Let’s take a look at the draft, 10 years ago and how it’s effects are being felt a decade later.
First, I want to take a look at things from a larger perspective, from the NHL level of things. This was a deep first round, with 16 players in the first round becoming All Stars and impact players in the NHL for thier respoective teams. You could also argue that all but one player taken in the first round has played measureable time in the NHL, with the only exception being Shawn Belle to the Blues at #30. Looking at the first round draft class, the following players are the only ones still with thier original team at the time of this article:
- Marc-Andre Fluery, Pittsburgh Penguins #1 – One Stanley Cup Win
- Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes #2 – One Stanley Cup Win
- Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres #5
- Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings #13 – One Stanley Cup Win
- Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks #14 – Two Stanley Cup Wins
- Ryan Getzlaf, Anahiem Ducks #19 – One Stanley Cup Win
- Ryan Kessler, Vancouver Canucks #23 – One Finals Trip
- Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks #28 – One Stanley Cup
That is eight, out of 30 picks. Out of those eight, all but one has been to the Stanley Cup finals in those 10 years, and all but 2 have won a Stanley Cup. Thomas Vanek is the only player that has the distinction of both of those shortcomings. Staal, Brown, Seabrook, Getzlaf, Kessler and Perry all have long term deals in place with thier current teams. In the offseason to this point, there have been rumors of Vanek and Fleury both being dealt away from thier respective teams. There are a couple of things that this proves in regards to discussion of the NHL draft. One, is that impact players are taken in the first round. Second, is that even if those players are drafted by one team, does not mean that they cannot be had later in thier careers. Impact trades and free agency have reshaped the face of the 2003 NHL draft.
There are also players in the first round, that have won Stanley Cups with teams other then the one they were drafted by. Nathan Horton as won one with the Bruins (drafted by Florida #3), Jeff Carter with the Los Angeles Kings (drafted by Philidelphia #11), and Mike Richards with the Los Angeles Kings (drafted by Philidelphia #24).
The remaining impact players taken in the first round that have changed teams are:
- Milan Mihalek taken #6 by San Jose, now plays for Ottawa via trade
- Ryan Suter taken #7 by Nashville, now with Minnesota via free agency
- Dion Phaneuf taken #9 by Calgary, now with Toronto via trade
- Zach Parise taken #17 by New Jersey, now with Minnesota via free agency
- Brett Burns taken #20 by Mennesota, now with San Jose
In my mind, one of the more stacked drafts in recent years, also had its amount of later round gems. Some of them have also made huge impacts in the NHL in the last decade, including 2 winning a Cup.
- Louis Eriksson #33 by Dallas, is an Alternate Captain for the Stars, and a candiate for the Captaincy with departure of Morrow.
- Patrice Bergeron #45 by Boston, is an alternate Captain for the Bruins, has won a Stanley Cup, a Selke Award and a King Clancy Award.
- Shea Weber #49 by Nashville, is the Captain for the Predators and a perennial Norris cadidate and All Star
- David Backes #62 by St.Louis, is the Captain for the Blues. and a nominee for the Selke.
- Jimmy Howard #64 by Detroit, was runner up for the Calder Trophy in 2010
- Tobias Enstrom #239 by Atlanta, is a great young up and coming defenceman for the Winnipeg Jets
- Dustin Byfuglien #245 by Chicago, won a cup in 2010 with the Blackhawks, and is now an Alternate Captain for the Jets.
What does all this mean for us as Sabres fans you ask? What is shows us, is that It was one of the more uneventful and non impactful drafts ever for the Buffalo Sabres.
- Thomas Vanek LW, #5 overall in the first round: By far, Thomas has been the brightest bulb from the 2003 draft for the Buffalo Sabres. Prior to the draft, Vanek was part of the Minnesota Golden Gophers that won the 2003 NCAA National Championship. He was named MVP of that tournament, which was played in downtown Buffalo in front of the Sabres brass. It is hard to imagine an easier way to present in an interview. With that fifth pick, it really was an easy decision for Buffalo to take him. In one full season with the Rochester Americans, he made it known that he was ready for big things. In 2003-04, he scored 43 goals in 74 games, adding 26 assists in his first professional season. Vanek earned a spot with the big club at the start of the 2004-05 season, and has made an impact in the blue and gold ever since. As of the end of this season, Vaneks 250 career goals place him 6th overall, only 2 behind Craig Ramsey at 252. His assist total of 238 places him in the top ten, as well as his career point total of 488. Vanek has never lead the Sabres to a Cup Finals appearence, and is currently being rumored in trades this off season due to a pending rebuild.
- Branislav Fabry RW, #65 overall in the second round: Was drafted by the Sabres, and ever saw the AHL or NHL for playing time.
- Clarke MacArthur LW, #74 overall in the third round: MacArthur spent some time in the AHL playing in Rochester, for the first 2 plus years of his career. His time with Buffalo was shortlived, spending parts of 4 season with the Sabres. He had good back to back years in 2008-09 with 31 points, and 2009-10 with 26 points in 60 games before being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. Buffalo received two picks for MacArthur, a third and fourth rounder, both in the 2010 NHL draft. The third round pick turned into defenceman Jerome Gauthier-Leduc who is now in Rochester playing in the AHL. The fourth round pick was used on Center Steven Shipley, who has not broken out of the OHL since being drafted.
- Jan Hejda D, #106 overall in the 4th round: Hejda never saw a pro game for the Sabres franchise. He played three seasons in Russia after being drafted by the Sabres, and was traded by Buffalo to the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 for a seventh round pick in 2007. Buffalo used the pick #187 on Goaltender Nick Eno, who went back to college and is currently playing in the SPHL. Needless to say, he will have no impact for Buffalo at this point.
- Denis Yezhov D #114 overall in 4th round, Thomas Morrow D #150 overall in 5th round, and Pavel Voroshnin D #172 overall in the 6th round, all had no impact with the franchise at all.
- Nathan Paetsch D, #202 overall in 7th round: Paetsch played three productive seasons in the AHL for the Rochester Americans, and was recalled by the Sabres in the 2005-06 season to help them in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. If you remember, this was the year the Sabres lost thier top three d-men to injuries, and had to go with a group of second tier players at that point with little to no NHL experience. He played parts of four seasons with the Sabres, and was part of the trade in 2010 that brought the overweight and out of shape Raffi Torres to the Sabres for the playoff run.
- Jeff Weber G, #235 overall in eighth round, and Louis-Phillipe Matin RW, #266 overall never made any impression in the Sabres Organization.
When looking back at this draft for the Sabres, they have 2 players currently making any kind of impact inside the organization. The fact is, that one or both of them could be part of a trade this week to help with the rebuilding of the Buffalo Sabres. Both Thomas Vanek and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (from the MacArthur deal) have trade value. I would not be suprised to see them both go. If this comes to pass, that would leave the Sabres with zero players left to make an impact for them in the present or future.
Let’s start a new trend. Go Sabres.
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