Ranking the top 5 team drafts since 2000
It's hard enough to find just one star in an NHL draft, let alone multiple ones.
Teams sometimes get lucky enough and manage to select two future franchise cornerstones in the same draft. The Los Angeles Kings got Jonathan Quick and Anze Kopitar in 2005 and the Anaheim Ducks selected Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in 2003.
Two is doable, but hitting on three picks? Now that's impressive.
Let's take a look back at the five best drafts by teams over the last two decades.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning (2011)
Nick Laham / Getty Images Sport / Getty| Pick No. | Player | GP | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Vladislav Namestnikov | 425 | 189 |
| 58 | Nikita Kucherov | 514 | 544 |
| 208 | Ondrej Palat | 495 | 328 |
Picking late in the first round, the Lightning managed to land themselves a legitimate top-six forward in Namestnikov. Then, in the second round, they found a hidden gem and one of the best value picks in recent memory with Kucherov. The addition of just those two would have made for a successful draft, but then, with its final pick, Tampa Bay added Palat.
Palat and Kucherov remain key cogs in the Lightning's lineup today, with the latter having turned into a perennial MVP candidate.
Namestnikov was a part of a package deal in 2018 that netted the Lightning Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller.
4. Montreal Canadiens (2007)
Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty| Pick No. | Player | GP | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Ryan McDonagh | 661 | 298 |
| 22 | Max Pacioretty | 763 | 554 |
| 43 | P.K. Subban | 713 | 426 |
Armed with two first-rounders, the Canadiens didn't miss on either of them. The Habs took McDonagh with their first pick, Pacioretty with their second, and topped it off by snagging Subban in the second round. Pacioretty ranks second among the 2007 class in goals and Subban leads all defensemen in points.
However, McDonagh - who comes in at No. 3 on that list of blue-liners - never suited up in a game for the Canadiens, as he was traded in the deal that sent Scott Gomez to Montreal.
Pacioretty captained the team for three seasons and led it in goals in five. Subban, meanwhile, was one of the team's most electrifying players in recent memory and took home a Norris Trophy before being dealt for the team's current captain, Shea Weber.
3. Colorado Avalanche (2009)
Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League / Getty| Pick No. | Player | GP | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Matt Duchene | 793 | 589 |
| 33 | Ryan O'Reilly | 803 | 559 |
| 64 | Tyson Barrie | 554 | 346 |
The Avalanche managed to snatch up three entirely different, game-changing players in one draft. Colorado didn't waste the third overall pick, selecting a dynamic playmaker in Duchene. It then added solid two-way center O'Reilly and puck-moving defenseman Barrie in the second round.
Duchene and O'Reilly made immediate impacts during their rookie campaigns, helping the Avalanche reach the playoffs. However, they returned to the postseason only once over the next five years before the latter was traded to the Buffalo Sabres.
The trio are no longer with the Avalanche, but they continue to play at an elite level on their respective teams and are some of the league's top stars.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (2003)
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty| Pick No. | Player | GP | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Brent Seabrook | 1114 | 464 |
| 52 | Corey Crawford | 488 | 260 wins |
| 245 | Dustin Byfuglien | 869 | 525 |
The Blackhawks helped earn themselves multiple Stanley Cup victories with their showing in the 2003 draft. They secured a stud defenseman in Seabrook, a franchise goalie in Crawford, and a gritty depth forward - who would go on to become a dominant blue-liner in his own right - in Byfuglien.
All three went on to play vital roles in helping the Blackhawks win their three Cups this past decade. Before Byfuglien transformed into a top defenseman, he grinded as a forward in Chicago, scoring three goals in the finals when the Blackhawks won it all in 2010. Crawford then backstopped the team to its next two Cup victories while Seabrook continues to log seemingly endless minutes on the blue line.
1. Boston Bruins (2006)
Dave Sandford / Getty Images Sport / Getty| Pick No. | Player | GP | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Phil Kessel | 1066 | 861 |
| 50 | Milan Lucic | 958 | 521 |
| 71 | Brad Marchand | 751 | 646 |
Bruins interim general manager Jeff Gorton easily had one of the best NHL drafts of all time in 2006. Days before officially being replaced by Peter Chiarelli, Gorton set up the Bruins as best as anyone could have. Not only did he manage to draft future stars Kessel, Lucic, and Marchand, Gorton also made a draft-day trade for the ages by sending Andrew Raycroft to the Toronto Maple Leafs for future Vezina winner Tuukka Rask.
Kessel may not have panned out in Boston - he was traded after just three seasons - but he's become one of the best goal-scorers in the league. Kessel ranks fifth in the NHL in goals since 2007-08 with 246, and he helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017.
Meanwhile, Marchand and Lucic played vital roles in helping the Bruins secure a Stanley Cup in 2011. Since then, Marchand has transformed from a pesky, agitating player into a pesky, agitating, legitimate MVP contender. Lucic is no longer the player of yesteryear, but he was one of the league's most feared enforcers for multiple seasons while still getting it done on offense.
Honorable Mentions2010 Carolina Hurricanes: Jeff Skinner, Frederik Andersen, Justin Faulk
2009 Ottawa Senators: Jakob Silfverberg, Robin Lehner, Mike Hoffman
2011 Ottawa Senators: Mika Zibanejad, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Dzingel
2005 St. Louis Blues: T.J. Oshie, Ben Bishop, Ryan Reaves
2009 New York Islanders: John Tavares, Mikko Koskinen, Anders Lee, Calvin De Haan, Casey Cizikas, Anders Nilsson
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