Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015-16 NHL season is almost underway and with the Bruins coming off of a very busy draft a few months ago, it seems appropriate to re-draft previous years for the Bruins based on present-day knowledge. The premise is simple; the draft falls the exact same way it did within any given year, and the Bruins would draft the best available player on the board, regardless of positional need at the time. Please read with suspended belief as the draft positions clearly would have fallen differently if the players were taken out of order; this is just a fun little exercise.
The fifth year that will be re-drafted will be the 2009 NHL Draft.
1st Round:
Actual Pick: Jordan Caron – Right Wing
Re-Draft Pick: Ryan O’Reilly – Center
Honorable Mentions: Kyle Palmieri, Jakob Silfverberg, Tomas Tatar, Tyson Barrie
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Once perceived as the next Patrice Bergeron by the Bruins, Jordan Caron was one of the most disappointing stories coming out of Boston for years. Caron’s saga with the Bruins seemed to be never ending, finally finishing as a result of a trade in the 2014-15 season. A few picks after Jordan Caron was star forward Ryan O’Reilly; an improvement on most NHL players, and definitely a significant improvement on Jordan Caron. Ryan O’Reilly recently earned himself a large contract extension after being acquired by the Buffalo Sabres during the offseason. While the Bruins aren’t exactly in need of a first or second line center, O’Reilly is also capable of playing on the wings and employs the 2-way game that Claude Julien is so fond of.
2nd Round:
Puck Prose
Actual Pick: None
Re-Draft Pick: None
Honorable Mentions: None
3rd Round:
Actual Pick: Ryan Button – Defense
Re-Draft Pick: Mattias Ekholm – Defense
Honorable Mentions: David Savard, Linden Vey, Sami Vatanen
The Bruins were looking for a defenseman with this pick and missed three great alternatives to Ryan Button. David Savard, Sami Vatanen, and Mattias Ekholm have all proved they can be legitimate NHL players and can all play significant minutes in both ends of the ice. Ryan Button has yet to play an NHL game, in comparison. Mattias Ekholm would have been the smartest pick out of the group listed above as he can provide the best two-way game and is a very solid puck-moving defenseman. The Bruins are in need of a first-pass defenseman Ekholm would have been the perfect fit.
4th Round:
Actual Pick: Lane McDermid – Left Wing
Re-Draft Pick: Mike Hoffman – Center
Honorable Mentions: Marcus Kruger, Anders Lee
More from Causeway Crowd
- Harrison, Toporowski shine in Prospects Challenge
- Obscure former Boston Bruins: Steven Kampfer
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins release full “Historic 100” list ahead of season
- McAvoy, Lucic named to “Historic 100” list over the weekend
After his breakout rookie season in Ottawa, having posted 27 goals and 48 points in 79 games, Hoffman was one of the clear steals of the 2009 draft being selected in the 5th round, 130th overall. Lane McDermid never amounted to anything in Boston and has only played in 21 games in the NHL so far. Seemingly trending in opposite directions, Hoffman could have provided much needed scoring for the Bruins and it would have only costed them a 4th round pick; hindsight isn’t pretty sometimes. Mike Hoffman is about to enter his second full season as an Ottawa Senator and is currently on a one year contract. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his success to earn a long-term extension with a substantial raise.
5th Round:
Actual Pick: None
Re-Draft Pick: None
Honorable Mentions: None
6th Round:
Actual Pick: Tyler Randell – Right Wing
Re-Draft Pick: Erik Haula – Center
Honorable Mentions: Jordan Nolan
Tyler Randell has yet to play an NHL game, while Erik Haula is quietly one of the better 4th line players in the NHL. Erik Haula would have been a valuable piece on Boston’s 4th line, even with all of the centers currently in the Boston Bruins organization. Any value pick in the 6th round is a win, and Erik Haula was actually picked with the first pick of the 7th round; Minnesota hit big with Haula with such a late pick.
7th Round:
Actual Pick: Ben Sexton – Center
Re-Draft Pick: Ben Sexton – Center
Honorable Mentions: None
Nobody really pops out as relevant after Ben Sexton in the 7th round of the 2009 NHL draft, including Ben Sexton. The Bruins didn’t have much to choose from at this point in the draft apparently, which isn’t totally unheard of considering it’s the latter stages of the 7th round. Ben Sexton can’t really be improved upon, therefore he remains the Bruins 7th round draft pick.
If you have any differing opinions, or if you agree, let me know in the comments below!
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @FansidedBrandon where we can discuss all things Bruins and sports!