Colorado Avalanche: Notable #4 NHL Draft Picks

The Colorado Avalanche have the #4 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. That position has worked out very well for some teams in the past.

Despite having the worst season in team history and an NHL low 48 points, the Colorado Avalanche have the #4 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Some Avs fans are resigned to this fate. It seems like the most Avalanche of outcomes — the team can’t even win for losing.

For others it’s one big ball of frustration. I fall into that camp:

However, what’s done is done — the Colorado Avalanche have the #4 pick.

The general consensus is that the team can still get a very good player with that selection. According to the Denver Post, GM Joe Sakic is part of that consensus:

"“We’re confident with this draft, that there’s going to be a good player there at four.”"

Indeed, retired left wing Alex Tanguay once remarked that where you go in the draft is a reflection of what you did before, but what really counts is what you do in the NHL. (The Colorado Avalanche drafted Tanguay at #12 in 1998. He got the Stanley Cup winning goal in 2001.)

Let’s look at some players who did well enough before the draft to go fourth-overall and went on to help their NHL teams.

NHL Greats

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Three players, all chosen in the early 1980s, went on to great NHL careers after going fourth-overall in the draft.

In 1980 the LA Kings chose defenseman Larry Murphy. (In order, Doug Wickenheiser, Dave Babych and Denis Savard went before him.) Murphy’s career spanned 21 years and included 1,615 games (287 goals, 929 assists).

Murphy was a three-time All Star, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. For Avalanche fans, he’s best known as being a Detroit Red Wing during the rivalry days, though he wasn’t involved in the bloodiest battles. He won four Stanley Cups, two with the Wings and two with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 1981 the Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes) chose center Ron Francis. (In order, Dale Hawerchuk, Dough Smith and Bobby Carpenter went before him.) His career spanned 23 years and included 1,731 games (549 goals, 1,249 assists). Francis was a four-time All Star and won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins (and Larry Murphy) twice.

He also won the following awards:

Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1995.
Lady Byng Trophy in 1995, 1998 and 2002.
King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2002

He holds the following records:

5th place of all-time regular season NHL point leaders with 1,798 points
27th place of all-time regular season NHL goals with 549 goals
2nd place of all-time regular season NHL assists with 1,249 assists
3rd place on all-time NHL regular season games played with 1,731 games

Ron Francis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He’s currently the GM of the Hurricanes.

Fourth-overall Ron Francis got 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in two playoff seasons to help the Pittsburgh Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups:

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In 1983 the Detroit Red Wings selected Steve Yzerman. (In order, Brian Lawton, Sylvain Turgeon and Pat LaFontaine went before him.) His career spanned 23 years and included 1,514 games (692 goals, 1,063 assists). Yzerman was a 10-time NHL All Star, and he won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. He served as their captain from 1986 to his retirement in 2006, making him the longest-serving captain of the Red Wings, an original six team.

Steve Yzerman won the following awards:

Lester B. Pearson Award – 1989
Conn Smythe Trophy – 1998
Frank J. Selke Trophy – 2000
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy – 2003
Lester Patrick Trophy – 2006

He holds the following records:

6th in NHL history in points
9th in goals
7th in assists

Suffice it to say he’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Colorado Avalanche #4s

Though the 2017 NHL Draft marks the first time the Colorado Avalanche have had the fourth-overall pick, a couple notable players who went at that position skated in burgundy and blue.

In 1990 the Philadelphia Flyers selected center Mike Ricci. (In order Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved and Keith Primeau went before him.) Ricci’s career spanned 17 years including 1,099 games (243 goals, 362 assists). He came over with the Quebec Nordiques and played as an Avalanche until 1997. He was part of the first Stanley Cup winning team.

In 1993 the Anaheim Ducks chose left wing Paul Kariya. (In order, Alexandre Daigle, Chris Pronger and Chris Gratton went before him.) Kariya’s career spanned 16 years and included 989 games (402 goals, 587 assists). He played with the Colorado Avalanche for the 2003-04 season.

Other Notable #4s

Some players who were drafted fourth-overall are still playing — and playing well.

In 1997 the New York Islanders chose goalie Roberto Luongo, currently of the Florida Panthers. (In order Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Olli Jokinen went before him.) Luongo has played 966 games with a 453-365-33-102 record.

In 2004 the Carolina Hurricanes chose left wing Andrew Ladd, currently of the New York Islanders. (In order, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Cam Barker went before him.) Ladd has played 847 games (233 goals, 264 assists). He served as the captain first of the Atlanta Thrashers then of the Winnipeg Jets when they moved from 2010 to 2016.

A couple more notable #4s include Evander Kane (2009), currently of the Buffalo Sabres, and Ryan Johansen (2010), currently of the Nashville Predators.

Recent Draft Picks

The last couple years have been good for fourth-overall draft picks, too. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose center Mitch Marner in 2015. That was the year Connor McDavid went first and Jack Eichel went second. However, center Dylan Strome went third, and Marner has already played 70 more games than him (77 total). Our own Mikko Rantanen from that draft year has played 84 games.

In 2016 the Edmonton Oilers drafted right wing Jesse Puljujarvi. That was the year Auston Matthews went first and Patrick Laine went second. However, left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois went third, and he has yet to play a single NHL game. Puljarvi has played 28. Our own Tyson Jost from that draft year has played six games.

While the year that saw Evander Kane go fourth overall was a good draft year — #1: John Tavares, #2: Victor Hedman, #3: our own Matt Duchene — defenseman Erik Gudbranson went ahead of Ryan Johansen in 2010.

Indeed, looking at a lot of the other draft year, the fourth-overall players did a lot better than those who went ahead of them. Third-overall looks like an especially weak position.

Next: Top 5 Prospects for #4 Pick

In other words, feel better, Avs Nation, that the Colorado Avalanche have the fourth-overall pick. There definitely will be a good player available at that position, and it’s one who may make a big impact on the team.

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