I am going to look back at previous drafts and re-draft the top ten with the hindsight we have now. This will value their entire body of work over the years not just where they are in the present moment. I'm looking for who would provide the most value over their careers to this point. These players are all ~26 years old and at the tail end of their apex. Today is going to focus on the 2010 Entry Draft.
Wow so this draft has some ridiculously high end talent when you look back at it. Some of it was drafted appropriately. Some of it was not... This draft could be known as the Peter Chiarelli hates good hockey players draft.
Here is the original top 10
Taylor Hall Tyler Seguin Erik Gubranson Ryan Johansen Nino Niederreiter Brett Connolly Jeff Skinner Alexander Burmistrov Mikael Granlund Dylan McIlrath
That Erik Gubranson pick is going to look atrocious after you see the talent in this draft.
Here are mine:
1. Taylor Hall (1)
This isn't recency bias because he is the reigning Hart Trophy winner. This is because he's the best player and a lot of his best years were wasted by an inept organization. He does everything that is hard to do. He creates for himself. He creates for others. He creates for everybody.
2. Tyler Seguin (2)
I followed the old saying that a "tie goes to the runner". Seguin was the original #2 overall selection and he definitely had some competition to be unseated, but it was so close I just stuck with the original pick. Seguin was one of Peter Chiarelli's original screw ups until he graduated to trading former #1 overall picks for peanuts.
3. Vladimir Tarasenko (16)
Imagine getting this guy at #3 overall in a hindsight draft. Crazy. I almost put him at #2, but the two players are so close and Seguin didn't lose time to the KHL in the beginning. Tarasenko is a legitimate superstar and is interchangeable with Seguin for value.
4. Evgeny Kuznetsov (26)
Yet another offensive stud in this draft. The 2012 draft is crying unfair. Kuznetsov had a legitmiate argument that he was the Capitals best player during their Stanley Cup run this past postseason. He's another awesome top line player who has had a strong career so far.
5. John Klingberg (131)
At #5 you are going to get a defenseman that has only been out produced at even-strength by Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. No big deal.
6. Jaden Schwartz (14)
I'm not sure how many people know just how good this guy is. He doesn't really have any weaknesses in his game and he produces like a top line forward at 5v5. The Blues hit some homeruns with the 14th and 16th selections this draft.
7. Mark Stone (178)
All the way down in round six the Senators found a gem. Always productive offensively and his contributions extend past that. He's a great passer as well which shows up in the tracking projects.
8. Jeff Skinner (7)
Skinner falls one draft slot from his original placement. No shame in that with some of the other names on this list. Skinner has been one of the best goal scorers on the wing for the past number of years when he's been able to remain healthy. Should be fun to watch him with a center like Jack Eichel who has an imagination and puck skills.
9. Tyler Toffoli (47)
A little bit of a surprise placement, but after looking through and comparing numbers I don't see why he should be ignored. He has a 1.89 points per 60 despite playing under Darryl Sutter for a long time. I think Kings players had an artificial ceiling offensively under Sutter and he was still able to produce. I think in a different environment he would have even more impressive numbers.
10. Ryan Johansen (4)
If you're getting Ryan Johansen at #10 you know it was a strong draft. He's a great second line center to have. He fell because his points per 60 was a 1.70 which was lower than I anticipated to see. Still provides great value with his other contributions on the ice.
Honorable mention: Justin Faulk (good player, but not as good as reputation) Nino Niederreiter, Cam Fowler, Mikael Granlund, Brendan Gallagher, Frederik Andersen
Thanks for reading!