Toronto Maple Leafs: Re-Drafting the 2012 NHL Entry Draft

2012 NHL Draft Re-Draft

#1 Edmonton Oilers

Actual: Nail Yakupov

Re-Draft: Andrei Vasilevskiy

The Oilers are the poster team for what could have been.  They drafted Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Connor McDavid with four first overall picks.

Had they not made one of the worst trades of all-time with Taylor Hall, and had they not completely whiffed on Yakupov, they’d have been one of the NHL’s best teams ever assembled.

Imagine a team that not only had McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Hall and RNH, but was backed by the NHL’s best goalie?

Had the Oilers been even half-way competent, you might not have had to imagine it.  Then again, if they were competent, they likely wouldn’t have picked first four times.

Either way, the selection of Andrei Vasilevskiy, the consensus best goalie in the NHL today, is a no-brainer.

If you could actually predict what goalies would do, a goalie would pretty much always be the first overall pick.  Since you can’t predict them, they rarely are.

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets

Actual: Ryan Murray

Re-Draft: Connor Hellebuyck

The Blue Jackets selected Ryan Murray, and he’s actually really good.  He is just never healthy and has had injuries set his career back immensely.

A do over, however, would see the Jackets get a goalie.  This year, the Vezina Trophy is most likely going to go to Connor Hellebuyck, who is neck-and-neck with Vasilevskiy for being the NHL’s best goalie.

In fact, if the goalies didn’t already have their own  trophy, Hellebuyck for Hart would likely be a more common talking point.

The Jets star would see himself going to Columbus if the draft were done over with perfect hindsight.