A Look At The 2009 NHL Draft Results
June 27, 2009 by Tyler
Filed under Hockey Columns
Just like any professional sport entry draft, the real winners and losers of the day will not be known until several years into the future. However, knowing that did not prevent the Montreal fans and media from hyping up the 2009 entry draft to epic proportions.
The first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft came and went with just a few surprises. Most of the surprises involved a trade that did happen, and several rumored trades that did not happen. In fact, the 2009 NHL Entry draft was quite a bit less dramatic than many fans were led to believe.
The Top Picks
The top several picks in the draft went just as expected with no major surprises to speak of. The tight-lipped Garth Snow did a fantastic job of keeping his 1st overall selection a secret until the very last moment. A feat that is not easy to do in this day and age. The Islanders needed an immediate scoring threat and they got just that with the highly touted John Tavares.
The Tampa Bay Lightning followed up by selecting Swedish Defenceman Victor Hedman, whose 6’6 – 225lbs frame is sure to shore up their blueline.
Matt Duchene, who in the days leading up to the draft, garnered some attention an possibly being the best long-term prospect in the draft was selected 3rd overall by the Colorado Avalanche.
Evander Kane and Brayden Schenn, both from the Western Hockey League, roudned out the Top 5 as expected.
Let us now forget about Rounds 2-7 in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. many franchises (See Detroit Red Wings) have made a living off stealing great players in the later rounds. And, be certain, there is still plenty of talent available!
Draft Day Trades
In past years, the day of the NHL Entry Draft offered hockey fans some of the most exciting trades outside of the annual trading deadline. While there were not a plethora of trades that took place at this year’s draft, there was one that rocked the boat!
The Anaheim Ducks sent all-star defenceman Chris Pronger to Philadelphia along with prospect Ryan Dingle for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenceman Luca Sbisa, first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 and a conditional third-rounder in 2010 or 2011.
This trade was a surprise to many as the already salary cap challenged Philadelphia Flyers added a very big salary commitment in Pronger. This is lading many to believe that Briere will not be re-signed.
Notwithstanding the salary cap issue, Paul Holmgren is right about Chris Pronger:
“I think Chris Pronger is still one of the top defencemen in the league,” said Holmgren. “I think he makes everyone around him better. He’s a winner, he’s won a championship. He’s a tremendous character player, he works hard. I wanted a guy who would make life miserable for the other team. Chris is one of those guys.”
With the first round behind us, let’s sit back and enjoy the rest of the draft while we gear up for what promises to be a busy few weeks of free agency.
Eric B on Sat, 27th Jun 2009 12:14 pm
I’m a HUGE Flyers fan and I like the Pronger deal. Sure, he’s got a big contract, but it’s only one more year and I think Holmgren will find a way to get an extension done. I liked Lupul, but since scoring an OT series-clincher against the Caps, he’s more or less disappeared in the playoffs, so giving him up for a top-tier D is not bad in my opinion. With the Flyers though, it all comes back to goaltending and will Emery be that guy? Pronger should help, at least I hope so.
Tyler on Sat, 27th Jun 2009 1:52 pm
Eric,
The Flyers certainly need the presence of a Pronger on the back end. Pronger give Emery a mean gritty D-man to hold the fort on the nights when he is inconsistent. It will just be a matter of how the Flyers are able to wiggle under the cap without giving up the offensive upside.