Inside The Penalty Box 06.24.08: Recapping The 2008 NHL Draft
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 06.24.2008
Part One of the offseason is in the books, as the 2008 NHL Entry Draft saw some new blood prepare to enter the NHL, while some of the leagues current stars prepare to play in new homes come next year. In this weeks Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein discusses the first round of this years draft and some of the more notable trades that went down on draft day.
These are busy times in the National Hockey League. It feels like we're barely removed from the Stanley Cup Finals. Yet, the book has already been closed on the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and the opening of the free agent market is just over one week away. The draft was an interesting mix of welcoming new blood to the league while watching several current NHL stars get relocated to new homes for the 2008-09 season.
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty Images
As expected, Sarnia Sting center Steve Stamkos went first overall Friday night to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This year's NHL draft wasn't as hyped as previous years', mainly because this class wasn't as deep as we've seen in recent years. The only bona fide stud was Steve Stamkos, center of the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. Much like Sidney Crosby was a guaranteed No. 1 in 2005, Stamkos was a sure thing to go to the team picking first in 2008 which happened to be the already offensively rich Tampa Bay Lightning.
Stamkos is also a sure thing to go right into the NHL next season. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about him signing an entry level contract within a month and then taking the necessary steps to get himself geared up for training camp in September. The only way Stamkos will end up in the minors is if he doesn't come along as quickly as anticipated and is deemed to need more seasoning by the team. Otherwise, Stamkos will undoubtedly have a bolt across his chest when the puck drops to open Tampa Bay's season in October.
Fortunately for Stamkos, he has the luxury of coming into the league relatively pressure free. While the Lightning certainly expect him to produce in some capacity, he doesn't have to carry the weight of an entire organization on his shoulders. Instead, the task of righting the ship that was last season's 30th place team rests with Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Dan Boyle. These guys are still the leaders of the Lighting, and will be incredible models for Stamkos to follow as he progresses into an NHL superstar. It was a no-brainer for the Lighting to take Stamkos; and it's a no-brainer for him to be excited about falling into the perfect situation.
The draft turned defensive following the selection of Stamkos. The next four draft picks were defenders. Drew Doughty went to the Los Angeles Kings with the No. 2 pick, the Atlanta Thrashers called Zach Bogosian at No. 3, Alex Pietrangelo was selected by the St. Louis Blues as a counterpart to 2006 first overall selection Erik Johnson with the fourth overall pick and the lone non-OHL product of the top five Luke Schenn was draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs at No. 5 following a trade with the New York Islanders.
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty Images
Steve Stamkos (c), Drew Doughty (r) and Zach Bogosian (l) were the top three selections in this year's NHL Draft.
All four of these prospects have the potential to be studs within their organizations. I doubt all four will enter the NHL next year, as you don't want to rush these high-end talents. But a few should at least vie at some point next year for a spot on the big club.
Doughty is believed to be one of the guys ready to join the NHL ranks. I'm not so sure that's the best move, considering he would enter a crowded defensive core that already boasts Rob Blake (pending he's re-signed, which he should be), Lubomir Visnovsky, Jack Johnson, Tom Preissing and potentially last year's fifth overall selection, Thomas Hickey. Doughty is considered the most-NHL ready of the four selected on Friday. But some time in the AHL won't hurt him until room opens up on the big club and he can take a comfortable spot within the top four.
I think Bogosian is a sure thing to join Atlanta next year. The Thrashers not only need defense in an incredible way, but they could certainly use it coming from a physical player with an offensive upside. Plus, with John Anderson at the helm after 11 seasons coaching the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, it's a perfect nurturing environment for a kid who needs guidance from a coach used to working with kids deemed future stars of the organization.
The Blues could definitely use the services of Pietrangelo, who is a terrific all-around defender. But patience with Pietrangelo is key to his development, as he could become a 1-2 punch with Johnson at some point in the not so distant future if they play him right. I say let him go to the minors for two years and plan to have him working the blue line in St. Louis come the 2010-11 season.
Schenn is another player I'd sit on for a bit. The shutdown defender would be a tremendous asset to the Maple Leafs right away, as strong defense was missing last year. However, with the mess that exists in Toronto right now, I'd rather the organization get its act together from top-to-bottom before involving this kid in what could be a debacle of sorts for the next few years. Like Pietrangelo, give him a couple years in the minors and bring him up in 2010. Within that time, he could even work on his offensive game.
First Round
1. Steve Stamkos, Center Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Drew Doughty, Defenseman Los Angeles Kings
3. Zach Bogosian, Defenseman Atlanta Thrashers
4. Alex Pietrangelo, Defenseman St. Louis Blues
5. Luke Schenn, Defenseman Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Nikita Filatov, Left Wing Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Colin Wilson, Center Nashville Predators
8. Mikkel Boedker, Left Wing Phoenix Coyotes
9. Josh Bailey, Center New York Islanders
10. Cody Hodgson, Center Vancouver Canucks
11. Kyle Beach, Left Wing Chicago Blackhawks
12. Tyler Myers, Defenseman Buffalo Sabres
13. Colten Tuebert, Defenseman Los Angeles Kings
14. Zach Boychuk, Center Carolina Hurricanes
15. Erik Karlsson, Defenseman Ottawa Senators
16. Joe Colborne, Left Wing Boston Bruins
17. Jake Gardiner, Defenseman Anaheim Ducks
18. Chet Pickard, Goaltender Nashville Predators
19. Luca Sbisa, Defenseman Philadelphia Flyers
20. Michael Del Zotto, Defenseman New York Rangers
21. Anton Gustafsson, Center Washington Capitals
22. Jordan Eberle, Center Edmonton Oilers
23. Tyler Cuma, Defenseman Minnesota Wild
24. Mattias Tedenby, Left Wing New Jersey Devils
25. Greg Nemisz, Right Wing Calgary Flames
26. Tyler Ennis, Center Buffalo Sabres
27. John Carlson, Defenseman Washington Capitals
28. Viktor Tikhonov, Right Wing Phoenix Coyotes
29. Daultan Leveille, Center Atlanta Thrashers
30. Thomas McCollum, Goaltender Detroit Red Wings
This draft had the potential to have a repeat performance for a top rated Russian forward. Last year, Alexei Cherepanov was widely considered a top-five selection, yet didn't go until No. 17 when the New York Rangers swept him up. A lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and Russia was the main cause for Cherepanov falling so far. There was some belief such an occurrence might happen again this year to left wing Nikita Filatov. The New York Islanders presented a real shot at Filatov going in the fifth spot. But when they traded the pick to Toronto and moved to seventh overall, there was no telling what would occur with Filatov. Maybe the Islanders weren't so high on him after all. Well, it didn't matter what the Isles thought of him. The Columbus Blue Jackets wanted him forgetting their sometimes difficult relationship with fellow Russian Nikolai Zherdev. In Filatov, the Blue Jackets grab another strong scorer who is considered quite "American" for a Russian speaking English and having already presented his notice to his Russian club that he fully intends on playing in the United States next season. They can definitely use a player of his caliber, since they ranked 29th last year in goals scored. Filatov should help them move up in the ranks in that department.
With regard to the Islanders, who could have landed Filatov or, even better, Schenn on defense, they wound up with center Josh Bailey. Bailey was considered more of a mid-round guy, but is touted for his solid two-way game. Only time will tell if moving down twice in the draft trading the No. 5 pick with Toronto for the No. 7, No. 68 overall pick and Toronto's second round pick in '09, and then trading the No. 7 pick to the Nashville Predators for the No. 9 overall pick and No. 40 overall pick paid off for the Islanders. Bailey is no slouch and you can't knock grabbing some extra second and third round picks just for moving down four spots. But Filatov and Schenn both had a bit more hype in this draft and could make a bigger impact in the NHL. Again, though, these moves can't be killed. The Islanders actually played a decent strategy here, which is not typical out of their camp.
A few other notable first round picks include:
No. 12 Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres: The Buffalo Sabres traded up one spot to ensure they landed this 6'7", 204 pound physical defenseman from the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. He gives the Sabres both a defensive body very much needed in Buffalo and some size along the blue line. With a little bit of development on the offensive side of the puck, perhaps Buffalo could one day be saying, "Brian Campbell, who?"
No. 15 Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators: The Ottawa Senators face the potential losses of both Wade Redden and Andrej Meszeros this offseason. And that's going to leave quite a few gaps in the Senators' defensive core. So, the Senators went and grabbed Erik Karlsson. Karlsson was not ranked as high as some other defenseman still on the board, but there was a lot of interest in the Swedish defender. According to TSN's Pierre McGuire, Karlsson is, "the Swedish Brian Rafalaski," which ain't too shabby. Karlsson might not give the Senators the immediate relief they'll need if they suffer some blue line losses this summer. But in a couple of years, he'll be a nice addition to the team.
No. 18 Chet Pickard, Nashville Predators: By previously moving up to the No. 7 pick and grabbing Colin Wilson, the Nashville Predators addressed their offense. With the No. 18 pick, they took the first goaltender off the board by selecting Chet Pickard. I question this pick somewhat, considering the Predators wouldn't have such a need to draft goaltenders if they stopped trading the ones they already had away (most recently Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason.) But, there is that need, since the Predators farm system goaltenders leave a bit to be desired. So, since the Predators essentially put themselves in the position to need a guy capable of taking over the No. 1 job in a few years, this was an excellent pick based on the circumstance.
No. 20 Michael Del Zotto, New York Rangers: Michael Del Zotto was basically a mid-round pick, but he fell a few slots to the New York Rangers because of some question marks revolving around his level of play and maturity. While a tremendous offensive talent, he has to work on his defense and physical play. A couple of years in the Rangers' minor league system should get the kinks worked out, at which point he can join the ranks with Marc Staal and probably Bobby Sanguinetti. The Rangers are really building a strong class of young defensemen to continue this new tradition of playing a more conscience defensive game.
No. 23 Tyler Cuma, Minnesota Wild: The Minnesota Wild are a defensive squad in need of some defensive prospects. So, how thrilled they must have been when Tyler Cuma, a two-way defenseman with a much stronger game in his own zone, fell at least six or seven picks to them at No. 23 overall. They swapped picks with New Jersey to get him, and he should be a great asset once he joins the ranks and plays under Jacques Lemaire.
No. 24 Mattias Tedenby, New Jersey Devils: Mattias Tedenby is a player that really intrigued me coming into this draft. In fact, I was really hoping the Rangers would take a look at him at least until we landed Del Zotto. But the Swedish left wing is going to give an offensively-lacking squad a strong scoring option once he enters the NHL. Tedenby will need some time to develop, and could spend another two years playing in Sweden, according to hockeysfuture.com. With that said, he's not going to make an immediate impact and shouldn't be rushed. He needs time to develop his game to the point where he is a smart player in his defensive zone, as well. But once he gets to the Devils, he should be able to help a team that could always use more offense.
No. 28 Viktor Tikhonov, Phoenix Coyotes: I have to admit that I think the Phoenix Coyotes had one of the best weekends of any team in the NHL. They started out the day acquiring Olli Jokinen from Florida (a move I'll go into more later in this column) and followed that by drafting Mikkel Boedker, a scorer with a shot at making the Coyotes real soon, with the No. 8 pick. The Coyotes gave up two second round selections to get this pick from Anaheim and used it in a giant reach for a projected third rounder in center Viktor Tikhonov, who was going through his third draft. This, I question a bit. He's a physical asset and a good scorer who has a lot of potential in what could be an immediate jump into the NHL. But taking him this early I don't know if that was necessary. Regardless, when you want a player badly enough, sometimes you have to make the unpopular move. Hell, they did it in 2004 when they took Blake Wheeler at fifth overall. Phoenix just needs to hope Tikhonov doesn't leave them high and dry in four years.
Draft Day Trades:
Three-Way Trade Calgary receives Mike Cammalleri from Los Angeles, Los Angeles received the No. 12 overall pick from Anaheim, Anaheim receives the 17th overall pick from Calgary and the 28th overall pick from Los Angeles & Tanguay Moved Montreal receives Alex Tanguay and 138th overall (fifth round pick) from Calgary, Calgary receives 25th overall pick and second round pick in 2009 from Montreal: These two trades really need to be looked at together, since Calgary's wheeling and dealing was very connected between the two deals. Essentially, the Flames brought in Mike Cammalleri to replace the offensive production of Alex Tanguay. These moves provide the Flames a younger player with just as much talent as Tanguay just at a cheaper price. On the one hand, this deal makes sense. According to Montreal general manager Bob Gainey, Tanguay wasn't comfortable in Calgary. It showed with his diminished play last year, as a typical 80-point star slipped to only 58 in 2007-08. With that in mind, it made perfect sense to let Tanguay go and grab a first rounder to make up for the one lost in the previous deal. However, Cammalleri is only two years younger than Tanguay. And, like Tanguay, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. So, even though he's coming in at over $2 million less this season, that philosophy could very well be squashed when Cammalleri is seeking a new deal. Regardless, the Flames landed a talented winger who scored 80 points just two seasons a go. Injuries plagued him quite a bit last season and limited him to only 63 games. But, when healthy, he can be a 30-goal, 50-assist player at the very least which is going to help Jarome Iginla immensely in leading the team offensively.
The Canadiens receive the benefit of Tanguay not being a happy camper in Calgary. There was a lot of talk last year toward the trade deadline that the Canadiens could possibly swap right wing Michael Ryder in a deal for Tanguay. So, it's obvious Montreal wanted him and is happy to finally land him. They gave up the 25th overall pick, but that's miniscule in comparison to grabbing an 80-point threat in Tanguay. He's going to need to rebound and show that he can regain his form on a new team that he believes fits him well. But I don't anticipate that being a problem. This trade will make an already strong offensive team that much better.
I question Los Angeles' motivation here. They received a 12th overall draft pick in the exchange. But they lost an 80-point scorer and ended up drafting another defenseman with the pick which they actually swapped out to No. 13. Maybe the Kings just didn't want to deal with negotiating a new deal with Cammalleri, or were afraid he wouldn't rebound from an unhealthy season last year. Whatever the reason, I can't really say I'm on board with trading a player the caliber of Cammalleri for what the team already has a boatload of young defenseman.
All Anaheim got out of the deal was moving down five spots in the first round from 12 to 17, and then gaining another first round pick at 28, which they eventually shipped to Phoenix for two second round selections. Nothing thrilling on their end.
Florida Finally Deals Jokinen Phoenix receives Olli Jokinen from Florida, Florida receives Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton and the 49th overall (second round) pick from Phoenix: It seems like Olli Jokinen has been on Florida's trade block forever, as he's rumored to be on the move season after season. Well, he's finally out. On draft day, the Panthers shipped Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a pair of defensemen and a late second round draft pick. This move is a major win for the Coyotes, as well as Jokinen, who gets away from Jacques Martin.
Phoenix finally appears ready to shed the loser label and has made great strides toward being competitors over the last year. General manager Don Maloney is making quite a name for himself in turning this ship around. Along with a sensational draft, which Maloney will always have since he loves to build from within, he also recognizes some outside talent needs to be brought in to further this team along. Acquiring Jokinen gives the Coyotes another veteran leader who has a lot of offensive upside. He had a down year last season with only 71 points and 34 goals, but he's very much a 90-point threat, scoring 91 two season ago and 89 in 2005-06. Jokinen also doesn't miss many games, having played in all 82 in each of the past four seasons with the Panthers. He's going to come at a price tag of $10.5 million over the final two years of his current contract. But considering what he can offer on the top line of a team with a need for someone of his caliber while the young guys continue to improve, it's going to be money well spent by Phoenix.
As for Florida, this was just a move to get rid of Jokinen. I can't believe Martin couldn't get something more for him. The Panthers needed defense, but this doesn't entirely address the need. Boynton is a depth guy at this point and Ballard isn't exactly stud quality. I'm not saying these guys are bad players. But parting with Jokinen should have brought more to the table for the Panthers.
Philly Banks On Umberger's Hot Year Columbus receives R.J. Umberger and the 188th overall (fourth round) pick from Philadelphia, Philadelphia receives 19th overall and 67th overall (third round) picks from Columbus: The Philadelphia Flyers saw an opportunity to relieve their cap situation a bit and capitalize on a hot, yet uncharacteristic, regular season and playoff run from R.J. Umberger. They dealt him to Columbus for a first round pick and a third round pick, something that seems far out of range of what Umberger would have been worth before scoring 10 goals in Philadelphia's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers later traded their own first round pick (No. 27) to the Washington Capitals for Steve Eminger and another third round pick.
Umberger is a restricted free agent. Considering the year he had last season, he's probably in store for a decent pay day. We're not talking astronomical money, but Philadelphia needs to be conservative when dealing with players like Umberger. For as much of a banner season and playoff as he had last year, Umberger is not a perennial 50-point scorer. So, why pay him like one on a team that needs as much cap space as possible?
Columbus can afford to take the risk but I think giving up a first round pick was a bad call on the part of the Blue Jackets. They must be banking on a belief that what he offered last year is what he'll produce every year. I don't think he will, but I'm sure they'll pay him accordingly.
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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!
