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Re-Drafting Toronto Maple Leafs History: 2011 NHL Entry Draft

By Stephen Nixon

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: 22nd overall pick Tyler Biggs of the Toronto Maple Leafs poses for a portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: 22nd overall pick Tyler Biggs of the Toronto Maple Leafs poses for a portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 19: Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 19: Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

2011 NHL Entry Re-Draft

#1. Edmonton Oilers

Actual: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Re-Draft: Nikita Kucherov

This is the second installment of a three-year streak of the Edmonton Oilers drafting first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

And once again, they selected the wrong player!

The Tampa Bay Lightning deserve a ton of credit for selecting Kucherov with the 58th overall selection in this draft, originally. Having only played eight games in the KHL with 0 goals heading into his draft year, it’s not like he was turning heads.

Also, he was a relatively small-guy at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, so it makes sense why scouts didn’t see him as a first-round selection.

However, once Kucherov moved overseas and started playing for the Lightning, he’s been a goal-scoring machine.

He’s been a consistent 30-plus goal scorer, with his best season coming in the 2018-19 season when he scored 41 goals, including 128 points, which helped him win an Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Memorial Trophy.

Kucherov currently leads this draft class with 547 points and is a no-brainer first-overall selection in this re-draft.

#2. Colorado Avalanche

Actual: Gabriel Landeskog

Re-Draft: Mark Scheifele

The Avalanche made a great selection by originally drafting Gabriel Landeskog, but Mark Scheifele is the second best player in this draft.

If anyone had the opportunity of watching Scheifele in junior, it was an absolute privilege. The fact that he fell to the seventh selection in this draft is a joke, compared to some of the players that got selected over here.

Scheifele is your optimal centre in the National Hockey League. He is obsessed with the sport of hockey and his knowledge and love for the game will keep him motivated to be one of the best players in the league.

His career took a little time to blossom, but over the past few years, he’s been a point-per-game player, including a 2018-19 season where he scored 84 points in 82 games, which included 38 goals.

Scheifele has developed into one of the best two-way centre’s in the NHL and is a true leader on a very good Winnipeg Jets team.

Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri and are a nice one-two centre combination, but MacKinnon and Scheifele would be incredible.

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