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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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 06: Nikolay Kulemin /

player. 12. . Left wing. Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Nikolai Kulemin. 24

Original pick: Dennis Persson

The Buffalo Sabres didn’t need much help from this draft considering they went on to win the President’s Trophy and made it to the Conference Finals. Their offense was extremely balanced while Ryan Miller fashioned together an impressive 40-win campaign.

While Kulemin couldn’t have done much to improve upon the Sabres in this season, he could’ve been useful in the following year when they lost Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. And rather than let the Oilers take Thomas Vanek and receive four first round picks, the Sabres matched their 7-year, $50 million offer sheet, which set the team back for years. Chad Dedominicis of The Hockey Writers does a great job of recounting what the Sabres missed out on when they matched the offer sheet, but if you’re a Buffalo fan, please click at your own discretion.

When the Sabres came up short in the playoffs yet again, they felt the impact of losing their two best players. While scoring still came easy for them, they went from first place to 10th and only made the playoffs twice over the next nine seasons. However, they only missed out on the playoffs by four points, and Kulemin could’ve easily made up that ground by providing secondary scoring, which was hard to come by.

Kulemin has always proven to be a reliable secondary scorer, being able to take the pressure off top guys like Phil Kessel or John Tavares. He even put together a 30-goal, 57-point season on the Leafs… just think about that for a second. But when the goals dried up for him in Toronto, he joined his friend Mikhail Grabovski in Long Island where he posted 31 and 22 points, respectively.

Kulemin isn’t anything special, but when you need a reliable second line option, he’s your guy. He’s even capable of being a top line guy when he, Malkin, and Sergei Mozyakin lit up the KHL during the 2013 lockout shortened season. He’s a valuable teammate who puts up serviceable numbers, and could’ve really aided the sinking ship that was the Buffalo Sabres.

Next: 25. St. Louis Blues

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