Re-Drafting the Top 10 Players From the 2014 NHL Draft
A funny thing happened while we were ranking the No. 1 picks in the NHL draft from 10 years recently, as it got us thinking about the 2014 iteration.
That summer saw Aaron Ekblad go No. 1 followed by fellow 2024 Stanley Cup finalists Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl and Sam Bennett. While those guys were the top four picks that year, that draft was loaded with elite talent scattered throughout it.
It was the draft when David Pastrnak, Igor Shesterkin, Brayden Point and Thatcher Demko were all taken among many other elite players. It was the kind of event that makes it the perfect subject for a redraft a decade later when we'll redo the top 10 picks to better portray how things would have happened.
Some history will be taken into account as far as how those teams were set up then and what needs existed, but we're setting this up for each team to take the best player available.
There will be changes, and how we readjust history will be worthy of discussion...which you can do in our comments.
1. Florida Panthers
1 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Aaron Ekblad (D)
Our redraft pick: Leon Draisaitl (C)
This is a little awkward given the matchup in the Stanley Cup Final, but if you flashed back 10 years ago and told then-Panthers GM Dale Tallon that Leon Draisaitl would become one of the five best players in the NHL, there's no doubt he would've selected him at No. 1.
While you could argue that much of Draisaitl's success is thanks to Connor McDavid, there's no doubt how talented he is on his own merits. Think of how he would have setup next to Aleksander Barkov and tell us that wouldn't be an awesome duo.
Draisaitl is the leading scorer from the 2014 draft by more than 100 points over David Pastrnak, and their goal totals are virtually identical (Pastrnak has scored one more in 47 fewer games).
With 1.18 points per game for his career, Draisaitl is a force to be reckoned with and picturing him on the Panthers with the way they play and attack the game is a fascinating fantasy scenario that could only be recreated in a video game.
2. Buffalo Sabres
2 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Sam Reinhart (C)
Our redraft pick: David Pastrnak (W)
Ten years ago, the Buffalo Sabres were coming off one of the worst seasons in team history and about to embark on another one to take a shot at winning the draft lottery to pick Connor McDavid.
Had they drafted David Pastrnak at No. 2, though, perhaps things would have played out a lot differently.
At the time, the Sabres under GM Tim Murray were gung-ho to lock down the center position for the foreseeable future through the draft. But they were also a team that was going to be in desperate need of goal scoring and players who could fill the net at will.
With hindsight, the only question here is whether Buffalo would've gone for Pastrnak or a center like Brayden Point. Never mind the fact that they could've drafted Point themselves for real in 2014 anyway since he was available until the middle of the third round, but so could almost every other team in the league.
Given Pastrnak's history of scoring goals by the truckload, and the way he carried the Bruins on his shoulders this year, not even Buffalo could have tripped themselves up here.
3. Edmonton Oilers
3 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Leon Draisaitl (C)
Our re-draft pick: Brayden Point (C)
In 2014, the Edmonton Oilers were not in the mindset of trying to win NHL lotteries anymore, they were just kind of lost trying to figure out how to win with all of the other high-end picks they'd made over the previous seasons.
By this time, they were in the market for a center, and that was the plan when they drafted Leon Draisaitl. In our redraft, that plan hasn't changed, which vaults Brayden Point into the No. 3 spot.
What's fascinating about Point is how late into the 2014 draft he was taken. He went 79th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning and they laughed all the way to the Stanley Cup several times with him at the forefront of their attack.
It's the classic story that happens where an undersized forward slips down the board despite putting up great junior hockey numbers and a team that scouted well and liked his skill and tenaciousness gets rewarded.
In our case, though, Point going to Edmonton makes all the sense in the world, particularly with how the Oilers drafted in 2014 in the first place.
4. Calgary Flames
4 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Sam Bennett (C)
Our redraft pick: William Nylander (W)
Seeing a Nylander wearing a Flames sweater was something that actually happened for years when Michael Nylander played in Calgary. If they had been able to see into the future 10 years ago, it might have happened again.
William Nylander going to Calgary would've gone over really well there for historical reasons, but when you look at how they had just drafted Sean Monahan in 2013 and were about to watch Johnny Gaudreau become a star, throwing Nylander into that mix would've made the Flames beyond exciting to watch.
This isn't to say they made a mistake when they drafted Sam Bennett in 2014. After all, they were thinking he would be the perfect complement to Monahan up the middle with his ability to score and drive opponents crazy in juniors. But the expectations were so high for him that he wasn't really appreciated for what he did that was so good. Just ask the Panthers how they feel about his performance.
Still, had the Flames been able to build around Monahan, Gaudreau and another elite scorer like Nylander, the Battle of Alberta would've produced some old-school firewagon hockey.
5. New York Islanders
5 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Michael Dal Colle (W)
Our redraft pick: Sam Reinhart (C)
The New York Islanders selecting Sam Reinhart in 2014 would have produced a fascinating butterfly effect.
In 2012, the Islanders took Sam's older brother and defenseman, Griffin, second overall, but they traded him to Edmonton in 2015 in the deal that gave them the first-round pick they used to select Mathew Barzal.
It was a trade that worked out well for the Islanders and was one of the Oilers' more regrettable moves of the past 20 years.
But if they took Sam Reinhart with the No. 5 pick in 2014, it would've been the smart choice, but would the trade involving Griffin ever have happened? Don't hurt your brain trying to work that one out.
What's real in this unreal scenario is that adding Sam Reinhart to the Islanders would've given them a forward to build around and would've been an earlier home run pick for them than Barzal a year later.
No offense to Michael Dal Colle who was taken fifth in 2014, but going with the guy who scored 57 goals this season and has 538 points in his career already would've been a boon for Long Island.
6. Vancouver Canucks
6 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Jake Virtanen (W)
Our re-draft pick: Igor Shesterkin (G)
The Vancouver Canucks made out like bandits in the second round of the 2014 draft when they picked Boston College's Thatcher Demko. They wanted a goalie, and they got the top-rated North American netminder of that class.
With that kind of tip-off and with the high-quality goalies who came out of the 2014 draft, we're going to have the Canucks stick to their guns...only we're going to change it up a little and have them select Igor Shesterkin instead.
As great as Demko is and has been, Shesterkin has won the Vezina, and did you see how he performed in the playoffs this year? Sure, the New York Rangers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final, but that was no fault of the Russian.
Shesterkin has the best career numbers of any goalie taken in 2014 with a .921 save percentage compared to Ilya Sorokin's .919 and Demko's .912. He's also tops in wins with 135 (in 213 games of which 208 are starts) and second with 15 shutouts (Sorokin has 18).
He's brilliant and while the Canucks didn't go wrong with Demko in reality, they definitely would've done as well, if not better, in our redraft.
7. Carolina Hurricanes
7 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Haydn Fleury (D)
Our redraft pick: Thatcher Demko (G)
Like the Vancouver Canucks, the Carolina Hurricanes also drafted a goalie in the second round of the 2014 draft.
While Vancouver took Thatcher Demko ahead of the Hurricanes, Carolina went with Alex Nedeljkovic. While Ned has found his way in recent years, it didn't pan out with the Hurricanes and the franchise is still looking for a netminder to take the reins.
Fortunately for this re-draft, when they follow Vancouver in the first round, they can correct history by picking Demko this time around.
Demko has been a dynamite goalie in his career with the Canucks, and the only thing that's gotten in his way are occasional injuries. But when he's on the ice, he's one of the best goalies in the NHL.
He's got a career .912 save percentage and has won 116 games in 219 games played (213 starts) with eight shutouts. What's better still about him is that he's getting better as he gets older and that's something that would've fit well into the Hurricanes trajectory at this time.
We realize teams don't usually spend first-round picks on goalies aside from exceptional situations. Having guys like Shesterkin, Demko and Sorokin and how they've played in the NHL, changes that conversation completely.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
8 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: William Nylander (W)
Our redraft pick: Ilya Sorokin (G)
Considering how much of an issue goaltending has been for the Toronto Maple Leafs the past few seasons, rewinding the clock to 2014 might have helped alleviate some of the issues they've had in recent years.
That's why we're getting right to the point. With William Nylander off the board to Carolina and the other forwards and defensemen being very good, adding an elite goaltender is a great idea and Ilya Sorokin fits that bill.
With the Islanders, Sorokin has been a superb player. His .919 save percentage among his draft classmates is second only to countryman Igor Shesterkin. He leads in shutouts with 18 and while his 92 wins is third-best, he's third in games played behind Thatcher Demko and Shesterkin and one ahead of Elvis Merzlikins.
There are some reasons to think maybe the Leafs should pick someone else here. Sorokin was supplanted by Semyon Varlamov in the playoffs this season and the Islanders' system isn't overly stressful on goalies (unless they play defense like they did this season).
Still, if you think the litany of goalies they have run out there year after year only to wind up in the same spot would be better than having Sorokin, then you might just be ready to be an NHL GM.
9. Winnipeg Jets
9 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Nikolaj Ehlers (W)
Our redraft pick: Devon Toews (D)
Even though the 2014 class had a host of great defensemen, the best of them all wasn't taken until fourth round by the New York Islanders.
Devon Toews slipped down the board, likely thanks to playing college hockey at Quinnipiac and not setting college hockey on fire with his numbers. But his experience in college hockey and his determination got him eventually to the NHL where his skills shined.
A contract disagreement with the Islanders landed him in Colorado where he's become an all-world defenseman alongside Cale Makar. While Makar is great, Toews is able to produce on his own as well and be a complementary partner.
Putting him alongside Josh Morrissey (drafted in 2013), the Winnipeg Jets would have their own dynamic duo to cause problems for everyone around the league.
This isn't to say Nikolaj Ehlers was a bad pick. He's been a great player and is the seventh highest scorer in the 2014 draft class. But Toews is the highest scoring defenseman from the 2014 draft with 234 points in 397 games (0.59 points per game) with just 40 points coming on the power play.
Toews might have flown under the radar 10 years ago, but he's the best of the bunch on the blue line now.
10. Anaheim Ducks
10 of 10
Actual 2014 pick: Nick Ritchie (W)
Our redraft pick: Dylan Larkin (C)
It was clear what the Anaheim Ducks wanted to do when they drafted Nick Ritchie in 2014. They wanted a power forward who could play the way they always wanted to play. They wanted a heavy, tough forward who could get to the net, score goals and beat up on opponents.
While Ritchie could do a lot of those things, he wasn't able to do it consistently well enough in the NHL. With a redo of the 2014 draft, though, the Ducks would alter their focus slightly. With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry leading the way, and Rickard Rakell on the way up, they would need more scoring punch up the middle. That's where Dylan Larkin would take over.
Looking back, the Ducks were about to get old and injured fast, and they weren't totally prepared for that. They were among the best teams in the Western Conference and were much more focused on the now instead of the later. And that's fair, but that's also how it got them to take Ritchie instead of any of the number of players taken after that who would've helped them in the long term.
Anaheim drafting Larkin then might have seemed foolish ("Where are they going to play him?" is something a panelist would've asked) but taking elite skill at positions that demand heady players is never a bad idea.
.png?w=600 "Billy Donovan Leaving Bulls")
.jpg?w=600 "Mike Vrabel Makes Statement")
.jpg?w=600 "Mike Tomlin agrees to next job")
.png?w=600 "New Mock with Lottery Odds Locked In 🔮")
