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 ~23 years old and at entering what should be the best parts of their careers. Today is going to focus on the 2013 Entry Draft.
This draft had a little bit more high end talent than the 2012 draft, but has more underachievers that round out the top ten. Let's take a look
Here is the original top ten
Nathan MacKinnon Aleksander Barkov Jonathan Drouin Seth Jones Elias Lindholm Sean Monahan Darnell Nurse Rasmus Ristolainen Bo Horvat Valeri Nichushkin
Here is my top ten
1. Nathan MacKinnon (1)
No change here. MacKinnon is coming off his best season which landed him the runner up in the Hart Trophy voting. He's an electric player who is very worthy of #1 overall status.
2. Seth Jones (4)
What a player Jones has been for both the Predators and now the Blue Jackets. He has joined the conversation as one of the league's best players at his position. A legit right handed top pairing defenseman. From what I hear those kinds of players are valuable.
3. Aleksander Barkov (2)
He only drops a spot here because of Seth Jones' excellence. He's great in his own right. It initially raised eyebrows when the Panthers took him over Jonathan Drouin, but it was clearly the right choice. Barkov is a top line player offensively and is also known for his defensive play. He's a great all-around player.
4. Sean Monahan (6)
He's comfortably a top six play offensively and that is complimented by his great ability to move the puck and help out teammates. I'd have more to write, but he's just so boring... 5. Jake Guentzel (77)
Yes, it is true that nobody has a better quality of teammate than Jake Guentzel considering he has been Chris Kunitz's replacement on Sidney Crosby's wing. He's taken that opportunity and crushed it. He has the best points per 60 of this top ten group at 2.16. He stays on Crosby's wing because of his hockey IQ and being able to combine that with his puck skills. He understands time and space so well and that is a necessity when playing with Sid if you want to maximize results. He's also cold blooded come playoff time.
6. Andre Burakovsky (23)
Here's a guy that I don't think we've seen the best from yet and what he's shown so far is pretty darn good. I think he's dealt with some usage issues in Washington and that has suppressed his ceiling to this point. I'm taking a flyer here on potential. Even with my perceived misusage he's still a 1.9 points per 60 player at 5v5.
7. Will Butcher (123)
It's true that he only has one NHL season to go by, but it was impressive. In 81 games he put up 41 points while putting up 0.9 points per 60 at even-strength. Those numbers are in line with yesterdays group of Colton Parayko, Shayne Gostisbehere, Morgain Rielly, and Jacob Trouba. When you look at his possession and passing information it stands out as well. It isn't like New Jersey was some kind of offensive juggernaut. He did a lot of good work on an average team. Very impressed with the debut season and am willing to bet on future seasons along these lines.
8. Anthony Mantha (20)
Certainly not the best skater of the bunch, but his on-ice results in his 149 game sample are better than the forwards below him. He has good passing qualities and shot creation ability. His 1.92 points per 60 at 5v5 is better than the forwards you probably think are being snubbed by Mantha being here.
9. Jonathan Drouin (3)
There are a few facts about Jonathan Drouin that can co-exist. The first is that Tampa Bay totally mangled his deployment and situation in Tampa Bay. There was no excuse for sending him to the AHL. The second is that Jonathan Drouin hasn't come close to living up to his third overall draft selection. Your eyes tell you that he's magnificent. The data supports him being an average third line player offensively and probably worse than that on the possession front. Why place him so high here? I guess I'd rather take a chance that raw talent figures it out than go with some of the other options.
10. Max Domi (12)
He came into the NHL scene red hot scoring 52 points in his rookie year in 81 games. His 18 goals was seen as just the starting point. Unfortunately he only put up 18 goals total the next two years. There's still potential here because even in those down years he still put up 38 points in 59 games and then 45 in a full season in 2017-18. Arizona was also one of the worst teams in hockey while he was there. Not saying Montreal is going to be a huge upgrade on that, but perhaps he and Drouin can join forces to help each other reach their perceived potential.
Honorable mentions: Bo Horvat, Darnell Nurse, Shea Theodore, Elias Lindholm, Alex Wennberg
The 2013 entry draft will conclude this series. I feel as though we need a bigger sample to rate any of the drafts past this one. I hope this was an interesting look back at some of the talent that the NHL has seen come through the ranks the past few years and how some of it was overlooked.
Thanks for reading!