Colorado Avalanche: Redrafting The 2010 NHL Draft

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was a rather successful one for the Colorado Avalanche. There were no big bangs made, but some decent players could be drafted, including some that are current Colorado Avalanche members.

The big question heading into the draft back in 2010 was “Taylor or Tyler?”. The Edmonton Oilers went with Taylor — Taylor Hall. Therefore, the Boston Bruins were left with Tyler — Tyler Seguin — with the second overall pick. Hall is still looking for the first sign of success with his team, while Tyler Seguin won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season in 2011. That’s how differently careers can go.

But let’s focus on the Colorado Avalanche. 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

Feb 13, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Florida Panthers center Nick Bjugstad (27) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Panthers 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

17th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — C Joey Hishon
New pick — C Nick Bjugstad (19th to FLA)

This is a pick that hurts a little bit, because Joey Hishon is a really good hockey player with a lot of potential and he is just on the verge to become an NHL-regular. So far he has appeared in 13 NHL games and just recently scored his first NHL goal. He is one of the Colorado Avalanche’s prospects most likely to become a full-time member of the NHL roster next season.

The problem is, head coach Patrick Roy likes his centers a little bigger and has actually stated that he would have preferred a bigger player over Joey. And here we are, selecting 6-foot-6 Nick Bjugstad, who is one of many young and promising players on the Florida Panthers roster. There would have been some other options as well, e.g. Carolina’s NHL All-Star Justin Faulk, Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov or LA’s Tyler Toffoli, but Bjugstad may have the greatest potential of the bunch.

A sad little side note, the 16th overall pick belonged to the St. Louis Blues, who selected Russian sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. We don’t know if the Avalanche would have selected him with their pick, but the chance would have been there.

Next: Round 2

Round 2

Dec 21, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard (31) celebrates after making a save to win the game in a shootout against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Colorado won 2-1 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

49th overall (LAK):
Colorado Avalanche pick — G Calvin Pickard
New pick — G Calvin Pickard

The Colorado Avalanche traded their 47th overall pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 49th and 107th picks. The Kings used that pick to grab Tyler Toffoli, while the Avalanche used the second round pick on Calvin Pickard and passed on the fourth rounder.

Pickard was the No. 1 goaltender for the Lake Erie Monsters and is likely next season’s No. 1 for the San Antonio Rampage. There were players available that have already spent four seasons in the NHL, e.g. Minnesota’s Jason Zucker, while Pickard has only appeared in 16 NHL games so far — so why pick him? Quite simply, Calvin Pickard can be the Colorado Avalanche’s future No. 1 if he totally pans out. He has a lot of potential and once the Reto Berra situation is resolved, Pickard can continue to climb up the career ladder.

Next: Round 3

Round 3

Apr 8, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Stanislav Galiev (49) skates with the puck during warm ups prior to the Capitals

71st overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — LW Michael Bournival
New pick — RW Stanislav Galiev (86th to WSH)

Drafting with hindsight can be easy but gets harder the closer we come to present time and the farther we get into the late rounds of the draft. Many of the players have not made the NHL yet and it is up to everyone individually to find out who has the biggest potential and who would have been the best pick.

In this case, the Colorado Avalanche even drafted a current NHL player. However, he was traded to the Montréal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Ryan O’Byrne soon after the draft. Keeping Bournival would have been a better decision, but in hindsight I would even select a different player — one that has only two NHL games on his record.

Stanislav Galiev, another Russian Washington Capitals prospect, has spent most of his professional career in the ECHL and AHL. In fact, the 2014-15 campaign was his first full AHL season. However, he is a dangerous sniper that has been able to contribute in every league he has played in so far. In two NHL games, Galiev has one goal — don’t be surprised if there are many more to come.

Next: Round 4

Round 4

Feb 22, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Stars 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

95th overall (NYI):
Colorado Avalanche pick — D Steven Silas
New pick — C Craig Cunningham (97th to BOS)

Stephen Silas is a 6-foot defenseman that left the OHL after five seasons with the Belleville Bulls to play for the University of Waterloo in the Canadian CIS. He cannot be expected to ever play in the NHL and likely not in any professional hockey league.

Center Craig Cunningham has 53 NHL contests under his belt already. He is, admittedly, a very similar player to Joey Hishon, who was decided against in the first round. The difference here is that we are in the fourth round, not in the first, and it should be okay to opt for a small forward like Cunningham. Cunningham is now with the Arizona Coyotes and will likely remain an NHL player there for now.

107th overall:
Colorado Avalanche pick — G Sami Aittokallio
New pick — D John Klingberg (131st to DAL)

Sami Aittokallio is the Colorado Avalanche’s mandatory late-round goalie pick. While many of the past goaltenders that were drafted by the Avalanche never got close to the NHL, Aittokallio actually played in two NHL games already. He is currently Calvin Pickard’s backup in the AHL, but he has the potential to at least become an NHL backup one day.

Still, the new pick is someone else. Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg has just finished his rookie season — and it was a great one. In 65 games, Klingberg scored 11 goals and recorded 29 assists. He needs to develop his defensive game a little, but is already decent enough to play in the NHL. Klingberg should be an NHL D-man for years to come.

Next: Round 5

Round 5

Apr 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Mark Stone (61) celebrates his second goal of the game during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Ottawa won the game 3-1 and clinched a playoff spot. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

137th overall: 
Colorado Avalanche pick — D Troy Rutkowski
New pick — D Troy Rutkowski

This one only has one explanation: eligibility to be redrafted. The next Colorado Avalanche pick is No. 139th and therefore, goaltender Louis Domingue was the only other eligible player. Rutkowski is at least an AHL defenseman that could possibly make the NHL at some point during his career.

139th overall (LAK): 
Colorado Avalanche pick — RW Luke Walker
New pick — RW Mark Stone (178th to OTT)

Luke Walker spent three seasons with the Lake Erie Monsters. He did a decent job there, but nothing outstanding. That’s why he decided to leave North America and head to the KHL for one year, before joining the Graz 99ers in the Austrian league.

The new pick for the Colorado Avalanche looks like a home run at first glance, but when you look at who else was available, there is a chance that many people will disagree. At No. 147 overall, the Montréal Canadiens selected Brendan Gallagher — a player that has proven himself over three years in the NHL — while Mark Stone just had his rookie season. However, Stone is a Calder Trophy finalist and had one heck of a season, scoring 26 goals and 64 points in 80 games, before adding four assists in six playoff games. I believe that he has the bigger potential compared to Gallagher and he will go on to have the better NHL career.

The Colorado Avalanche’s sixth round pick was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Next: Round 7