The 1994 NHL was a really deep draft that saw the likes of Daniel Alfredsson being picked in the 6th round,
as well as Tim Thomas, Evgeni Nabokov, Tomas Vokoun and Steve Sullivan picked in the 9th round.
If the 1994 NHL draft were redraft, the landscape of the NHL would be very different.
*If you haven't read my previous blogs in the redrafting series, i suggest reading those first*
1. Florida Panthers- (RW) Daniel Alfredsson
Original pick: Ed Jovanovski
While Ed Jovanovski turned into a great defenseman in the NHL, his career didn't take off until he got to Vancouver.
Daniel Alfredsson was an impact player from his first season in the league with the Senators to his last.
With Alfredsson now on the Panthers, they have a player they can rely on and build around for the next 10-15 years.
2. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim- (LW) Patrik Elias
Original pick: Oleg Tverdovsky
Oleg Tverdovsky was a major disappointment as the number 2 pick in the draft.
Patrik Elias became the New Jersey Devils all time leading scorer in regular and postseason.
Elias will be a player the Mighty Ducks can build around for the next 20 years.
3. Ottawa Senators- (RW) Milan Hejduk
Original pick: Radek Bonk
After losing Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators will need a player that can score and while Radek Bonk was a solid player, he wasn't a scorer.
Milan Hejduk had 13 straight 20 goal seasons, 5 seasons in which he put up 30 or more goals and 2 season where he had 40+ goals.
Hejduk would a reliable and durable scorer that the Senators could rely on for over a decade.
4. Edmonton Oilers-(G) Evgeni Nabokov
Original pick: Jason Bonsignore
The Edmonton Oilers in past few years have picked a string of second tier players, its time for them to pick some impact players.
The Oilers start this process by drafting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who was an excellent starting goalie in the league;
Nabokov had 6 30+ win seasons, includ 3 straight 40+ wins seasons from 2007-2010.
With Nabokov in goal, the Oilers now have their goalie for the 2000s.
5. Hartford Whalers-(D) Ed Jovanovski
Original pick: Jeff O'Neill
Jeff O'Neill was a good player for the Hartford/Carolina franchise but at this time, the team really needed defense.
The top defenseman available was Ed Jovanovski, he had pretty solid career putting up 500 points in 1,128 games.
With Jovanoski on board, the Whalers now hopefully have found their number 1 defenseman of the future.
6. Edmonton Oilers-(LW) Ryan Smyth
Original pick: Ryan Smyth
The Edmonton Oilers still select Ryan Smyth with the 6th overall pick, as he was considered the face of the franchise at one point.
From 1996-2007, he had put up 286 G and 538 points in 719 games before being traded to the New York Islanders at the 2007 trade deadline.
7. LA Kings-(G) Marty Turco
Original pick: Jamie Storr
The LA Kings really needed a goalie at this point, which is why they took Jamie Storr this high; unfortunately Storr was a huge bust.
Marty Turco at his peak was considered one of the best goalies in the league, so its tough to pass him up at this slot;
he had 6 consecutive 30+ win seasons with the Dallas Stars and while posting a remarkable GAA and SV%.
Turco was also a tremendous puckhandler, so that will help the defensive core out a lot.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning- (G) Tomas Vokoun
Original pick: Jason Wiemer
Although the Tampa Bay Lightning do have Darren Puppa, its never to late to draft a successor.
Tomas Vokoun was a very reliable starting goalie in the NHL, he posted 9 straight 20+ win seasons, including, 3 30+ win seasons.
Another reason for picking Vokoun in this spot is because there aren't going to be any good prospect goalie in the next 2 years.
9. New York Islanders- (C) Chris Drury
Original pick: Brett Lindros
Brett Lindros was a terrible first round pick for the Islanders and a huge bust, so anyone they pick would be better.
Chris Drury may not put up staggering numbers, but he is a great leader and a good two way forward; Drury is also a very clutch player.
10. Washington Capitals- (LW) Steve Sullivan
Original pick: Nolan Baumgartner
Nolan Baumgartner was a huge bust as a first round pick for the Washington Capitals.
Steve Sullivan might of been an undersized player but he was able to put up 747 points in over 1,000 NHL games.
Sullivan was a tremendous playmaking winger, which is exactly what the Captials need.
11. San Jose Sharks- (G) Tim Thomas
Original pick: Jeff Friesen
Since Evgeni Nakokov was taken earlier in the draft, the Sharks need to draft his replacement.
Tim Thomas is a late bloomer but that shouldn't matter for the Sharks, as they have Arturs Irbe and they will likely add another goalie later.
From 2006-2012, Tim Thomas was considered one of the best goalies in the league.
12. Quebec Nordiques-(RW/C) Jeff O'Neill
Original pick: Wade Belak
Quebec Nordiques need to draft another RW, after Milan Hejduk was drafted by the Ottawa Senators.
While Jeff O'Neill is by no means a Milan Hejduk, he could certainly do some damage on a line with Joe Sakic.
O'Neill had 4 straight 25+ goal seasons including 3 30+ goal seasons.
13. Vancouver Canucks-(D) Mattias Ohlund
Original pick: Mattias Ohlund
The Vancouver Canucks still select Mattias Ohlund because they needed a defenseman and he was the best one available.
Ohlund wasn't flashy but he played a solid two way game and had a good NHL career.
Ohlund would be a huge part of the Canucks D core for years to come.
14. Chicago Blackhawks-(LW) Tomas Holmstrom
Original pick: Ethan Moreau
Ethan Moreau was a good 3rd line player, but he isn't worst a first round pick.
Tomas Holmstrom was an underrated player during his NHL career because he played with so many star players.
He won 4 stanley cups with the Detroit Red Wings while doing all the dirty work in front of the net.
15. Washington Capitals-(C) Radek Bonk
Original pick: Alexander Kharlamov
Since the Capitals picked a Left Winger with their first pick in the 1st round, the Capitals need to draft a center now.
Radek Bonk is by far the best center available at this point in the draft; he is a very reliable two way center.
Bonk would be a solid 2nd or 3rd line center for the Capitals in the future.
16. Toronto Maple Leafs-(LW) Jeff Friesen
Original pick: Eric Fichaud
Eric Fichaud never panned out as an NHL goalie, so the Maple Leafs draft Jeff Friesen, a very skilled and talent forward.
Jeff Friesen had a great start to his career with the San Jose Sharks and had a few good years in New Jersey;
he put up at least 20 goals and 50 points 5 times in his career and was a good postseason performer.
Friesen would be a good fit on the line with Glenn Anderson and John Cullen.
17. Bufffalo Sabres-(LW) Fredrik Modin
Original pick: Wayne Primeau
Instead of picking Wayne Primeau, the Sabres pick Fredrik Modin, a hard shooting winger from Sweden.
Modin is a member of the Triple Gold Club and was a important member of the Tampa Bay Lightning team that won the cup in 2004.
He would be a good fit on a line with Derek Plante and Donald Audette.
18. Montreal Canadiens-(G) Jose Theodore
Original pick: Brad Brown
The Montreal Canadiens can't risk not getting Jose Theodore, so they reach a little bit to get him.
Jose Theodore was great early on in his career with the Canadiens, unfortunately he wasn't able sustain his level of play.
19. Calgary Flames-(D) Sheldon Souray
Original pick: Chris Dingman
Although the Flames don't really have a need for defense, there aren't really any forwards that stand out so the Flames go with the best available player.
Sheldon Souray is a late blommer and once he develops into an NHL defenseman, he will be a lethal powerplay weapon.
Souray had one of the hardest shots in the league and a big offensive threat from the back end.
20. Dallas Stars-(D) Oleg Tverdovsky
Original pick: Jason Botterill
Oleg Tverdovsky was an excellent defenseman early on in his career, a way better pick than Jason Botterill.
At this time, the Stars needed help on defense and Tverdovsky would provide some much needed help.
The Stars have now stockpiled a few very good puck moving defenseman in Tverdovsky, Ozolish and Timonen.
21. Boston Bruins-(G) Dan Cloutier
Original pick: Evgeni Ryabchikov
The Boston Bruins need to draft a goalie for the future; while Dan Cloutier isn't exactly a long term solution he can be a short term solution for a while.
Cloutier had an up and down career, when he played for a good team like Vancouver, he had good seasons but when he played for bad teams, he wasn't that good.
Dan Cloutier could be a stop gap solution for a few years but if another top goaltender prospect is avalaible in the coming years, they should draft him.
22. Quebec Nordiques-(D) Kim Johnsson
Original pick: Jeff Kealty
The Quebec Nordiques aren't really in need of anything in particular but they could always use more defensive depth.
Kim Johnsson isn't likely to be a top pair defenseman with the Avalanche but he could slide into the top four in the future.
Johnsson put up 284 points in 739 before his career was ended by a concussion.
23. Detroit Red Wings-(RW) Richard Zednik
Original pick: Yan Golubovsky
Losing Tomas Holmstrom is a huge loss, so the Red Wings need to draft a RW to make up for that loss.
Although Zednik cannot make replace what Holmstrom brings to the team, he is still a solid NHL prospect.
Zednik might be subject to trade bait because the Red Wings are in win-now mode.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins-(D/RW) Mathieu Dandenault
Original pick: Chris Wells
The Pittsburgh Penguins need to add more depth on defense and the best option is Mathieu Dandedeault, a winger converted Defenseman.
Dandenault was a part of 3 stanley cup teams with the Red Wings and his biggest asset was his versatility.
Being able to play both Defense and Wing will give the Penguins some options in the future.
25. New Jersey Devils-(C) Curtis Brown
Original pick: Vadim Sharifijanov
After losing Patrick Elias, the Devils are can't possibly find a player to match his offensive production, so they go for fit.
The New Jersey Devils are lacking in the depth at center and they bolster that depth by adding Curtis Brown.
Curtis Brown isn't going to be expected to light up the statsheet but he fits in with the Devils' system.
26. New York Rangers-(LW) Ethan Moreau
Original pick: Dan Cloutier
Dan Cloutier turned into a decent goalie in the NHL but the Rangers had no need for one at this point.
Ethan Moreau is a heart and soul type player that is more than his stats.
Moreau is a good two way player, penalty killer and is would be good role player for a Rangers team trying be a contending team.
Winners:
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers added Evgeni Nabokov and Ryan Smyth, who players that will be franchise players for a while.
Nabokov is a massive upgrade over Jason Bonsignore, who was a huge bust for the Oilers.
Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals added Steve Sullivan and Radek Bonk, two very good NHL players;
this was a huge improvement over Nolan Baumgartner and Alexander Kharlamov.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Drafting Patrik Elias, a borderline Hall of Fame player over Oleg Tverdovsky is a massive upgrade.
Elias will be a player that the Mighty Ducks can build around for 20 years.
LA Kings
The LA Kings were also major winners in the draft, as Marty Turco is much better than Jamie Storr.
LA Kings now have their goalie of the future in Marty Turco.
Losers:
Quebec Nordiques
Even though the Quebec Nordiques had 2 first round picks, the two picks aren't enough to match the productivity of Milan Hejduk, who was drafted by Ottawa.
Quebec ended up drafting Jeff O'Neill and Kim Johnsson but neither of these players where the difference makers that Hejduk was.
New Jersey Devils
Patrik Elias was the all time leading point for the Devils, so losing him to Anaheim is a huge loss.
Curtis Brown might be a solid role player but not the same caliber player as Elias.
Detroit Red Wings
Richard Zednik is not an adaquete replacement for Tomas Holmstrom, who was a major part of 4 Stanley cup teams with the Red Wings.
Zednik might not even be a part of the team as he is most likely to get traded for a veteran player, while the Red Wings are in pursuit of a Stanley cup.
Calgary Flames
Sheldon Souray might have turned into a decent defenseman but it took a long time for him to become a regular in the lineup.
By the time he becomes a regular, the Flames might have opted to trade him because they are in win now-mode.
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