Colorado Avalanche: Redrafting The 2009 NHL Draft

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The Colorado Avalanche’s drafts between 2006 and 2008 were rather unsuccessful. Even nine years later, it is still sad and the wish to land a “diamond in the rough” like the Nashville Predators did with Patric Hornqvist (230th overall 2006) remains.

Good thing that we arrived at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft — most certainly one of the most successful ones for the Colorado Avalanche. The first two picks in the draft, including a top-3 selection, are now our No. 1 and 2 centers and the third round pick is one of our best defensemen. Looking back at this one is simply great.

But that definitely doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth looking back. There are still quite a few picks that could have been done better. And who knows, maybe we could have even had someone better than our top-centers. Let’s take a look!

Eligible to be redrafted are all players that were selected after the Avalanche’s respective pick and before their next pick.

Next: Round 1

Round 1

Apr 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

3rd overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — C Matt Duchene
New pick — C Matt Duchene

“We’d like to congratulate this year’s Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. And finally to our fans in Colorado, we are proud to select, from the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, Matt Duchene.” — Greg Sherman

Round 2

33rd overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — C Ryan O’Reilly
New pick — C Ryan O’Reilly

When the Colorado Avalanche selected Ryan O’Reilly, they hit another bullseye. Not only is O’Reilly at least a top-10 player of his draft-class today, but he also had an immediate impact on the team. We all know about the contract dispute between the Avalanche and him that is still not resolved and possibly never will be. Still, O’Reilly has played 427 games for the Avalanche and is a valuable part of the team, no matter what happens to him in the future.

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49th overall (CGY):
Colorado Avalanche pick — D Stefan Elliott
New pick — LW Tomas Tatar (60th to DET)

And here we go, the picks that I would redo the exact same way any day are over. Stefan Elliott is still in the system and there are people that believe that he will be able to improve defensively and finally join the Colorado Avalanche for good. However, I am not quite convinced. He is a great player offensively and his offense would likely be enough for the NHL, but he really struggles defensively at times. He has appeared in 63 games with the Avalanche so far.

The new pick is Detroit Red Wing Tomas Tatar. He just recently became a full-time member of the NHL roster, but had a breakout season in his second year. In 2014-15 he scored 29 goals and recorded 56 points, as he played every single game for the Red Wings. In the playoffs, Tatar added another four points in seven games.

Next: Round 3

Round 3

Mar 8, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie (4) skates with the puck in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

64th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — D Tyson Barrie
New pick — D Tyson Barrie

Okay, I have to admit that I kind of fooled you when I said that “the picks that I would redo the exact same way any day are over”. Here’s another one. Tyson Barrie, our No. 2 on defense, is another really great pick, especially in the third round. He spent some time with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, but that is totally normal for a young defenseman. He matured and developed his game, joined the Avalanche full-time in 2013-14, had a breakout season the same year, and is now the No. 2 behind Erik Johnson. So far he has appeared in 186 NHL games.

The Avalanche’s fourth round pick was dealt to Columbus in the Adam Foote trade.

Next: Round 5

Round 5

May 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) with the puck during the third period of game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center. Los Angeles won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

124th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — G Kieran Millan
New pick — C Marcus Krüger (149th to CHI)

Unfortunately, this is where the fun is really over. The Colorado Avalanche went for yet another goaltender that would never play an NHL game — same procedure as every year. After two seasons in the Central Hockey League, Millan retired in 2014.

Marcus Krüger is having a far more successful season, as he is on his way to win his second Stanley Cup this year. He would give the Avalanche some much-needed bottom-six depth if acquired today and would have been a much better pick than Kieran Millan back in 2009. Krüger has recorded 84 points in 287 NHL games so far.

Next: Round 6

Round 6

Mar 19, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula (56) against the Washington Capitals at Xcel Energy Center. The Capitals defeated the Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

154th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — G Brandon Maxwell
New pick — C Erik Haula (182nd to MIN)

The Colorado Avalanche and their goalies. I don’t know what it is, but they just don’t seem to be successful when drafting goaltenders. But what can we do… Brandon Maxwell never even played an AHL game, but is now active in Europe. Goaltenders tend to be late-bloomers, so who knows, we might see him back in North America one day. The Philadelphia Flyers for example, signed 32-year-old Rob Zepp out of Germany in 2014. Zepp was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 and by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2001, but that’s a different story. What I am saying is that there is still a chance that we see Maxwell in North America one day.

As much as I hate admitting that the Minnesota Wild did a better job at something than the Colorado Avalanche, I have to do it here. Erik Haula is the perfect forward for a skilled bottom line like the Wild like to have. He has only played two NHL seasons, but that’s more than Maxwell and there is more to come.

Next: Round 7

Round 7

Apr 9, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings center Jordan Nolan (71) and Calgary Flames defenseman David Schlemko (3) battle for the puck during the game at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

184th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — D Gus Young
New pick — LW Jordan Nolan (186th to LAK)

It is always hard to find NHL-caliber players in the late rounds of a draft. So far, only four of the seventh round picks from 2009 have played in the NHL, only two have played more than 16 games — one of them is Erik Haula. The other, unfortunately, is not Gus Young. However, Young is making his way up, as he recently joined the AHL’s Worcester Sharks after four years at Yale University. I would not be surprised to see him in the NHL one day. In 64 AHL games, Young recorded 15 points 37 penalty minutes and was a +14.

The one player that has already seen quite a lot of NHL action, though, is Los Angeles King Jordan Nolan. He has been a reliable bottom-line player for a while now, having played 194 NHL games with more to come.

Next: Redrafting 2008

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