Re-Drafting the 2006 NHL Draft

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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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 20: Steve Mason /

15. player. 23. . Goalie. London Knights. Steve Mason

Original pick: Riku Helenius

It’s a wonder where this pick ever came from. At the time, only one goalie (Jonathan Bernier) was off the board, and Riku Helenius was nowhere to be found in Central Scouting’s top ranked goaltenders.

Heading into the 2006-07 season, the Lightning rolled with a tandem of Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis. Those aren’t exactly goalies that strike fear into many peoples’ hearts, and so it proved, as they ranked in the bottom 10 in goals against that year.

Going for a goalie was totally understandable, however it has proven to be their Achilles heel for a very long time. From the 2006 Draft until now, the Lightning have seen Karri Ramo, Antero Niittymaki, Mike Smith, Dwayne Roloson, and Mathieu Garon act as a starting netminder before lucking out with the Ben Bishop trade. Among that group, Niittymaki had the best save percentage at .909.

Had the Lightning chosen Steve Mason in this draft (who didn’t get picked until round 3), they would’ve had a very dependable goalie.

After an up and down start to his career in Columbus, Mason has evolved into one of the most underrated goalies in the league with Philadelphia. He hasn’t had a save percentage below .917, even though he doesn’t have a great blue line in front of him. In Tampa, he would’ve got to play behind the likes of Dan Boyle, then later Victor Hedman, while Steven Stamkos would provide all the offensive support needed.

Before the Lightning got Bishop, they only made the playoffs once in 2011, but it was a run that took them all the way to the Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Cup champions in the Boston Bruins. If they could get that far with a 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson, imagine how well they would’ve done with Steve Mason.

Mason never gets the credit he deserves since the teams he’s played in front of have rarely been good enough to get to the playoffs. He wouldn’t have been so overlooked if he got to play with Tampa Bay while their core was developing together. In fact, he might have been able to turn them into a powerhouse the way Bishop has.

Next: 16. San Jose Sharks

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