 13 overall, and Nick Foligno provides that. Because unlike other first round busts, at least Jiri Tlusty can still say he’s in the NHL. But he hasn’t had nearly as much longevity as Foligno.

Over the course of his career, Nick Foligno has proven to be a guy that adds great offensive depth, and is a reliable wing option on any line he plays. The Ottawa Senators did a good job of snagging him in the late first round even though they had a high-powered offense at that point. The Leafs, meanwhile, could’ve used some help in that department.

Sure they had Mats Sundin, one of the best players to never win a Stanley Cup, but the rest of their offense wasn’t much to write home about. Sundin topped all scorers in 2006-07 with 76 points, but Tomas Kaberle was their second best scorer with 58 points. Their next best scoring forward was Alex Ponikarovsky who had 45 points.

The Leafs heartbreakingly missed the playoffs the previous season by two points, despite a miraculous late-season run led by goalie J.S. Aubin, but they outdid themselves the season after that when they missed the playoffs by one point thanks to an Islanders win on the last day of the regular season.

Foligno didn’t play right away in Ottawa, but that’s because they had one of the league’s best offenses, and could afford to leave him in the AHL. The Leafs needed an injection on offense, and they could’ve plugged in Foligno right next to Sundin. It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t have been more productive than Ponikarovsky or Nik Antropov, and having Foligno would’ve easily gotten the Leafs into the playoffs in both 2007 and beyond.

And if they had Rask, they could’ve gone deep into the playoffs. There is no shortage of ways for Toronto sports teams to break their fans’ hearts.

Next: 14. Vancouver Canucks

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