Colorado Avalanche: Redrafting The 2009 NHL Draft

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"

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This is definitely one of my favorite picks in Colorado Avalanche history. Matt Duchene, who grew up cheering for Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy, gets drafted by his favorite team to become Joe Sakic’s successor on a team managed by his idols — Sakic and Roy. He is obviously still far away from being as good as Sakic was, but he is a fan favorite and the Avalanche’s No. 1 center. In 419 NHL games for the Avalanche, Duchene has scored 126 goals and 318 points.

Let’s just take a look at who else was available. Sixth overall pick Oliver Ekman-Larsson (PHO) would be great for the team, 24th overall Marcus Johansson (WSH) is similar to Duchene. Then there were Evander Kane (4th to ATL), Brayden Schenn (5th to LAK) and Dimitri Kulikov (14th to FLA). All good players, but nobody I would take over Duchene. Only first overall pick John Tavares has played more games than Duchene so far, though only by 13 games.

Next: Round 2