Latest Trade Adds Further Flux To 2005 NHL Entry Draft
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 24, 2009 2:43 PM EST
35 comments
July 22, 2005.
I was sitting in my car, stuck in traffic on the bridge entering Carolina Beach, waiting to finally reach the surf with my family. My wife and I were eagerly anticipating our 2-year-old daughter’s first trip to the coast, to see what she'd think of the gritty sand between her toes, the crashing waves, and the pelicans, with their broad wings and oversized beaks.
But that Friday — the beginning to a long, memorable summer weekend for us, along with countless others in the Carolinas and beyond — was also a pivotal day in hockey history: the Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes.
It still is remembered that way. But for a lot of other players and teams, the 2005 NHL Entry Draft is about something else: loss and failure, untapped potential and wanton trades. The latest of which happened yesterday.
But back to that fateful day. Sitting on that bridge, I listened closely as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman read the results to the one-of-a-kind NHL Draft Lottery, an event different from any before. The names of each team were read in reverse order.
Tampa Bay at 30.
Calgary at 26.
Division foe Washington was 14th.
With each team and their corresponding selection, the stakes got higher. Vancouver at 10. Columbus — one of four teams with a high of three balls in the machine — went off the board at six. That left only Pittsburgh as a remaining favorite, with Anaheim, Minnesota, Montreal and, yes, Carolina with a shot at nabbing the top overall pick and the rights to select sure-fire star Crosby.
The Habs — a long shot with just one sphere rattling among 45 others — went next. Then the Wild. Final three. I gripped the wheel, and explained to my wife the significance of the moment. I knew that, regardless of the remaining results, the Hurricanes were in position to land a big-time prospect. But this was Sidney Crosby: The Next One.
The Canes’ run at Crosby ended there, with "Carolina Hurricanes" uttered by Bettman as this third overall selection. Pittsburgh — as we all know — beat out the Ducks for Crosby.
By landing the third pick, the Canes fell shy of getting Crosby, and even prized Michigan defenseman Jack Johnson seemed out of reach. That left Benoit Pouliot as the top-rated player likely to be on the board, along with the likes of Bobby Ryan, Gilbert Brule and Anze Kopitar. Personally, I was leaning toward Pouliot; a big, skilled forward out of Sudbury in the OHL.
Nine days after the lottery, the teams gathered for the draft. The Pens, of course, took Crosby. I waited for Anaheim to take Johnson so I could finally see who Carolina GM Jim Rutherford would select at No. 3. But Brian Burke, then the Ducks GM, threw the league a curveball and chose Ryan second overall. Rutherford — who has been reluctant to use his first-round picks on defensemen — had no choice but to choose Johnson, whose physical play coupled with offensive instincts had many penciling him in as a No. 1 blueliner for years to come.
Just 14 months and one day later, the Carolina Hurricanes — having stunningly won the Stanley Cup in 2006 — dealt Johnson, along with salary burden Oleg Tverdovsky, to Los Angeles for defenseman Tim Gleason and center Eric Belanger.
Yesterday, the Wild gave up on the fourth overall pick, Pouliot, sending him to Montreal for a second-rounder from the same year, Guillame Latendresse. Johnson was the second of the 30 first-round picks traded from that year's draft — Tuukka Rask was traded by Toronto to Boston on draft day 2006 for fellow goalie Andrew Raycroft — and Pouliot is the latest to find himself moving on to a new city.
Looking down the list of the first round picks from 2005, the Johnson trade still stands out as the blockbuster — and one that, despite early expert analysis suggesting Carolina was ripped off, leans toward Carolina's favor given Johnson’s struggles and Gleason’s growth.
Crosby and Ryan — the top two picks — have emerged as a superstar and emerging star respectively. Johnson, at No. 3, is with the Kings and, despite playing on a very good, young team, is a team-worst minus-11 with just two goals and four assists in 24 games (Gleason, on the other hand, is 4-2-6 and minus-1 in 18 games on the last place team in the league, plus a team leader). The teams who picked first, second and third are probably happy with how things panned out for them (though surely Johnson’s antics in not turning pro infuriated Rutherford at the time).
The rest of the league? Well, most probably aren't all that happy.
Here are the other players who are either no longer with the team that chose them in the first round in 2005:
- No. 4 — Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota: Traded yesterday (Nov. 23, 2009) to Montreal for Guillame Latendresse. Career stats: 65 GP, 9-9-18
- No. 6 — Gilbert Brule, Columbus: Traded July 1, 2008, to Edmonton for Raffi Torres. Career stats: 178 GP, 20-28-48
- No. 10 — Luc Bourdon, Vancouver: Killed in a motorcycle accident May 29, 2008. Career stats: 36 GP, 2-0-2
- No. 13 — Marek Zagrapan, Buffalo: Signed with Severstal of the KHL May 9, 2009. No NHL games played.
- No. 14 — Sasha Pokulok, Washington: Was not tendered a qualifying offer June 29, 2009. Currently in the ECHL. No NHL games played.
- No. 15 — Ryan O’Marra, Islanders: Traded Feb. 27, 2007, to Edmonton along with Robert Nilsson and a first-round pick for Ryan Smyth. Career stats: 1 GP, 0-0-0
- No. 16 — Alex Bourret, Atlanta: Traded Feb. 7, 2007, to Rangers for Pascal Dupuis and a third-round pick. Then traded June 21, 2008, to Phoenix for a third-round pick. Was not tendered a qualifying offer June 30, 2009. Currently playing for Brno in the Czech league.
- No. 18 — Ryan Parent, Nashville: Traded Feb. 15, 2007, to Philadelphia along with Scottie Upshall, a first-round pick and third-round pick for Peter Forsberg. Career stats: 67 GP, 0-6-0
- No. 21 — Tuukka Rask, Toronto: Traded June 24, 2006, to Boston for Andrew Raycroft. Career stats: 14 GP, 9-3-2-2 record, .919 S%, 2.33 GAA
- No. 22 — Matt Lashoff, Boston: Traded March 4, 2009, to Tampa Bay along with Martins Karsums for Mark Recchi and a second-round pick. Career stats: 58 GP, 1-14-15
- No. 30 — Steve Downie, Philadelphia: Traded Nov. 7, 2008, to Tampa Bay along with Steve Eminger and a fourth-round pick for Matt Carle and a third-round pick. Career stats: 82 GP, 11-14-25
(Note: Andrew Cogliano, the No. 25 pick by Edmonton, was part of a package that would've sent Ottawa’s Dany Heatley to the Oilers. Heatley nixed the deal by refusing to waive his no-trade clause. He was later dealt to San Jose, while Cogliano — still mentioned in trade rumors frequently — remains in Edmonton.)
That's 12 of 30 players drafted just four years ago who are no longer with the team who originally held their rights. Only two players from the 2006 draft (Phil Kessel and Ty Wishart) have been moved. The 2004 draft was also volatile (13 players traded or not with their original team for another reason), but 2003 has just nine even though we're six years removed from that draft.
The Rask and Johnson deals were the first of many involving this group. The Hurricanes and their fans have embraced Gleason, a throwback blueliner whose toughness, blunt honesty, defensive acumen and emerging offensive skill make him one of the franchise cornerstones. Johnson — who was, once upon a time, supposed to be that player — is overshadowed by 2008 second overall pick Drew Doughty, arguably the best young defenseman in the game.
Sure, the 2005 draft will always be remembered as the year Crosby — the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup — went No. 1 overall. But for several other first-round picks that year, the path to NHL stardom has been more like my car stuck on that bridge: the headlights pointed at the distant sea, the inhabitants of the vehicle wishing, hoping to make memories that will last a lifetime.
For some, the bridge will eventually be crossed. For others ...
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Great article
I have to think that the reason that the 2003 draft features so little movement is because so many of those players ended up being stars (and so their teams wouldn’t want to trade them), whereas the 2005 draft is full of disappointments that teams were willing to let go of and other teams were willing to trade for to see if a change of scenery could help them fulfill their potential.
Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.
Great work Cory, another thoughtful, insightful article.
PS. F Jack Johnson and his father.
"He has all the virtues I dislike, and none of the vices I admire." -Sir Winston Churchill
I still have dreams with Anze Kopitar in a Canes jersey.
Sigh…
by Iggy Reilly on Nov 24, 2009 3:43 PM EST via mobile reply actions
On Johnson
Living in LA I get to see JJ play frequently and he often impresses with his skating ability and pure talent. However, he seems to be lost a lot of time and definitely doesn’t stand out as a leader on or off the ice. Doughty on the other hand is mature beyond his years and has taken what seemed to be the space LA made for JJ.
Not to mention that there have been trade rumors involving JJ yet again. Wouldn’t it be something for the 3rd overall pick from 2005 to be traded twice in his young career? I think he can still turn it around, but with Doughty, Randy Jones, Hickey, and a bevy of other young D-Man in the pipes for LA, I don’t know if his future is with the Kings.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 4:47 PM EST reply actions
Kopitar is looking to make his mark as “The One that Got Away”.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
I nabbed him n the 13th round of my fantasy draft this year and it’s paying dividends.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 5:02 PM EST up reply actions
It was a preseason draft though, so of course Crosby, Malkin, Thornton, Lecavalier, etc. got picked first. But still, 13th round is bonkers.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
I’m a terrible ’Canes fan, Staal as well.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
And for some reason, Anaheim fans like to call him fat. I don’t even know where that comes from. I suppose jealousy.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions
A lot of teams were scared off by the fact that he was from a country that had never had an NHLer (Slovenia), even tho he was was seventh on his SEL team — a league of men — at just 18. It would’ve been a reach to take him at 3, especially with JJ on the board (and, since my day job includes following Michigan sports, JJ looked like a beast coming out), but a lot of teams passed on him that shouldn’t have. Chicago and Skille come to mind. Even Setoguchi, at the time, was a surprise ahead of Kopitar. And these days, Kopitar is surely > Seto.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 24, 2009 8:33 PM EST up reply actions
I was seriously praying that Jack Johnson would find himself playing in Russia due to his psycho father-agent.
Carolina got the better end of that deal… no doubt.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Nov 24, 2009 5:04 PM EST reply actions
What’s interesting to me is how poorly these high picks turned out, Caniacs are looking for a silver lining in the potential and likely high pick but it’s far from a sure thing.
Makes a good arguement for trading for proven talent or trading for multiple lower picks hoping to strike gold.
It is arguable whether you should keep picks or use them to get a proven talent, but look at Toronto and their pursuit of Kessel. If they finish last and Boston gets Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, I’m sure they’ll regret that decision. (not to mention if they stink again next season and Boston gets another high pick)
When you draft high you have the potential of drafting Franchise talent, it’s not often that you can trade for it.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 24, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
Luc only turned out poorly because the idiot went out and bought himself a motorcycle.
:’(
Really liked that kid.
by Andrea's evil twin on Nov 24, 2009 8:39 PM EST reply actions
Wasn’t Rutherford considering drafting Eric’s brother Mark at #3? I think that is an interesting subplot to all this. I think Gleason is great, and I am glad he is with the Hurricanes. Definitely a cornerstone to our defense. But sometimes I wonder if it nags Rutherford that he didn’t draft Mark Staal instead of Jack Johnson.
I don’t think so. In hindsight, Marc was probably worthy of a spot that high. But at the time there wasn’t a team in the league who would’ve taken Staal ahead of Johnson. People were pretty stunned Ryan went ahead of him, and Ryan was in the top-five range (No. 3 North American skater). Staal was the No. 9 NA skater (and behind fellow d-men JJ, Bourdon and Parent). Mix in that Kopitar and Hanzal were highly regarded, along with Carey Price, and him going 12th was even considered a reach by some.
I’m sure JR entertained trading down and trying to take Marc, but taking him at No. 3, at the time, I don’t think was a consideration.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 25, 2009 8:49 AM EST up reply actions
Interesting background there.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by hockeymomof2 on Nov 25, 2009 9:01 AM EST up reply actions
Is it possible you’re thinking of the rumors from the next draft of trading Jack Johnson’s rights to Pittsburgh for their number 3 pick (who was of course Jordan Staal)? Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was talking about that as a done deal at the time. The Canes knew they weren’t going to be able to re-sign Cullen, and had a need for another center. Jack Johnson was clearly not going to play in Carolina. It seemed set in stone. And like the Wallin for Pitkanen deal, it never happened.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Plus JJ and Sidney are close friends. They played together at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. That fueled those flames, for sure.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 25, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions
I was thinking about a comment Rutherford made at the time that he was tempted to get Marc Staal but decided to stay put and draft Johnson. With all the drama that followed with Johnson not turning pro or even travelling with the Hurricanes during the Cup run, I was thinking that maybe Rutherford in retrospect wishes he drafted Eric’s brother Marc. Marc seems to have turned out to be a pretty good defensemen but Gleason may be better overall.
by hockeythoughts on Nov 25, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
There is no doubt that Gleason is better than Marc Staal. Not to say Marc isn’t good, but he’s more of what I would consider a solid second pair defensemen. Gleason, IMO (and probably Cory’s too ;-) ) is a top pair guy. Mind you, I haven’t seen Marc play too much the last year or so, and I know the NY fans like him a lot, but Del Zotto seems to have stolen a lot of his thunder recently.
However, that leads to a thought/question that has always gone on in my head. How much does Eric Staal want to play hockey with his brothers? Perhaps it was Eric that put the kibosh on the JJ for Jordan Staal deal. Maybe he doesn’t want to play with his brother. This team has had a chance to draft/acquire all three other brothers, and yet passed on all, including Jared gift wrapped in the second round a few years back (although Dalpe was the better choice at the time). It’s entirely possible that Eric wants to be his own man. It’s also very likely that Eric understands mixing business and family is a bad idea. Look at the Sedin’s in Vancouver. Yes, it’s working, but it has brought a lot of drama that would not otherwise be present.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Marc and Tim are pretty similar players, I’d say … but Tim brings more Jason Smith, Marc brings more Glen Wesley.
I love Timmy’s game … but what Marc is doing at 22 is very impressive. I don’t know that it’s fair to compare Marc to Del Zotto b/c they play completely different games. I wouldn’t sleep on Marc becoming a top pairing, defense-first guy. Plus he has offensive upside.
Back to Tim: he’s more a leader, more of a stand-up-for-a-teammate guy (hence the Smith comparison, which i feel like I make all the time … lol). Both are very good, IMO. You can’t go wrong having either.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 25, 2009 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
I didn’t mean to compare Marc to Del Zotto directly, but I did. What I should have said was that Del Zotto had stolen a lot of the “great young defensemen” talk for the Rangers that had previously been attributed to Marc. However, Del Zotto being the more offensive minded one, that’s going to happen. Goals get headlines. Also, in many ways it’s because Marc, while young, isn’t trading on promise any more but on results.
The comparison to Glen Wesley is why I think Marc is more of a second pair guy. I’ve never really considered Marc a hard hitter, although I see where he was fourth on the team with 189 hits last year. He’s also still developing physicallywhich may be part of the reason. There’s no doubt Marc is positionally strong. I just think that the as yet unseen offensive upside coupled with the lack of big hits makes him a high quality second pair guy. For my money you have to have a game changing skill to be top pair, and that’s either the ability to score, consistently make the pass up ice for a break out, move the puck up ice alone, or deliver a crushing hit. Marc does all of those things well, but none of them what I would consider great. Again, comes from my limited watching of the Rangers, so take that analysis with a grain of salt. Also, I’m pretty hard on defensemen. I recognize that the qualities for top pair guys are what many people consider the qualities for a Norris Trophy winner.
Long story short, maybe we should agree to agree in different terms.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
I guess my point is, I don’t know that Gleason is a top-pairing guy either. On Carolina, maybe — but not someone who, around the league, would be considered a 1 or 2. Both are very solid 3’s, IMO.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 25, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions
Remembrances of the Carolina Ale House on Wake Forest
I, like many Canes fans, went to the Ale House on Wake Forest Road to watch the draft. Jeff O’Neill had just been traded, and that was a big deal. Brind’Amour was at the Ale House and he gave this upbeat yet guarded speech (upbeat yet guarded, from Brind’Amour, it’s hard to believe I know ;-) ) about the upcoming season and I remember thinking how full of it he must be. This team was awful and had just lost the only 40 goal scorer. I’m not kidding, I’m wrong all of the time.
At the time I had my sights set on Gilbert Brule. It was obvious that Jack Johnson was going #2, obvious to everyone except Burke, and Philly wanted Bobby Ryan, and there was talk that Philly and Carolna would make a deal so Philly could move up. When Ryan went off the board at #2 I remember a hush through the crowd (small as it was, didn’t even pack the Wake Forest Road Ale House) as a number of people realized that Jack Johnson, the mean nasty kid from Michigan and the world juniors who had Norris Trophy written all over him, had just fallen in to the Canes lap.
One thing I should mention here. At the time, both my wife and I were working for the team in the merchandise department. We both spoke with JJ’s father. We both thought he was an upstanding guy. He bought so much Hurricane’s apparel. He always said how excited he was to have his son drafted by Carolina. I don’t know what happened between him, his son and JR. I doubt anyone in that situation was blame free. I also know of the stories told about JJ and his father since then. The man was always nice to me and my wife. I can’t help but think that this is a case of a non-business person trying his hand at business.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
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