The 1979 Draft is perhaps the most loaded draft class of all-time;
this draft produced 6 future Hall of famers and 12 of the 21 first round picks played in at least one all star game,
19 of the 21 would play at least 450 career NHL games and all 21 had NHL career of at least 235 games.
As great as the draft turned out, i reckon some teams would definately like a do-over considering Guy Carboneau and Mark Messier weren't picked until the 3rd round.
This is my redraft of the 1979 NHL draft.
1. Colorado Rockies-(C) Mark Messier
Original selection: Rob Ramage
Mark Messier is revered as one of the greatest hockey players of all-time.
He is one of the most decorated players of all time and is one of the greatest captains in NHL history.
Drafting Mark Messier would change the fortunes of the Colorado Rockies and would change the culture of the locker room.
2. St. Louis Blues- (D) Ray Bourque
Original Selection: Perry Turnbull
The St.Louis Blues are missing that stud defenseman to take them to the next level, Ray Bourque could take them to the next level.
Ray Bourque was special the day he stepped onto the ice for Boston and he would be a franchise changing defenseman for St.Louis Blues.
Bourque would be a great addition to the Blues core alongside Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter, Wayne Babych.
3. Detroit Red Wings-(RW) Mike Gartner
Original Selection: Mike Foligno
Mike Gartner had a long and productive NHL career and has the NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons, with 15.
The Red Wings were a miserable franchise in the 80s and drafting Mike Gartner would have given the fans a little something to cheer about.
Selecting Mike Gartner of Mike Folgino would be a massive upgrade for the Red Wings.
4. Washington Capitals (LW) Michel Goulet
Original Selection: Mike Gartner
It will be hard to replace Mike Gartner's production in the lineup, but Michel Goulet is the best pure scorer in the draft after Mike Gartner.
Goulet was one of the most prolific snipers of the 80s but was hardly mentioned because of the superstar talent in the league during the 80s.
Michel Goulet would be a great fit on the line with Dennis Maruk, giving the Capitals a great dynamic duo.
5. Vancouver Canucks (LW) Glenn Anderson
Original Selection: Rick Vaive
Glenn Anderson had a reputation of being a big game player, playing on the Dynasty Oilers teams of the 80s defenately helped his production.
Glenn Anderson doesn't have the Superstar talent to rely on anymore with the Vancouver Canucks but he still some talent to work with.
The Canucks had a few very talented young fowards at time including Thomas Gradin, Stan Smyl, Don Lever.
Adding Glenn Anderson would give a great talent pool of forwards to work with moving forward.
6. Minnesota North Stars-(LW) Brian Propp
Original Selection: Craig Hartsburg
Although the Hartsburgh was the captain of the North Stars for 7 season, i feel like Brian Propp could have helped the North Stars more.
The North Stars had tons of centers but they didn't have any stand out wingers, Brian Propp was that star winger they were missing.
Propp would do a lot of damage on a line centered by Bobby Smith.
7. Chicago Blackhawks-(C) Dale Hunter
Original Selection: Keith Brown
With Stan Mikita being 38 years of age, it would be wise for the Blackhawks to draft a successor.
Dale Hunter is not well liked but he does his job well; he is a great agitator and can put up great numbers as well.
Since the Blackhawks aren't the most talented club at this point, they will need to do it will the dirty way and no one does it better than Dale Hunter.
8. Boston Bruins- (D) Rob Ramage
Original Selection: Ray Bourque
The Bruins really are in desperate need of a defenseman, now with Ray Bouque off the board, the next best option is Rob Ramage.
Ramage wouldn't have as long a career as Ray Bourque but he would have a couple very productive offensive years.
Brad Park and Rob Ramage would be a solid 1st d pair for the Boston Bruins moving forward.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs- Guy Carboneau
Original Selection: Laurie Boschman
Although there are players in this draft that have put up more points than Carboneau, Carboneau has the intangibles that some players don't.
Carboneau is a 3 time stanley cup champion, 3x selke trophy winner and a member of the hockey hall of fame.
Drafting Carboneau over Boschman is one of the biggest upgrades in this draft.
10. Minnesota North Stars- (D) Kevin Lowe
Original Selection: Tom McCarthy
After drafting Brian Propp with their first pick, the North Stars really need to bolster their defense.
Although it would be tempting to draft a goal scoring winger like Rick Vaive or a playmaking center like Neal Broten, the North Stars need defense.
The best defenseman available at this point in the draft is Kevin Lowe, who is a solid two way defenseman.
Lowe isn't the flashy pick but he will be a good solid defenseman in the league for a long time.
11. Buffalo Sabres- (D) Brad McCrimmon
Original Selection: Mike Ramsey
Mike Ramsey is a solid defenseman but I think Brad McCrimmon had a longer and more productive career overall.
Also, McCrimmon had a career +444 +/- rating, whereas Ramsey had a really bad +/- in his career.
McCrimmon was paired with some of the Best defenseman of all time which is why he doesn't get much attention.
McCrimmon is the perfect stay home defenseman to pair with a prolific offensive defenseman.
12. Atlanta Flames-(C) Neal Broten
Original Selection: Paul Reinhart
Paul Reinhart was a cornerstone defenseman until his career was shortened by injuries, which is why he drops in the draft.
Neal Broten is a safer pick, he will be a very productive 1st or 2nd line center in the league for a while.
Neal Broten would be a 1st line center that the Atlanta Flames, or Calgary Flames for a long time.
13. New York Rangers-(RW) Rick Vaive
Original Selection: Doug Sulliman
Rick Vaive is a good goal scorer that 10 30-goal seasons in his career, with 3 of them being 50-goal campains.
Rick Vaive gives the Rangers a sniper to put alongside Phil Esposito.
Doug Sulliman did nothing for the Rangers, needless to say that Vaive would be a massive upgrade.
14. Philadelphia Flyers-(RW) John Odgrodnick
Original Selection: Brian Propp
John Odgrodnick was one of the lost stars in the 1980s because he played on some very bad Detroit Red Wings teams.
Odgrodnick got 25+ goals in every season from 1980-1986; if Odgrodnick plays with talented players he can get 50+ goals a season.
Replacing Brian Propp is no easy task but Odgrodnick could easily fit on the top line alongside Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber.
15. Boston Bruins-(D) Paul Reinhart
Original Selection: Brad McCrimmon
Having already selected Rob Ramage with their 1st pick in the 1st round, the Boston Bruins will look to pick another defenseman with their 2nd 1st round pick.
Paul Reinhart is a fantastic puck moving defenseman, who is viewed as a cornerstone defenseman
After adding Rob Ramage and Paul Reinhart, the Boston Bruins have really bolstered their defense.
16. Los Angeles Kings-Mike Ramsey
Original Selection: Jay Wells
Mike Ramsey is a solid defenseman who played 14 good season with the Buffalo Sabres.
The LA Kings have a solid group of forwards but they need to upgrade their defense.
Mike Ramsey would be a solid top four defenseman for the LA Kings.
17. New York Islanders-(C/LW) Thomas Steen
Original Selection: Duane Sutter
Thomas Steen slipped under the radar a bit because he played on some bad Winnipeg Jets teams.
He is a versitaile forward that can play center and wing and focuses primarily on setting up others.
Thomas Steen joins an already potent Islanders team and is a huge upgrade over Duane Sutter.
18. Hartford Whalers-(G) Pelle Lindbergh
Original Selection: Ray Allison
This is the biggest reach in the draft but with the 18th pick in the draft, the Hartford Whalers select Pelle Lindbergh.
Lindbergh had a breakout season with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984-85 season before his career was tragically cut short.
Despite only having played in the NHL for 5 seasons, that doesn't takeaway from the fact the Lindbergh was undoubtly the best goalie in the 1979 draft.
19. Winnipeg Jets-(G) Pat Riggin
Original Selection: Jimmy Mann
The biggest need for the Winnipeg Jets is goaltending.
After Pelle Lindberg, the best available goalie is Pat Riggin.
Riggin is a solid starting goalie, his numbers would be a whole lot better if he played on a better team.
With the addition of Pat Riggin, the Winnipeg Jets would have their number 1 goalie.
20. Quebec Nordiques-(C) Dave Christian
Original Selection: Michel Goulet
It would be hard really hard to replace Michel Goulet because of how productive he was in the 80s.
Dave Christian is the best player available at this point in the draft, so the Nordiques select him.
Dave Chrisitan would be a great 2nd line center on the Nordiques behind Peter Stastny or he could also be used at Right Wing.
21. Edmonton Oilers-(D) Craig Hartsburg
Original Selection: Kevin Lowe
When he was healthy, Craig Hartsburg was a really good defenseman and was a member of the historic 1987 Canada Cap team.
Hartsburgh was a great defenseman for 8 years with the Minnesota North Stars before injuries derailed his career.
Hartsburg would be the perfect defenseman to pair with Paul Coffey and is actually a better defenseman when healthy than Kevin Lowe.
The Biggest winners from the Redraft are the Minnesota North Stars, Colorado Rockies, St.Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Biggest Losers from the Redraft are the Quebec Nordiques, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, LA Kings.
My takeaway from Redrafting the 1979 draft is that many mistakes were made in the 1st round but the mistakes were made up in the later rounds.
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