Clean-up and Re-stocking Time: Part 1

With the NHL season finished until October, this week is time for a clean up (NHL Awards) and restocking the shelves (NHL Draft).  So, what is there to talk about?  Well, I'll get to the predictions for the Awards sometime before the Awards ceremony Thursday, and seeing as the NHL Draft begins Friday, with the first round, today's piece is all about the past NHL Drafts and what it has meant to different teams.  So, in a sentence or two, I will look at the first ten teams' success (or failure) rate in the last ten years.  Parts 2 and 3 will be coming shortly.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: Their best year was 2003, where Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were taken in the first round.  However, the 2006 and 2007 drafts bore little fruit, though 2010 draft sees the Ducks have their possible cornerstone on the blue line in Cam Fowler.

BOSTON BRUINS: Until 2006, the Bruins were practically spinning their wheels in the draft.  Then, they took Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic, and both would have an impact on the Bruins' fortunes for different reasons.  Kessel was traded to Toronto for what would become Tyler Seguin (2010 first rounder) and Dougie Hamilton (2011 first rounder).  Lucic is an integral part of the Bruins success in recent years...when he's on the ice.

BUFFALO SABRES: It's not unusual that many teams were bitten by the draft bug in the mid-2000's.  Buffalo was no exception, as those picks did not pan out well.  Beginning with Tyler Myers in 2008 however, it seems that Buffalo has turned the corner.

CALGARY FLAMES: The Flames have not done very well in the Draft since their Stanley Cup run in 1989, and seeing as only Dion Phaneuf (2003) has played to potential in the last ten years, it is easy to see why the Flames rank near the bottom in development.  One bright spot: Sven Baertschi, who impressed in an emergency call-up from Portland of the WHL.

CAROLINA HURRICANES: Their foundation is built on Cam Ward (2002) and Eric Staal (2003).  However, outside of Jeff Skinner (2010), not many of the team's drafted players in recent years have made a big impact.  They did manage to flip Jack Johnson (2005) for blue line mainstay Tim Gleason, a move once panned by Hurricanes fans and media alike, now not as much.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: After the lockout of 2004, the Blackhawks made the draft a major point of emphasis.  Even with Jonathan Toews (2006) and Patrick Kane (2007), it was players like Dustin Byfuglien (2003), Niklas Hjalmarsson (2005), and Duncan Keith (2002) that were a major part of the team's championship run in 2010.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: A team that has had to rely on the draft since the lockout, it has only been recently that the team feels comfortable doing so, with Matt Duchene (2009) and Gabriel Landeskog (2011) leading the way.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: The definition of failure, only Rick Nash (2002) has been a consistent force.  Following that success has been failures such as Nikolay Zherdev (2003), Alexandre Picard (2004), Gilbert Brule (2005), Derrick Brassard (2006), and Nikita Filatov (2008).  And given that they traded away the pick that would be Sean Couturier (2011) for Jeff Carter, that only serves to be the ultimate kick in the balls for a team that just doesn't have any luck.

DALLAS STARS: Once a sore spot, the draft is now being re-emphasized by the new management for the Stars.  Players such as Jamie Benn (2007) and James Neal (2005) were the hits of the draft, but too often, they didn't succeed on players such as Scott Glennie (2009).

DETROIT RED WINGS: If any team is adept at drafting late, it is Detroit.  Darren Helm, Jiri Hudler, Justin Abdelkader, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and even the recently retired Nicklas Lidstrom were not taken in the first round, yet all have played a role in the team's success.They regularly let the players develop before they're ready to promote them, which is the surest sign that a team is doing well.